St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1888-04-07
SOCIAL AMelTloN.


AvA0ily Whsss Oappansss Was 0scsi0eo0
- the Msloch of Rsshion.
'When first came to New York,
said . well-known physician lately.
among nv friends was . family
named Burke They lived in . modest
little cottage in Orange Mr. Burke
was cashier in large business house
In the city and drew a small bui as.
sured. income H. was an enthusias.
tic naturalist, and spent his leisure
time collecting specimens Of moths
and insects His wife was . pretty.
merry little woman. happy in her hus.
band. her children and her home.
They had . few educated. congenial
friends. who lived simply like them.
selves They would often ask me to
spend IN evening with them We
would have . comfortable little sup.
per. some good music. and friendly.
intelligent talk. always came home
cheered and refreshed.
s1n 1870 NJ. Burke's salary Wa
raised. His wife urged that they
should move into the city. She had
social ambitions They took apart.
ments in cheap pretentious build.
Ing; Mra Burke's pretty musiins were
replaced BY snowy silks; Burke gave
mp his moth-hunting and Joined .
dining-cluh They asked me to din.
nef. occasionally. when I was RECALLED
with hali-warm dishes from the res
taurateur's instead of Mrs. Burke's
well-cooked suppers. and cheap wine
In place Of good coffee. A waiter.
hired for the occasion. had replaced
the neat little maid. None Of their
old friends were among the guests
but, instead. few pseudo-fashionable
folk. who talked necessarily of their
wealthy acquaintanceA
''Burke soon began to speculate In
stocks and was successful They at
once took house in one If the side
streets and gave it to an upholsterer
to furnish. Mrs Burke set up her
own coupe When. once year.
was hidden to q state dinner. ] found
the sham fashionable friends had dis.
appeared and in their place were the
rich nolables Of whose acquaintanc ce
they had boasted. The dinner was
from Delmonico's but Ms. Burke's
own footman served ii. Burke's in.
come. every body knew. would not
half-cover his outlay. But what mat
ter? We are making our way into
society," he told me. with haggard.
anxious face which betrayed how great
was the strain upon him.
I'm 1876 he made large amount by
a speculation. They bought house
on Murray Hill. and emGlnted the
wealthiest families Of that neighbour
hood in splendor and extravaganza.
was once asked 10 n ball in their mag.
nificent house. and saw Mrs. Burke
paying court to . so-called RUSSIAN
Prince, whom she had secured n .
guest. They were still pushing their
wav, "a anxious and discontinued n
at first
There was sudden collapse on
Wall street. Burke lost in a week
every dollar he owned The shock. in
his exhausted. nervous condition,
brought on an incurable cerebral dis
ease. He still lives, almost imbecile. .
mere wreck Of his former self His wife
would not return to poverty and sim.
pie modes Of living again. She opened
q fashionable clearinghouse. and
drags out a hard-worked. miserable
life. in debt on every side. Not one Of
her fashionable friends recognize hei
on the street. and that is perhaps. the
bitterest drop in her cup"
BY the time man reaches middle
age" saws Jacob Mafhurin. 1.-THE his.
tories of his contemporaries furnish
him with moral lessons more signif.
icant than any Sermon" The moral
Of such lives a that of the Burkes is q
common one. and is easily read. In
every community the man or woman
who sacrifices real happiness to the
ambition 10 be fashionable. finds. SOON
er or later. that the mess of pottage.
for which great birlhright has been
sold. is but small and bitter t. the taste.
This is not because fashionable peo-
pie are naturally more selfish or cruel
than others; it is because the tie be
tween them is not that Of genuine af-
lection or respect. or IT mutua! inter-
est In any noble cause or work. 1t is
avowedly. simply amusement and
emulation In display. When the new.
conner. who is ''pushing his way" is
no longer able to amuse or to compete
in display. he is. necessarily. pushed
aside. Every reader will. early or
late, have to decide upon his course in
society. Let him remember the Blrkes
and their false ambitions. - YOUTHS
Companion
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