New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-01
MILLIONAIRE ROUGH
ARLINGTON BAIRD WAS NOT PHENOMENAL.


IL Is not of much to mOrallze, us soihc VI
our contemporaries have been doing, over a ca
reer like that of Mr. Abingdon Baird tie scotch
millionaire, who diet Oh SATURDAY last d. We"
Orleans from "a chill caught While Attending
prize-nght. He was the Iast OF Il family VINO,
we are told, have been distinguished Tor nearly
century by the same qualities. ncS .aNo a..
been able to command anu 2ulde @rci' ui'"
OF men as TO make money III quahtl'l'o o"t VI
their labor they have all gone thclr own way
exactly Is they pcascd; and thcy nav az
been described by their enemies as ro"sh', WIZ. WIN
half-devclOpcd conscences and sor' Oh lhI,i.
ligcnce. Ii Mrs Oliphant dld not shc'ch Ia.
Torrance in The Ladies LindJr''s from one Oh
them, she might have done SO ana II Is ielatea,
truly or falsely of another who gave too.ooo
70 the Scotch Church, that he was the cause OF
coceSiasticI stories. lie contemplated his
mighty benefaction long before IT was made, and
win true business acu'eness aSNcu an tApeis
minister mntat "out yon|' Am no just. free to
guarantee ye," replied the ecGesas'ic Sco,c car a.
himself, but it's an experiment Weel "or'h
trying - -. ,5 h
left at nineteen heir TO the whole family, with
80. 600 acres in lard and accumu ations worth
ten times as much, devoted himself entirely 10
measures such as a rough" enjoys-to Keeping
racers on a huge scale: 10 riding himself, as
a gentleman jockey. IN every part of the King
dom, and to instigating, rewardng and asSOcl-
ating with professional prize fighters lie was
not fool and he did not, il is said, scatter
the principal of his fortune: but his vast income
was spent on some of the lowest of men and
women; he broke his constitution by sweating
himself 10 ride light; and he died at thlr'y-'Wo
of chill caught while holding the sponge a' an
American prize-ight. We never, heard OF Ms
cheating any one or betrayna ms o1c lex rsrr a.
some men of his type have done: but his career
was. of course. utterly indefcnsible-a steady am
consistent misuse of the three great powers Ill
trusted TO him by Providencc-namrly vast
wealth. a sound constitution and the faculty OF
always compelling himself t" do what he wanted
10 do even il it involved physical risk or SUI
<o.;o fool INF
ever not because ne is fit subject Tor moral
izng-whch is. we fear. utterly useless loI
men of his typ" will not ne deferred h NY, fntc of
the MARQUIS of Hastings, on which n" hau
habit of dwellng-hut because he belonged TO thr
class which, Of all others. is in onr day ,e teas,
understood PEOPLE write Of Mr.. Abingdon Baird
as if he were phenomenal: but he was really
one of class "a old. probably, as history I;ar
family as old as the Roman Empire n"dcr vino,
Young men Of vast fortune constantly appea,r'
who devoted themselves 10 gladiators as MI
Baird to prize fghters: exnlted IN rare nr.ui ."
horses trained for racng-char OTIS. as h" eynitco
in his stud and even themselves descended i"to
the arena as he rode for himself in m1tcneS
between gentleman jcckrys and AL 1 Tn@Iand we
frd mobiles appearing with precisely me same
tastes. the tournament differing little eTcnnt N II,
dionity from the arena and the hunting-h"ldS OF
IN" Continent becoming places for contest IN
indvidua, prowess. d'stinguishahle fro" race
ONLY in this. that plebeians were No' auoWeu W
rartokc of the fierce enjoyment To ride all CAV |
IN drink ell night watch anim"1s or Pc"
fot.inq and vic with one another IN s'fu!er'
taxino The physical energies 70 the utmost W.T."
tho amusement Of orr own snnlr"9 ~ W.
eighteenth century a"d the amns"m"nts o'
p section AMONG their descendants still
What is the explanation of such persons ine
ono current lust now that their existcnc" is que
IN the existence of great fortunes, Is ihei" hoIl-
sense Fortune sets men free llt can IN no way
give direction TO their tastes which IN tl maj", r
of the rich have usually tended toward some
what useless but graceful kind Of refinement.
