The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1874-01-30
rs HE RICH 2
THAT'S THE QUESTION .

and takes up his residence.
Naturally enough people talk owe
the circumstances and inquire con
corning the personal attributes o
the young man.
| Is he rich 7 This is the all-im
portant question.
| 1t is a chance if any body inquire,
concerning his character. Charac'
ters belong only to servants. VIVA
does a rich young man want with {
character
Society does not care whether he
CANDLES, and drinks, and deceives
women or not Oh that has nothing
to do with it.
Don't be oId.fogyish. Only fos'
sils of the last century trouble them,
selves about such things. Young
men will be young men. Wild oats
must be sown. Is he rich 7
Pretty, pure young girls ask the
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, and Lyon velvets, and dia
monds like the Kohinoor. And
these innocent little darlings are
quite ready to sacrifice Charles, or
Bill, or Thomas, tor the sake of the
new conner who is rich.
Old ladies ask the momentous
question, and wipe their gold,rin-
med spectacles in ecstacy when they
learn that he is rich. They glance
affectionately at their manageable
daughters, and at once set th0m-
selves at work to get up party for
the young man ''who must feel so
lonely among community Of strang-
ers."
Bless their tender and charitable
old hearts. 1t is beautiful to think
of so much goodness embodied in
these female patriarchs, but it seems
little strange that they never get
up parties for any of the poor but
honorable young men who wander
lonely and forlorn the streets of our
cities.
Portly papas ask the question,
and twirl their gaudy watch seals
and ask Brown to introduce them
because, forsooth, young men need
encouragement, and it is sis deuced
unpleasant not to know anybody
And, while they look over their bank
accounts, they think how con> enient
it would be to have a rich son-in>
law in case of breaking down of
some "corner," or financial crisis.
Is he rich ?
The door of society is flung open
at once to him If he is rich. Gold is
tho open "se>same" to the gilded
portals of Upper Tendon. whose
aristocratic curtains never unfold to
the man who counts his dollars by
the score. The siiken robes Of
wealth do not care to touch the float
ing rags of poverty.
The rich young man is received
without question.
No matter though his hands be
red with the crime of extortion -
though he may have taken bread
from the mouths of the fathsrless,
and crushed the heart of the widow
ia the dust--if he has staked his
gold at the gaming table, blasphem-
ed the name Of God who created
him, hardened his brain by the foul
stuff called alcohol, and betrayed
the woman who loved him--itis no
hindrancs to his success in what we
call fashionable society.
Out upon such standard Of
morality
Shame upon people who, born
and bred las we Americans have
been) in an atmosphere whose very
essence is freedom, pass by the man
whose heart is pure, whose hands
are clean, whose record is chaste,
but whose purse is empty of gold,
and bow down to worship the besot
ted and beastly libertine, simply be-
cause he is rich
Lift your standard Of nobility
higher!
Demand of your friends that they
shall be honorable and just, that they
shall have good characters, that they
shall be able to raise their faces to
God, who watches them, and declare
in all sincerity, III have led q life Of
which no man need be ashamed !"