Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-12-15
BIRDS OF PREY.

the inquisitive and credulous Americans
| Their object has been entirely mcrcenary
there has been no sort of sympathy between
| them and our people and our institutions
and they have returned to England, general
~ with well-illed pockets, and there laughed
most consumedly at the Yankee and all hi
works. Mrs. Trolope was the first OF thest
British adventures. In her day the llceun
had not arisen aud the stage had not attainet
its present prominence, so that she hat
Recourse 10 more prosaic methods o
replcnishing her eXchequcr, which I'M
fortunately proved unsuccessful The bsof
she wrote after her return TO England
was n mass Of coarse and vulgar abuse. anC
Formed The model which subsequent literary
tourists followed for many years. Tho
country was then aying'hc foundations OF its
greatness il was poor very poor and The
conditions Of life were hard and cold, But il
eXtcnGtd this woman such hospitality as il
had TO otlcr. and c)dded and lionizcd her
and got abuse aud Misrepresentation in return
\ few Years later that prince OF snphs Charles
Dickens visited us and was received where
ever he went with Il cordial hospitality and
an cn,husi lstic welcome Of which he should
have been plouI. How he repaid the M
toms Kindness il matter Of history. But on
the occasion of his sec md visit made, ike the
lrs,, frr The sole and undisgui,cd purpose Of
getting maneyun Of The Americans The Pc
pic promptly caudoncd the first offence
aCd al, the world was a.Og 10 see aud hear
TIL. man vino was thcn known 10 I've an in
known 10 have been a cold-boodcd cgotjsl. Il
selfish, hcarlcss humbug. Alter he had
made the tour of The county, indeed, aud
filled his pockets with American money he
threw uut, a. one might bone 10 "A dog, Il
few words OF semi-apology ard of >lobbish
clnd, ascension asto the progress We had made
siacc lis first visit. But really and as mat
ter OF fact, like Stcrncs tourist, he travelled
from Dan 10 I'cor,hcha and found hat all
was barren
since that time the thing has gone from
bad 10 wDrsc. /, has come to such Il pass
that any one acquiring any kind of notoric,y
in England comes over to this country to
gather in its shclicls and the people flock
TO scc them aud pour gold into their laps
without stint. 1t is II reversal If the old
story, for The Prodlgll Son goes to far
country and the inhabitants thereof kill The
fattCd cali and lie returns TO the old home
laden with gold and covered with honor, and
his brothers promptly leave home for the
aforesaid far country whose people are so
gullihlc aud generous. The two latest are
Oscar Wilde and Mrs. Langtry. The form
ers reputation is entirely adventitiOus, and is
due 10 the fact that he was the butt of The
London press and the English wts. But the
Americans took him to their bosom as if he
had been the most precious gift the old coun-
try had 10 bestow and gave him, for Il few
months exhibition of himself an honor
aii1m said 10 amount TO twenty-five thous-
and dollars-surely Il handsome return for
the renance of brief wear of the FOOLS
cap and bills While he still fingers on these
shores comes Mrs. Langtry, an adventures
whose reputation is much more dubious than
tia, Of Wilde, even. Her repu,e was that of
professional beauty" moving in the
Prince of Walcs's rascally and rotten set. To
repcn!sh her purse she took to the stage. AS
an actress all our best and mos, trustworthy
critics unite in saying, she has no standing
whatever and yet our public iiockcd to
see her and gave her in few weeks such n
sum of money as such actors as Booth and
Barrett, who reflect Il splendid usre on the
American stage and who have won their cx
allied place by long ears of study and effort,
would be glad to earn in Il year. And more
than that, this woman had been here hardly
IA month before great scandal was connect
cd with her name, with the gross details of
which the newspapers are filled
Is II not high time 10 abatc tins nui
sancc When pennless and I'M
known adven,urer comes here he is
hunted out OF society or promptly
turned over TO the police. Why. in the name
of common sense should we give such royal
'SSNlI ~ w huNcHtultis III u ul1cfcnt mt
perhaps no higher stamp Why should we
run after every Englshman or Englshwom-
an who become notorious in London and
come over 10 air their notoriety and make
money by il here II is something to re-
ceivc AMI entertain a man like Freeman the
h!storian-,hough they do say that he wore
II checked woolen shiIt all the time he was
here and fell asleep at private dinners given
in his honor-ol like Spencer whose lifcwork
is to bench, the human race but the Wildcs
and tho Langlrys and all their class. The
reception VIC give them really chcapens our
people and makes us laughing stock IT
may be said TO be sure, that they have not
been much recognized in social way, but
that IA nothing. Their social position-or no
positlon-in England is already assured and
recognition hero would neither help nor hurt
them there, and we can be certain that they
care very little for it as long as the public
shows its favor in more substantial way by
opening its purse. The fact is there is good
deal Of snobl,ery about MS, after all, and the
sort of thing VIC have been commenting ON is
a striking illustration of il.
Tho net Of he Maryland Legislature in re-
vving the whipping-posl is to he contested
as unconstitutional