Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-04-10
COST OF FAME.
Poor Men Should Avoid Being
ambassadors.
The Mexican Ministry---Prof. Lang
ley Would Fly If He Could.
Single Taxsrs and The cat-nrs. Cleveland S
Candidate Tor Postmaster.

| fame IN the higher ranks OF the Ameri-
can diplomatic service. The first class
missions can be held only by men who
are able TO spend each year a large sum
from their private purses. Ex-Secretary
Bayard. for instance. will pay dearly for
the honor of being the first ambassador
this nation ever sent across the water
AT London he will receive salary Of
tl7.5o0 . year. and his expenses will
probably be just about twice this sum.
| When Mr.. Phelps was minister at Lon
| don and ex Governor Waller of Connect
icut consul general at the same place,
the minister aud the consul general oc-
casionally compared notes on their finan-
cial status. One day after Il conversation
on this topic Minister Phelps proposed
to Waller that they exchange places dur
ing the remaining two years that they
expected to remain there You see.
Waller. said he. Il get salary of $17,-
500 year and spend little more thar
$3j. 900 year. as | discover by looking
over my handbook. On the other hand.
you take in. salary and fees together,
about $4,000 year. and you say your
living expenses do not much exceed ST.
GOO a month So. if you will agree. wen
simply exchange places for the next two
years. and that will bring us both out
even. What do you say?'
When congress gave the president
the power to send an ambassador to
countries sending an ambassador hither,
it did not authorize any increase in the
salary. and hence ambassador Bayard
and ambassador Eustis and the other
ambassadors. if We have any. will have
| to meet the demands upon their more
| exalted rank out of their own pockets.
| France and England on the other hand,
allow their ambassadors good deal
more money per year than they do
their mere ministers, and it is be-
Iieved Sir Julian Pauncefotes salary
and allowances from the British gov
ernmeni as ambassador at Washington
will run well up toward $40. 600 year.
The British minister at the City of
| Mexico is allowed about $4,000 year
| all told. and he spends it all. or nearly
all in sumptuous entertaining. The din
ners which he gives in the Mexican cap
richness quite puts in the shade the eff
forts of our poorly paid representative at
that capital. y few years ago our min
ister to Mexico was paid only $4,000 a
| year. but minister after minister finding
| it impossible to maintain the dignity of
the United States on that sum without
| plunging himself into bankruptcy con-
gress very reluctantly raised the mission
| to the first class
If Minister Gray goes into entertain
ing at all-aud it is difficult to see how
he can avoid doing SO ard hope to main
| tain a status which will be satisfactory
to himself and his government--he will
| find his salary Of 1880 year scant
enough That looks like a big sum of
money to most of us. but it doesn't go
| very far with foreign minister. Besides,
| Mexico has one Of the gayest and most
| prodigal capitals in the world. All the
wealth of that country nearly is owned
In the City of Mexico. 1t is a land Of
| glorious climate. soil and resources, but
teens with poverty stricken millions.
| The wealth is controlled by few, and
these fortunate families live in splendor
In the capital city.
There IL little or no manufacturing in
| the country. and excessive import taxes
are levied upon everything bought in
| the United States or Europe. For in
stance. there are no breweries in Mex
| leo, and the imported beer costs 80 cents
n bottle. No wine is produced in the
| country, and as the rich will have wine
they find it necessary to pay enormous
prices. The truth is. ! wouldn't take
the Mexican nilsson as gift. In addi-
tion to the necessity of spending all of
ones salary and throwing in lhis time as
| worth nothing. one must run enormous
chances of ending his days there. The
city has no drainage. 1t lies reeking in
the accumulated filth of centuries. Who
would want to leave the glorious United
States and live in n hole like that four
years simply for the purpose of acquir-
ing little fame?
| Much more sensible would it be for a
man to stay IT home and devote his
energies to something for the benefit of
his fellow man. Take. as an example
the case of Professor Langley. secretary
of the Smithsonian institution For
several years this man has devoted his
great learning and his wonderful energy
to the development of flying machine
He spends his days at the institution
earning the salary which is paid him.
and he does earn it too But don't be
| lieve he would admit cabinet minister
to his house in the evening. After din
iner is the golden hour which he devotes,
and which he has devoted for several
years, to work upon his device All
social invitations. all the feeting vanities
| of the world. he eschews with the rigor
4" i religions recluse. He has no time
for friyolity. Life is too short with this
man to waste an hour that might be de-
! voted to science. Is it not admirable?
| OF course it is, and the results Of all
this self denial. Of all this labor. are
likely TO astonish the world and make
| Professor Langley one of the most famous
men of his time. The progress which he
has made with his flying machine he
guards as more or less Of a secret, but |
am able to tell you that within year or
so he will without much doubt solve
this problem of problems. He is building
flying machine that will fly. Years of
study convinced Professor Langley that
flight could not be effected by means Of
a balloon. So Professor Langley set out
to build an aeroplane--a flying machine
which should fly by virtue Of the impact
of itself in motion against the surround
ing atmosphere. Countless experiments
have been made in this direction also,
but all have failed for lack of proper ad-
Justnent of weights and absence of the
necessary power He deserves fame and
is almost sure to attain it.
/ There are many different ways Of at
tanning fame. Some men acquire it. and
others have it thrust upon them As an
example of the latter. take the case oi
Judge Magglire Of San Francisco, who is
coming down here as member of con
gess. Judge Mcguire won fame with a
single story. 1t was not much Of story
either. but its success lay in the applica-
tion Of it. Perhaps you have heard oi
the single takers. The single takers, led
by Henry George. have one of the most
perfect organizations known to the ART
of propagandism. All the single taxer.
hang together There are single takers
fall over earth In nearly every country
they have their national society. con
trolling and cooperating with innumer
able local societies. No religious sect
no secret society. no social or politica
organization that know anything about
il one.-haf 70 mt1ch in earnest "A the sin