The daily sentinel., 1907-07-20
THE ABSURDITY
OF TITLE WORSHIP
The Tribute Many Pay to People
With Meaningless Titles is Alb
surd-When Will it Stop.

a When will people learn that a
q a "sir" or lord" or "earl" or a
q duke" or any other artificial a
q prefix attached to mans a
q name does not constitute in it. a
O self a mark of superiority? q
q When will the people of this q
q country, where "all men are q
q created free and equal" fin 4
a ally digest the fact that the 4
q only titles of nobility worth q
q the while are those earned by q
q personal achievement and not a
a inherited from ones ancestors. a
These queries sound trite and II
seems as If, in America at least, the
lesson should have been learned
long time ago, but it is a lamentable
fact that this is not the case. Let
any little lordling or prlnceling
come to our shores, and Immediately
there Is a hubbub and an exhibition
of flunkeyism and toadyism that is
positively nauseating to all sensible
men.
This. of course. does not apply to
the entire country, but 1t certainly
does to an uncomfortably large part
of It. and surely to that portion which
dubs Itself 1.-The best society" The
greatest scientist, the most noted au-
thor or the man who may have ac-
complished more for mankind than
any other living person does not ex-
cite one half the interest aroused by
some petty duke and the visit of
one related to royalty in the remotest
way is attended with the most dis
gustingly obsequious attention i'm
aginable.
All of this in a democracy such as
ours is an absolute anachronism. and
the sober-minded and sane Americans
should sternly suppress any demon
stration over mere aristocrats who
are not useful in the slightest degree.
and generally are not even ornamen-
tai in the sense that they set good
example for most men to follow.
OF course. 1t cannot be expected
that the apings and absurdities of the
idle rich. who have not earned their
possessions but were merely fortunate
or iudicious in their selection of pa
rents, can be abated. but in heaven s
name. let this character of foolish
ness be confined to them, and do not
let It permeate the entire framework
of our social system so that the say
ing that "every Englishman loves a
lord" may be applied with equal
force to the average American.
Every now and then the people who
bow 'the pregnant hinges OF the
knee" in slavish subservience TO a
mere title, are "stung," to use a
slangy but expressive term, and this
is a good thing in that it serves to
| call renewed attention to their fool
ishness, and also as it acts as pun
ishment for funkeyism by holding
them up to the ridicule of the world.
Adventures from foreign lands.
| knowing the tendency among our
| best people"-save the mark-pa-
rade under the halo of bogus titles
and succeed in separating the gull
BILE title-worshiper from some OF
their supernuous wealth, and this
happens so frequently that it is a
wonder that the fact that the rank
is but the guinea's stamp, has not
been generally discovered long ago
| as those who are taken in must Know
| from the fact that they are easy foI
these imposters, that they cannot dis
tinguish between men and discover
who are entitled to bear titles, bul
il seems that the crop of this kino
of suckers" is constant and that any
shrewd. plausible trickster will be
able to play upon their foibles and gel
the better of them.
Only last week a pseudo lord wal
found out. and II was discovered ina
he had used his fake mobility tC
considerable financial advantage, ye
II is safe to say that the very people
he swindled. who would probabl.
have been the last in the world t'
have aided a really worthy or merito
rious person, will be gulled by thu
next smooth pretender. We are eN
pressing no sympathy for them. The!
have received their just deserts. bu
We are merely hoping that the BON
and sinew of the country will not sue
cumb to the slavish and foolish habi
of regarding any man with greate
degree of reverence or respect be
cause of mere title or position, an
that Difference will only be paid Il
: those who have earned it by virtu
of service to their fellows.-Puebl
II Star-Journal.