The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-05-27
SOME VIEWS AND REVIEWS.

tnai It Is susceptible Of many cons.ruot,o,s
and covers multitude OF shortco,,,res i,
various degrees -including psdIsrecs. which
ar. w. l.. Alden takes as ono Of his ,cy,s
IN bis latest letter from London. II il na,n.
i"i 10 note. IN this connection, that he IA
yery severe IN his disapproval Of such Amer
iesns as aspire TO these appendages Pedt.
s'ees. no informs us, are born, NOT made
aSd he intimates that the only genuine
authentic. indisputable specimens ara 10 ia
found where Britannia rules.
Fortified By the testimony r, es,,.,,
sir' ". MT Alden makes short work OF
american claimants to the possession o, an
eos'ors Mr.. Alden says that Mr.. X. SAYS
'nere are American families the Tweeds
ana the Bruccs, for example, who have sim
ply annexed erests 20 which they have no
moro hereditary right than the ayerare
/ woman TO her proyerbal back hair Mr.
Alden deplores these examples Of republican
aeprayity aud suggests that tho American
government Immediately impose special
tax on those who bear arms The British
government does this with tho most salts
factory results, pecunarily and morally.
In conclusion. however, Mr.. Alden, like
Miss squeers. "pities our ignorance and for.
gives U.S. We don't know the difference he
says. between "crests" and arms" but We
NAV remedy this shortcomins and learn bet,
ter by careful perusal Of Mr.. x.'s book, ''rhe
Right to Bear Arms
~
This avalanche Of reproof is very trying to
that sensitive and shrinking nature which is
one of our National characteristics. We have
ourselves learned, TO our sorrow. that pedi-
grees arcs very dark and mysterious appen-
dages, capable Of surprising evoutions. II
is whispered thar there are c. D.'s and
d. A. RS who have grown old and gray
in tho effort to overtake and reclaim the
missing link in the ancestral chain. Indeed,
1t would seem there is nothing In nature
so intangible. so elusive so impalpahle. as
the average ancestor But we need not wear
ourselves to shadows chasing these wil-o'-
the wisps II is only necessary TO take a leaf
from another book which Mr., Alden omits
to mention--tho book of the Dlfrs--and, 10,
VIC are numbered with the elect. II we
may not import our ancestors, we may evolve
them after the most approved English
methods
At the very identical moment when Mr..
Alden was dsciplnng us for our own good.
the Westminster Gazette was giving public
ity TO the following painful secret. and heart
lessly dragging the Duff skeleton from the
sacred precincts OF the royal closet itself:
"The rise OF the Duffs," says that Journal.
lis ono Of the most wonderful stories IN tho
peerage As n mntter OF fact the Duke of
Flies family never owned rood Of land
in tho county of Fife. The protentlons to
longer pedigree which some of his predeces-
sors concocted in the most nnblushing way,
wero mercllessly exposed by DR.. william
Cramond, tho accomplished antiquarian DR..
Cramond showed that one OF the earls had
lifted two old tombstoues, erected to the
memory OF IN limos and n genuine old Dun
Of Mildayit, placed them together. and al
tered al inscription SO as TO mako them
seem ono and the same" In tho days OF
chivalrv the lifting of other peoples property
was the habitual prerogative Of an earl. We
thought. in our republican simplicity, that
this practice had gone out OF fashion. On
this side OF the wnter the lifting of tomb
stones would have been relogated to gov
eminent institution where strawberry leaves
arc not cultivated and pSerages have no
place
with such precedent, It seems scarcely |
fair in Mr.. Alden to send the Tweeds and
the Bruces to Coventry, simply because the
former claimed kin with the Earl OF I'weedalc |
aud the latter hung Robert OF Scotland on |
tho topmost limb of their family tree.
49,
They are unwilling q monument TO DO Les
,eps in France, where but a little while aso
they wished to mob him. To was indeed so
,xectatod Ia his native land that his last days
were spent in the secuson of an isolated
.ountry house far removed from those OF his
ormer associates and friends whose ruin he
lad wrought II was said the wooden stock
ngs OF Franco paid for his stupendous fail
ire on the lsthmus of Panama, and this was
lot figure Of speech His success at suez
lad given him prestige, and won for him
he unqucstloning confidence OF his fellow
ountrymcn When the Panama stock was
,lacod on the market the peasantry poured
nut the savings Of years in its purchase
De Lesseps was never a scientific engineer,
10 was not even a practical man OF affairs, he
vas a boomer, with unlimited faith in him
elf He tried to float the suez scheme and
ried In vain. until fate sent the Empress
,ugenie 10 his aid, and II became forthwith
n accomplished fact. There were no serious
bstacles to overcome at suez. such as de-
Gated and ruined him at Panama. The levels
( the Red sea and the Mediterranean are
the same and the route fol-
owed the bed OF an old canal aug when
.urope was the land OF the outer barbarian.
10 locks nor basins were necessary and this
rm Of the sea might most appropriately DO
allied the Straits OF suez, The first Ma
oleon intended to do what the third ac-
omplished--to shorten the route TO india :
he had carried out his plans the world I
-ouid have been able to add another to the
st OF his failures. for the Red sea Is so
afnng as TO winds and currents, so dlfii-
uli Of navigation that sailing vessels rarely !.
tempt It, preferrlng the longer route around !
10 Horn 1t WIS steam which unlocked the
ates Of the highway OF India.
De Lesseps was a far off cousin Of the
impress when her imperial highness was ,
IMPLY Eugenle de Montijo she was be-
-othed to q gallant young lieutenant In the 4
panish army. Then the French emperor (
lylted her to share his throne, and Juliet b
romptly sold Romeo for a mess OF pottage !.
nd apparently never regretted IT, De Les
ps conducted these delicate matrimonial
egotiations, and Eugenle proved her graft
Ide az Suez.
Poor De I,essepst He followed the for