St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-28
CAUGHT IN PASSING.


ways of the envied and mighty are
many thorns. To occupy public Pc
SitiCn of trust and responsibility, lit
tie or great, to be servant of the pub
lie whether it be poundmaster OF
president, is to lay ones self not only
open to criticism, but more to SLAM
der and libel from the mouths OF
ones enemies and extolling praise from
ones friends, which is sometimes in
compatible with the facts of our lives.
Suppose that Superintendent Byrnes
had not accepted the profTered aid of
the Goulds and the Vanderbilts to ac-
cumulate a fortune, who would have
sung his praises for this self-denial?
"a man with SO keen conscience as
would not admit of his taking advan-
tage of the extraordinary opportunity
afforded him, when the Improvement
of the chance involved no actual sac
rifice of official integrity, would be a
man relatively 50 modest that the story
of his self-sacrifice would have en-
braced nothing more tangible than an
eminent satisfaction with himself.
And this likely enough accompanied
with condition of living in his de-
clining years dependent upon public
gratuity in pension form, and alto
gether out of keeping with the magni-
tude of his public service.
AS I contemplate my enemies, for
we all have them, 1 not only infre
uuently feel impelled to quote a pop
ular if exceedingly realistic writer Of
flaming rhyme, mutatis mutandis, to
this effect: eff 1 were worth a million,
how kind you all would grow. In that
strange hour 1 would not have one
foe'' In the inscrutable wisdom of
Providence, varying and various COM
ditions, socially and otherwise, come
and go. The environments of the day
and the general mental training which
comes with them put premium upon
money, upon wealth. Mere wealth, as
wealth; glittering and cold, selfish and
powerful, and thus while wealth may
not be really much respected, it is
fawned upon and bowed to.
The poor devil who has scratched
along for many years of his life with
nothing; who has encountered one de-
feat after another, for any one of
which he may not perhaps have been in
any way responsible, will be criticised
slandered and Spat upon, regardless OF
his good intentions or Of his merits and
his talents if he have them. By some
sudden turn Of fortunes wheel he is
made wealthy. A change for which
he may perhaps be less responsible
even than he was for the failures, and,
10! all the criticisms and maligning
are merged into more or less obscured
envy. The same person, none the bet
ter morally or intellectually for his
change, at once becomes a much de-
sired and sought after social and po-
litical quantity.
This individual over whom has come
no other change than a merely mon
etary one, is in the eyes of the world
another being. Mothers with eligi-
+ BILE daughters beam upon him, whom
they once would not have deigned to
bestow even frigid bow upon. Pa
ter familias invites him to dinner.
proposes him for membership at the
| club, slaps him on the back in an ex-
ceedingly genial and friendly manner,
| have suddenly become convinced of
| the fact that he is thoroughly good
fellow. His sphere in the world is ut
terly and entirely metamorphesed, and
why?
What singularly incongruous things
sometimes. 1 noticed the other day on
Wabasha street a glaring sign to the
effect that corns would be removed i'm
mediately at small cost at some given
address, and the sign was on the top
of a. popped corn stand. .st.5.
| And then in the economic world we
/ find things equally homogeneous, stand
| ing side by side in the conditions of the
day. We find that despite the prom
| Uses of one great party or another no
relief to the masses seems to be forth
| coming. We have more bonds for the
| rich and more charity soup for the
poor The air rings with the war
| whoop of the campaigner who prom
| ises better times" and the echo comes
| back, moan from the suffering,
wall from the destitute. Wefind George
| Gould frittering away $500, 000-and that
| is an enormous sum- if you will hesitate
| a moment and comprehendit-on bit of
| yachting expedition, and 5000 militia
| men under arms are required in the
peaceable city of churches to quiet the
men who have been working twelve
hours q day for street railway corpo-
rations at a mere pittance and have
presumed to announce that they feel
they have grievance.
While the armies of laboring men and
the masses of the unemployed need
military surveillance there is still a
future for the supremacy Of American
equality. 1t is when the requiem mass
has been sung over the dead hopes of
men, when the fire of ambition has
made it's last faint flicker and expired,
and they have become but sullen brutes,
needing nothing, cherishing nothing,
that they are to be feared and the gov
ernmental institution is on the verge
of demolition.
That Tom Carter was not able to
place Benjamin Harrison III the presi-
Dental chair a second time is not re-
garded as a legitimate reason why
Thomas should not try to put himself
there if he wants to.
When dramatic art reaches the plain
that makes it of such general in
terest that the manner of acceptance
in London of a new play by Mr.. James,
OF. Mr. Barrie or Mr.. Pinero must needs
be telegraphed in detail throughout all
the world, it is no longer a time to
'(s'e' SAAOSN
who strive to create the best vehicles
for their min1icry. Time was when
the play was all, the actor naught.
This was followed by complete re-
versal, in which the histrionic genius,
| bespangled and loud of mouth, rant
| ing and luxuriantly elegant, was
all that the public gave much thought
to. We seem now to have come upon
| the days of division of the credit. A
| poor play and it's author are jumped
| upon literally, if might so express it,
| regardless of the painstaking efforts
| or. the obvious talents of those who
| essay to interpret it. Or on the other
| hand, the play and the play writer
/ may be loudly praised while the actors
assuming the roles are Kissed
| in, the same breath, the public being
about equally demonstrative in either
| sentiment.
Whatever the near future may hold
in store for st. Paul the city has
passed through period of depression,
Of hardship, not so much of the pan
limo