Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-09-11
AMERICAN ARISTOCRACY
How Il Differs from the European
Brand Of the Article-Plutoc-
racy an Essential.
phases OF high Social Life Ia New VOTE
The Knicksrbocker Set and some
OF Its Members.

rruous word 10 be employed In depicting
an element OF democratic societyi and
vet IL describes peculiar social phase IN
America as actually existent among US
though not, perhaps, so rlgidly defined
as among any OF the unrepublican nation
alities OF the old world.
There sre great differences, however,
between the aristocracy Of the United
States and the arlstocracy, say, OF the
United Kingdom. In the latter country
an aristocrat is always and everywhere
an aristocrat. He may fit from Car
Isle 70 Canterbury, from Aberdeen TO
Amman, from Coleraine TO Cork, and his
social position will be equally high In
each. Here aristocracy is largely mat
ter OF locality, especially as regards the
West. A person belonging TO "the better
classesp OF Chicago does not necessarily
take a similar rank upon removal to
Cleveland; and the patrlcIan Of the Cream
City may sink into almost absolute Pile
beianisn by transfer Of himself 70 the
City OF the Straits. AT few Of the great
points Of population In the East
much less extent. The great families Of
New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Bal
timore naturally recognize the und0ubted
equality" of each place. But even these
the minor offshoots of the superior
groups are apt to sink into insignifcance
when transplanted from their native soil.
AS between the East and the West there
is comparatively little interchange OF
high socially. Occidental emergencies
from the rank OF the commonaltY are gen
nj A. =.
deemed unworthy OF notice by the 0rien-
talist who can produce father, and per-
maps grandfather, In support Of his AFRO
CANT pretensions.
Another marked difference between our
aristocracy and that Of Europe Is exhibit
ed in the status of the impoverished de-
scendants of old-time "upper-tendom.
Abroad man who Is Of good extraction
and breeding, and has education and cul.
ture, is considered the social equal of the
man who, possessing oil those advant-
ages has wealth In addition; and he takes
unreasonable precedence OF the man
who has money and nothing more. Here,
for many reasons, money is more of a
factor, not only In the requirement but
In the maintenance Of rank In society.
There are, to be cure, many impecunious
individuals commingled with the higher
strata Of social life; but they hold their
position by a most precarious tenure.
They feel that they are standing upon a
slippery surface, and that their downfall
may occur at any moment; and they know
that, even II they shall be lucky enough
TO retain their own foothold, their chill.
dren are not likely TO prove so fortunate.
There are OF course, circles of society
In which money counts at only limited
value, and In which intellect Is assigned
a much higher altitude; but these circles,
Though feeling superiority to the mere
possessors OF riches, know, as they
laugh that by the coarse world at large
their claim fails OF acknowledgment.
Money not only makes the mare CO. but
IL rears the stately structure of the
social fabric, OVERLAPPING its walls and
towers with ornamentation so resplendent
as To excite the admiration or envy of all
spectators save the few who actually be-
long In the category Of philoso piers.
Connected with American aristocracy
are many oddities. An occupation which
in one city Is considered not at all incon-
sistent with high social standing is in
another held under absolute ban, In
New York, for instance-and largely so
In the other great Eastern clties--a man
Sin trade" cannot occupy place In the
highest ranks OF society; at least there
are but few exceptions to the rule. And
II Is OF rare occurrence there that per-
son once employed as a manual laborer
can reach the distinction of having his
name inscribed In the golden book OF re,
publican nobility. About the only
deViations are in the cases OF men
who are enormously wealthy, and men
who have married wives belonging to the
class TO which admission is coveted. A
mere million OF dollars Is not sufficient In
and OF Itself. A year or so ago a New
YORK paper gave list OF millionaires In
that city, embracing about 400 persons,
and OF that number three. fourths or more
mad failed to reach the penetralIa OF
Observation-Disclosures That set com.
prises many families which have
been eminent in various WAYS for
century or more--such as the Stuy.
yesants, the Schuylers, the Van Rensse.
laers, the Llyingstons, the Jays, the
Morrises, the Hotfmanns, the Roosevelts.
Then there are the Immensely rich fami-
lles-the Astors, the Vanderbilts, the
Belmonts--and a long array OF minor
Cr~suses, the progenitors OF some OF
whom were thrifty Dutchmen who had
NHieA A"AAhS WI MuuuhttNu lNIanu and
sold "garden-truck" to the burahers oI
olden days-which small farms, held on
to with characteristic Netherlandish te.
nacity, have gradually been overgrown by
the monster city, and have proved more
valuable than mines OF Potosi to the
present aristocratic descendants OF the
original wooden-shoed owners.
The Astors are claimed to stand at the
head OF the Knlckerbocker CLIQUE, though
persons now living knew old John Jacob
the founder OF the family, who came "a
this country with great deal more hope
than "gelt, " and who laid the foundation
OF his vast fortune as peripatetic ped
dler with all his stock In wallet on his
back. But the three generations which
have succeeded him have been given the
benefits of education and culture; they
have all 'ntermarried with Knickerbock-
ers the present Mrs. William pndina
herself especially upon being Schermer.
horn--end, more than all, they have not
only retained the wealth Of the emigrant
from Waldorf, but have increased II
almost beyond the bounds OF conception,
and certainly above the cravings OF avsr.
Ice.
The headship OF the Knlckerbockers
VpnQrallv aaaiOnad 20 che &c.,.