Smyrna times., 1874-02-18
Is He Rich2

A stranger comes into town and takes up his
residence.
Naturally enough people talk over the cir
eumstance and inquire concerning the personal
attributes of the young man.
Is he rich? This is the all important ques-
ticn.
1t is chance if anybody inquiries concerning
his character. Characters belong only to SER
wants. What does a rich young man want
with a character?
Society does not care whether he CANDLES,
and drinks, and deceives women or not. Oh,
that has nothing to do with it, Dom be old
fogyish. Only fossils of the last century trou-
bic themselves about such little things
Young men will be young men. Wild oats
will be sown.
Is he rich?
Pretty, pure young girls ask the important
question and when the affirmative response
comes, visions of stately mansions, and costly
furniture, and gilded carriages fit before their
imaginations not to mention Paris bonnets aud
Lyons vclvets, and diamonds like the Kohinor.
And these innocent little darlings are quite
ready to sacrifice Charles, or Sam, or Thomas,
for the sake Of the new conner, who is said to
be rich
Is he rich?
| Old ladies ask the momentous question, and
wipe their gold-rimmed spectacles when they
learn that be is. They glance affectionstsly at
the marriageable daughters, and at once set
themselves to work to get up party for the
rich young man, who must feel so lonely
among a community Of entire strangers"
Bless their tender and charitable old hearts
1t is beautiful to think of so much goodness
embodied in these female patriarchs, but il
seems little strange that they never get VI
parties for any of the hundreds Of POOR young
/ hn OH in nd laru iOc
Is he rich?
Portly papas as the question, and twirl then
gaudy watch-seals, and ask a neighbor to in
tIOduce them, because, forsOoth, young msT
need encouragement, and u it is duced unplea
SAINT not to know anybody !"
And, while they look over their bank &C
counts, they think how convenient would be
rich sonin law in case Of breaking down o
some corner or a financial crisis
Is he rich ?
The door of society is flung open at once t
him if he is rich. Gold is the open seasame'
to the gilded portals of Upper Tendon, who's
aristocratic curtains never unfold to the maj
who can only count his dollars by the score
The silken robes of wealth do not care to toucl
the floating rags of despised poverty.
The rich young man is received withOu
question No matter if his hands be red will
the crime of extortion-though he may hav
taken bread from the mouth of the fathcrless
and crushed the heart of the widow in tn
dust-if he has staked his gold at the gamin
table, blasphemed the name of God who cres
ted him, hardened his brain by the fool stu
called alcohol, and betrayed the woman VIII
, loved hint is no hindrance to his success i
what we call fashionable society
Out upon such standard Of morality
Shame upon people who, born and bre
: las we Americans have been) in an atmospher
whose every essence is freedom, pass by tn
man whose heart is pure, whose hands ar
; Clean whose record is chaste. but whose purs
: is empty of gold, and bow down to wOrshi
the besotted and beastly libertine, simply be
cause he is rich
Lift your standard of nobility higher D,
mand OF your friends that they shall be hor
orAble and just, that they shall have goo
characters, that they shall be able to raj:
their faces to God, who watches them, and d.
/, clare in all sincerity, 81 have led lite
which no man need be Ushamed p
KATE THORN.