Morning journal and courier., 1893-08-02
NEWPORT VAGAHIRs.
A Special Code of Conduct for the
Benefit of miIlionnires Will Soon
Have TO be Formulated.
NEWPORT, July 2s.


NEWPORT, July 90.
Tothe Editor OF the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
Americans are not more curious than |
other people, but they are equally SO. All
people ike to stare and need objects to |
stare at. In Europe the desire Is amply |
met by multiplicity of princes, dukes,
counts and minor potentates who In vari-
ous degrees represent sovereignty; and by
generals and other warriors, bedizened
with orders which stand for 60 much val
liant devotion to sovereignty. In America
sovereignty as an entity to be stared at
does not exist at all; and no one person,
save perhaps the president of the United
States, contains enough of 1t to constitute
him legitimate and satisfactory object of
stare. The president, with the best inten-
tions in the world, cannot present himself
to the glance of every staring citizen of
the United States over very limited num-
ber of times during his term of office; by
no means sufficient number of times to
keep the mildest staring appetite appeased.
1t therefore comes about that millionaires
are supplying in this country the places of
foreign princes, warriors, &c, and are be-
ing accepted by the people as staring sub
stitutes. The millionaire stare has not yet
become as deserentiGl as It should be. 1t
Is not sufficiently mingled with awe to be
q homage or An obelsance. II Is 60 far
simply curious, perhaps slightly contemp
tuous, A few more generations of mil
lionsires will undoubtedly produce the
proper spirit. Allowances must be made
for simple minded people who still occa-
sionally read the Declaration of Indepen-
dence. A code would expedite matters
and make the paths leading into the fu
ture smooth and pleasant.
That millionaire should like to be
stared at and pointed out is perfectly nat
ural Bet he desires, and undoubtedly
has right, to be stared at when and where
he pleases to exhibit himself and under
regulations similar to those observed at
the capitals of Europe. A code would
also be of service to the starer. 1t would
tell him just when and where the psrticu
lar millionaire of his choice was TO be
seen, engaged perhaps in the occupation
best calculated to satisfy interest and to
promote reverence. The code would of
course scale the amount of admiration
and interest to be exhibited, and would in
dictate the kind of exhibition mcst pleas
ing to the staree. In this way society
would get rid of the present unsettled and
awkward state of things which exists In
reference to millionairss, and bs able to
resume Its ordinary ways and manners.
The Newport millionaire has just now
an extra cause of complaint, and is there
fore deserving of special consideration and
OF speedy relief.
Everybody who has been to Newport
| and who hesn'tl-has taken the cliff walk,
| and while admiring the works of nature
| with one eye has used the other eye In be-
/ holding the superb residences of Amerl-
| cas- millionaires The first thought that
l occurs to the stranger is how kind they
| are to permit the lowly and the humble to
| traverse their grounds and TO enjoy unin-
terrupted views of their princely domains
| and their regal residences. Two or three
score of years ago the pleasure conferred
| upon the people was undoubtedly shared
by the proprietors; for there were not
people enough to make their presence dis
agreeable or their admiration tiresome.
But now 1t is quite different. Excursion
lists by the hundreds, by the thousands,
pour along the paths, overflow upon the
turf and even find their way up the very
gateway of opulence. Not long an
evil minded excursionist, whose fatigue
was no excuse for his effrontety, advanced
boldly to an open window and asked fol
"a dish of teal" Mrs. Millionaire fell over
In a dead faint and remained In the att
tude till the return of her liegs lord. In
| no other way could she have properly pro
tested against the creatures brszen audao
ity. OF course this sort of thing mus
stop and some of the cliff dwellers have
already taken measures to stop 1t. Ont
plan Is to erect a hedge along the innel
edge of the path. This has the dissdvan
tage of shutting off the view of the EEL
from the domain, also from the lower sto
~ of the abode, and millionaires do no
propose being driven from their domain
, nor from one story to another of thei
abodes. Another plan is to lower the patl
from the top of, to half way down, tn
: cliff. This will deprive the miIlionsire
. . of the sdmiring gaze of the multitude ant
! viii therefore only do for those milliop
, aires who have reached that period of de
velopment when the gaze, sforesaid, is n
longer enjoyed or tolerated; when self AMI
possessions must be formally approache,
and are only ceremoniously exposed. Tn
| ordinary millionaire still enjoys the spon
i ttaneous admiration of the middle and low
er classes. The path has alresdy been low
cred on several estates and will undoubi
: edly be lowered on many more. One mil
lionsire has not only lowered the path 9
far that only projecting corner of hi
palace can be seen, but has actually tur
{ neled the path over for quite distance
: So that citizsRs must not only walk in tn
Q dark for q while, but under the trampin
footsteps of their betters-
r This last procedure has startled excits
+ BILE people into gestures and into talk
/ about prehistoric rights, prescription
Z &C., SO. Sober minded people, on th
other hand, are keeping themselves quis
i by looking mp the law on the matter an
!. by trying to make out whether the law f,
= = vors the people or the millionaires Th
first law to be met with on the subjet
would appear to settle the question rigt
off In the millionaire's favor and not |
II leave the people leg to stand on. Hel
1t Is:
n ssPublle statutes of Rhode Island. {
I75., section 6. 'fNo right of foot wa