The Portland daily press., 1891-12-15
CURRENT COMMENT.
SOME SOUND SENSE.

[New York Evening Pust.l
The whole community is much indebted
to DR.. Rainsford for his few words OF com
ment in another column On the proposed
huge distribution of rich children'S toys to
mass of poor children In Madison Square
Garden on Christmas afternoon. through
the instrumentality of an organization
called the christmas Society" The "rich
children" are to occupy the boxes at $40
per box, or dollar seats in the gallery, aud
the poor children" are TO be crowded on
the tid0r. We 90 not wish TO cast any dis
credit on the motives of those who have
prepared this enterprise, but how intelli-
gent aud charitable persons should make
such mistake we cannot understand. OF
all The lines of social separation between
man and mal In a ciyiliZ ID community,
that of mere wealth is the most unfortu-
nate, the most demon aliziDg. the most anti
social, the most dangerous 10 tha state. I5
cannot be erased, bat it should be the con-
stRnt effort OF every good citizen TO ignore
1t or make little of it. The worship OF
wealth, simply as wealth, has already al
most become national disease. 1t has
killed almost every other form of
distinction. 1t has converted some
OF the most worthless men into the CON-
mnnity into national heroes. aud sur
rounded their d0ings and savings with
shameful fascination. The story told In
Life, the other day, of the American in
st, Petersburg who would not take off his
hat when the Gar was passing until as
suTed by the police that "the Gar was very
rich," is bit Of satire under which few
ot us here i'll New York can help wincing.
What goes on among adults in tie way of
wealth worship Is repulsiye enough, but
there has been no manifestation Uf it so
unfortunate as the idea of bringing the
plNtI Ix1~.r a..E Ia -. H. 49,
the poor, as such, together in the same
building, the rich to sit as wretched little
prigs ia the boxes, and play the part of pa
irons to the poor on the floor, their heads
filed with the idi0tic notion that because
their fathers have been lucky in the STOCK
market, they are superior beings to their
brethren down below. Nothing
could well give a worse lesson
TO both rich and poor in a community like
ours than such an exhibition. Whenever
we bring the children of the rich and poor
together in any such way, it should be for
the purpose of showing the poor not that
the rich have more old toys and clothes
and more money to give away, but that
wealth has given them more knowledge,
better manners, pleasanter voices, mure
modesty. kindliness. forbearancs, and self
control. Ii is bad enough To be told by
rhe newspapers how many millions were
represented" at every wedding and
Christening and dinner and ball, how much
money" each popular minister breaches
to every Sunday, but to have them footing
no how much the t0y-givers at the Madi-
son Square Garden were to inherit, by way
of dazzling the children of misfortune on
the faor, would be a little too ridiculous
and also little too disgusting.
OUR NEW FORM.
Lewiston Journal.l
The Portland Daily Press, that sterling
Republican Iurnal, has joined the goodly
company aud fellowship of the eight page
papers, style which every eader likes
best after being accustomed to it. With
its new Scott stereotype press, the new
dress Of type soon TO come, and the IN
creased variety of its ably edited contents,
the Press win win its way to larger and
fonder clentage among the people of Maine
who long have held it In high esteem