The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-11-06


or his trip to Europe, unless it be to purchase
arms for the government Both men arc Of too
practical turn to set out on so prohtless mis-
sion as that attributed to them.
social neutrality-suspicious. Of the Shoddy
| Artstocracy.
4 We have before adverted to the remarkable
! dsvelopements Of the present war, and have
called attention to. the revolutions it has pro-
| iuced IN business in commerce, in trade, in
manufactures, in the social condition of the
ountEy; to the revolutions in Europe, long
oredicted and now forced out by the pressure
II this war; to thasgreat revolution which this
crisis inau surated,, and which HAS resulted in
the dethroning Of King Cotton and the Corona
| lion of King Corn We have now to notice
another great socnl revolution, and to chronicle
rhe decadence Of She old, and the advent Of
new, American saistocracy.
I Arstocracy has everywhere been plant Of
delicate growth and, like a dollhouse treasure,
g as fragile So it is precious. In France tho
nobility of tina old regime has pretty nearly
died out, and IDS place is supplied by new
military arissscracy, which denotes its origin by
It's titles, anS h certain to die with she Napo~
leon dynasty, whenever the fates decree q
return Of the old Bourhen rule to France
result which we are perhaps, Inadvertently
assisting by the military education we are Civ
ing the young Bourbon princes In England
arstocyacy is swaadled in the constitution,
wrapped up in the national bunting, and
as carefully coddied and cherished as the ma
tional debt Still it is but shaky institution
at best. Offshoots of it come over here and
evince very unaristocratic and degenerate
proclivity towards pork packing at Cincinnati
and grain measuring at Chicago. Literary
lords, like Macaulay, and political earls, like
Russell, are continually being stuck into it,
professedly to make it more popular and moro
permanent, but really to its discredit and iuju-
ry; for aristocracy is nothing unless II 10 ex-
elusive, and becomes common as soon as merit
is made patent of nobility and rank an expo
nent of merit. Cotton and iron lords trouble
it by disputing its power and knocking its pc
icy into cooked hat every now and then.
Democracy, its natural enemy, is perpesually
pummelling away at it, and hits it blows
straight from the shoulder nowadays. That
terrible bugbear, the suffrage question, worries
it like bulldog, and can only be kept still by
Parliamentary sops, which do not satisfy demo.
cracy, but weaken aristocracy terribly. So
things look badly for the pet British institution,
and no one would wonder if our war ended the
English aristocracy; for English noblemen were
great courters Of King Cotton and will doubt
less be summarily kicked out Of the court Of
King Corn
But if the war has disturbed the English aris-
tocracy, it has completely revolutionized our
own The English aristocracy is one of blood;
and blood takes a long while to corrupt and
dilute. The American aristocracy is one OF
wealth; and riches, we all know, are perpetual.
ly taking to themselves wings and flying away.
As these golden birds seldom alight twice on
the same spot, our aristocracy is as variable and
changeful as our politicians principles; and SO
American aristocracy has come to be
A thing for laughter, sneers and jeors,
and only the old Knickerbocker nobility, which
rests upon double strata of good blood and
good money, which lives upon its rents, and
which does not much trouble itself pecunarily
about wars or rumors of wars, has maintained
either its permanency or its responsibility.
Around this Knickerbocker nucleus clustered,
before the war began, the two great constella.
tons Of American nobility-the cotton and the
Goldfish aristocracy. Sad havoc the dogs of war
have played with them both. The crisis, like o
double barreled Manton, tumbled over these
fine feathered birds, and, after few dying
kicks, chirps and flutters, they sang small and
gave up the ghost. You may find their vacant
nests in and about Fifth avenue, where one.
third Of the brown stone palatial residences are
for sale or to let. You miss them at the
Opera-when there is any Opera-where they
used to 60, not because they understood thu
music, but to show off their gay plumage and
rival the Knickerbockers, whom they courted
and detested. Particularly they left an aching
void at the Central Park, where they once fus-
tered about, every bright Saturday afternoon.
still attempting to rival the Knckerbocker line
OF oauipages, and rivallcd in their turn by the
shrimp aristocracy, in 4 state of small brougham
and great envy. But, alas! cotton was block
AIDED. Goldfish was not in demand, and SO our
arstocracy packed up its moveables, propelled
its hauJcart, and took lodgings in teDentelt
house on the Bowery side Of town.
For some time after this disaster the Kncls,
erbockers had the Central Park all to ITEM
selves ana rolled along the drives, envied aa.,
admired by the pedestrians, or chatted awsy
The interudes Of Dodworth's concert in sarcas-
tic remarks upon the absent snobocracy. Sae,
denly. however. there came rush of bloo.ed
horses. fash of new carriages and crowd Of
new people. They pushed in among the Kniek>
erbocker clique, scraped carriage wheels and
tried to scrape acquaintance. Nobody knew
who they were, and everybody wondered and
inquired They did not seem 10 know much Of
each other; apparently had been intimate nish
SIC least reputable Of the foot visitors, aud
talked Familiarity with the policemen. At UlE
mans benefits they were distinguished for tho
immensely Of their toilets, the largeness Of
their gloves, the loudness Of their voices, theil
insane efforts to look through the wrong end az