The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1898-02-15
RECENT NEW ENGLAND FAD


One Of the ridiculous outcomes Of the
iatter-day craze for societies" Is the
new fad up north among the cod
fish ~aristocracy," as n. p Willis call
ed the thing. An order of American
mobility" is the very latest. The de-
scendants of kings and emperors are
to lead the way and old John Jacob
Astor, the trader for furs and skins
with the Indians. is to be the leader
through his descendants. That is very
rich. The one VINO Is writing up this
royal family in America is William
w. Aston, a grandson, worth his $780,
000, 900, the result of the old ~granddad's
trading in skins with the primitive in
habitants. Washington Irving, in his
great book, if we recall it, after fifty
years, since we e it, "Knickerbock-
ker's History of New York" said a
Dutchman's hand weighed one pound
n his foot was all that was needs
when a traderwas weighing the furs and
skins of the Indians. Old John Jacob
evidently knew his business. But who
woul have suspected for a moment
that in this rough, humble Dutch
trader was a descendant Of kings and
numerous nobility? But William
Waldor, the grandson, who is we'll ed
ucated, an author as we'll as multi
millionaire, and lives in England be-
cause he could not stand American
| institutions and people, is the getter up
of this mighty ancestral line, by the
| aid, 10 doubt, of some we'll paidgenealo-
| gist. 1t is we'll known that with money
you can now as you could a century
or longer, obtain the genealogy
| you need and with it an indubitabla
coat-of-arms. The thing is not diff
| cult to do, but it is amusing, very
amusing. Hurrah! for Snobocracy!
The Washington Post carries a caustic,
descriptive pencil of 'brilliancy. Dis
cussing this american Nobility" in
f~atuation, as well as downright craze,
pointedly and germanely says this:
AFTER all, our correspondent argues,
the princes, potentates, and SO on of
Europe, are merely the descendants of
pirates, robbers, freebooters, and the
like. Men were made chiefs because
they happened to be bigger, stronger,
more cruel, and more domineering than
their fellows. The illegitimate sons of
kings became princes and dukes, the
| daughters countesses and duchesses,
| and so it went. If we were to found
a peerage in the United States now,
upon a basis Of simple wealth, it would
have a much more respectable and val
id origin than any European nobility
can boast"
There is no need Or room in this 'land
of the free for any such exotic as a
nobility of dollars and cents, that are
as often obtained by illegitimate ways
and means as otherwise. When such
a nobility starts up let the people take
a hand and eXpatriate them. The
fungus should not take root. The
only nobility to be tolerated this side
of the big ocean is one of honesty, in
tegrity, virtue and patriotism-one that
recognizes God and honors and obeys
His commandments. The sure foun-
dation of an order of real noblemen-
true gentlemen-is character and of the
very highest and noblest. Men like
Washington and Lee-the Sir Galahads
of the noble Table Round'-are the
true representatives of a great, patri-
otto, law abiding and God fearing peo-
pie. Any other kind is Ridiculous,
weak, deceitful, false, perishing. The
Washington newspaper adds this.
1--WE have nothing to say about Mr..
AstOr's descent. We have always I'M
derstood that, a few generations back.
his forefathers were respectable Dutch
peddlers, engaged in trade with the
! Indians along the upper Hudson and
about the lakes. He may or may not
| be descended from a king, but certain
ly, $50 years ago, appearances were
against the theory.