The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-07-04
American AristOcr"cy.

Among the pleasantest and healthiest
sensations of family position are those
| inspired by kindness with those who a
century or more ago themselves enjoy
ed the distinction which is won by true
worth, and held social positions, hon
ored, and perhaps envied, by their
neighbors. 1t is true that in the United
States there is, as a general fact, a very
narrow basis for family pride. 4 gem
uine thoroughbred pedigree of an
American family is quite rare to find
among the millions who make up
American society. All are concerned
i'll establishing pedigree for those who
come after them, and very few indeed
are those who would care to trace in
dustriously the lines of their descent
back to previous generations. The old
| families are dying out, leaving few de-
scendants. And some of the old fami-
lies have no other distinction than that
they are "Old," being able to boast but
little of the social eminence of those
| who, one hundred years ugo. stood on
the fountain-head of their line. Some,
to be sure, fOndly believe themselves to
belong TO the magic circle of fancied
ariStocrncy, within which the
vulgar crowd can never come
But their notions arc rudely shocked
| by finding that with each wear the
numbers of the circle are changing,
and that new comers add to its num-
Der and share in the fattery of the
| public'S enViOuS gnZe. And one is sur
prised when his memory is taxed to
discover how few there really are re-
manning of the old families in any of
| the cities of the land. In the flood of
new comers who seize and occupy the
conspicuous positions, the old settlers
and their descendants are overwhelm-
ed and vanish from view. One would
be surprised now, here in st. Louis, to
see how few of such families he could
count up among the two hundred
thousand inhabitants of st. Louis.
There is something melancholy, too,
i'll noticing that some of the Distinctive
ly hOnOred names of st. Louis which
are associated with it's earlier days are
seldom heard mentioned now, entire
new names filling the public ear.
Among those in all cities who claim
pre-eminence of social position by their
wealth and resources for Ustentatious
display, the number is very small of
those who would hang the portraits Of
their Erandtuthers and grandmothers
in their pHrlOrs with any sensations of
family pride, or who would experience
any other emotion but that of mortifi
ed vanity, If the walls of their dwell
ings were pOrtraitures of their ances-
tors engaged in the RvOcations by
which they won their bread.
The last number of the New York
Directory alludes to the pride of the
New Yorker, who wishes to trace his
descent from the Knickerbockers,"
and points to the fact that in the old
New York Directory not one Knicker-
booker seems to have been prominent
enough to be recorded. In the Directo-
ry of 1896, the name of Stuyvesnut first
appearS-one of the most honored
names In New York, and cherished
with aristOcratic pride. But he is reg
istered as Peter Stuyvesunt, shoema-
p,lF
Peter Stuyvesant, shoe warehouse"
and Peter Stuyvesant, Jr., attorney"
the record of the directory atfording
thus IL striking illustration of the man
ner of the growth of position in the
United States. The father is a shoema-
ker, who accumulateS means and be-
| comes the owner of a store or ware
house, his children are educated, and
the next generation hold forth the more
ambitious titles of merchants, aItor-
neys and doctors. In the Directory of
| 1896 appear the names of two Astors.
one Il " fur merchant" and the other
butcher" Since that day the name
| of one has become the synonym for
wealth and has commanded the adOra-
ton of all the vulgar crowds who wor-
ship the aristocrncy of money.
| Another name, which has become
| historically associated for all time with
our late civil war, is that of SlideII.
This name appears in the old New York
Directory, and is registered there as
John Slidell, oup-bOiler, Broadway"
His son became lawyer, United States
senator and rebel Minister to France.
! His tather-SOap- p-bOiler-cOuld not have
crossed the threshold OF the self-ap-
pointed aristOcrntic dwellings of New
| York. But John Slidell, the son, was
the intimate friend and companion of
| tltth avenue nnbobs, and welcome
hubitue of the New York clubs. a re-
| Vii fNF n
back 20 their origin, would shed Gu
rious light upon the history of some
| names i'll ST. Louis, and exhibit the
gradual advancement of the members
| of families to occupations and profess
si0ns more honored by the incOnsider-
ate and vulgar, though not Otintrinsically
more worthy than the occupations of
their fathers. THilors, shOe-nukers,
bnkers and butchers, with blHcksmiths
and mechanics, have had quite ns much
TO do with creating wealth and pusterity
to enjoy it as any other, and they
nave peopled every department OF
business and all ranks of So
ciety with representatives. But we
think we should stand fair to win the
crown IL we should wager it that not
one in hundred of our young men
and muidens would ever mention, cx-
cept Gonhdentinlly, the bench or the
kneadtng-trough or the slaughter
house of their fathers. But no matter,
Each man in America is AN indepen-
dent head of II family. He may, by his
personal worth and his energy, become
The head OF n new line of respected and
honOred descendants. Every man, in
fact, must be good pedigree" in him
self, or no relation to old families will
help him. That grand old horse Nor
gan had pedigree so doubtful that it
Is questionable whether he had any an
Eestors; but he made an aristocratic
family of his own that has pushed its
way with high heads down through all
ranks until to-day. The only thorough
breds in American society are those
who win the race by personal merit and
individual worth. Money, houses.
equiPages held by the father cannot in
vest with honor the heir, and old fami-
ly names may be dishonored and be-
come infamous; but the good name
man or woman wins for himself is his,
stained OnlV bV himself