, 1880-11-21

party lights are scattered broadcast OYER fho
land with the design that the CHEAP tyash
orators shall faithfully copy them, Two
purposes are subserved by this course: Thu.
cheap trash orators are furnished with :.
substitute for brains, and the spirit OF lick
splttlalsm is fostered, to the great adyantapn
OF the bosses. The snob who is content tn
repeat speech which he lacks the brains to
conceive as the boy recites, *4You wor}a
scarce expect one Of my age" ETC.. will ha
proud to be lashed with the party whip.
Snobbery t1ourishes in the shop and tha
counting-house. The clerk who is mr.
worthy but aspires to become junior part.
her becomes snob and apes the dress. man.
ners, and business department OF his em.
ployer, and f1atters his employers wife and
daughters. lie Is lavish in expenditures II
his employer is extrayagant, or penu rious if
his employer is economical lie goes to
church II h1s employer is pious, or p1ays,,
billiards Sunday it his employer Is IN lntidel
He is all imitator. Ii the model is good he
may become good snob. or ii bad a bad
snob, but in any event he becomes snob.
Fashion is great promoter of snobberv.
Il the top snob has but two buttons on his
coat the bottom snob has but two. Butif
the top snob has his coat "alI buttoned down
before" with gross Of buttons, more or1ess
the bottom snob will bankrupt himself tn
buy buttons. If the top snob wears biz
solitaire diamond in his shirt-front the hot
tom snob wears very small solitaire dia-
nond III his shIrt~front.-againt the tleas, In
every neighborhood there is family of
snobs where snobbery Is taught and prac-
tlced as religious duty. The parental head.
Of the family initiates the parental head OF a
richer Or more prominent family in the same.
square; the maternal lead OF the family of
snobs Initiates the wife OF the head Of the
richer family, and tlle children, big and little,
Of the poorer family initiate the dress and
manners of the children, big and little, Of the
richer or more prominent family II the
richer family are not snobs they pity the
poorer family, but If they are snobs they ac-
cept the parasltica1 adulation and patronize
the parasites.
Perhaps the army evokes more snobbery
than any other public institution in thiscoun-
try, and this fact has tended powerfully to
promote snobbery in the army. The snobs
out OF the army and the snobs IN the army
so act and react upon each other rs to ele-
vate the practice of snobbery to fine art.
The Colonel initiates the General, the Major,
the Colonel, the Captain the Major, and thes
Lieutenant the Captain. Whether the Ser-'
geants and Corporals are guilty Of the low;
est form OF snobbery, we are not prepared to.
say. Probably they are. With snobbery In
the army doubtless the blue uniform and
brass buttons have much TO do. In his unt~
form alone the army officer possesses two
strong incentives to snobbery. 1t is the en-
blem Of his right to command, and makes
him look something like peacock. Conso-
QuentlY men envy his authority and women
admire his personal appearance. What WON
der that he becomes vain and proud, and
struts his brief hour upon the stage with tho
air Of grand seignior! And this is all that
is necessary to promote an abnormal deyel-
opment Of the spirit Of snobbery through
out the ranks Of civil life. To k,o,c an army
officer, and to be on terms Of intimacy with
his family, is to be within reach of the high
est round of the ladder Of snobbery. II the
army officer is snob he dazzles the adluir~
ing snob with frequent views of his uniform;
IT he is not 4 snob he makes butt of the
laughs at him, and uses and abuses
him as he would any other fool.