Smyrna times., 1870-06-29
AriStocraoy on the Wing.


We take the simple fact to be that there is
something OF the same partial variation in wat
eling places that the New England proverb at
tributes to deacOns but that after all, in res
pect to grandfathers not one of them has much
to claim. ArlstOcracy in America is not only
on the wing, about this time, from New York
to Newport, but it is always on the wing 1t
must be shot, like folly, as it flies. The few
vestIgcs OF hereditary aristocracy are disappear
ing. Even Philadelphia is not torpid enough
even Boston IS not exclusive enough, to keep
out the new blood. TO be sure, YOU are as
sured In Boston, as if it were the greatest of
novelties, that " a very different class of people
are moving into Beacon st. lately" Certain
ly and the salne thing was said a generation
ago, when the fathers Of these compliments
moved IN there. The advantage of New York
IS that 1t frankly owns its social fluctuations
Are there any old families in New York 2"
asked IN surprise young Bostonian of a young
New lor ker the other day. The New Yorker
was crushed, knowing Wlthin himself that his
own. grandfather was tallow-chandler, and
not knowing that the questioner' great-grand-
father was a shoemaker
What makes good family in America {?
Genius and virtue let us hope, first We saw
Mrs. Stowe described in an English periodical
as belonging to "a very O!d and distinguish
ed family. Certainly she does an ancient
and honorable house, from her first parent
Adam, down to her immediate parent Lyman,
blacksmith and preacher, who never ate for
hidden fruit himself, and spent his life in try
ing to make up for the sins Of the head of his
house. And the name of our first parent re-
minds US that we see the family of Adams
sooken OF with habitua reverence. as u fami-
ly; Bostonian takes off his hat before stock
that IN each generation produces a President
OF the United States, or writer in the
North american Rcrinc, or something But
the highest honor Of the tam.ly lies after all
! IN the fact that the Tory magnates of Boston
tired to sneer at young John Adams as that
cobbler son" century ago. The truth is
that we are nation OF new men. Very few of
the old Puritan families in Massachusetts. or
the old Dutch stock in New York. or the old
Roman Catholic households of Baltimore, can
be said to sustain themselves with much yigor
IN this generation. The majority have col
lapSed through want of vitality, or of morality,
or OF brains through Toryism in the Reyolu-
ton or dislOyalty since. 1t is the destiny Of
things, Even England, with everything or
ganlzed to support hereditary aristocracy, can
hardly keep the House of Lords above water );
and how can America, which was mainly set
tied by the lower orders of European society,
do so much 1t is said that Prof. Longtellow
during lis late visit to Rome, found himself on
some occasion near an English carriage in
which a full blown dame, GOOD deal over
dressed, was denouncing the want of taste in
dress among American women. But what
better can you expect" she said, at last relent-
ing, Those among them who are not des-
cended from cOnvicts are descended from day.
laborers. We confess the day-laborer,
though we deny the convict. Even the aris-
to:racy OF America is working aristocracy, or
one whose father worked. And seeing the
dIsgracetul career Of so much of the peerage
OF England the great estates wrecked at the
gaming. tabe,-the young noblemen wantonly
destroying the art gallery of Christ Church in
Oxford, we confess that we prefer the Ameri-
can fashion. We are willing to see our great
men each =" the son Of his own works." as the
Spanish prOvcrb says, or " his own ancestor"
as Napoleon Junot boasted. If they must
have coats OF arms on their carriages-and
heraldry is cheap and human nature weak-we
should like to see them bear a wheel like st.
Wllllgis, the wheelrght, or a shoemaker's $
tools, like Pope Urban ". But we should
like still better to have them initiate Sydney
Smith, who refused to have a crest or seal
ring, saying that the Smiths, from time i'm
memorial, had sealed the letters with their
thumbs. Such an aristocracy would not take
to itself wings any more than rings and would
not lily away.-M I. Tri6uc