The Washington herald., 1909-08-01
SNOBBERY OF WEALTH
By THE SOCIAL ARBITER


NOTE-The Arbiter will be glad 20
answer any question Of a social ma
ture that may be submitted such
question should be addressed 20 The
Arblter, care The Washington Herald
NJ r. s. in her letter published last
week asks The Arbiter to write a paper
showing how wealth makes snobs OF the
young people OF the day" Now, wealth
OF itself does not induce snobbishness fer
some OF the most delightful, simple, hu-
man. and noble people the world has
ever known have been possessed Of fabu-
lous fortunes. II is the improper use OF
riches by those who have quickly ac-
quired them and are ignorant Of how 10
dispense their great fortunes, which, they
imagine. will buy anything from guar
antee OF noble ancestry and immunity
from the law 10 the fripperies OF fash
ion that makes snobs
A vulgar plutocrat breaks, perhaps, an
old piece of furniture which has descend
ed from some ones great-great-grond-
mother. Don't bother 10 have it mend
ed" he says magnihcently, buy bet
ter piece" To his mind. there is nothing
that wealth won't purchase. and. un-
nAUllLI.
only a few things left that cannot be
bought with gold. but we should be gTate-
ful that there are still few.
The old story about the father who Or
dered his sons tutor. who had COM
planned to him that his pupil had no ca
pacity. 70 buy him one, although so
trite, is still as true as on the day II was
FIRST told, and there are many fathers Of
to-day who work themselves into frenzies
because their golden ducats will not buy
brains for their offspring.
To observe how the Croesuses of the
day who began with plckaxes I'm the
mines or as Office slavies. regard the
great fortunes they have gained by their
industry and shrewdness in relation to
their children is curious and interest
ing. Some of these putoCrats pour their
gold with generous hands into the pockets
of .heir sons, delighted to see them sat
isfy every caprice and grow gradually
into detestiole little snobs, surrounded by
an ignoble crowd OF sycophants and para
sites. who seek the golden calves as nat
urally as q fly hunts the honey pot
other millionaire fathers maintain a
parsimony with their children that is
sordid and ugly Every cent they give
them is accompanied By a lecture OF
what labor and hardships II represents,
and cautions as to its careful spending
The sons OF this latter class also be-
come snobs. and snobs Of a mean variety;
for a stingy snOb is the very worst type
Of this odious species. They become
snobs, these sons OF niggardly fathers,
and they become borrowers. too. from
their poorer associates, born ShylOcks,
who lend az a big interest their small
means with an eye 20 the 6esh pots
which their victims Will one day be able
20 supply.
L would give the half Of my fortune"
and that would have been many mill
liOns-said a Western mine-owner on the
porch OF a great summer hotel a. a fash
ionable resort in New England the other
day. If / could purchase for my son
prudence, industry. and earnestness.' %
And he sighed a great sigh, for his COM
panions had been discussing the wealthy
and titled young men in England and
on the continent who are born with a
sense Of responsibility. and who are
taught throughout their bOyhood thai
their great wealth and positions are
sacred trusts. which they must wisely
and nobly administer.
The son OF a wealthy American. on
the contrary, is spoiled from his cradle
up. He Is petted and pampered-nOthing
is expected of him. and every wish, wise
or unwise. Is Immediately granted. i
want a ranch in the West. father" says
young Money Bags. So a ranch in che
West is speedily bought, and he is sent
out with a great suite to play the mas
ter But when the ranch in the West
proves 10 be a more serious occupation
than he was looking for he rUshes home
20 father and demands a private yacht
that he may 'see a little more Of the
world" before he settles down. Yacht
ing, however. even with the pleasant
companionship he provides, is not all his
fancy dreamed. and he accordingly
abandOns his yacht and takes 70 motor
ing through deserts and other out-of-the-
way places.
Thus Il goes on. The spoiled child Of
fortune tries one dissipation after an
other. finding nothing that gives pleasure
nothing that appeals TO his jaded ap-
petite At thirty he is an old man. blase
and III, then his quest is after health
and this he seeks all over the world
while his father at home, when the duties
at his counting house give him time
wonders what good his colossal, fortune
has been TO his son. The bla6ksmith'
son in his own native village is surely
better off. He developed his physical
strength working at the anvil instead OF
being knocked about on a football team
and from the village school he went Il
a country college, where he beat learn
ing out Of his books and his masters
brains with much the same determina-
tion that he hit hot sparks from the iror
he beat on his anvil. Then he went
West, hung out his shingie as a lawyer
and became loved and respected In tht
80 H.
and there he is happy. though he cannot
buy diamonds from South Africa with
which TO bedeck his wife. has no garage
and so no motor cars. and no ambition
or wherewithal with which to cornor the
market
Despite his fathers wealth, the sor
of the plutocrat could have been just as
much Of a man as the son Of the village
blacksmith had he been given encourage
ment. but the acquisition Of wealth seem:
70 blind the one who acquires It to every.
thing else in the world, even the fate OF
his own children ceases to concern him
for them he does the easiest thing. JUS
as a foolish mother will feed her baby
with sugar plums TO keep il from crying
thereby laying up future pain and troubl,
both for the child and herself, so The
nhluonalFe gives Els chlldren everything
money will buy until they are surfeitec
and what Is worse until they come tC
worship the money that buys them al
their luxuries. all their hearts desire,
as a very god
no thinking person will deny thai
everything and every one IN America
are guaged by money standard. Only
the other evening I happened to be II
conversation with a woman who con
stantly insists that she despises money
In fact, she makes ugly faces when the
filthy stun is mentioned, so that I wa.
little surprised when I asked her Il
there were many nice people at hei