Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-17

From the New Orleans Times Democrat
During the last twenty years there has sprung
up in American society class with all the vices
and shortcomings of an aristOcracy, but with
out an aristocracy's redeeming virtues. We
refer to the sons of men who have amassed
colossal fortunes through army contracts, the
manipulation of railway shares, the evasion of
the revenue laws, and the organization of gsan-
tic monopolies. The founders of these great
fortunes are, as rule, selfmade men, with all
the strength and all the weakness of their
Glass; enterprising selfreliant and fertile In re-
source; they are also, in the main, ill-educated
deficient In refinement, and INSCRIPTIONS i'm
the choice OF means TO achieve their ends Yet
these men have rendered and continue to rem
der, great service in the commercial and indus
trial development of the natiOn-service which
wOulc never have been rendered by men Dos
sesslng more outward refinement of manner
ana endowed with nicer perceptions of the re-
qulreInentS OF ethics. The vast fortunes which
menace the equilibrium OF American society
are generally the result of exceptional saoacjty
united with that daring which Is called mad
ness, unless crowned by success. The NapO-
Icons OF our finance have played for enormous
stakes and have won them, but they have usu-
ally cared more for the game than for the
stakes, and have loved money chiefly for the
power which follows in it's train.
BY strange irony of fate these pioneers of
American progress, as a rule, bequeath to their
sons nothing save wealth, in its coarser and
more material forms. The energy, sagacity
and daring which characterized the father is
wanting in the sons; there remains little save
low moral tone, and the worship of wealth
for its own sake rather than for the power it
con1ers The fathers, with all their faults, are
masterfui men; the sons seldom rise above the
level OF the dude.
And yet American society presents to these
lnherltors OF great fortunes wide and widen.
ing field OF usefulness. Possessed of wealth and
Its consequent leisure, enjoying all the adyan.
tages OF education and standing far above the
cOarser temptations attendant upon the strug-
gle for existence, they might occupy innumera-
BILE offices of honor and trust which the press
ure OF our commercial life places beyond the
average American foOf fro
quent maladministration of the affairs of orr
great cities and the condition of our municipal
politics constitute one of the gravest problems
of our time; and this problem will doubtless re-
main insoluble SO long as the wealthy classes
little OF the energy which our gilded youth de-
vote to polo and coaching, to inventing stun
ming costumes and dawdling about professional
Deautles would DO for the country much which
One OF the most salient features of our sham
aristocracy is an apish imitation OF everything
that bears the stamp of the English nobility
but they, unfortunately, choose 10 initiate the
habits and manners of the English noble who
the Marquis of Hastings, instead of taking as
| eXemplars really great peers like Earl Gran
willie and the Marquis of Salisbury. whose
whole lives are devoted to the maintenance OF
| the power and prestige of the British empire
These mentin spite of all the temptations of
| lives of patient and unremittng toll to their
| cOuntrys service. Engiand's nobility has also
produced another class of men whose names
| revered, as long as England shall live among
| the nations. Such u man was the Earl Of
Shaftesbury. who died in London recently.
Lord Shaftesbury did not possess the brilliant
| accomplishments which have made the politi-
| cal fortunes OF some of his brother peers but it
may be safely said that he devoted sixty
| of the eighty-four years of his noble Life
to patient, nnselfsh and uncomprom-
| tsing championship OF every move
| ment to improve the social and religious condi-
| ton OF his country. Wherever factory gives
employment to British labor, there is kept green
| the memory of the man who, by his iron will
and indomitable courage, succeeded in passing
English factories, and who, instead Of content
ing himself with his inherited rank and fortune,
won for himself higher patent of nobility,
conferred by q life replete with good deeds, and
| bearing the ineffacable seal of Heaven. A en-
| reer like his. although not always on the same
| grand scale, Is open to the sons OF American
miiiionaires; in such q career they will find
nODier use for their time and money than Is
Afforded by the life OF enervating inactivity
ana senSeiess extravaganza which they are now
| content to lead. It is only by making such use
rich men may hope to raise themselves above
| the level OF sham aristocracy-a class which
beyond all others, is repugnant to the spirit
ana aspirations OF our age.
| Boy MARRIEs WOMAN OF SIxTY.-On
| Tuesday morning Adolph OFT and Mrs. Ernes
| TINE Pntzner OF Port Jervis, N. Y, went to New
| YORK and were married IN q German Lutheran
| church: The bridegroom was q bartender in
MIS-. Phtzner's lager beer saloon and is % years
Old, while his bride is 80, and has several chill
dren, some OF them grea: deal older than the
groom. The young man has ten grandchildren
| TO start off with. On their return from the we'd
ding they were met by the indignant children
OF the bride and there was q scene That even
| ing large number Of their friends went to the
| saloon and there was much merry.making On
the outside OF the house were several hundred
tin pans, horns, guns. &C. Mr.. and Ms. or
take the matter very cooliy and the bride says