The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-13
NUMBER lo2.
lFrom the Round TAbIe.I

goes,
cien'ly comprehensive. There is s,lsrge class of
the community hich 10 without much property of
ils own, but which is possessed Of some ideas. IL
is in this sense the st important that 1t furnish
e. he brains such as they are-cf the rest. Rob
people ss rule, have not much 10 think about.
The accumulation or preservation OF their prop
eriy Is almost the only active idea in their
minds. The habit Of wealth produces an indo-
leDce in general matters. Those whose fatare
is in a measure secure, and who have no need
to exert themselves In order to please, can at
ford 10 tale the world eisure.y. Nor Is there any
Necessity for Them r. employ their own brains so
Iong as they can find others willing to sell them
ideas. This kind Of exercise cannot, unfortu-
nately. be gore through in the same manner that
one lakes the air in carriage. Ii requires hard
and sometimes painful labor. At the same time II
scarcely pays, 10 any sense, for much better
article can be bought than the most painstakiDg
Industry will produce. Il would be absurd to ex-
pect that q languid child of fashion, who has
enough 10 crafty his present and future caprices.
would go through SO much to gain so little. Such
one is not IN actor in the raree show. II Is for
Others 10 dance or sing when be pulls the s.rings.
Undoubtedly II must confer great happiness on
those inferior creatures to contribute In this man
uer TO The amusement Of 70 celestial being To
bstk in the rays Of bis efuigent countenance for
ever so short time must counterbalanoe all the
psins they take TO please him. At least. to judge
from their conduct, such would seem to be the
case.
TO those, however, who do not belong to So
gene is really worth the candle il the shifts to
which such people are put TO maintain 10 the good
Rraces Of their superors In wealth or social stand
ing have qutd pro quo in those good graces,
None, of course, but the parties themselves can
M ow what those shifts really are. IL is their OBJ
iect. beside, TO keep them concealed aud TO make
as good show as possible, so that the other
members Of the circle TO which they hsve gained
admittsnce may not suspect that they have no
right TO be there. IL they were found out, they
would be elected uDceremonousy To guard
against such catastrophe is the object of all
heir endesvors. AT times. however. the mask is
thrown Oh, either that people can see under it or
that poverty has worn IL to sbreds. When thi
happens. the actor usually disappears from
the scene: but bis past history then becomes
public property. We are at length able TO form
sCme idea Of bis private lfe 10 count, as II we're,
ibe holes which fine lace aud jeweIry had hitherto
concealed from our view. IL Is of course morally
impossible 20 estimate correctly the number aud
degree of mean acrs ard falsehoods which were
necessary to sustain that splendid appearance. To
know so much of the lite OF any man would be
neither pleasing nor profitable. Were we to trace
the socinl a0veDIOrer through all the unclesn wiod
IDgs OF his career, We shall have, beside to spend
m,re time or trouble than he is really worth. or
We are Wiling TO bestow on him. We shall, there
fore, coDfue ourselves TO some general consdera-
tions Of his mode Of life, and particularly of his
debtor and creditor account with society.
IL may be noticed, In the first place. that he is
usually more lavish in his expenditure than those
who have just claim TO be called wealthy and
in ,bis he il far right that even the wisest are
often unable 10 distinguish the polish Of lacquer
from that OF true metal. bis dress Is uDexcep-
tiOnable bis diamonds are of the purest water;
ard bis dinner parties are notable for the choice
Dess OF the csbes and the wines. During the
he irequeDts the ball aud the race course, the
church aud the opera, with perseverance aud i'm
psrtiality. 10 the summer he takes wing for New
port or Saratoga, where be 10 the most friendly
terms with every great man Of his acquaintance.
People DO not insist so much upon their izuty st
watering places As they do at home they relax
somewhat from the sense Of t1eir posi- ion and
tts exclusiveness. Strangers, or those OF lower
sphere, often mistake the adventurer for q
person OF Consequence. Indeed, apart from that
feeling of uncertainty which he inspires, he is
much nure agreeable companion than one
whose respectabiliiy Is uDqoestionably solid.
be is more intelligent ard better bred aaj
more desirous 20 please thsb those who have
money enough TO dispense with brains and man
neIs. bis talents are numerous and versatile. It
is he who invenis every novelty n fashion that is
worth anything who pronounces the sentence
which demns or renders famous the new aspirant
TO ibe worlds patronage. He is as much at
bone in scientific or literary discussion as in an
argument on the merits of choice blat or fast
uotter. He is always cheerful aud never loses his
temper At The sights or provocatons of his equals
sDd superiors, all these good qualities are, he
well Knows, necessary TO the maintenance OF his
position. The people with whom il IL his smbi-
ton TO seem intimate he Is aware only toerats
him because he is useful and amusing When he
mss psled on their taste, or when the time comes
when he can no longer keep up fne An
appearance, he knows that he will he thrown
away like s0ied glove. Yet to win a
fmie from them he will perform any Kind of
dirty work. IL is not only that he is always
ready 10 applaud their dresry jskes and immoder-
ate selfconcer, but be will endure their patron
iziDR, which Is far worse, with perfect humility.
To live in the charmed orbit round which these
planets If fashion Tevolve, he is content TO lose
bis own iDdeF eDdence and become a mere satel-
le. OF the dscomforts he is willing TO endure
aDd OF the articles he has TO practise In order TO
Keep the gloss Of gentiy from being tarnished
by The breath OF poverty, IL Il difficult to form
sdequae ides. ibe iuIuGe is always dark pic
tnTe to him. BE is another Dsmocles, without the
suhstsDce Of good things which the latter was
able, at least for the moment. to indulge ia. He
wsnGers in the brilliant salons OF society with tue
oisIOsl sense, however carefully concealed, that
be Is q suspected impostor, whose motley may at
any moment be torn OF. and It's lucklsss wesrer
made the mark Of universal scorn.
Thus II IL that. from the manner In which the
socisl system il constituted. class which might
otherwise be productive and honorable Is reader
ed useless and vicious. I0stesd of turning it's tai
ents TO the improvement of itself of others. it
wastes item in the futile effort TO emulate the ex-
usvsesnce Of i,s interiors IN everything but
wealth. II Is a standing u xt with moralis that
riches are the root of all evil. Yet there u, per.
bsps no greater fallscy. Az well might II b. said
that high order OF Intellect should be depre-'
Gated because II might be perverted 10 improper
objects. Money, per Sc is thing 10 be desired
shove sny other. inssmuch as II affords the largest
opportunity for doing good. IL is only evil when
il rs used as a means TO further selfish ends.
Unfortunately il falls too commonly into The
hsrds of those who can find no other use for 10
but 20 glut tbeH apPetites bsdsek their persOns
Ii is by such le that the social staodard is
hxed which regulates worth by the thickness Of
the gliding. and which can zee nothing TO respect
under rusty coat iimil address. The result ia
that those who are not wise enough to despise
such test-snd few ere-wsste their energies
ard their pstrimOny or savings 10 trying to dazzle
Others by q Fictitious brilliancy which il sure.
sooner or later. 70 wear of. There is perhaps no
position pitisble as that or clever mao TINS
prostitutDg Eis talents unless 1t be that OF the
same man after he has been found out. h has
then DO decent resource but % shuttle on this
n ortal coil as quickly as possible.