Arizona silver belt., 1897-02-04
IN ENGLISH SOCIETY.
The Key That Opens the Doors of
 :he Very Eleot-
Men Who Have Nothing Hut Money to Boast Of Gain Access to the Charmed Circle of the Highest In
 the Land

The charge made against American society that it is based upon the wor- ship of money has been so often re- peated and insisted on that we our selves have almost come to believe ii. The fact that it is not true, either as a general proposition or in detail, has not sufficed to offset the weight of au- thority, which is on the side of our ac- cusers. The charge has gone so far that we should probably have entered q plea of guilty and thrown ourselves on the mercy of the court If recent ex' periences had not led us to pause and consider.
 These experiences, briefly stated, arc, first, that the nation which is most urgent in reproaching us as uono wor- shipers has recently madC itself most cJaspicuous in the deyou'LCss of it's worship of the American dollar, and, second, that the condition of society in which distinction is based on money. bags and which does not prevail in this country does most undoubtedly prevail among our censorious and superior cousins in England.
 It is not true that mere millions, with. out breeding and refinement, can make their way into the leading social circles 1f New York CT of any other great city
 n this country. It is quite true that ,lcre millions, ,unaccompaniedb by breed
 DE or refinement, have gwen their pos
 cssors the entree of society in Eng and. Two conspicuous recent in- 5tances are those of Col. North, the nitrate king" and Barney" Barnatn, he "Kafilr king"
 Itis doing no injustice to Col. North to 3Iy that he has absolutely no other -,aim to notice than his millions. As recent candidate for parliament he made himself the laughing stock of the nation by his exposure of his ignorance, bad grammar and general vulgarity. Yet he has reached the highest level of social distinction in England. In com mon with celebrities from this coun- lry, he is "a friend of the prince of Wales"
 The case of Mfr. Barnato, the Kaffir iEing, is even more striking. It is a proof that money, and nothing but money, is the sole condition of passing he portals of high life in England. sir. Barnato's early history is enveloped mystery. When he first appeared in
 pulent eminence it was said that his
 tart in life was made as a clown in m exceedingly modest circus tent. The myth has since been explained by his admirers as arising from his fondness Tor private theatricals, this form of amusement having been much in vogue in the diamond drifts and gold diggings )f South Africa. What is known about i'm is that he has made sudden for tune, variously estimated at from S50,- HoO,o0O to S5oo,o0o,000. Among his quoted sayings are his boast that he will stand any man drink, but will lend no man fiyer," and his advice to always have the first hit.' These nlaxims sufficiently indicate the social rank in which Mir. Barnato ought 10 be found, and which he would probably continue to flourish if he were m Amer lcan. Here his place would te with others as illiterate, as ignorant and as vulgar as himself. But in England he IS financial and social lion. Society nc eepts not only his tips and his pre- niums, but his presence. Personages of the highest distinction are not above paying him obsequicus homage, and he ': perhaps a more notable social light than the young duke who has recentlv illustrated in another way the sin eerity of British criticisms upon Ameri. can money-worship.--Harper's Weekly.