Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-09-11
ON THE OUTSIDE.
Life in Great City, and Its Ceaseless
Masking of Conditions
Extraordinary Extent 10 which APP
pcarances Are Kept UP In the
mefropoIis-show and
sham Every where

go attachment to the external Is SHOWN III
the cIty's architecture. Nearly all the resi-
dences in the good quarters look well, IL mr.
row, and are pretentious ON the outside. Any
one might be the abode of wealth and refine
mcnt, and the denotements are to this effect
A family Of fortune and position may DO
neighbors to a family of unknown ante
cedents and entirely precarious income. A
widely-known millionaire may live across
the street from mysterious, even suspicious
character whom he could not DO persuaded
to recognize. But, specifically, there Is lit
tie difference between them. One carries
himself as bravely as the other, and wears
almost as fine feathers. There Is an enor-
nous difference, of course, though not in SEEM
ing, and it is seeming only for which the
average New Yorker cares.
The outward resemblance here OF blocks in
the residence streets to ono another has
often been remarked. The dissimilarity is
inside, with which but few make acquaint-
ance. One house may be superbly furnished,
full OF fine pictures engravings marbles,
bronzes, books, bric-a- brac--the home of
afluence, culture and taste. Another house
may be showily, but cheaply and vulgarly,
adorned, Indicating the quality of its occti-
pants. A third house may contain next to
nothing; may have barren and starved
aspect; may be little else than form in
brown stone fourth may be an ordinary
clearinghouse, as destitute of attractiveness
as comfort, empty, untidy, repellant fifth
may be hired to dodgers whom nobody knows;
who do not know one another; who come and
go, when and where is not asked, the sole
requirement being that they should pay their
rent A sixth house may be enigmatic
Strange men and strange women are seen to
enter, and there are arrivals and departures
at all hours.
No one notices these no one thinks OF such
things in New York, except the police, and
they are silent for their own interest until
publicity demands their evidence. All these
houses are in the same block, and so much
alike that they could not be distinguished by
any ordinpry observer All the houses but
one, with their inmates, are keeping up APP
pearances. But no one can tell who is who
or what il what Glitter is there that IL not
gold, as well as gold that does not glitter.
Pretense, sham, falehood, and 1navery
enter more or less into every place. No spot
ON Manhattan island Is, or can be, guarded
against counterfeits of the better sort APP
pearances will be and must be kept up If the
heavens fall With the end of appearances
chaos would begin
This ceaseless masking extends every year,
not in pecuniary conditions only, but in all
kind OF conditions. Our minds and manners
have grown as artificial as our houses. We
all feel here us If nobody or nothing Is what
Is assumed. Feint and fraud Turk In every
nook and strut in every promenade, None
tary, mental, commercial and moral hum
bugs nre rife In every block. There are
sham lawyers, sham physicians, sham cer-
gymen, sham merchants, sham bankers,
sham philanthropists even sinners and
sham saints. Most of us are afraid of ono
another, unless we have positive evidence OF
genuineness We are getting to belize Lon
dopers--we mistrust him who speaks to us
except after formal presentation Here in
Productions are not common, as in most
American towns. We are unwilling to incur
the responsibility, and we avoid giving or
receiving introductions as long as we
may. Where conventionality demands them
1t is usual for the introducer, unless he OF she
is secure of the new acquaintance, to say pri-
vately III do not know about this person.
Understand that do not indorse him--or hel.
You must protect yourself / should not
have done it, but it would have been very
awkward otherwise
This Is particularly true Of bearers Of title
The best people avoid them until they have
presented unmistakable credentials. We
have been deceived so often that we have
grown cautious and conservative, Many
stories are published of the success here Of
"noble' impostors, but they arc generally in
ventions. New York has grown to be, so
cially, one of the most cautious and
sensitive Of capitals. 1t is far more so than
London or Paris. The game of keeping up
appearances has been, and is still, so widely
played that we insist, in serious matters, on
going below the surface.