Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-07
ARISTOCRACY OF WEALTH.
THE SUBJECT OF AN ABLE, WITTY TALK
BY 7. w. HIeeINsoN.

The Worship of tho Almighty Dollar-Mil-
lionaires Have Nofhing TO Boast Of
stnge Scenes mt Chaufnuqun-Tnbleaux
From Ben Hur-Extension of the Uni
versity System.
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcHJ
AXE CHAUTAUoUA, August GA stage at
Chautauqual Now you pious ones do not
be shocked. You jolly ones do not imagine
that the great assembly has been turned into a
variety show, for there is no cause for either.
All day long the carpenters and managers OF
the Chautauqua Dramatic Company, Limited,
nave been busy preparing mammoth stage IN
the pit of the amphitheater, with all the para
phernalia of the modern theater. for the three
entertainments to be given by q company OF AZ
persons taken from local talent To add to its
nicely it is called tableaux, and is taken from
the scenes of General Wailace's "Ben Hur."
Prof. R. Cumnack read parts from the great re-
hgious novel as they passed from one scene TO
another. The following scenes were shown;
THE Three Wise Men, palace of Herod," !"
sBen Hur and Massals in the Garden Ben
Hur's Mother, Tlrzah, and Amora," "The Ar
rest of the Hurs."
The great praying pitcher" Of Yale. Mr; A.
A. Stagg, acted as the courageous Ben dur
The whole tableaux is under the management
of Mr.. Q. W. Cox, who is given the exclusive
right of producing 1t by Harper Brothers and
General Wallace.
Higgiuson on Aristocrncy.
THE writings of Thomas Wentworth Hig-
ginson have made him famous, and his ap-
pearance this morning brought large audi
ence. It was the lecture of the day, and was
chaste, scholarly, rational. "Having just ar
rived from the wilds of New Hamshire, after
long and tatiguing journey" he said, "and
not understanding the acoustic properties of
this building shall have to ask you to follow
the notice that appears in certain Montana
church, which says: Please do not shoot your
revolvers at the organist, for he is probably
doing his duty the best he knows
There are three kinds of aristocracy-that
of BIRTH that of wealth and that of virtue. The
last is unq uestionably the right one. We are
passing from the aristocracy of the grand
father t to the aristocracy Of wealth. There is
House of Lords in England. and that is only a
convenience. The House of Commons makes
the laws and the Upper House occasionally
ventures SO give an opinion. The Cabinet at
any time it wishes, may change its temper by
the creation OF new peerages and change a
quorum with facility that would surprise
speaker Reed: There is only one thing in
which they claim their power: A man cannot
marry his deceased wife's sister.
The Aristocrncy of Wealth.
A TTEMPTs have been made to establish
hereditary aristocracy in this country, but
have failed. 1t has given way to the aristocracy
of the dollar, which is often more rude, more
ignorant and less pleasing. But it has been an
aristocracy of peace and not Of hostility. 1t
has given us factories. steamboats, and railroads
and great industries and has in no way de-
stroyed. People may admire this aristocracy
and look upon it with curiosity, but we are not
ruled BY it. No one here turns up his trousers
at tho ankles if he thinks it is raining in Lon
don. We know this aristocracy of the dollar.
We went to school with it. and we knew it as it
sol tape behind the counter of a country store.
Sometimes it returns to the village and endows
institutions Of learning and builds public
buildings. All over the land We find these
magnificent buildings, these gifts, the result Of
the aristocracy of the dollar.
but with all these great benefits there are
dangers and perils. One of them is the
rapIdity with which it has come upon us. Why,
in my boyhood days all of New England won-
dered IL Mr.. Cushing. of Boston, was a million
aire. Was 1t possible that a man could, would
or should be worth million dollars? Now we
do not have to stretch our imagination to think
OF man being worth that much money. Why,
all America sympathized with Mr.. Wander
bilts daughters when 1t was found that he had
left them only the small pittance of $40, 100000
apiece, and the people were almost ready to
take up collections In our Sunday schools for
them.