The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-16
THE AMERICAN
SNOB IN EUROPE
BY DELLA AUSTRIAN.


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| In England it is considered dreadful
to be called a cad; for the English
as nation are tremendously conserv-
| alive, they think much. of tradition,
family, and culture. Boastfulness and
pretension~ are characteristics emphati-
cally avoided by the better classes.
The Germans are less conservative
in this respect; with them money plays
far more important role in the max
ing of class distinctions. Though the
members of the royal family and Off
GERS take precedence over all others,
wealth gives one rank in the best of
| society. The French. in turn, detest
| everything that snacks of monarchy
and have far more regard for a mil
| lionaire than a marquis or a duke.
And yet money alone is not sufficient
to bring men and women into the best
of French society-family and culture
are recognized factors.
| 1t is reserved for the Americans as
a nation to be characterized as snobs.
| In their eyes We are a nation of mil
| lionaires, whose object is to make vast
accommodations and f1aunt them, much
as peacocks show their magnificent
feathers. The idea that most Ameri-
| cans have enormous bank accounts is
an opinion held common by all classes
| OF European society; by the foreign
most and hostess, by the managers OF
! hotels, the servants, and shopkeepers
| Discussing this subject with a Ger
man gentleman he remarked: Yes,
I a 1arioa
of the world. European countries are
the homes of art, music, and sculp-
ture, which the people of your country
buy with their unlimited means They
have not the time and inclination to
foster these talents, themselves being
! too busily engaged in material pur-
| suits. I am sure that if l were to
| ask an American gentleman what his
great ambition is he would say to make
| money; his wife would probably an
! swer the same question, to spend it,
/ With both possession is the chief end
| though much we hear these days of
! American men toiling and shaving to
! make fortunes so that their wives can
enjoy them, I'm sure that the men en-
| JOY this display as much as their wonn-
en-. But this marked fondness for ex-
travagant living does not stop with the
| splendor of their houses and the gown
| ing of their women. The American
| people demand these same comforts
when abroad and never cease their
complaining when they are deprived of
them. 1 shall never forget the few
weeks [ spent travelling in England
with some American friends. Instead
of admiring and discussing the beauti-
ful scenery most of their time went
complaining about the inconvenience
of the hotels in which they stopped
and in giving me long, accurate de-
scriptions about their palatiaI hotels
and handsome Pullman cars
But their snobbism did not end
there; they assured me that though the
states was republican theory class !
distinctions were closely defined as
in any of the European countries The /
guests at Newport, Bar Harbor, and |
the many exclusive summer resorts
We're extremely careful as to whom |
they allowed into their sets. The the |
DRY of equality was harmless when
applied to questions of politics, but So |
c1ety would be perfect failure if mer- |
chants and shopkeepers were to be &C !
cepted in the exclusive set
An Englishman once told party of |
Americans that We as a people not /
only kill prices at home, but we do the
same when in Europe. Americans |
abroad give the proprietors in hotels
to understand they want the best and /
are ready to pay for it. He continued: /
Il shall never forget going to a hotel in I
Italy, where [ was mistaken for an
American. On asking for a room he
showed me a good sized apartment, but
demanded an eXorbitant price. 1 told
him that no Englishman would allow
himself to be robbed that way. The
frightened proprietor apologized say
ing he thought I was an American.
He never hesitated to ask them any
price, money with them was usually a
secondary consideration and the more
they paid the better satisfied they
were.
Yes" the Englishman continued, L
must confess that a large part of your
people make a vulgar display of their
wealth. L have been in your country
and I'm sure they often keep a whole
regiment of servants where three or
four would answer their purposes The
women in the large cities dress far
more than the Parisians; the greater
part of the smart French creations are
sold to the states. / have seen Ameri-
can women so shopping in froclzs which
our women would wear to receptions.
one of your countrywonen told me that
she would not think of wearing a cos
tune more than one season, variety
was her object in life, and she did not
want her garments to create a feeling
of monotony any more than herself.
She succeeded, though she was slave
to fashion,; most of her mornings We're
spent at the dressmakers and miIli-
ners."
Vulgar as some Americans are in
their brag of the Iuxuries they enjoy
in their own country and in their con-
tinual display of elaborate gowns and
fine jewels, still more are they in their
counting of men and women of title.
This truth is we'll known and cleverly
satirized in European countries. AS a
prominent Swiss gentleman once said: