The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-19
THE POOR MILLIONAIRE.
He Doesn't Sleep Always on Beds of
Roses.

1t was an unlucky day for our mil
lionaires when they undertook to air
themselves in England. The guardians
of the ancient blood have been pour
ing hot shot into them-and incident
ally their countrymen-ever since they
stirred up London with their money
bags, had garden party with the
King and shook hands with the charm
ing Queen. Perhaps the British lion
wants to square accounts with the
American eagle for making it's recent
Shrek in one of our journals against
British aristocracy and the universal
snobbishness induced by it. But at any
rate the Shrek and the roar are both
tuned to the same note of grievance,
the false and low standards of life and
merit that in both lands are set up.
The universal reign of snobbery in
England, says our journal, is worse
than ever known in any other nation
and is utterly riunous to the manli-
ness, the self-respect, the dignity and
the independence of the British people.
The worship of the golden calf is set
up by the American people, retors the
English speaker, and the devout hustle
about it with frank and noisy rev.
erence. 1t is not noble spectacle, but
it is universal Thus both nations are
said to be given over to a debasing
servility and the glory of the Anglo
Saxon spirit seems more or less in
eclipse.
Meantime the American millionaire
being just now most In evidence, is
getting the brunt of the abuse, and it
would almost seem more than his
share. "Who is he anyhow" asks the
sarcastic reviewer; this millionaire
who is trying to be the new ruler of
the world? If he constitute a class by
himself he may but be defined as a
man of narrow intelligence, who has
mistaken the means of life for the end.
His wealth argues wasted life.
youth spent in avarice, a manhood de-
voted to the vain collection of imma-
terial gold. Now there are other and
more profitable methods of spending
the time than collecting pieces of gold
and the abality necessary to ptling up
money can hardly be considered of the
highest order. But it would be unreas
enable, of course, to expect modesty of
a millionaire. The hawk is proud of
his beak and the millionaire no doubt
believes that the stronger the claw the
better the man."
All this and more like it that is fall
ing to his share rather makes one feel
sorry for the poor millionaire and wish
that some one would help him out of
ly, has had enough abuse over his pious
desire to educate the world to make it
in order to advise him to let it go ig-
norant, and give his surplus shekels
to jolly little street gamins or impe-
cuniouS bohemians, who would put
them into marbles or oyster cocktails
| and have rollicking good time over
| them. 1t may be that, like the great
| philanthropiSt who was let into heaven
| on the strength of a humming top Civ
en- a poor street waif, he would gain
| new light on the whole problem of be-
nevolence. There really does seem to
be something, too, in that attitude of
the British critic touching the danger
of trying to play Maecenas without
Maecenas' claims upon Horace and a
kingly line. Consider the temerity of
selecting sturdy Scotland, with its por-
ridge fed scholars and horses, as the
arena for free university education.
Shades of Carlyle! Heaven be praised
that the judicious trustees took that
up in time to prevent his indignant
ghost from lighting on our shores. APP
parently it is when he comes bearing
gifts that the nations of the earth look
most aSkance at the millionaire. I'm
his worst incarnation" runs the con-
domination, 'he thinks that he has a
right to offer the people the last insult
by way of gift" More than that, his
hands are not always clean in making
the offering. AS often as not, says his
incorrigible f1ayer, his money is not
honorably come by. 20, we merchants,
we all cheat; therefore give alnis!" said
Mahomet, and clearly the present CEN
sors of the almsgiver agree with him.
Anyone who holds a brief for the
millionaire ought to come to his de-
Tense at this juncture, for really. like
all indiscriminate condemnation, it
seems to go too far and ignore the
the fact that some millionaires have
been great and true philanthropists,
with every prospect of getting safely
through the eye of the needle into par
adise. The best end of the present war
made upon them, which is by no means
confined to England, is to emphasize
the old truth that simply to put
money in thy purse" is not to become
a man of honor among the nations, and
that not to hold money as trash before
all the higher things of mind or spirit
is to turn all the issues of life awry
OF course the world is stark, staring
mad on this subject. Nothing else can
account for the manner in which
friends will torture and sacrifice each
other over petty debts. merchants cheat
and haggle over niggardly gains Ana
Mas and Sapphire lie at heavens al
tar over piece of land, love sell itself,
and honor tarnish its plumes just for
handful of silver, a few base coins
more or less to stick in the bank. But
how to reach and arrest the maniac
show has been the problem of higher
seers for many ages, and the latest step
appears to be to say to the reckless ac-
cumulator that at least he shall not
salve his soul and conscience by giving
a pension to the victims he has made
We should be very sorry, says our
English assailant, If the rock were
permitted first of all to pluck the
pigeon and then to comfort his de-
feathered frame with a pension. Now
this might be a step in the right di-
rection II rocks were made capable Of
approaching it. But there's the rub
1t is their nature to pluck the pigeon,
and they would probably not suffer
very deeply if the pigeon should refuse
to be comfotred by pension. The
only result might be that the pigeon
would not get back his lost feathers
either in pensions or just dues, and
there are so many plucked pigeons in
every corner of the weary earth that
IL would seem a pity to arrest any
movement that might retsore to them
remnant of their lost plumage, es-
pecially as vigilant trustees and COM
mittees are permitted to see that II
does not come back to them too much
furnished. If bogus company pro-
moters or monstrous spectators who