Their WISH as rule. whatever their oncnpatlo t
is to be gentlemen. not gladlatOrs, SUI hsS uic
companions of gladlat5rs OF grQoms Inc wealthy
in all countries produce, and always nave pr
duced. many, more politicians collectors; , de
bauchecs and men of curious ard thon9htliu
luxury in living, than of the variety OF ronehS
whom we are now describing. Besides the latter
belong 10 no class, hut may he f0nnd III an Is
necially in country towns, where lie Il APT 10 u,
tedious and the vents for excessive physcal
energy exceedingly few. Even hard work does
not prevent the tendency, th3ueh OF cois" " ~
immensely dimnishes the number of thosa VINO
can indulge it. Still, period OF nheHNPetiea
prosperity in any trade not in itself deblli'atFg
brings TO the front scores of men who love with
ali Their hearts fsticutTs, dog-fghtng, pony
racing drinking, and violent bedevilment C' every
kind
The truth seems to be that there is good
deal of brutality still surviving IN man, ana
that in every civilization there are men, on some
times families whom civilization does not touch,
who, in spite of all the refining influences around
them, of training and polish and the pressure
of sOftencd public opinion, remain Ike the SIX
elder sons of Squire Osbaldistone in Rob Roy,
infected entire races. They cannot enjoy unless
excited; and they cannot be excited except by
appeals TO the lower passions, or by the nero
delights of a struggle of some kind whether
Joined in or witnessed, or-as you may see III
half the boys in the Kingdom, and in some
of Did not The Record"Dthe earlier one. We
mean-fOr time quote reports OF prize-hghts, 10
the hewildcrment of its evangelical constituency
The men cannot study cannot even read So
Getty in its ordinary forms seems TO them tame
10 imbecility: they cannot rest without excite
ment of kind which taxes the phySical en-.
erpies: and if they cannot work off the spirit
on the sea- or in dangerous sport, or in cXplora-
ton they are apt TO eXpend il in methods "a
injurious to Themselves and to all around then as
the strain Eenvenuto Cellni must have put upon
himself before he could have lived like other
and yG haS these "a %, t t~r
and against which they occasionally seem as
powerless TO struggle as JENNINGS are to abstain
from rushing periodically to the sea. They are
not rowerless, of course. unless they take to
drinking: hut to their wretched relatives. and
10 the public at large. they often seem possessed
Will they become fewer
Intelligence. it is true, Is increasing ana reach
ing uney Dected quarters, women are becoming bet
ter cultivated. and public opinion increases IN
weight and potency; but these causes will all
operate with a motion like that OF glacieis-irre-
sistble. but taking decades TO the inch. heavy
minority will be unintclligent up TO- any TINE
of which il is useful to think. The "roughs OF
degree are seldom influenced by good women;
and public opinion has almost ALWAYS failed to
restrain any instructive tendency, tlou@h II may
force it into c0ncealment. or evcn during Puritan
cpochs, suspend its manifestations altogether. We
should hope more from the existence OF natural
or even beneficial outlets for instructive orutaiity
INT that we seem TO see they Are gradually closing
ur Men get afraid of national war, aud pro,
hibit private war altogether. The area for will
sport-the slaughter that is Of really dangerous
arimals-is slowly closing in. so that in $50 for
example, it will be impossible TO find lion TO
shoot, elephant 70 trap, or even bis1n TO
destroy. Exploration Of the ro1ghcr and larger
kind is slowly getting finished. not sixth Of the
world remaining unvisted, and minute e\pora-
sreak than does scientific research. The excite
n,ent will not he sufficient, the demand on physi-
cal energy will he too small. 10 attract the
. rouChs" in velvet. Collaborating will remain,
of course; but it is rapidly being made
TOO easy and too civilized in all its daily incidents
They will have TO make their eXcitemcnts as the
Roman mobiles did, instead OF finding them; AMI
that will mean. In ton many carncrS like