Smyrna times., 1866-04-25
MIS- ELL A N EOUS.
American and English Nobility.

What contrast the London papers furnish
between the character and conduct of Mr.. Pea
body and Lord Aberdeen! The former an
American, educated in a district school, the ar
chitect of his own fortune, pushes his way as
London banker to such wealth and such po-
sition that he can do and does acts of munif-
cence so great as to shame even the hereditory
princes of Great Britain, and such as the
Queen, In letter to him, pronOunces " wholly
without parallel in the history of the gigantic
charities of the British nation. Hearing that
he is about to revisit his native land, the Queen
of England sends him an autograph letter. de-
sires to present him her likeness, and would
have conferred baronetcy upon him but that
he declined it. The London Times devotes a
whole leader to the discussion of his noble acts
in behalf of the London poor.
On the other hand, contrast with this the
title of Lord Aberdeen trailed in the dirt, as
was pointed out the other day, by an heir to
it, who is leading half vagrant life by going
about the world in disguise, wasting his time,
his money and his opportunities. And yet, for
! fifty wears and more, from 1902 to 1854, one OF
the owners of that title stood foremost among
the great men of the worlds history in almost
every respect Now the heir of the family
4 honors, fond of low companions and full OF low
tastes, instead of living to elevate the poor like
Peabody, lives only to weary, 20 frighten and
|
money in unbecoming dissipations that corrupt
them. Such contrasts we should hope, are
not very common in q world like this. But
when they do occur it is well to trace the caus
es that produce them. AT least we may learn
the value of our American system OF common
school education, where even the poorest may
be so educated that they may take their places
among the highest of any land, and afford even
to refuse outward honors In the conscious
wealth of living for higher purposes, and leav
ing name which, unadorned by Titles, carries
with it the remembrance OF wholly unpre
cedented" acts of goodness.
We might have expected the descendants o.
SO able, refined well educated and distinguish
ed man as Lord Aberdeen to succeed in better
' educating family than that they should come
, to have such tastes as those we have described
How has it all happened, we naturally ask p
Is it not because propped up by entails in he
] reditary ease and greatness, which they eanno
forfeit bv any idleness and dissipation, the no
bility of England lose those habits Of care ant
self.nreseryation which alone can render famil!
merit secure and prolonged? The worthy ant
ambitious poor boy grows up with the feeling
tRat he has his future character and fortune L
make bv industry, energy and intelligence
, hence he cultivates these. The, young nobl
grows up feeling, that wealth and high posiu.onl
are his without effort, and SO he begins III
| without ambition, anu 10 hS iihOiy W IAN 90 U
rise. AN men should feel that they must de
I mend upon themselves for success, or they vii
> Enever succeed.
But the most important matter here is tha
the American system leads men to feel tina
There is no security for the progress OF eacl
! except by the progressive education OF ALL
The strength and civilization Of society is to b
measured not by the top but bottom strate.-
So long as whole classes lie degraded, deprav
: ed. ignorant and uncared for, the highest class
es, however wealthy or propped up IN heredl
tary honors, never can be secure, heyC
lutions will, threaten and growl, and the Chi
|, tdren, of the highest may descend TO the lowest
lie is only by eleyating the lowest. through edr
cation and care, that civilization is to be exter
a ded, and families preserved from degredatioI
"There is that scattereth and yet inereasett
fand there is that withholdeth more than
Y meet, and 1t tendeth to poverty" There al
lnoblemen in London whose estates produc
them from two to three millions of dollars AT
nuaIlv and they add field to field, and increa'
z 81 snyander their rent rolls. But such an al
T. ~ % Ais of Mr.. Peabody is wholly unprec
Jented '' because the mobiles there scarcely ev'
" think Of or hope,for the elevation Of the POO poo
M ~ = customary here. They do not dread ha
& no = vs a. masses of low, vicious and uneducatt
y eagg;l;es. g never rising to breathe the pure q
q nf aaucation and religion. Those masses
u .he es,ncared.for poor will yet be the downfi
nd cetha Enclish monarchy. ia - o. eos