The New York herald., 1871-02-08
Punch on the British Aristocracy.

tnat catcnes more quickly and follows more
closely the current of public opinion and public
prejudice In that country than Mr.. Punch, Of
Fleet street. This gentleman has been re-
Gently indulgiug every week In o series Of
comic articles turning into most amusing ridl-
cule the great country families of England.
These articles are not without significance,
and II is pretty evident that this humorous ex-
ponent OF English public opinion has come to
the logical conclusion that the age which wit
nesses the downfall of so many medimval ira
diticns Is not in mood to tolerate social and
political prerogatives which rest chiefly on
hereditary distinction.
The fact Of II Is that the mother country of
England has "lords," as her sullen daughter Of
the States has ''dollars." on the brain. The
country families of England are pre-
cisely what our railway corporation and
land-grabbing families aspire to be
century hence here. Mr.. Punch may
smile and the country gentry of England may
object to being compared, however vaguely
and remotely, with the prospective country
and city gentry of the United States, such as
our railway corporations and land grabbers
are endeavoring to build up; but, reasoning
from cause to effect, with his own logical
acumen, what may be deemed the absurdities
of English social life threaten to repeat them
selves here in much more Objectionable and
| offensive form.
Let us take, for instance, Punch's last gem
from his peerage-Sir Brooke Jenisoa, Bart,
Of Tyddesley Court descended from Bernard
Jenson, on whom a baronetcy was conferred
by Charles the Second for distinguished SER
vices on horseback in the commssariat depart
ment at the Battle of the Boyne, on condition
of his and his successors annually presenting
at Martinmas six new laid eggs to the Dean
Of the Chapel Royal. This baronet, the tenth
of his line, is represented by this rival of
Burke's 'Peerage" to have destroyed wild ami
mails in every quarter of the globe, to be
vice president of the Mutual Glorifcation
Society, Fellow Of the Piscatorial Society, &C.,
but unmarried, poor and q great smoker.
As yet we have no actual baronets here,
but we have in cur railway monopolsts and
land grabbers many who doubtless indulge the
bopo that in some future generations their de-
scendants will glory in being also tenth trans
| mitters Of their foolish faces There is one
point where the analogy ceases. We fancy
that six new laid eggs, however well laid,
would hardly tempt our Washington or Albany
lobbyists TO grant charter. The truth is, the
tendency of the age is to assign TO moneyed
| power the place once held by gentle blood and
| ancestral descent. Even here, what were
termed our old families are completely thrown
into the shade by the Fsks and Drews and Van
derbilts and so we see in England, while the
old country families are being held up to ridicule
by Fuaeh, peerage is conferred on Baron
EothssccA;A Eothsca;iAa; Hader the very appropriate title
of Lord Lentmore. If it Is no. 49,. . .hat the
plutocracy of England will ever deal so
humanely with the people as the old blood of
the realm, IT Is certain that the shoddy, the
jobbers, the peculators, the contractors and
monopolists, the railway and land and telc-
graph grahbers, who now in the United
States hold the social and political prominence
which In the early days OF the republic was
accorded only to pure and noble minded states
men and to disinterested public benefactors,
forbode greater social and political revolutions
on this side of the water than can possibly
overcome Great Britain, where most intel!i-
gent middle class hold that balance of power,
while with us it is controlled by railway cor
porations and rich monopolists.
Let Punch, then, deal leniently with the
poor, stupid old country families of England.
| They are harmless, and il Sir Brooke Jenison
will smoke too much he may impair his credit
at the tobacconists, but will hardly endanger
the State. 1t is different case, however,
with the large landed monopolist swells. They
| hold out to our monopolists here dangerous
visions of vast estates and of future Fisks,
Drews and Vanderbilts revelling In millions,
| while the vast masses Of the people sink into
| pauperism. 1t is 10 prevent such consum-
| nation most dangerous to the future that we
oppose all monopoiist rings here and regard
them as much more dangerous to the pros
| perity and liberties of the Americans than
| Pua,chs played-out baronets can ever become
| to the British people.
| New YORK CHARITY-TnE DEspArRING
MOTHER AND THE VETERAN OF 1Sl2.--In the
HERALD Of yesterday morning we published
o brief account of two unfortunate cases, each
appealing loudly to the sympathy of the COM
Portable classes in this city. It is source of
pleasure to us to be able to say that the mere
| statement Of the two cases has been warmly
responded to. Very respectable sums have
been sent to this Office. These have been sent
to the proper quarters without delay. If the
publication Of these two tales Of sorrow has
relieved distress we shall be glad for the sake
| Of the sufferers for our own sake and for the
| sake Of the citizens OF New York.
VIEWS OF THE PAST.