New-York tribune., 1886-05-02
SOCIETY,".
IT'S FAULTS AND IT'S FUTURE.
Fran 7ne London Spectator.

From London Spectator II,
1t has chanced To the writer to read recently
sad" ~ describe society In its technical sense,the
upper society," that Is, OF great capitals inc laH group
OF more IDLE persons when III every l.urOpedh
county ha, drawn together round the centre OF affairs
be Court Parliament or conspicuous person. ha, caea
r % aoI 7reaii influenced morals aid IN all a:cs
attracted TO itself for OBVIOUS reason an eXcel-
tonal attention and regard. IL Is not AN interesting
study except object and one Is soon startled to see
how little variety 1t yIesehts Dlt IL j. ,mpos'niy 10
read such accounts without noticing tIat society IN
its limited sense though without demohstraDle r"son
Hctrc apparently ndestructlDc or wondering whether
il il will as tine advances grow worse or
better The closer you study European history the more
you to find limited yet large circle whlG9
surrounds the centre OF power which claims Tor ltsell
most the enjoy oyments OF fe and secures heh WHICH
the llions around regard Win anlidt9h Oh envy ol
occasionally savage hatred but which tse does little or
ooS ~ ai v' 70 be- doatng at tho top appar-
entity without effort and though rapidly nucuatlng III us
still marked by the presence OF cOhstueDs
Ych as tIe great families when hardly cnaDsc It Is
always frivolous always attentive TO ceremony, always
more and always III want Of fresh supplies
of cash which 1t wastes profuseiy; yet does not pass
away Nou find II as powerful round Charles the Bold,
Philip H. Henri tsuare, as round LOUIS A' OF
Mar III, marked IN the time of Chares H. as oi
Queen Victoria and, allowing for differences Oi manners
always with the same characteIistcs All Hinin IL are
seeking distraction; all are sell WlIei 'nT IN VIZ
lawess, yet without Independence anu an - uoty,
seek money. Tho sltirsts OF to-day VINO u~eseIlDe ~
Berlin, Vienna, farls ana LONDON az ho.iIu Vio
greed society," the Intrusion INTO II because uiey
bring money Of vulgar Jews. the tat OF JoDDlhS Wlch
sticks TO some OF ITS rca ana mus! " i.' h,i9'
emiuences all that Is very Oui. Legacy ,hun'.ns
was trade with the Roman drlstOcracy; society III INC
Middle Ages hnnserei Tor grants oi iai'' notls
appanaGes AMI Court pensions; the srhllI SOCIETY ol
Louis NV. cOutcd Farmers general - the niue society
OF VI. GreNy court, GcIl.h "l' &c, an.uv , o. i"i
contracts competed for 10y cohrtess t~o h'ilIe
wears ago rs concessions " and early niOImatlOh
are low. There change in Objects ana a. 10
methods there Is probably an Improvement; N'.ottS
has been struck out Of the st OF remlsslDn laIac-
tons; sexual vice, II stll motive power IS af less
cynically coarse luxury has got ltselI Harhi'n .,
refinement from Wt which Is sometimes SchuIho' anu
idlrucss though -I dormant l. broken Dy a gudutly
oi thin hut harmless intellectual interests. "httoSeI
survived all political events. II cmersed snlGg inter
estinc and corrupt the ctaclysm OF the liench
snbmerge IT. 1t unaffected by the slO" decay %
the prestige Of birth; and We see no sSn that u Is
Nati5. al poverty, one would think world weiken Ia
Pat it ne'S WAS nohoy "IS aG npVthnc and it was
rampant Berlin when, after tho French INVASION, lor
viii society" ever get beter History does not
suggest bore for even religious reytVaS nave "ny
touched IL for a moment; misiortnues nave never
soDcrcd 1t. witness the history OF the ifench ey'$
princes ana mobiles; ana the t"-resa % nnsd
hut made its amusemcnts llitlc more Nflt ineei,
become visible that society mlsht crow a @ @ntlie
worse Ii atuacts wealth. more thah cFer. lt 5.o"S
the microscope which it is exposed lis nemners
feeling that II they are to ENJOY at an tuey llat "io
re,ard opinion; and il is deriving from e prog css o
osraciles hundreds vino Wotd, but for H. seek p1oiic
careers and they. with their strength Tor w"r secte
theiuscyc, in society, retiring, ~ 1t wcIe, t0m he
bcfoulci to the drawinerOom 70 wnlcn they oi
tnr tne infcri,r or Wi outside Wien. circles
in France in the best circles in America ana a!'s! Iii
ana ,r tv rnlr,iug circle, in Eug And. it has become
good :orm be OF society and bad iorin 10 DC 81 pocs'
society" gains for itself Temporary @ %
II has absorbed and women too good IOl II, anu
WAKES fat on wasted brains. There should Dc "eteEIol
tiOn in those circumstances OF tne nOd III .io 'oso
mopolit usually learning all wees, because Ieedsou
ornvyiny uressure o. true pos,imstio Thought, the
Thought which doubts whether III world hie thlS the
individual can do anything worth do ~ except rais"cK
inJt ire with "a curiosity when Iass h'o hiuu.c'
wlet er peep outside the world IS indeed sslpy'
There will doubtless be anScptlr pailhtlNes ouhn-
war Tor example, has repeatedly been oh' ana occa.
