St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-27
SNoBOCRACY SCORED.
Julia Ward Howe Says the Upper
Crust of Humanity Is Degener-


ating.
Readers of Thackeray will remember
in his inimitable story of 1.-THE New
comes" that Ethel Newcome is made
to inquire, "Well. grandma, who is po-
lite scciety?" and that the old lady re-
piled, ''Well, my dear, mostly no one"
Last evening, in the Unity church,
Mrs. Julia Ward Howe set herself the
task of furnishing some answer to the
query: SIS polite society polite?" There
was large audience to meet Mrs. Howe.
and its high appreciation of the lecture
was evidenced in repeated bursts
of hearty applause. Mrs. Howe pos
seSses sweet, musical voice, and, not.
withstanding her advanced age, speaks
with considerable incision. Her re-
marks are very forceful-indeed, what
could be more forcible than these SEN
fences, culled from scores dropped in
are not like clothes-you can mend
them best when you have them on;''
ag hin: sincerity is the best founda-
ton upon which to build the structure
of a polite life"; and again "Flattery
is an offense against politeness." Mrs.
Howe reviewed the whole fabric of So
cial life, and, incidentally touching
upon the condition of society in the
days portrayed by Sheridan's comedy.
''School for Scandal" aided her belief
that the world had grown merciful in
later years and that people were learn
ing to seek their diversion without muir
friends. Her opinion of moneyed
snobocracy, who took upon itself
to say who shol Id OF should not enter
the charmed circle of society life, was
not very high. The process of "crowd-
ing in' or ''crowding out" which char
acterized the social world, certainly
was not a polite process. Mrs.
Howe continued: Americans should
all feel an interest in the
maintenance of polite feeling in ouI
own community. The theory of govern
ment by the people and for the people
is in itself a most polite theory. One
the way of politenesS is that we go to
the wrong sources to find it. Rich
Americans laterly have taken on a sort
of craze about the aristocracy of other
countries, and especially English
lords and ladies. 1t is the desire of am
bilious parents to marry their daugh
tiers to titled individuals abroad
counts, marQuises, barons, English,
French and German, who scarcely
attempt to disguise the fact that
the young lady's fortune is the object
of their devotion, and the young lady
herself is well aware of this. We
cannot consider marriage under such
circumstances very polite arrange
ment. In order to be polite it is i'm
portant to cultivate polite ways of
thinking. Whoever brings up his chill
dren to be sincere, Self-reSpccting and
considerate of others, brings them up to
good manners. Since the days of my
glrlhood Young women of fashion seem
to have lost in dignity. of character and
general tone and culture. Young men
of fashion seem to regard young ladies
with less esteem and Difference, and have
adopted a general cheap and easy
standard of manneIS." Mrs. Howe
stated that while the young people of
fashion had thus degenerated, the men
and women outside the social pale had
risen to nObler and better lives. So
the community gained, although one
class loses, and that the class which as
sumed TO give to the rest the standard
of taste. Politeness was thing which
few absolutely possessed. No one was
perfectly polite without some early
training, or some later study. Long
fellow and Emerson were instaneed as
two of the polite spirits of our day.
With the close of the lecture, Mrs.
Howe thrilled the audience by reciting
one of her war poems, 1.-The Flag" A
reception followed in the parlors Of the
church, many present taking the OPP
portunity of making the acquaintance
of the distinguished authOreSS.