The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-01-31

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By q curious coincidence. the Pal
Mall Gazette. OF LondoE. and the Press
of New York have broken out in ar
eruption Of rapture over what they cal
the New York OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
en- out with such violence that at lasl
accounts they 9th looked scorbutic and
infiamed. The Pail Mall Gazette whicn
by the way, belongs to Mr.. William
Waldorf Aston. has INDUCED In much
jubila ton over the act lsicl that :he
White house Is now pied by persons
who are gentlefolks by birth and not
by act OF congress The New York
Press. pursuing the same line ofecstacy.
avs:
Illness prevented both Mrs. McKin-
icy and Mrs. Harrison from giving bril-
hancv to the White house social func-
tons during the administrations Of
their ~usbands Mrs. Cleveiand's en-
tertainments. though everybody admir-
ed her. were simple and somewhat
homely. You might expect fruit disl,e J
niied with apples and squash Die at her
dinners President Arthur's entertain
ments were I'D to date. Mrs. Hayes
were dali and dry. Mrs. Grants were
queer. The Roosevelt receptions. din
ners. and other entertainments have
the New York tone-dash. brilliancy.
and smartness. This is the first 'smars'
White house since the civil war"
The Gazette raises the issue OF pcii-
gree. the Press the issue of .smartness. ;
One is a question OF fact. the other a
question OF standards. Touching tie
aforementioned issue, We may assert
with confidence that Benjamin Hair:-
son was the most highly born OF all the
presidents. On his fathers side lie
came from a long Inc Of English gentry,
while in the maternal branc his anccs-
tor. Richard Harrison, who. early in tie
eighteenth century. married Dorothy
hanson, OF Charles county, Nd, a di-
rect descendant of Margaret VaSa,
daughter of Gustavus Vasa, king OF
Sweden. gives him a still higher title.
Richard H~arrison's son. Robert Hanson
Harrison. was George W~ashington's
military secretary. with the rank ot
colonel. during the revolution, and af-
terward became a m of the first
supreme court of the United State. Al
examination Of Benjamin Harrison's
pedigree will, we fancy, relieve him Of
Mr.. William Waldorf Astor's slur, All
show concluSively that he, at least, vas
not "a gentleman by act of congress"
The opinions of Mr.. w. w. Astor in the
matter of high birth are not to be TAX
en- seriously.
AS for The New York Press procIa-
nation of "smartness," we prefer to let
our esteemed contemporary explain
itself:
w AOAA AACNNA bAoNA NV -
of amusement. and tradesmen like a
New York administration. Washing
ton is thronged with New Workers.. as
the White house social following is eS-
sentially New Yorky. They are all
prize packages for the natives of Wash
ington. as they are good spenders. and
Washington is poor. Rent and all
other prices have gone up. A few Years
g 81. 900 a year would rent almost any,
thing in W~ashington; now it gets only
a modest house for any one Of social or
official pretensions."
Al we have already said. "smartness"
is a question of standards. We make
bold to say, however. that our doubtless
wellmeaning contemporary has gone for
wide of an accurate presentation of the
Roosevelt idea in this respect. We are
quite willing 10 believe that the Wash
ington hotelkeepers, providers OF
amusement. and tradesmen like a New
York administration" We are sure
New Workers ARE all prize packages"
for the alert and wise within our gates.
The average New Yorker is a prize
package almost anywhere. He must be
a particularly dull provincial-eveu IN
Texas, Arizona. or OhiO-whO cannot
turn a New Yorker" inside out mi
tax his last red cent with a device that
would maxi an Oklahoma Sooner"
roar with merriment. We have heard
that in this country a sucker is born
every minute" and we believe it; but
our experience and observation warrant
US in saying that most Of them are born
in New York city.
OF course. the Roosevelts are gentle
folks on both Sides. The intimation
that they are trying to be smart" III
the sense indicated by the New York
Press. is too absurd to be offensive.
They are perfectly simple and unosten-
tatious, the exemplars of good breeding
and kindly intuition. Blu they are moi
responsible for the Press New York.
ers,s' who swarm all yer this town IN
the character of easy fruit" for the m
d~ustrious. and prize packages" to he
picked up by the Observation-Disclosures
Post.