The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1894-07-27

ness to come and live there but happi-
ness will not come.
They send footmanned and postillion-
edeQuipage to bring her; shewill notride
to their door. They send princely escort;
she will not take their arm. They make
their gateways triumphal arches; she
will not ride under them. They set
golden throne before golden plate; she
turns away from the banquet They call
to her from upholstered balcony; she
will not listen. Mark you, this is the
failure of those who have had large ao-
emulation.
And then you must take into oonsid-
Grafton that the vast majority of those
who make the dominant idea Of life
money getting fall far short of afflu-
ence. 1t is estimated that only about
two out of hundred business men have
anything worthy the name of success.
A man who spends his life with the one
dominant idea of financial accumulation
spends life not worth living.
So the idea of worldly approval If
that be dominant in mans life, he is
miserable The two most unfortunate
men in this country for the six months
of next presidential campaign will be
the two men nominated for the presi-
dency. The reservoirs of abuse and dia-
tribe and malediction will gradually fill
up, gallon above gallon, hogshead above
hogshead, and about autufnn these two
reservoirs will be trimming full, and
a hose will be attached to each one,
and it will play away on these nomi-
nees, and they will have to stand it and
take the abuse, and the falsehood, and
the caricature, and the anathema, and
the caterwauling, and the filth, and they
will be rolled in it and rolled over and
over in it until they are choked and
submerged and strangulated, and at
every sign of returning consciousness
they will be barked at by all the hounds
of political parties from ocean to ocean,
And yet there are hundred men to-
day struggling for that privilege, and
helping them in the struggle. Now,
that is not a life worth living. You can
get slandered and abused cheaper than
that! Take it on a smaller scale. Do
not be SO ambitious to have whole res
ervoir rolled over on you. But what you
see in the matter of high political pref.
erment you see in every community in
the struggle for what is called SOCIAL po-
sition.
Social Ambitions.
Tens of thousands of people trying to
get into that realm, and they are under
terrific tension. What is social position?
1t is difficult thing to define, but we
all know what it is. Good morals and
intelligence are not necessary, but
wealth or the show Of wealth is abso
lutely indispensable. There are men to-
day as notorious for their libertinism as
the night is famous for it's darkness who
move in what is called high social posi-
ton. There are hundreds Of out and out
rakes in American society whose names
are mentioned among the distinguished
guests at the great levees. They have
annexed all the known vices and are
longing for other worlds Of diabolism
to conquer Good morals are not neces-
sary in many of the exalted circles Of
society.
Neither is intelligence necessary. You
find in that realm men who would not
know an adverb from an adjective if
they met it hundred times day and
who could not write letter of accept
ance or regrets without the aid of Sec
rotary. They buy their libraries by the
square yard, only anxious to have the
binding Russian. Their ignorance is
positively sublime, making English
grammar almost disreputable, and yet
the finest parlors open before them.
Good morals and intelligence are not
necessary, but wealth or o show of
wealth is positively indispensable. 1t
does not make any difference how you
got your wealth if you only get it. The
best way for you to get into social posi-.
ton is for you to buy large amount
on credit, then put your property in
your wife's name, have few preferred
creditors ard then make an assignment
Then disappear from the community I'M
| til the breeze is over and then come
back and start in the same business. Do
you not see how beautifully that will
put out all the people who are in compe-
tition with you and trying to make an
honest living? How quickly it will get
you into high social positionl What is
the use Of 40 or so years Of hard work
when you can by two or three bright
strokes make great fortune? All, my
friends, when you really lose your mon
ey how quick they will let you drop,
and the higher you get the harder you
will drop
| There are thousands today in that
realm who aro anxious to keep in it.
There are thousands in that realm
who are nervous for fear they will
| fall out of it, and there are changes GO
ing on every year aud every month and
every hour which involve heartbreaks
that are never reported. High social life
is constantly in a flutter about the deli
cate question as to whom they shall let
in and whom they shall push out, and
the battle is going on-pier mirror
against pier mirror, chandelier against
chandelier, wine cellar against wine
cellar, wardrobe against wardrobe, equi-
page against equipage. Uncertainty and
insecurity dominant in that realm,
wretchedness enthroned, torture at q
premium and a life not worth living.
A life of sin, life of pride, a life Of
indulgence, life of worldliness, life
devoted to the world, the flesh and the
devil is failure, a dead failure, an in.
finite failure I care not how many pres