The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-05-15
Sensational Sermon at
San Francisco on
SnObOcracy
Says OStentatiOus Displays
of WealthsSand Vulgar
0VerdreSSing Is Ruin
ing the Race

lne oOclcIy COlumnb OF tne Dail.
Newspapers" furnished Rev. Bradford
Leavitt of the First Unitarian churcl
yesterday morning with the title for I
striking and somewhat sensationa
sermon on the growing menace of the
idle, ostentatious rich The preacher
found his text in the phrase OF st
Paul: "Of those who seemed TO be
somewhat, whatsoever they were,
and he denounced the American
snobocracy of wealth" as inviting a
revolution that will shatter society 10
its foundation
I'VE are witnessing In America to-
day the very degradation of prospect.
~" he declared. "our people OF vast
wealth are making their country the
laughing stock of the world by their
imitation of the vices and sham mag.
uifcence OF Europe. and they are
breeding among our working classes
social discomfort that is wrecking
homes and lives. filling the divorce
courts. multiplying suicides and pre-
pairing the way for their own wiplng
out We are charged with having
abandoned the old.fashloned. whole.
some simplicity of our fathers. who
made their country strong and great.
and admired OF all whose admiration
was worth n thought The charge Is
but too true, and the proof lies In the
shamelesness Of the luxury displayed
by the lndolent, insolent rich. whose
criminal disregard Of their duties to
the state and to their fellow.mcn TO-
day threatens the national life
1T Is the misuse of wealth that
denounce, Wealth has its uses of the
highest value The sight OF an honest
man beginning poor and working his
way mp to the command of an honor.
able fortune Is sometimes an cncour-
agement 10 right endcavor; but when
rich men use their wealth for display
they become more dangerous than
any band of anarchists.
The evil of the modern newspaper
is that IL eXal,s this shoddy aristoc-
racy of American gold by spreading
before people of moderate means and
little culture world of silly details
about the vulgar rich, the very rich
and the would.be rich. hold that the
newspapers are doing a vast hurt to
society by advertising the Babylonish
indulgences of these low-bred fellow.
citizens OF ours, OF whom we all ought
To be deeply ashamed The details of
their cheap and sordid lives. their
gaudy houses that are never homes;
their weddings, with published ap-
praisals of useless gifts, their feasts,
their yachts their balls. their immod.
est overdressing-all these and. many
more of the nauseatiug particulars
which the society columns report are
matters as to which decent reti,
cence would be more seemly
"The society column, however, is
result not cause. II tiourlshes To
crafty the demand OF people who
want to seem something else than
they are Il helps to spread the no
tion that money is the end of life.
silly as Il Is. Il is feeding that discon.
tent among the ranks OF the poor
which Is steadily deepening into bit,
teness, and which waits for the com.
ing upheaval, when those who have
not will overthrow the houses of the
Philistlnes"
Mr., l.eavitt quoted recent newspa,
per reports OF the Vanderbilt wedding
at Newport This particular form OF
American vulgarity." he said, lis go
ing to be pretty thoroughly aired be,
fore it Is cured Disgusting as these
reports are | dare say the fathers-in-
law and mothers.in-law drink the sup
OF glory to the dregs, We need not
stop To pity them. The evil of II an
is that poor working girls are led 20
deprive their bodies and minds OF
food In order that they may. in
small cheap way initiate the hnery
they read about Many hardworlS,
ing father Is looking upon a home
ruined by the extravaganza bred by
these society reports Women who
live in boarding houses and have little
means trail long and delieatecolored !
gowns across the nlthy streets OF San
Francisco In order 10 be thought fash.
lonable. and thousands OF men and
women are ruined In these ways by
the yulgarity OF irresponsible wealth.
In this process of evolving an
American arisJOcacy' we are losing
much that Was sweet and simple and
admirable in our American life. The
high.bred character OF