The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1884-03-07

J. in 1imes-Democrat.

/ uFedt NOnlWOhtl WIS lmUOrtunpt
By him for the Order OF Knights o
the Garter. How much more iust
would be the comment upon th,
many who are afflicted with the
title mania iu the United States.
Whence is shis S0leeism in {
country whose proud boast is il,
straIght ppublicaniSm Th,
country which frowned down Tho
Knights Of Cinciuuatus, which was
only to perpetuate the memory OF
the noble deeds ot those who
fought the battles OF the RevoIu.
ton; the country whose coustitu-
tlon shnts out all titled nobility.
aud yet is prone to gratify the
longings OF Snobocracy with muI-
titude OF titles, civic and mill.
tary.
A successful specnlator who
seized upon the events of the war
to accumulate wealth, far from the
dln OF arms, "the thunder ot the
captains aud the shouting,7 now
Iuxuriates in the title general. A
successful planter who hired q sub.
stitute, and cultivated and hoard.
ed cotton during the war, basks in
the silver rays OF the stars of n
colonel. FalStaffian collector of
tax in kind, far from the "seream
OF shots aud hiss of shells and bel
loving OF the mortars,n now struts
IN all the rotund OF dignity OF ma.
IOr, while eaptaincies are stwewn
broadcast throughout the land lust
as unreproycd fancy may dictate
Why IL IL that republlcanism IS
so ostentatious in this enlightened
land, aud so given to military trap.
ping in this age, when the pen is
every day growing mightier than
the sword; while titled dignaIites.
from the hotbeds of European aris.
tocsacy, travelling incoenito, smile
at he senseleSs pride of a nation
which has but one rival in it's tan.
tastic distribution OF cheap digni.
ties-the island of Hayti--which,
with much more reason, aped Eu.
ropean customs with its dukes.of
mafmalade aud counts OF lemon.
ade, etc.
Even in the plentitude of feudal
pride and its rules OF precedence,
in the middle ages, from king to
simple knight, the great, the bold
aud the warlike were addressed
simply as "beau serer (tair sirl.
from which came "ieur,h "signoir,h y
"Sir," "mastef,n "Mr. p The manly
digniiiod ntterance acknowledging
respect and reverence.
The proudest aud most puissant
noble of medievel France had for
his motto: "No count, lord or
dixie am |. ] am De Courey.n
In later days the illustrious Will
liam Pitt the proud scion of the
Earl of Chatham, distributed
titles and houors in aristocratlc
glorying in the plain ap.
pcIlation Mr.. Pitt.
In our infant government, when
still holding to the aristoeratlc
of the mother country,
with all its most punctillions Ell
quette, the proudest of our notable
wore the dignilied aud
pretix-Mr.
When wespeak reyerently OF the
hero who slumbers at Mt. Vernon,
we say George Washington not
Gen. Washington, nor President
Washington. We remember John
Marshall not as Capt. Marshall
nor Alexander Hamilton as Col,
Hamilton; nor John Eager How.
ard as Col. Howard. When we
think of them wrapped in the
''deeds OF their own deathless7 en-
Ileavor, puny titles are awed with
inslgniticance, aud as our ancestors
they stand clad in the simple dig.
nifty of their honored names. How
they must smile at the numerous
titles of their descendants as they
look down upon them
So far has this craze now extend.
ed, that journal of eminence in
Mississippi, gravely commenting
on the fact that the great chief OF
the Lost Cause is simply called Mr..
Davis, seriously suggest the title
Of Gen. Davis, because he once
held such commission under the
State oil Mississippi.
In the name of reason let MS end
this fantastic madness! 1t is the
very quintessence of absurdity to
decorate the simple name of Jeifer.
son Davis, or the title of Mr.. Davis,
which he wore as tie head of the
Lost Cause, by covering it with
the decorations of snobocracy. As
well might tho worthy editor sug.
gest that the Apollo Belvidero
should be bonneted With q plug
bat or clad in a claw-hammer.taiI
coat. Away with this whimsical
custom Or, il you feel disposed
to crafty snobs with it, do so, but
let us say of the Que alone whom
the United States had decreed the
representative OF the fallen Con.
federacy. mo general or colonel
is he. He is Jefferson Dduis ~