The Washington herald., 1910-01-02
HINTS BY THE SOCIAL ARBITER.

met with. and his daughter has inher-
tied this kind heart. I'll venture, my
dear Edith. that Angelo Epicier would
never undertake 70 debar you from the
Glanzender germans or any other party
on which you had set your heart
y shalt not bore you with the other
things / said to little Edith. but I have
given her something to think about for
a while, at least, and l fatter myself she
will change her point OF view, for even
il I have not convinced her, l am too
valuable a friend TO disregard, and though
walk with a cane. cannot see as well
as I used to, and have TO set Estelle to
write my notes. l still have my way
when / want IT. and so she went on for
another page or two, but 1 have quoted
enough.
The story the dear, volorous old lady
/ tells is quite true; ! have heard the same
thing for many others, and 1 am ashamed
ashamed that such things are 81 my coun-
try that has set Itself such a high stand
aTd-my country. that vaunts itself on
the equal rights It insures all OF its citi-
liens. my country where simple worth
counts. my country that suggests the
millennium, so noble IS il, dddlesticks to
quote my venerable friend Does any
enc live up TO the high standard we are
supposed 10 have. IS there such a thing
az equal rights. and does simple worth
count. or does anything count but cold
cash?
Alas! we are nation OF snobs, for
NE pretend to be something We are not;
| that, at least IS Thackerays definition OF
snob. and he knew something about
snobs. Now it's bad enough 10 find
sL0bs al the club, TO find them IN the
market place, 10 run across them At
/ church. and at the dinner table of ones
( friends, but to discover them among the
/ dear little debutantes. TO see with one 5
/ own eyes these innocent darlings begin
| knitting each other before they are out
Cf the nursery, to hear a child with an
angel face say she Is going to prevent
another angel child from doing some
/ thing on which she has set her heart,
: to crush and bruise that same poor, little
| heart-it's hOrrid.
Bat, dear people, this Is what you are
/ allowing your children to do; yea, you
/ even set them an example in this inhu-
man conduct n your heart OF hearts
/ you are tremendous snobs yourselves.
Your father made his money in the law,
your neighbor made his by making beer
and gave your father good, hard cash 10
/ defend him when some other beer maker
irfringed on his patents or for some other
/ reason, yet you turn UP your nose at the
/ brewers children. though you are living.
/ entertaining, splurging on the brewer
/ sheckles, and you will not let the brew
er's daughter into your sacred circle, al
/ though her money Is exactly as good as
your money; hence you are a snob you
/ are a snob, dear little lady. as long as
you set that prodigious value upon your
self, upon your name. upon your outward
/ appearance. upon your bank account.
Mind you, don't maintain that we are
all born free and equal; that is a mere
| tumble of words that express an IN
truth. We are all born free. perhaps
but We are far from being born equal
/ You have only 70 inspect the infants al
| a founding asylum or maternity hos
pital 70 De persuaded of that, and there
has always been. and there will always
I be. different grades OF society. Who
would have & otherwise? Society falls
naturally into different sets, but it Is
not for a chit OF a child to say who
shall and who shall not belong. II i.
not for her TO endeRvor 10 ruin the pleas
ufe or defeat the ambition Of q girl whC
I has just as much right 10 certain pleas
ures and certain ambitions as she has
/ The desire, the intention, is so hideous
when one considers in what an innocent
heart they were born, that IL makes one
shudder.
/ Manners. culture, breeding should, ant
/ do. determine ones social position il
America, and those who possess these
viii arrive. despite q dozen Edith Tan
zers and her clique. But Il is painful
nevertheless. to see a yong girl lend
/ herself 70 such a base purpose Youth
should be noble, generous. unselhsh. and
/ u - Svtt SCI uoAifN- mere are AoI tIil-
ately. few Edith Tanners in the world
and I have seen many graceful things
done this winter by the debutantes and
| those who are no longer debutantes
such beautiful and graceful little acts
! OF courtesy that the recording angel
viii smile as he puts them down; acts
/ that stamp the women who did them as
! baIopg fup n fha highest % sra the "a -
OF noble and lofty souls