New-York tribune., 1904-10-17
FOR SOCIAL DISTINCTION.
Just As Much Striving Now as in Thacke-
rays Day, and Just As Many Snobs.

one reason for the Success of Mrs.. Ftske's
mastery portrayal o. Becky Sharp Is the reason
that New-Yorksra ean see themselves n t. as the
Londeners OF Thackeray's day saw themselves
when the book appeared"
This statement made By Leslie Y. sPragus
last week Il the second Of his lecture series on
Social Forces n the Victorian Mover Al the
Brooklyn Institute Eis theme Wa ''ThackeTay
and the Unrest q the Rich"
Social ambition is as rife II Sew-York n 1905
as II was II London Il Isg7." said NJ spragUe
We have not rotten boroughz' but we have rotten
wards We have not only corruption = politics
bur have the corruption and greed n social
LIE which ThackeTay fayed nercilessiy.
Thacksr2ys message SUITS ogr day tus1 well
il did his own That message vas Morality IS
q necessary condition q social wellbeing' Social
weLbeins cannot be sttaine5 by economics OF
economic reforms alone. L must proceed from the
Individual from the prevalsnce q nigh moral
standards among individuals composing e cIass-
''Thscksrsy fully believed that bis Hrst book,
The Book of 6nobs.' would 5e ephsmeraL L
pictures purely local conditions. the snoo clergy
man. the snob officer. typical specimens o. the
Gnoos be found II AL the upper classes or
English society The Enoos read Il with delight
They perhaps 6id themselves n L. buI
they saw lhetr friends very clearly But the book
has lived or and Is read to-day. under far different
social conditions because the snob We have always
with Cs. The people he painted st-L exist, =
slightly et1erert coats and crtnoline- '-.zckeray
FDACGC LLe unrest OF the ELCl cay W-El L-41l
unrest was new II England and was making the
English srisLOcrats very uncomfortable. Since
tine iunenor.sl there had been privileged class
4 England. whose conduct was exempt from criti-
cisu whose superiority the rest o. the nation
stood hunbly uncuestioued- Then. suddenly. this
superiority. these rights and privileges. began 70
be quesuoned- The French revolution had swept
Ike & cyclone through mems IDEAS q class bar
rers Bu1 more than this. the era o. mechanical
Invention. the rise OF manufacturing. collected
great wealth n The hands of men that had never
had 4 before This new class determined 10 have
both the political and the social privileges that
went with wealth The old artstocracy had both
wealth ana social place The new uaoneyed class
hsd only wealth. but Il determined 10 have social
pes ls ~sIi StIng oy the cool suleIlo.zy % li-s
pained su-Drise 70 hear FOR the arst time such
sTpres~o-s ss b lsis sristocrsc, the proais,at e
arlsrocracy' On ali sides they felt this strenuous
crushing forward Of the middle classes resolute!y
determined 20 invade the sacred ranks. 70 be ad-
uirted 70 the equality 20 which they consldeTe1
tner money entitled them III" more tholsnIi- - -
among the upper classes came 10 feel that IN
order % maintain their ancient prestige ~ tns
eyes % the people they must do something 70
deserve II: that idleness and prohigacy could no
biting criticism: that the ves Of the upper classes
must Justify their existence; that there must De q
at is this wave Of unrest which Thackeray re-
hects-the unrest of the middle classes. resoluteiy
resisting the Invasion from below and seeking 10
purify and elevate their own class.
There had been strenuous campaign for new
wise statesmen showed their wisdom bv granting
step by step the political rights demanded. and
progresgive instead of bloody and ca ataclysnnic
r. France But among AngIo-Saxor peopies poliri-
ca privileges have generally carried social priVi-
difference between the Northern and Southern way
O oregarding the negro problem Il that IN the south
olea rights carry social rights along with theih'
N the North Il is not so or not nearly 50 much so
u the England OF ThaekeTay's day The upper
suddenly endowed with both money and political