The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1883-03-29
TIae PRoMlNENT CITrxRN.
What He ss..Where. He May be
EOuna.oVYh0t he Likes.
fCincinnssi Sssu,,s., Hrs~h,,

what He Hs--WAeFe. He MAY be
EOuna.sWh0t He Likes.
tcineinasti Saturday Nigbtl
1t is the ambition of some men t.
figure as . prominent citizen. They
have an Unsuitable craving to see theil
names in print. They attend all
meetings in which tour more prominent
citizens" take part, and nothing, pleases
them SO much as to have theirsnames
in the morning papeEs, in the long list OF
vice presidents.
The prominent citizen signs requests
to theatrical manager or star to accept
benefit, after carefully scanning the
list of names to see that there is pre-.
ponderance of prominent citizens like
himself, though it has been remarked
that he rarely buys ticket. If he gives
prominence to the affair by lending his
name to it that is enough.
IL is for the prominent citizen that
chairs are placed on the stage on public
occasions, and we have seen him swell
up with the consciousness of his own
Importance, and look as though the
affair was arranged with the sole view of
lifting him up for the admiration of the
multitude of ordinary citizens of no
prominence to speak of. So long as he
maintains dignificd composure and
holds his tongue he does well enough,
but sometimes the prominent citizen
the kind We are writing about, of course
feels called upon to make few re-
marks himself, and the shallowness of
his claims to any consideration above
his fellows becomes painfully evident,
and people begin to inquire how he
came to be prominent citizen, anyhow?
1t Is embarrassing to have an inquiry
OF that kind set in motion, sometimes,
and no prominent citizen who feels at
all insecure about his position should
ever do anything to initiate it.
There IS rarely procession without
carriages being provided for the promi.
nent citizen. 1t would be very undig-
nified for him to walk like common NOR.
tails, besides that, in crowd he might
be mistaken for one of the most insignif-
cant of the procession. Seated in hack
with colored badge on and strangers on
the sidewalk might inquire "WhoAs
that?" And he is in hard luck if some
one isn't on hand to say "That is
Colonel -, one of our most prominent
citizens"
No one enjoys being interviewed by
the newspaper reporter like the promi-
nent citizen of the type we are describing.
He is ready to give his opinion on all
subjects, from fracture in the sidewalk
to break in the Cabinet, on q moment'a
notice. If series of interviews should
appear in a paper headed, ''What our
prominent citizens think of it," without
his name appearing, it would make him
sick, and he would probably call on the
editor and AJAX for an explanation. In
stances have been known where he has
written out an interview himself and put
it in a reporters hand.
1t is on an excursion to some other
city that the peomineut citizen Ghines
in all his glory. To have his coming
announced In the papers; to be received
at the depot by q committee of promi-
nent citizens, some of whom are as trans
parent humbugs as he himself is, to
listen to speeches of welcome, and make
one himself If s0me friend is kind enough
to write it for himj to be Toasted, and
treated to free drinks, and taken around
in hack to see the manufactures and
prisons and poor houses, with lunch
and peech-making at each stopping
place; TO be stared at by barefooted boys,
and introduced to people as "the man
who hiss given so much prominence to
his city" the introducer not embarrassing
himself by entering into any particulars,
all these are what gives the prominent
citizen on an excursion such exquisite
Joy. Then it is that he is in his perfect
element