New-York tribune., 1885-09-20
A TALK WITH THE DEVIL.
HIS HIeHNEss DIsCUsSEs POLITICS WITH
MIR. HAWTHORNE.
CoDurlohL 1885.

heeu admonising me OF iate th'ie AZ "" -
graceful concession on my part to accept onice
Snder The Government. Accordingly, ] permitted
INV friends 70 make known in the proper quarters
INV favorable disposition. But great events move
slowlv. and after maintaining for some time %
recipiept attitude il occurred TO me that misi'
cain enlightenment by admittngto my couieo,'
nv friend tho Prince of Darkness No indorSen'en''
nethoucht would be likely TO carry mofe we'sn'
than his. t.,
found the gentleman in question in retrea
corner of an uptown cafe; halfhnished cup oi
coffee stood on the cable before him, ana nc was
reading an evening newspaper
ayes drop i'll here quite often" lie saiu' III an
aver TO my Inquiries I" am scarcely ever recos-
nized thoagh frequently see persons whom nave
advised or assisted in days gone by 1t is curious
fact. perhaps but it is nevertheless fact' that
people with whom have been intimate are les apt
20 know me aftcrwarl than those who meet me LOT
the frat time-if may 10 allowed the bull"
81 had ALWAYS been under the impression that
rou were one of those who improve upon acquaint-
ance," ventured TO remark.
aPossibly | improve out of all recognition,
retdrned the Prince, with smile. And, seriously
our prejudices do not so much blind u.s. as distort
our vision When they have been removed. the
faces of those around us seem to have undergone
the change which has taken place only in ourselves
NV portrat-to fake all obscure example-has been
often painted, but no two are alike and may aud
that the most satisfactory sttiDgs have been given
to artists who had tic skill to make the lhier
nature shine through the phenomenal appearance
But hato TO speak of myself. see by the paper
that several mere removals are in contemp lation."
aWhat do YOU think of our American custom of
rotation III office !" ! asked.
sItis a concession to the iufirmty of human
nature answered His Highness, after finishing his
coffee "1hat is to say, it is more commendaDie III
practice than in the abstract. When the right man
has found his way into the right place, no should
not be disturbed. But you can never be certain
whether the aspirant may aot turn out better than
the incumbent. Poets, perhaps, are born rather
than made; but the rule does not as yet seem to
apply to politicians"
ais not the custom also an inevitable result OF
our republican institutions I" / ventured to say.
SIS it moi incumbent npon people which processes
to govern itself, to experence-each individual IN
his turn-the actual cares and responsibilities of
eoyernnenti Or is it your opinion that the use of
the ballot is o sufficient discharge of such re-
sponsibilityp
In this as in other matters" His HighncSs re-
turned " am constrained by my peculiar position
to look beneath the surface,-to regard motives
rather than results Now, have expressed to you,
on q previous occasion, ny doubts as to whether
democracy be Theoretically the best of all forms of
government. genuine democracy would impair
the dignity and self-respect of the individual. In
practice, however we find democracy planting anew
the germs of fresh and permanent aristocracy.
do make myself clear 10 YOU. so far y
Perfectly" l replied; "but-"
sPardon me cor a moment said the Prince with
smile " 1t was necessary, in order to thorough
vindication of the aristocratic principle that
Fbo rie a0ff Ia
Old World had fallen INTO disrepute. History
which always judges specifically had made their
origins seem accidental and arbitrary. With the
usual tendency of mankind to run 10 extremes, you
in America attempted by sheer force of Con-
gressDnal decree, 10 do away with all distinctions
of rank. You succeeded in dong away with the
European forms and nomenclature under which dis
tnctions of rank masked themselves This snpcr-
fetal change simply to reveal the unchaDge-
ableness underlying it. Aristocracy is an even
more genuine fact in America to-day than in
Austria or Russia; and the is that il is here
establishcd-not upon traditional or hered tary,
but-upOn a spiritual foundation; it avouches
itself an essential element of human nature itself.
You have no recognized orders of nobility as yet
your Debretts Pcerage" is not, and possibly
never may be written; but, If so it will only be
because the profound reality of your rank distnc-
!ons will render such records of them superfuous"
sOnly an American, tLen,' said can he a real
aristocratf"
sand real democracy added my interlocutor,
noddng his head. is possible if yon will allow
the paradox only under absolute deSpotsm7
"And our apng of foreign social customs of
which one hears so much ridicule nowadays. is in
truth a natural aud irrcpressible tendency toward
sounder adjustment of human relationsp
@Such is my humble opinion replied the Prince
modestly "The aristocrat, the snOb and the
plebeian universal and unalterable facts of the
human mind. The cheap and vulgar satire which
has become rife of late years has attempted to cast
opprobrium upon their mutual relations but you
might as reasonably satrize the sun for looking
down upon the plant, the plant for looking up
toward the sun the earth for nonrshing the plants
roots Would you have the world fiat desert
devoid of cOndescenson. of aspiration. and of
Industry 7" In uttering these words, the dark eyes
of the Prince kndled with noble Indignation.
After a pause. said, To return, then 10 my
original question: is it advisable to seek Office
under GoyeTnDentW "
sTo gige and to maintain laws" His Highncss
replied is the loftiest aud most function
of man. 1t is tho duty and the privilege of the
finest natures 1t fosters selfrespect and fortifcs
respeetabity. IL confirms superior minds in the
conviction of their superiority; the labor involved
though often arduous Is never Of KIND to en-
barrass the fastilious, for it is labor of the
Intellect. Need say morel"
you have said enonch,' exclaimed. q TO EN-
bolden me to prefer personal request to you"
The Prince bowed. I" My dear SIR" he said " tho
pleasure Of serving yen would far than repay
tho value of the service be il what it may"
While was revolving IN my mind how best to
open my mind TO my friend on the matter had at
heart be smiled and spoke again.
spray pardon me if am in error; but would it
be dsagreeable to you to accept position in the -
off
lit so happens by singular coincidence, that
you have named tho very place that was in my