Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-12-11
English Snobbery.

There is, however, in England, as in
every other country. a disposition to
greatly exaggerate the advantage which
the United States enjoys in possessing
so much cheap land. was told, only
yesterday, but that for this we might
be as backward as any country. To
which replied: .sDo you really at
tribute our prosperity to land alone?"
Yes, was the answer. How, then,
is it that Russia, with so much produc-
tive soil, is land of miserably poor
peasants?a .sAh! the Russians are a
very different people from the Ameri-
cans. Z There, / said. Eat the very
first question you change your argu-
ment from the land to the character of
the inhabitants y Adam Smith has
shown that, in fact, the worst land in
any country is generally the first set
tied. 1t is not understood here, or
elsewhere in Europe, that the truest
elements of prosperity in country are
freedom, equality, justice, and educa-
ton. Add to this free exchanges with
out much extravaganza, few paupers.
and very few immoderate fortunes, and
we should have the chief elements of
material prosperity If we take. let us
say, one thousand men, and settle them
anywhere, there may be found for ev-
eryone his work. If they can produce
more than they can consume of any
fabric or material, let them sell it to
another community. But if we intro
duce to this commerce millionaire,
lord, or any person who will keep a
larua train nf half lila ca,.x-o,ts a,d
establish extravagant standards of liv-
ing and wants beyond the reach of the
majority, we at once bring in that which
results in Incidence, poverty and vice
An aristocracy did great good and lit
tie harm during the middle ages; now
the conditions are exactly reversed.
The point was long since passed in
America when this became generally
understood. Here in England we are
just getting to it. Half the world are
still more than half convinced of the
truth of the couplet:
Let laws and learning or religion die,
But, oh! preserve our old nobility
while the other half are beginning to
believe for every grain of independence
and culture in the aristocrat there nee
essarily results ounces, if not pounds of
fiunkeyism and degradation in his de-
pendents and admirers. / have spok-
en- of the rapidly growing prosperity of
England and the manifest improve
ment in the education and appearance
of the lower class. just in proportion
to this is the growing impatienee at the
prestige of mere rank and inherited
wealth, and the anger that such
beings as fiunkeys and servile followers
and dependents should be regularly
trained and made, so to speak, to dis
grace the name of Englishman. Thack-
cray was the first to show what mean
snob and slave an Englishman could
become by being servant and para
site, and how the higher the lord was,
the lower the lackey became. j believe
that to his works more is due than to
any other cause that the educated and
more intelligent people of Great Brit
ain have of late separated themselves
from the titled classes and begun to
speak less kindly of them. Twenty
years ago people laughed at James
yellow plush, and scorned the snob;
now they are beginning to ask why
they exist and what caused them?
Once they would kill the snake to pun
ish him for being one; now they would
do it to prevent future snakes from
coming.-C. g. Leland, IN New Orleans
Times Democrat.