The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-22


illards will leaving to wo-
man not his wife a large remembrance,
contends that fifty or twenty-five years
ago such a thing would have been "A
grave scandal to the country, whereas
now it is only a romance. He con-
tiLues:
Not long ago no wealthy American would defy
public opinion by remembering ''hiS lady friend
IT. his will, and the papers, in the event Of such
1 thing, would have brstlcd with editorials
against such immortality. The churches would
have thundcred their condemnation. But today
the Lorillard romance" is something in which
the people at large seem to take a kindly, sym.
pathetic interest. One wonders whether Amer.
can conscience and American opinion are what
they were thirty years ago. The only people who
seem to care for questions Of morality, these
days. are people who care for them too much
and in the wrong way and are thus liable to be
catalogued with cranks. The conditions in socie.
ty implied by the mattcr.of.iact acceptance of
the Lorillard romance" would indicate that
thcre is isn't anything left of the old New Eng
land conscience. Our rich men appear to have
won the right to do as they please in all mat.
tcrs, just as, for long time the noblemcn Of
England and France were in the habit of doing
There is no intention 10 speak i'll Of the dead
Mr.. lorillard in this connection. The comment
is directed 10 the fact that such case a. his
devotion for years "to lady friend" is regarded
as being nothing out OF the usual run. or at all
roprchenshc. This is a sign that public opinion
i, changing, and il public opinion is changing,
there must be coming a great change in conduct,
since opinion is what rules the world Is our
morality becoming Partisan?
one particular does not warrant a
generalization. The assertion that tine
social life of today is vcrGing toward
immortality because now and then some
striking case of social wrons doing is
pictured conspCuously upon the screen
of modern publicity is easily made, but
true that modern facilities for exploit
ing scandal are more efficient than
were those of fifty years ago. Type
setting machines and fast presses en-
able millions nowadays to learn stimuli
taneOusly the details of some more
noteworthy lapse from social propriety
which, had il occurred two generations
earlier, could have been known only
within the narrow circle of whispered
communication.
But this does not imply that the social
morals of our times are worse than
were the social morals of our forbcars
Certain well-establshed facts point to
the conclusion, on the other hand that
they are better and gradually improv-
ing. We do not for illustration. toler-
ate in our literature the coarseness
which was conventional one hundred
years ago. We do not permit in our
public men the open RIGHTEOUSNESS of
which many of the greatest of them
were guilty one hundred years ago
They are not all perfect, now, by any
means; but when a Parnell or BreCk-
inridge is indiscreet enough or unfor-
tunate enough to have his social dellec-
tions brought VIGOROUSLY into the pub
lie view, the public opinion of the period
quickly retires him to private obscur-
ity. The social evil is permanent, but
We keep it out of view as much a pos
sble and though perhaps not as vol
uble in denounCinG II as were the New
Englanders whose puritanical con-
science has often been held up as a
model, the chances are, if all were
known, We could very we'll invite a
comparison with them in the matter of
deeds.
In the case of Pierre LOrillard the at
titude of public opinion is in some de-
gree sympathetic for obvious reasons.
Here was a man ot large wealth and
many good qualities whose domestic
circumstances were unhappy and who
sought vainly in liasions the affection
and helpful sympathy that should have
come with his marriage. He sinned, but
he was also punished in the very empti-
ness and tantalizing insufiiciency of his
sinful strivings. But one thing he was
not. He was not a hypOcrite. The wo-
man who sacrificed for him he stood
by To the last In this particular he
displayed a manliness OF character that
is necessarily TO his credit. But the
kindly interest of the public is not an
Endorsement of social wrong doing. 1t
is merely recognition of the good
that shines through the bad in his
checkered career.
The records of the navy department
prove every accusation which has been
made against Rear Admiral Schley. II