The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-03-20

with it; agriculture was primitive and much
of The land was wild; industries of every
description were stagnant and unprogres-
sive, and international intercourse was
mostly warlike.
Ali those good old times! How greatly
they depend for seductiyeness upon the
glamour OF romance such as SCOTS '.Kenil-
worth and Kingsley's Westward Ho!'
Some specimens Of the reality may still be
found in Europe. In parts of Germany and
France woman may be seen in the fields
harnessed with n donkey or cow
to pillow or harrow, while plOd-
ding industrious male peasant tugs
the reins and gives encouraging COM
mands. Zola's :" La Terre." perhaps the
tlthiest book ever penned for purpose,
gives not unfaithful picture of the grind
ing burdens and the degradatiOnS 81 en-
ployment women must submit to in rural
France. In Scotland, which boasts OF hay-
ing had common school system from
about the time of John Knox, women are
frequently 10 be seen ia the fields wedding
out turnlps on their knees or spreading
manure. Neither Spain nor Italy is the
country one sees in pictures-the abode of
happy, misery spared people. Misery is
as abundant as anywhere else, and The
average lot of the masses is by no means
cheerful. Well may Americans returning
from Europe be grateful that in their own
country the position of women, at least, is
much more elevated than in the Wanted
centeTs of civilization, and that the laburlng
masses generally are in better status. Max
O'kell has somewhere expressed wish that
If he could be converted into Mary O'Rel
his lot might be cast In this country. He
las high opinion Of the favor Americans
show 10 women.
Kate Field has with all the force of an
ardent eontroversialist come TO the assist
ance Of America against the denuneiaton
of divorce and American morality INDUCED
in with acrid venom by Mrs. Lynn Linton,
an authoress who is EOtoTiOnsly splenetic
and jaundiced in writing about her own
sex ''In what State of the Union" asks
Kate Field. ''bas marriage lost its sanctity
because Of greater freedom in divorce
laws?" She goes on 10 say: The Ameri-
can home is as sacred in Providence as in
New Orleans, as sacred in New \ ork as in
San Francisco. The sole difference between
the Atlantic and Pacific coast is that there
is infinitely less hypocrisy in California.
owing 1t may be. to the remains Of that in
dependence bordering on eckleSsneSS which
characterized the modern arg0nauts. Mrs.
Unions pronunciation OF certain States in
America is a libel on all. Marriage has lost
neither us honor nor its am ability North,
South, East or West" A challenge is
thrown down to Mrs. Linton in these terms:
Il am willing Mrs. Linton should compare
the records OF the easiest State OF our wild
and wo0lly West with those of Catholic
Italy and France and Protestant England.
am ready to wager that the advantage Will
be on this side Of The ocean" as Mrs. Lin
ton has never crossed the Atlantic she is
not Ire-emnently we'll qualified 10 give a
sound opinion on American life. She may
indeed ind abundance of en- lCyment for
her faciie pen in criticizng the morals Of
the upper ranks Of society in England
Even TIE lower ranks may be criticized Sc
NeTtlY. W t do not hear IN this country Of
men selling their wives in apparent good
faith for slXpence or pot Of beer, and with
halter round the neck, too, as a symbol Of
prOpTieturahip.
Mrs. Lynn LyntCn is not altogether 0p-
p0Std 10 divorce as means Of alleviating
social troubles. She has recently specified
several grounds which she would tolerate
IN applications 10 the divorce court. At
present in England a suit for divorce is
costly, and only the wealthy or compare
lively comfortable classes can afford the
luxury. There is only one court and that is
fixed in London. 1t is true separations are
granted elsewhere, but these are not the
equivalent Of divorce. Among the poor the
matrimonial bond, especially in towns. is
often very loose; but II certainly is not held
in higher regard among the wealthy. Stead
was not wide of the mark when he de-
scrlbed London as the modern BahVian
and showed it to be sink of iniQuily in
the commission Of nameless denominations
sucn as II was supposed were only heard of
In Turkey or Persia. There have been
other revelations besides Siead's which
nave opened the eyes OF the multitude 10
what may 90 on IN high society. Tie
higher the inquiry is pushed the more rot
ten and unp:lnclpled apparently do she
vices CT society become.
a long list of the miIionaires of America
q ut do
fifty or more with from $40, 900 600 to SIPS.
100000 to their credit. Every man, with
slight exception, may be said to have made
bis own pile. Colossal as are some of these
fortunes, they do not nearly match the
Accommodations OF the European ROlhschilds,
who are now mas ters OF finance in
every capital and every country, and are
as ready 10 take hand in wheat or petr0-
leum as to handle gigantic loan or convert
national debt. Rockefeller's S125, 600, 600
somewhat pale before the 40 millions ster-
ling left number OF years ago by one of the
KCthschilds. SO rumOr had IL, and rumor is
supposed to be correct in everything thar
cannot be verified. There is perhaps
little better than rough estimate for
the prodigiOus fortunes attributed 10
many Of our American capitalists. One
characteristic OF the ROthschiIdS materially
tends 10 keep them in high regard They
deal h0norably with nations and keep out CT
mtrIgues, and they deal most generously
with their employees In the London
house, Tor instance, every man has a long
holiday and a considerable douceuT, aug
mented every year, wherewith to enjoy
himself. The salaries are on n very liberal
scale-far higher than in the Bank of Eng
land-and every employe has sumptuous
luncheon provided for him. The chances of
secrets leaking out in such an Office are re-
duced to minimum. The young man who
succeeds IN entering the service OF the
RothSchlids is well fixed for life. A good
helping hand is given the venturesome who
enter upon the joys of matrmoDy.
In the qualification of his tastes the
American millionaire is prone to build him
| self palace. His habits of life do. not
quite adapt him to live in it and feel cheer
ful. but he builds it nevertheless, and buys
library IN lots en- bloc and acquires pic
lures by known men, whose works will be
worth, at least for some time, all he paid
Tor them. Generally it is a town mansion,
with dock or half block of garden sur
rounding aud all walled in securely from
contamination with the outer world, which
might give otfenso to his nobility. Other
lnqulgences OF an expensive kind follow
palace car Is indispensable. possibly two of
! them. SO that lie is as comfortable and
| lordly on the rail as in front of the family
| hearth. 1t is often a satisfaction, if he
| thinks about such trihing thing as money,
that he has no fare to pay. although other
HaitHOluSIs may nave no dividends.
| Another luxury is enjoyed OH the water.
| The millionaire's yacht is swift and
| beautiful and as comfortable as human
! ingenuity can render a pleasure bark
| On the treacherous deep. The cook on
board may have salary of $4,000 wear.
| as was the case once on the Alva, and the
| poor but pr0ud-spirited man lost his place
because he did rot cook chickens TO turn.
! When the millionaire has reached this stage
| In his career lie has usually nothing more TO
| do by way OF novelty than to 90 over the
work again. He may build more houses, set
| up more country seats. acquire more yachts
| and yet again fall into a weary mood For
| q share of his accommodations II Is I,o