The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1907-01-12
LETTER FROM Mr.. MARYe
Ne PAYS His Respect to the Vulgar Rich
Down on FIlmsy Pretentlousness, Etc.
Washington, d. c., Jan. Q, 100

Washington. d. c., Jan. Q, 1907.
To The Free Lance.
Unon a week reflection, | do not mod
ify a sentence in my letter OF the 3lst OF
December. Never read Of cheaper and
more pinchbeck civilization than ours ol
today. cu
Road its almost perfect parallel in Glib
hon. where he pictures Roman liie, Just
before the swoop of the Barbarians upon
the Western Empire, and you will be
startled.
Do Won remember Henry Watterson r
editorial upon the elite of our greatest
city-the 400, inclusively? When he
said: scat! Throw a brick at EN-!
WHY did not single member OF the de-
lectable gang sue the COurler-Journal!
How about Newport? DOwenot read
of clergymen standing with the bridal as
semblage. waiting until the brides d.
vorce is wired from New York, before he
"solemnizes" her new nuptials?
Whom do the decayed aud blOated no.
bility of England come TO Newport TO
catch
| know OF but one legend appropriate
TO be engraven deep upon itsportals.
Mark Twain writes that the flat boat
men upon the Mississippi were wont TO
chant it with great unction:
"There was a woman in our town,
In our town did dwell,
Who loved her husband dearlee,
But another man twice as well.
See if Mark does not sustain me in my
general contention. | quote from his
autobiography, which has been published
for several months, in the North Amerl-
eau Review:
Like all the other nations, we worship
money and the pOssesOrs OF lt-they
being our aristocracy, and we have TO
have one. We like to read about rich
people in the papers; the papers know II,
and they do their best TO keep this ap-
petite literally fed They even leave out
a football bullfght now and then TO get
room for all the particulars OF how-ac-
cording to the display headline Ken
Woman Fell Down Cellar-Not Hurt.
The falling down the cellar ls OF no IN
terest to us when the woman Is not rlch.
but no rich woman can fall down cellar
and we not yearn TO know all about II
and wish it was Us.
(YOu will miss a rare treat, Il you
omit TO get the autobiography, when 1t
comes out in book form. In one OF the
EARLIER chapters, in speaking oi the
prowess OF his name, he remarks that
I'm a duel Shsrrard Clemens shot old
Gov. Wise. of Virginia in the hind leg; or
it might have been the other way; II
didn't make any difference. }
What put such an unmitigated cad as
Wanamaker in ''cut glass harrison
Cabinets? By-the-way, the Postmaster
General had private wire from his desk
here To his Mammoth Phila. Carevanseral
in order not to lose touch with the con-
stantly replenished stock OF women =
choicest lingerie and imported under
wear"
Chauncey Depew has begun anew his
lavish entertainments. What man or
woman declines to 90. even though the
New York papers said he had been a
notorious thief for 10 years.
have been doing some WORK, during
the winter. at the New Willard, oinlghts.
II you will walk with me some evening
down the sumptuous and beautiful
promenade, and watch the plutocrats
| from the West hump themselves In
swallow tails; and then honestly prefer
the theatre, will stand the stake.
good laugh is all right; comes next
to godliness, honestly believe, and is a
help to real piety, but how can you keep
incessantly laughing at flimsy preten'
tiousness; the vulgar arrogance OF mere
money and the dishonest assumption OF
Importance. God pity and help our
children, if we are going to live lnden-
niteiy, "at this poor, dying rate =
A. S. Marye.