Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-14
The tragic end Of Fisk was for a time an

The tragic end OF Fisk was for a time an !
object lesson. 1t let in food Of light
and gave moments check to the orgy
of license which was exceeding Its natu-
raj bounds, and beginning to make Its
influence felt in dangerous proximity to
those regions where wealth was recog-
nized as paramount It was this which
secured the modification Of the Stokes
verdict from death to a short term OF
imprisonment
The noxious weed, however, had taken
root The bucket-shop was to become an
institution, the stock gambler power,
the market rs familiar to women as to
men. Mr.. Carnegie may give all or MS
millions to the noblest works: the Messrs.
Rockefellers may endow thousand
schools and charities, whilst a dozen bill
lfonaircs may show by their wise and
lavish use Of money how III they think or
it, except as the means of doing good but
as the poor are always with US, so are
the vulgarians. who, given money enough
set up a voluptuous principally. call 1t
the Four hundred. and having made sure
of Its boundaries and their Isolation, pro
coed to make their own moral code, hare
~ deigninS even to ask the rest OF the
community, What are you going 10 40
about it?'
The ea-going palace; the modern auto
mobile; the struggle for equivocal noto-
ricty; the strife for titles: the eating
from the tree Of forbidden knowledge;
the aping of the manners Of the foreign
swell and the fanciel great; the marriage
as an experiment and the marriage as
convenience, the hot pursul. Of pleasure
at home and abroad-in short. the con-
slant striving after the ostentatous as
play OF wealth inevitable to the sun wor-
ship of money-these are among the fea-
lures that distinguish the -Four Hundred
from the rich people, who do not need TO
affect anything, who heartily despise such
proceedings. who, with fortune secure,
and social positions fixed, live without
scandal and travel without adventure,
but whom the wantons Of the smart set
describe as ''tIle Bourgeose."
In separating the sheep from the goats
and properly ticketing the goats. shall
one be accused Of blasphemy?
Parudoxica1 Newspapers.
We reproduce a varied assortment OF
educational expressions upon this sub
iect with particular reference to some
observations which lately appeared in
these columns They are characteristic.
Tho American newspaper IS nothing II
not paradoxical. AS usual we find our
selves accused by some without discrinll-
nation and by others dismissed with vapid
ebullitions of contempt In the ethics or
modern Journalism few things are go
being who affects Indifference when he
cannot come to time, and marks his lack
OF sincere feeling and his incapacity to
see ard tell the truth by the concelt
OF enlightened deliberation.
I'VE have no defence to make" says
one and then goes on defending. No
class has a monopoly Of good, or bad
qualities, says another. and deprecat1ng
our "heat" and undue excitement pro-
i.c tn claimed,
Still another works in Burkes aphorism.
/ you cannot indict whole people" as If
we had. or as if these unclean birds were
"a whole people" Our article must re-
| ceive considerable modification, de-
! clares critic posing as a jurist before
| persons who hold fact higher than fancy
| can be advised to read It. the whole Of
| the writing thus discredited reprinted
elsewhere in the same paper to prove the
| same assertion and invite peruSal
| A certain Cholly Knickerbocler actu-
ally pretends to give in rebuttal list Of
! ladies and gentlemen, persons Of the very
! highest character and standing, leading
noble and useful lives, seeking by such
a subterfuge to make it appear that
/ included in our description everybody
! having a picture gallery or holding a
recognized place in society. It is very
funny, to use the lingo Of the Smart Set,
/ but it won't wash.
"All of us, your Ladyship." Lord
| Brougham once said to a famous society
! leader. ''all OF US, your Ladyship
knows, have committed adultery. But we
! must draw the line somewhere; and, for
/ one l fix it at murder.
ToIerutins the UncIean.
| There need to be no mistakng the lines
that fence in the -Four Hundred No
! body can deny. nor in truth through all
/ ~ lnH out >,o rift i,,o
do we find any contradiction of the pic
/ ture drawn by US. It IS the truth, not
! the scurrious that hurts. AT the same
/ time it is q fact lat even in the better
! realms of luxury and wealth, there is a
! growing liberation Of the unclean. Good
/ people are not so shocked as they once
were, by moral infections. 1t is observa-
| BILE that men drink less. at least at the
i table in the public company Of women,
than they did thirty years ago. But what
J the men may have gained In this respect
! the women themselves have lost by the
evolution of modern society and the pro-
eress OF dissertation which society has
/ given the idea OF the new woman. 1t is
/ doubtful term at best. If we would
! keep our women pure we must keep them
| ignorant, if not of evil at least of dirt,
! but what shall be done, what can be
done with those women who insist upon
knowing all tldI Ile men KNOW, anu, by
t q certain unreasonable claim of equality,
| who propose to keep up with the mascu-
line procession, share and share alike?
There is not a conscientious man, nor q
thoughtful woman in the society Of any
/ of our great centres of population who
| does not mark with serious apprehension
the lowering tendencies of the time: the
multiplication of frivolous marriages, the
desecration of the marriage tie, the in
/. creasing number Of scandalous divorces,
t directly traceable to the spirit of lawless-
ness in excessive wealth and the bad
example Of the Infamous, but prosperous.
4 rich Yet, if we read our critics Alright,
we must not speak of these things ex-
cept in decorous, half-excusing whispers.
We must not call a spade spade. II
we do, we at once become ''indiscreet
and Sensational getting our informa-
ton at second hand or else the subject
of some ''pique" or resentment" or, at
the very least ignorant and ':unbred.
The objectionable Sin.
In certain circles, where money rules
and the presence Of quality is Indicated
by the absence Of all else, the one IN
pardonabie sin is conviction. Whatever
else you are, or are not you must escneW
enthusiasm. You may deal IN Vul-
gar entendre: you may backbite or
lie outright; you may make love to your
/ friends wife or inveigle his daughter.
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