San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-09-11
NO TITLES FOR THEM.
Great Men of Victoria's Reign Who
Have Escaped the Peerage.

Great Men OF Victoria's Reign Who
Have Escaped the Peerage.
| Walter Besant.
The Victorian Exhibition of next
winter is to contain 400 portraits of
great men who have adorned tine
fifty-four years. reign of her Majesty.
| Four hundred great men is q gOodIy
allowance for the reign OF one SOW
ereign. On looking through the list,
however, the word greatness is seen
to be used with q great deal of
breadth. Still, they are all so far
distinguished that their names will
be known to every body who visits
the gallery and beho.ds their portraits
1 wonder how many of those who
look at the catalogue will ask any
not be asked by her Majesty's ad-
tween hOnors and honor, between
such distinction as can be conferred
by rank and title and as is gained by
work and genius. For instance, the
real glory of the reign will always
be the immense advance of science.
W hat hOnors have been granted to
men of science?None. Charles Darwin,
Fal aday, Huxley, Tyndall, Stephen
son, H erschell Lyell. Hutchinson,
Wheanstone-these men, in any
other country which had sucn
things to DestOw, would have been
made peers of that country Here
they are tossed knighthood, in the
same list with country town
Mayor, London Sheriff or the
clerk of a society. Again, there is
literature. Next to the science of the
reign the literature will be its chief
glory. What has been done for the
authors, poets, historians, novelists
OF this reign? What distinctions,
peerages, oneucles or orders OF
Bath or Garter have been granted to
Carlyle, Dickens, Thackeray, Brown
Ing, Swinburne, Grote, Hallam,
Froude, George Eliot, Blackmore,
Freeman, Green, Lecky-names TAX
Ell at random from the glorious Vic
torlan roll? None. Nay, since those
men of science and literature have
made distinction for themselves
which no court could increase, what
interest has ever been shown in
them and in their work by the court?
None; none whatever. should like to |
see on one side of the gallery the
portraits of those who have been
honOred by the Queens advisers and
on the other side those of the men
who have received no such honor.
And 1 should like somebody-the
Director-to explain to her Majesty
when she visits the gallery, the
classification adopted. One might
haar M oil a6
getting what, in certain circles is
very bad advice.
will most certainly be raised wheth or
it is worth while to confer titles at
all upon men of distinction. Those |
granted have never been hereditary
titles, which are now exclusively |
confined to men of great wealth-in |
commercial country this practice |
can be easily Observation-Disclosures |
and successful lawyers. No
body else can get into the House of |
Lords. II, then, a title is only purely |
honorary, two things would seem |
necessary: First, that the recipient |
should have done something to lift |
him consplcuOusly above the COM
mon herd; and next, that every kind |
OF work which so raises man |
should be recognized One might fur
ther demand some kind of board to |
advise the Queen. At present her ad.
visers are unknown, and the only |
thing truly certain about the distribu-
ton of honOrs Is the back stairs.
Creeping, reptile element, are the
influences brought to bear.