Arizona silver belt., 1900-12-27
IN ENGLISH SOCIETY.
The Key That Opens the Doors of
 the Very Elect.
Men Who Have Nothing But 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 il. The fact that it is not true, either as 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 fan that we should probably have entered a 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 representing us as money wor- shipers has recently made itself most conspicuous in the devoutness of its worship of the American dollar and. second, that the condition of society iI which distinction ia based on money. 0ags and which does not prevail in this country does most undoubtedly prevail among our ceus0Tious and superior cousins in England
 Ii is not true that mere mIiiIons,wi out breeding and refinement, can make their way into the leading social circles of New York or of any other great city in this country. It is quite true that mere millions, ,unaccompanied by breed ing or refinement, have given their pos sessors the entree of society in Eng land. Two conspicuous recent in- stances are those of Col. North, the nitrate king" and Barney" Barnato the "Kafiir king"
 It is doing no injustice to Col. North to say that he has absolutely no other claim to notice than his millions. A a recent candidate for parliament he made himself the laughing stock of the nation by his exposure of his ignorance, bad grammar and general yulgarity. Yet he has reached the highest level of social distinction in England. In com mon with celebrities from this couE- try, he is "a friend of the prince of Wales"
 The case of Mir. Barnato, the Kafiir king, is even more striking. It is proof that money, and nothing but money, is the sole condition of passing the portals of high life in England Mir. Barnato's early history is envelopcd in mystery. When he first appeared in opulent eminence it was said that his start in life was made as a clown iu an exceedingly modest circus tent. The myth has since been explained by his admirers as arising from his fondness for private theatricals, this form of amusement having been much in vogue in the diarlond drifts and gold diggings of South Africa, What is known about lim is that he has made Q sudden for tune, vaEiouslv estimated at from S50,- 00Q00 to $500, 100000. Among his quoted sayings orc his beast that be will stand any man drink, but will lend no man a fvcr and his advice to always have the first hit" These uaEms sufficiently indicate the social
 rank in which Mir Baruato ought to be louad, and which be would probably continue to flourish if he were an Amer ican. Here his place would be with others as illiterate, as ignorant and as vulgar as himself. But in England he is financial and social lion. Society ac cepts not only his tips and his pre- miums, but his presence. Personages of the highest distinction are not above paying him obsequious homage, and he is perhaps more notable social light than the young duke who has recently illustrated III another way the sin cerity of British criticisms upon Ameri- can money-worship.-Harper's Weekly