New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-24

ItlIn the last ten years new anu Nir
nGcant kind of literature has sprung up
among us. II consists for the most part OF
thin octave volumes, in purple or red Dlnd-
| ings, with gorgeous coat OF arms blazoned
on the back, and on the front page the magic
words. printed for private circulation only.
Each of these volumes purpons to be the
authentic history of some American family,
! Smith or Potter, AS the ease may bc, from the
prcsent time back TO n great founder some
| where i'm the miss of antiquity. The pccu-
liority of these books j. that very little
information is given concerning the present
| generation of Smiths or Pottcrs, although 1t
could so readily bc obtained. The writer
of the book is usually that member of
the family who, having made fortune 10y
a lucky speculation in soaps OF q patent plu
i. acquiring a taste fo' -ood birth along with
the other belongings Of the class into which
! hc has made his way. He has given mp PIE
| for breakfast and noon dinner, and lclsurcly
eats his eleven courses at seven. lie no longer
takes his boys to the negro MINISTRIES and
| laughs on front bench. but sit, IN box at
the Academy, where the music is severely
classical. critical and calm. His wife has
banishcd knitted cotton tidc, from her parlor
and talks now of the feeling in her en-
hroidcrcd towels and the " harmony of ctcr-
nal motion in the wave pattern OF napkin.
| why ,hould they also not drop the smith and
Potter blood OF the present, smelling 20, 1t does
of soaps on pcrac. and treat th,m,clyc, to Il
great ancestor back in the Middle Agcs-a
whackiug. bloody. spurgcd Cr3,ldcr of til,
high heroic pattou'
Sometimes. however, the book !, written ly
| u ] Eel far
| All the. good thing, of lifc-mu-ic, wine, books
and bcauty-aud mo- money To buy them. He
hates has rich ncichbor simply hccau,r he Is
rich and j, SURE hr cannot appreciate tie
opera and pictures and books which his dol
/ lars buy for him If "" woud believe the
modern Lazarus. the modern Dives Is not only
sure Of hell in the ncNt world, but Is too
| stolid and gross to enjoy life In this. II l.a2-
auls cannot match him il money. hon~'S or
opera boxes hc can. AT least, IL the graves of
his ancestors. lie does not buy them like
| General Stanley. but digs and fills them AT
discretion. 30 he. too, writes m@ book.
Naturally neither of these authors cares
| Ia tell n, much about the living smiths
and Pottors They are scattered through
the country, dealers IN dry goods or cut
lcrv. county druggists. agents for SOW
inr-machiuc> What noble family among u-
DOES not number such sciou> "a. these
The book cuts thr-c living, walking, talking
member, OF as mere nancle~s twISs on the
outer branches. II Is when dealing with the
crrat aurc~tor,-thc Norman baron. or saxon
| thanc-illt it becomes d.lu~c and inmate.
| There is no doubt about him. We have dnco-
dotcs of his exploits, tie peculiarly of III,
! chin or nn,tnl (Which hts come down 10 every
smith ainccl. the ancient familic. Ia Eng
! land descended from him. and pictures of the
| castles, etc.. pertaining thcuto. Casual men
ton is made Of divers ELrls, and of ElI"u>
who are scons of ,hc younger OF female
branches. And last of all comes the writer OF
the book.
There hrc enormous gaps in the ccucalosy.
| 20 which the author is submcly Indifferent.
lie never heard of Dcbrc;t or If hc did
carefully lets him alone. "Tmditon states
or lit is said that the Pottrrs arr descended
from these ar, solid rocks for him and
ON them he builds with calm unconscious
ness of the ridiculous figure he cuts. The
| publication Of these little books produces
two effects. They ill the heads Of the more
/ ignorant members of the family with baSclcSs
couccit. and they provoke all outsiders to
uuprttcntous honest fok-hld their friends
and allies; but the descendants of the Won
Mites and De Lo Potaircs aye peltcd with
ngly "reminiscences at every hand Not one OF
tlcir tailor g1audfathcrs or wh,kcy- selling
unclcs is now suffered to rest in his grave.
The little bool, and ts coat of arms are the
red flag waved before the public bull and
lol the character for dcccncy or honesty of
Smiths and pottcrs is torn to rags and laid in the
dust. The average American has a keen sense of
the ridiculous; and nothing could crafty with
n broader ahsupity than the calm complacency
with which the daughters of a tailor or sons
of an auctionccr whom all the town remem-
bers parade their host of newly invented an
ccstors. Because they choose to put their
worthy fathers out of sight, they suppose the
world forgets them, never being allowed to
hear the laugh with which the honest, sllrcwd
public receive their claims.
There is another and inferior kind Of family
pride which has, however, pretty much the
same effect upon its victims. In every
town and village you will find one or two
families who hold themselves aoOf rs better
born ln the others. They make no prctence
TO Nc farrign descent. They are no cleyerer.
no NOR .cfned no weather. than the mass
about them. They are, simply, the Whites or
Blacks, and as such claim homage, and get it,
actually for no cause whatever, unless it be
that they CHANGED to settle first in that burgh
or hamlet. Nothing more incredibly unreal or
intangible than all these pretensons could be
devised 10y novelist. Yet we all know how
real they arc in their influence upon the lives
of many Americans We havo no intention
of laughing at the influence OF orr an