Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-04

movements, knows all
their ways; in short, has made a study of the
ways and habits Of the rich leisure class Just as
some people make q study of dogs or horses.
This man has become 80 expert that he can tell
one of this class the instant he sees him and
can in few minutes give him a classification
as distinct as If he had analysed a plant accord
ing to the rules of botany.
(Which variety of the lazy swell do you like
the best?" he was asked.
THE HIGHEST SPECIES.
He answered with an enthusiastic description
of the highest species Of the genus-the fellow
who is born rich, whose father is born rich, who
has never done a stroke of work, whose father
never did q stroke of work, who has no partic-
ular interest in life; but just gets through it
comfortably and with the least possible exertion
to himself, whose brain is sluggish. probably
because it has never had any exercise, and
comes OF generations of brains that never had
any exercise. This fellow is never actively
vicious. In proper season he falls in love and
marries: then he settles down and his main sub
ject Of thought afterward becomes the planning
OF when he shall move from the country house
into the city house and what horses he shall
transport.
GREAT EVENTS
There come great epochs and crises in this
mans life, as for instance when he goes to
Europe and when he mast think it all out. OF
course, he goes to Europe rather often. but when
the purpose Of taking the trip begins to dawn
upon him, when he and his wife take up active
operations of thought and plan the journey,
then there is mental exertion of an unusual
character for him. If he builds q house or
alters one this, too, is a momentous period of
work. The events of his life are such as these.
The giving OF dinner party or a ball oc-
cupies his brain to painful degree, al
though the entertainment itself does not.
Conversation does not tire him. because
he never converses. He responds briefly
to any questions that are put to him, and he
never puts any questions himself. When this
mans daughter arrives at the age when she
should make her debut there is necessarily ac-
tiyity in the household, and if he manages
things cleverly he makes her mother take her to
all the festivities that are given while he stays
at home and enjoys a well-merited repose.
MIsTooK HIS MAN.
Sometimes this man receives rude mental
shocks, which come from people who don't un-
derstand his breed. One of those plutocrats
happened to be travelling once and encountered
a lively young man who was full of curiosity
and knew about as much about the rich leisure
class as he did about the turtles of the dead sea-
The writer happened to be seated behind them
and overheard the conversation. The lively
young fellow sat down next to the do-nothing
usual rural measurements to him, and seeing
that he was very well dressed naturally con-
Guided THAT he was a commercial traveller, or,
to put it In vulgar parlance, a drummer. He
had once followed that calling in a small way
himself, and was proud that he knew some of
the phrases with which drummers usually open
a conversation, SO he plunged in and said to his
companion:
"What line are you carrying now2'
'.Eh, what line?" said the plutocrat.
"ies," said the lively young man, "what
goods are you showing?''
tocracy mistaken for a commercial traveller. He
gasped slightly and answered.
II do not carry any goods. lam not drum
mer."
''Well, declare, I surely thought you we're:
but now that look again, guess you must be
an advance agent of theatrical company
NO. said the plutocrat, 1.-The truth is do
not follow any occupation"
The lively young man looked sorry and asked
If he was just out Of a job, and what he pro-
posed to take up next. 1t seemed impossible
for him to grasp the idea that there are people
in the world who loaf always.
THE SECOND CLASS OF PLUTocRATs.
The student Of this class Of mankind, who
was quoted at the beginning of this article, ex-
planned what he called the species Of the second
class Of the genus lazy plutocrats. These are
the rich men who inherit the money that their
fathers made, with whom, in fact loafng is not
an hereditary trait. This class is generally
more obnoxious than are the hereditary loafers.
Money is q thing that they have not fully got
used to, and not to work is a delightful idea
that does not come naturally to them. The
consequence is that they want to enjoy them
selves, and they are sometimes vicious and take
their enjoyment with spices thrown in. Mental
sloth, which is apt to protect the hereditary
loafer from going into anything actively bad,
is no safeguard in the case of the man who
merely inherits the money and has not inher-
tied any habits OF using it. His mind
being active, his pursuit of pleasure is active.
and, after a while, he begins to find pleasure
palatable only where it is highly seasoned.
Some Of these men die Of drink. but it is strange
what small proportion of them do. A good
many of them are reformed drunkards-that is,
men who at some one period of their lives were
victims Of the drink habit, who injured their
health or had some serious crisis which made
them rudely aware of the fact that they must
stop or become disgraceful dead beats. When
men Of this class do not marry they become,
as they grow older, less attractive in every
way. When they marry they are apt to find
pleasure in an ostentatious display of their
wealth-in horses and carriages and giving
parties.
In the case Of the bachelors, il they do not
run through their money, they run through
their pleasures before they die and life becomes
decidedly Ql&agreeaDle bore to them. The art
Of doing nothing has really never been mastered
by these men.
THE THIRD CLASS
Of richidlers are the men who have made O lot
Of money themselves and have retired to- live
at their ease. OF course, such men are never
genuine loafers. They have been too active in
the world for too long time ever to be able to
sink into state Of absolute inactivity. They
have interests, and they follow them and keep
them UP, and they die in harness, although they
may have ceased to make money for years.
THE RICH MANS SUMNER MOVING.
But what are the plutocrats doing now that
this fine summer weather is upon rs? The car
riages still roll over the asphalt, but soon they
will be grinding the gravel of the summer re-
sorts. The truth is that the moving Of one of
these large establishments is q very serious un-
dertakiug. When poor people 60 away what q
comfort 1t for them ustto throw the few clothes
they possess into . trunk or grip@ck, buy o
ticket and 60. But when the rich man moves
he has four or five horses, four or five carriages
and o small army Of servants to transport. He
must hire freight cars and conduct innumerable
negotiations before he can get his caravan in
motion. He runs great risk, too, a. travelling ID
always dangerous to high-strung horses, and
often results in their becoming sick and posi-
bly, In their sustaining severe injury. And Just
think OF the cost Of this moving.
The poor man groans because he must buy
his railroad ticket, but the rich man has .
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