The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-28

PENDANTS, but seems to have based all his
denunciations on hearsay evidence. He
must have been reading some salacious rec
ord of the doings of our fellow-countrymen
at Newport Heaven knows how much or
but. as We all believe that there is
vague body which we describe the
smart Set" so We all suspect that the
behavior of some of its members is consid-
erably indecorous and foolish. They are
people with nothing to do, and with very
large fortunes to help them do it. What
ails them? Colonel Watterson declares
that the society they, constitute is rotten
through and through" What ails them?
Are they such particularly bad people? Not
particularly. The whole trouble with them
is that they have too much money, too lit
tie responsibility, and probably too little
education. They are trying to get some
thing for nothing-for nothing. that is,
that they personally contribute. They
spend money, TO be sure, but their money
has cost them nothing. AS rule they
have neither earned nor saved 1t. 1t has
come TO them through the exertions of
others. their predecessors or contempor-
aries.
A man came out of the West to New
York. and, being able, upright and excep-
knowledge of great commercial value, he
found a place that suited him close by
Wall street and proceeded to make money.
AS he sat at lunch with a man whose ex-
who toiled at much less remunerative
job. he said: 1T is a pity about me. /
have got more than my share already.
don't want to work so hard. but l can't
stop. 1t is the only thing / know how to
do. You will work along, and at the end
of ten years you will be more of a man.
But / won't. l shall not grow. / may be
little more keen and know little better
what to avoid, but 1 won't be a bigger
man. / shall just go on making money,
because that is the only thing / know how
to do 1t is so with hundreds of men down
here. We are caught and can't get out.
We stick to business and work hard at it
because We don't know how to work eff
fectively at anything else"
1t Is TO men such as this one that the
smart set owes its existence; to men
who learned how to make money and kept
at IL because no other career was open to
them. Back OF the individuals whom we
read of members of the circle that stirs
Colonel Watterson to denunciation were
very able men, some of whom in their day.
did very useful work in the world. But
their very shrewdness I'm money getting
and investment seems to have condemned
their descendants TO a life of pleasure
seeking. which is not only poor thing in
itself, but exceedingly demoralizing in its
influences
There are inconsiderate people, too many
of them, who read the Newport tattle in
the newspapers with excited and somewhat
envious minds. and there are moralists
like Colonel Watterson, who read the
same stories with Indignation. Still an
other class takes some note of them-a
class of thoughtful and honorable money
making men, with growing fortunes and
growing families. Such men. knowing
what life is and how it should be lived
ask themselves with something like dismay
what chance there is that their children
may be drawn into any such pleasure-chas-
ing existence. In so far as they may they
train them to better things, and when the
training is wise and the stock sound they
find themselves finally the glad fathers of
wise sons. When the training is not eff
fectual. or the stock loses its vigor. there
comes do-nothing brood that is a heayi-
ness TO its mother. Things come right in
the end, for do-nothings come to nothing
and earth is finally quit of them, but often
enough there is scandal in the process.