Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-17

D you consider them better or worse
than London?"
Personally 1 do not know the cities of
America said the reverend gentleman,
and though from information which
pours into ones ears every day about them
one feels sufficiently competent, at least
to institute comparisons, l will not do so,
because l have. never trodden their streets
actually. This l hope TO correct next
August, when / am trying to arrange to
accept a few engagements at your great
'~Chautauqua gatherings.
II may find Chicago and New York" he
continued better or worse than Mr.. II. c..
Wells, Mr.. Donald Fraser and scores of
others have found them, but there is one
thing l am confident / cannot find them,
and hat is-worse than London. If they
are not absolutely better, bad though they
are, then someone has been telling me
fairy tales about the United States all my
life
Luxurious Lives of LOndOners.
"But the lives Of the people themselves,
aside from the strictly moral side" l fur
Their questioned; lis there not more luxury
and wealth ~squandering in America and
France than in England?"
"As TO London's pleasure" he answered,
look at its hotels which have multiplied
so rapidly lately; their extravaganza in
flowers, wines and dress is only rivalled
by stories OF the luxurious east In barbaric
dimes, or the carnival In the sensuous
revival Of the Renaissance. Think OF the
amount spent on pleasure In London on
one night in which almost all classes par
tIcipate. A woman confessed to my sister
at dinner not long ago that she never wore
a dress under any circumstances that cost
less than $3.50. 1t has recently been said
that $4,000 a year for an English society
woman's dresses is a very moderate al
lowance.
Then, again" he continued, take Lon
don's contempt for humanity. Where are
men and women so cheap? II you ask FOR
a raise In wages you are at once told that
If an advertisement is put In the papers
tomorrow morning there will be go men at
least, as well educated as you, not to say
better, clamoring at the doors TO take your
lob at considerably less money than you
are now receiving. l have been living close
to Walthamstow, which is clerkdom, and a
more tragic locality hardly exists In the
world. II is the tragedy of silk-hatted
frock - coated, silk % bloused responsibility
supporting itself and its pitiful little villa
on $3.50 a year, haunted by the terror OF
sickness and the coming on OF the devltilaz'
ing years. They dare not protest lest they
should lose the $4JO-and then the abyss.
Truth TeIIers are Hated.
The only man in London who has dared
in my memory 10 tell anything approximate
to the truth in these matters is Mr.. X J
Campbell, and he is hated and denounced
accordingly, for in my humble Judglnen'
his voice is the most Christian not to say
the only voice in London with the authenti'
ring Of Nazareth and the Sermon on th'
Mount in it. This is quite apart from ny
attitude on the New Theology"
ut is generally supposed, despite all tina
you say against London l suggested
that the English metropolis is the mos
charitable place in the world. Have yo'
any views on this point?'
Yes, London is charitable" was the re
Spouse, but 1t is philanthropy by proxy
We give our money, not ourselves W
send subscriptions 10 charitable institu
tons. but we would not for the life OF u
do the actual distributing. In all tn
churches-aud preach for all denomina
tions-there 10 an il-concealed dislike o
the poor. There are numbers of our grea
religious men, who give great sums to in
stitutional churches and the like, who hav
made, and are still making, their none,
by underpaying their employees. At IN
cash desk they are business men; at tn
charitable organization meetings they ar
philRnthTopists. They knock their me
and women down relentlessly, then with
blare Of trumpets give $4,000 for the worl
J Of picking them W. There has never bee