The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-09

tial residences Of the millonaires and find I'M
der humber roofs the real class, entrance into
which is most eagerly sought, and confers dis
tinction. Those are personages, and their names
are household words. They are Boston, which,
without them. were but provincial town on the
sea coast. Take this city, with one or two ex-
ceptions. not only do great fortunes not hold
front rank in the circles in our recognized best,
hut say they occupy scarcely respectable po-
sition there The man that would assert that
the millionaires of Philadelphia are its aristoe-
racy would be held by any one copversant with
the facts, to know very little about it. think
society has had time to crystalline, a
few of each of the judicial, the
educational the literary, the artistic, and
the professional classes which. combined,
constitute the real aristocracy This circle adj.
mits some millionaires gladly, but. on the other
hand, it rigidly excludes others. The test man
ifestly not being the dollars, but the character
and conduct of the man of dollars. That the
arstocratic class desires to have wealth is true,
but really the highest would not care for all the
millions of the millionaire. and few of the class
have named would be willing to exchange their
position for that of the millionaire, and hold the
low rank he necessarily holds in their own bet
ter circle. The millionaire in America courts
personages, and feels himself honored by their
companionship. if he has any aspirations at all
beyond dollars In England personages court
rank That is the difference. And this embold-
ems me to suggest to Colonel Higginson whether
the reign of the aristocracy OF intellect does not
exist in American society to-day, rather than
that of the dollar. l believe that the primary
ingredient of our aristocracy Is not wealth, but
intellect; but do not rest content here. There
is still higher form for the aristocracy of the
future. His range of vision must be short, or
his faith in the progress of the human race but
small who does not that the State,
in the near future, will not permit
great millionaires to ignore the truth
that they are but trustees after ALL and that
their millions boarded are detrimental to the
general good, as the same millions bequeathed
to their own issue are positively injurious to
them. By circumative taxation, by progressive
legacy, or by some efficient means not yet de-
vlsed, because not yet necessary In this country,
while the laws Of dispersion act so well, or per-
haps by strong overwhelming. public sentiment
only. the degraded soul, whose chief aim TO the
end of his life is either to augment or hoard his
millions, or bequeath them as whole to his
issue, will meet at the hands of indignant
community the defeat he so richly deserves.
After a while the only condition upon which a
man will be permitted to possess, or administer,
an undue amount of wealth, in a government of
the people, will be that he makes good use OF
it and spends it, not in such vulgar, ostentatious
display as characterizes the royal families and
some of the mobiles of Europe, and which few
silly people initiate here, or to found family
under the cover of prmogeniture and entail,
which is the general weakness of Britons,
neither to hoard strive to augment his
millions, which is the form Theh tho evil usually
takes in this country but that he holds his
wealth, 'for the sake Of liberal uses, and of
great things to be doner-done, not for himself
or for his family, but for humanity.
How was he born2 is of the past. What man
owns is already subordinate, in America to what
he knows, but in the final afistocracy the ques-
ton will not be either of these, but what has he
done for his fellowss Where has he shown gen.
crosby and sef-abnegation! When has he been
father to the fatherless and the cause of the
poor-where has he searched that out2 How he
has worshiped God will not be asked in that day,
but how has he served man?
Which of the two great divisions Of the Anglo
Saxon raceis sooner to reach something akin to
this ideal, is not SO easily answered as one might
suppose from looking at the respective positions
OF the mother and child lands to-day Certainly
the republic has clear lead at the start She
has never been cursed by an aristocracy of birth.
and she is installing the aristocracy OF intellect.
and not of the dollar. But it is not always the
best starter which wins the race. There are
forces at work in Britain much more radical and
destructive than can be found here. The pres
sent tenure of the soil, for instance and its use
by private owners is much more secure here than
in Britain Such measure as the Irish land
act by which rents are fixed not by what can be
obtained in open market, but by the fiat of
court. would not be tolerated here. The repub-
lie is much more conservative than the mon
aristocracy of Britain have defrauded and OPP
pressed the people to such an extent that when
the inevitable rebound comes it must split
society at several if not many points. But
whichever division wins in the race to better
race for the masseS-my native my adopted
land-the example of the one must he followed
by the other, for they now act and react upon
each other with irresistible force: and l. for one,
whom our president introduced to you as of the
millionaire class, say God speed the day when
nI11 nfi IF in form
either in America or Britain, or anywhere else in
the world, even for one generation, will give
place to a much more equal distribution of prop
the brotherhood of man" is but an idle phrase.
I'm not afraid to sing with my national poet, he
who of all men, nestled closest to the bosom of
humanity:
'Then let pray that come it may
AS come it will for a that
That to the warld Ger
Shall brothers be an a that!'