The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-05-22

dollars out CT a patent medicine or a
lucky speculation Of industrial securt-
ties.
The great manufacturer or chemist
in England, France, Italy, or Germany,
the clever inventor, the astute banker.
the successful merchant, have THEN
due rewards, but, except in obvious
lave acquired incidentally to their ma
terial prosperity the arts Of playing
billiards, making love, shooting game
on the wing, entertaining a house
arty or riding to the hounds. Occa-
~sionally enc Of them becomes by spe-
cal favor of the sovereign, a barOnet;
but, as a rule, his s~o-called social pO-
sltion is little affected by his business
success, and there is no reason why it
hould be. He may max a f~ortune@Out
Of a new process. but he invites the
same people to dinner, ~frequents he
same Club AID enjoys himself in just
/ about the Stmc way as he did before.
His newly acquired wealth is not re-
garded a. in itself likely to make him
a more congenial dinner table COM
panion or any more delightful at B
o'clock te;.
However, with a strange perversity
due, perhaps, to u having the Dec
laratiOn of Independence crammed
down our throats as children-we in
America seem obsessed with an ambi-
ton to create a social aristocracy.
loudly Proclaimed as founded IN
achievements, which, in point of fact.
is based on aothing but the possession
OF money. The achievements that
most certainly lands one among he
crowned heads o. the American nobl-
ity is admittedly the achievement OF
! having acquired in some way or other
about $1,000, C00; and it is immaterial
whether its p~ossessor got 1T by hard
work, inheritance, marriage or the in
%Vention of a porous plaster.
In the wider circle of New York So
ciety are to be found a considerable
number If amiable persons who have
fought thei~ position by the lavish eX-
penditure> Of money amassed through
the clever advertising and sale of ia
BILE relishes. throat emollients, tireside
novels, canned edibles, cigarets and
chewing tobacco. The money was no
doubt legitimately earned. The patent
medicine man and the millionaire tail
or have my entire respect. / do not
sneer at honest wealth acquired by
these humble means. The rise-if it
be a rise-of. these and others like
them is SUI ~erficial evidence, perhaps,
that ours is a democracy. Looking
deeper, we see that it is, in fact, proof
CT our utter and shameless snobbery.
Most of these people are in society
not on account OIL tnelr personal quail
ties, or even by virtue of the excel
lence of their cut plug or throat wash,
which, in truth, may be a real boon to
mankind-but because they have h a
most imperative of all necessities
money. The achievement by which
they have become aristocrats is not the
Kind of achievement that should have
entitled them to the distinction which
is theirs. They are received and en-
tertained Tor 40 other reason whateV-
err save that they a receive n en-
terrain in return. Their bank accounts
are at the disposal of other aristocrats
and so ale their houses, motor cars
and yachts. The brevet of nobility
by achievement-is conferred on them,
and the American people read Of their
comings ana goings, their balls, dinners
and Other festivities with consuming
and reverent interest. Most danger
ously significant Of all is the fact that,
so long as the applicant for social hon
ors has the money, the method by
| which he get it, however reprehensi-
BILE, is usually overlooked. That a man
is O. thief, so long as he has stolen
enough, does not impair his desirabili-
ty. The achievement of wealth is suf-
ficient unto itself to entitle him to a
| seat in the American house of lords.