The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-09-18

The movement in the United State
against plutocracy is, in its essenc&
q struggle between the old tradition
OF Puritan democracy and the civil
ization OF wealth, luxury and pleas
ure-the repetition, in modern an;
more complicated forms, OF the strug
gle which Illuminated Rome duTin;
three centuries when that city became
acquainted with the civilization O
the Helienized East.
In the absence of other proofs, my
visit to America would have sutflcet
to convince me of this. 1t may seer
that to give lessons on Roman history
and to study North America are two
forms of activity which have nothing
in common and which cannot help
one another in any degree. On the
! contrary, during my whole visit
Roman history and present reality
intermingled at every instant without
any effort Of my mind, in explaining
each ether mutually. At the point
of resemblance was the struggle be-
tween the TWO conceptions OF morals
ard Of life.
An exaggerated idea exists in Eu-
rope regarding American luxury. Ac-
cutsomed TO see their rich classes
live with very great display, often
even beyond their means. Europeans
hplinvn hat in,
so SO many colossal fortunes greater
than the greatest fortunes on the OF!
Continent, there must be fabulous, IN
heard-of, unique luxury.
The Traditions Of Puritansn.
The rich Americans who travel in
Europe had seemed to confirm this
superstition. People Gid not think that
an American, when he finds himself
in the midst of a society where the
traditions Of centuries encourage lux
ury, where luxury costs much less than
in his own home, would act different
ly than when in his own country,
where he is influenced by so many
Puritanical and religious traditions
But if enc has no right to speak CT
American luxury when one compares
the wealthy classes Of the two CONT
nents, one may speak of it when one
compares the life of the middle classes,
at least Of those that reside in the
cities. The middle classes in Ameri-
ca eXpend much more money than
those in Europe, both because they
must pay higher prices for many
articles and because they consume a
larger quantity of such articles.
The enormous commerce Of North
America is not alimented by the very
rich families which, as everywhere
else, are quite unimportant numerical
ly, but by the middle classes, who rep
resent millions of families. Education,
books, newspapers, sports, travelling,
the extremely complicated obligations
Of social life-clubs. politics, religion,
benevolence-the minute prescriptions
of tyrannic and costly hygiene, the
general tendency to multiply neces-
stiles and to complicate the means OF
satisfying them by ingenious inven-
lions, the mania for rapidity. the mys
tic cult of progress, which .nlpels
to a continual change of habits and |
articles because all new things seem
better than old ones, have rendered |
the life Of the middle classes in Amer
lea infinitely more costly than in Eu-
rope.
State Of the Middle Classes.
The middle classes in America con-
live much better than the
middle classes in Europe, and it is
therefore much more necessary for
them to make money. The habit of
thrift scarcely exists. Several per-
sons assured me that it is beginning
to appear. l hope that is the case,
as it would be an excellent thing for
America. But UP to the present the
almost general tendency has been to
expend everything. Hence, arises, par
TALLY the strenuous life" of the mid
die classes in America; this febrile ex-
istence, directed toward quick riches
and expenditure, occupied by incessant
activity and by continued changes, is
to weigh like an overheayy
burden. on many Americans.
The middle classes are, then, not less
interested than the upper classes in the
intensive and rapid economic exploita-
ton of the American continent The
is easy to deduce The
aspirations toward a reform or even a
moral revolution of modern society
possess probability of realization only
In so far as the reform and the rev.
Dlution would not arrest the eco
nomic development. or render 1t over
dificult. This fact constitutes a guar