The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-12-19
THE AMERICAN GENTLEMAN OF
LEISURE

recently lost, full of wild anxiety
aud restless pain and bewilderment,
but one who had given up the search
for master in despair, and had
become consciously yagabonde
If SO, he has seen an animal that
has lost his self-respect, travelling
in the cutters, sinking along sby>
fences, making acquaintance with
dirty boys, becoming thorough
coward, and losing every admir-
able characteristic of dog, a
cat is q cat even in vagabondage:
but s. dog that does not belong to
somebody is as hopeless speci
men OF decentralization as can be
found in the superior race among
which he has sought in VAIN for
his master. We know him ut first
: sight, and he knows that we know
him. The loss of his place in the
world, and the loss of his objects
of loyalty, personal and official,
have taken the significance out of
| his life and the spirit out Of him.
He has become a dog of leisure.
/ We do not know how it may be
in transatlantic countries. 1t is
quite possible that in CONSTANT
nople, where dogs are plenty and
masters comparatively scarce, the
canine vagabonds keep each
other in countenance. There is
sort of self-respect among human
thieves, if only enough Of them get
together. Where beggars are
plenty, they are sometimes gener-
ated sort of professional ambi-
ton and semblance, at least, oil
professional pride and honor.
Liquor dealers form society,
publish q newspaper, call themsel
yes "Wine Merchants" AMI make
themselves believe that they are
respectable. Stock-gsmblers in
Wall street, by sheer force OF
numbers in combination, make q
business semi.respectable which
never added q dollar of wealth TO
the country and never will, ard
which constantly places the bust
ness interests of the country ia
jeopardy. So 1t is possible that
in Constautinople that lost dogs
maintain their self-respect, by II
community of feeling and q con
seriousness that they or neither eX-
ceptional nor eccentric. a dogs
sense of vagabondage would seem.
therefore, to depend much upon
his atmosphere and circumstances.
In New York no loses himself with
his home; in Constantinople he
Joins q community.
The American man Of leisure is
sort of lost dog. The people
are so busy, they have so long as
sociated personal importance with
action and usefulness, that it ia
all a mans life is worth to drop
out of active employment. If Il
Vanderbilt should quietly release
his hold of the vast railroad inter
ests now in his hands, and should
never more show his face in Wall
street, he would practically shrink
TO q noncntity. If Stewart
should retire to enjoy his pilcd-up
millions in the quiet repose of his
palace, he would cease to be an oh
iect of interest to anybody. IT is
undeniably true that there is no
body in America who has so hard
q time as the man OF leisure. The
man who has nothing to do, and
nobody to help him do nothing,
may properly be counted among
the unfortunate Classes, without
regard to the amount of wealth he
possesses. This is, doubtless, the
reason why 80 many who retire
from q profitable life of labor come
back, after few months or years.
to their old haunts and old pur-
suits. They see that the moment
they count themselves out of ac-
tive life, they are counted by their
old acquaintance out of the world.
They become mere loafers and
hangers-on; and certain sense of
vagabondage deprcsses them. The
climate is stimulating, time hangs
heavy on their hands, business is
exciting, business associations are
congenial and attractive; and SO
they go back to their industries.
never, to leave them again till
sickness or death or old age re-
moves them from the theatre OF
their efforts. go
In Europe we know that the
case is widely different. The
number of men who live upon
| their estates,-estates either won
by trade or inherited from rich an
cestors,--is very large, while those.
who have small, fixed incomes,
which they never undertake to in
crease, is larger still. The Eng
lishman of leisure who cannot live
at home on his income goes 10
the Continent, and seeks a place
where his limited number of
pounds per a;asssta will give him
genteel lodgings, with a life of idle.
leisure. In such place he finds
others in plenty who are rs Idle
as he, and who have como there
for the Same reason that brings
him. He finds it quite respecta-
bic to do nothing, and knows that
his commands of the means that
give him leisure is the subject of
envy on the part OF the inhabi.
tants. He eats, sleeps, reads, Wis
its, writes letters, and kills time,
without any loss OF self.respect.
and without feeling the slightest
attraction for buster life. Ahdeed
the tradesmen who are active
around him are looked down upon
as social interiors, on account of
the fact that they are under the
necessity of work. Work is not
a genteel thing to do, unless it be
done in an Office or profession.
Shop-keeping and labor OF the
hands are accounted vulgar.
It seems impossible to conclude
that the man of leisure can ever
hold a desirable position where
labor holds its legitimate position.
We wish the American could have
more leisure than he has. 1T
would, in many respects, be we'll
for society that men who have
| property enough, and ten times
moro than enough, should retire
from active life TO make place for
others rather than go on accumu-
iating gigantic fortunes which be.
come curses to their owners and
the community. After all, If idle
ness can only be made respectable
and desirable by making labor
vulgar, we trust that the Ameri-s
can gentleman of leisure will be as
rare in the future as he has been
in the past.
\ We are glad, on the whole.
that every American deems it ,cs-
| sential to belong to somebody, to
belong to something. to sustain.