The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1873-12-13
The american Gentleman of Lei
SM3'e.

lsa4he reakler ever. see a lost dog in a great
city. 2 dog recentlylost, fnlI OF wild anxiety
and restass pain and bewiderment, but one who
had given np the search for master in despair,
and had become consciously vsgabond2 II 30,
he lns segn an animal that has lost his selE-re-
sped, travelling in the CUTTERS Sinking along by
fences, making acquaintance with dirty boys be-
coming thorough coward, and losing every ad-
miriole Characteristic of dog. A cat is a cat
even IN vagabondage; but dog that does not
belong to somebody is as hopeless a specimen of
denDralizaton as can be found in the superior
racs among which he has sought in vain for his
master We know him at FIRST sight, and be
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
outof his life and the spirit out OF him He has
become dog of leisure.
We do not know how it may be in trans-At-
lanic countries It is quite possible tha in Con-
staltinople, where dogs are plenty and masters
comparatively scarce, the canine vagabonds keep
each other in countenance. There is a sort of
selfrespcct among human thieves if only enough
of them get together. Where beggars are plenty,
thee are sometimes generated a sort of profess
sioml ambition and semblance, at least, of pro-
fessional pride and honor. Liquor dealers form
a society publish a newspaper call themselves
"Wine Merchants" and make themselves believe
that they are respectable. Stock-gamblers in
Wall street, by sheer force of numbers in combi-
nation, make a business sem-respectable which
never added dollar of wealth to the country and
never will, and which constantly places the busi-
ness interests of the country in jeopardy. So it
is possible that u Constantinople lost dogs main
tain their selfrespect BY community Of feeling
and consciousness that they are neither excep-
tional nor eccentric. dog sense of vsgabond-
age would seem therefore, TO depend much upon
bis atmosphere and circumstances. In New York
be loses himself with his home; in Constantino-
pie be joins community.
The American man Of leisure is sort of lost
dog The people are so busy, they have so long
associated personal importance with action and
usefulness, that i. is all mans life is worth to
drop out of active employment. If Vanderbilt
should qnietly release bis hold of the vast rail-
road interests now in his hands, and should never
more show his face in Wall street, he would
practically shrink to nonentity. II Stewart
should retire to enjoy his piled-up millions in the
quiet repose of bis palace, be would cease to be
an object OF interest to anybody 1t is undenia-
bly, true that there is nobody in America who has
SO hard 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
the reason why so many who retire from life OF
profitable labor earaes hsae- --t'~= vfr--, or
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