sionally III nonarchca countries, Court lhhuence-Dut
foi those who reject mere antclpatiOhs ana uy 10
calculate, the signs are ny no means nop'tu. i,o ro
necessity for work OF which socal specuaars MIiIo
may one but 1t has never come yet except or IcTo
positively, we'll as comparatively tiinhg tne &
cOnvulslOn always eniiE az tnrousI n S N n I
rcappearance OF the gilt foam on the surface oI w
stro. and wealth groWng hourly more scoIrc U I'
impalpabliity and the 'Dt OF coSiloo,l ui' - pnt
Democrat, can the mobiles ten thOns d acres pu
how toucn the hundred thoasand l lVuS a m tGs Iris
dozen nations stocks Keen ana llliG,s s - ',o ,
enemies wealth but they viii not got LoH ptnsen R
ranches for all thar. We cacuable grOphu Oh
hope unless he this, that society IN ~ techc p
tends ever 70 grow larger; may & ~ an in tbi
months Fringhuy and that as soriey ahhors ilpor
il NAV in defence split into coteries 50 as
their wav and 80 become microc0sm of tue world.
That happening now in Engiahd, aii ,nS n nH m &
svnrv where Though il more checked aOrOau than
hrre by the tendency OF the good II become deVoN
and drop put of society altogether - -, ~
nJ thnu,,n many OF our readers may smile contempt
of the opniOn; but whether IL VIII 10 pehchci'l IS
", ,tar of alton 80 many tho wealthy. 80
numerous the cultivated. Gro Wded the encFt1iners'
thaf sooner or later the inccmmunicahlc qua.ly
e ola prerogatyc OF pedigree, which has 80 rel lealey
ed and e-asscrtcd itself IN the history oi nhAnd
IN once more assume Importance. All the scientific
beorzing which Influences opinion ichds tHat
wav and does the publicity which places I'tIeSa as
VIII as persons under "a painful electric light But
then gro OF respect for Dlrth may III axe s1ceJ
more corrupt instead Of bettsr. th sen ,heht a"ayS
welcoming IN ts objects OF twO impulses tc n,t o
which is expressed in the proyerb Aotlcss oDiyt' "lu
which if not of honor, Is wDrhlnS substitute Ior
IT, while the other best described IN the ie ich H"r
ouise- mot God Will think twice before ne haihs a
man of that oualty." Birth. being uncaincd kot
notcnt advantage, either cOmpe5 men or releases Ine
from compulsiOn and the emanclpaed are "Su"', ~
society the bad. The measurable prospect ls hoI a
pleasing one; but then In human affairs all prospects
are 80 neatly immeasurabe. society 10 lohSc. pcrHls
a man TO enjoy himself in cruelty and II that vice,
which lasted ages after the Roman per"i When IL was
n science and the the enjoyment OF hiIohs,
has dsappearei been forced into see -on why hot
many other vices Tho last section OF the WotIu "
row better will be society -; bat il Is human stl ana
therefore subject to change, Whch c'lhot oo Ao'''
..I., - l4.fa InF .ffn