Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-09

country is safe. II It were conceivable that
catastrophe might be great enough single
handed to obllterate the United States en-
tirely, with the single exception Of Mr.. Nc
Gilligan, the United States would still be safe.
Mr.. McGilligan would see to It that we i'm
mediately had another United States pre-
cisely like this one-and precisely like him
self. The country contains no other citizen
who so aptly and completely typifes, in him
self this entire land.
MOT that Mr.. McGllngan is without his
IN anomalies He inhabits Pennsylvania
and is still an American. Though born
pauper, Mr.. McGiligan is now a wealthy
man. and he is also sage. Whatever he
says about anything Is worth notice. I hap
pen to be his best friend, notwithstanding
that am of the wrongly dlscredited profess
sion OF the press. And though at the per-
petual risk of offending the modest man, I
have always thought that the pearls OF wis
dom he is perpetually and prodigally drop
ping are too precious to be confined within
the bosom Of Mr. McGilligan Hence these
rash disclosures.
TTTHEN I dined with him the other eve
w ming Mr.. McGilligan had but lately re-
turned from trip abroad. It seemed to me
that he had now reached that state of affiu-
ence and influence which entities the return
ing American to be asked what he thinks OF
the American financial situation.
We accordingly spoke of the financial situa-
tion nationally and personally. But I shall
reserve for future occasion Mr.. McGilligan's
helpful remarks on our national finances and
prospects. Certain references of his to the
middle classes seem to me worthy OF more
immediate record.
There are, 1 find" said Mr.. McGiligan,
mo middle classes anywhere in the world"
Nothing have learned, so pleases Mr.. Nc
Gilligan as the explosion of falacy. His
wife tells me that he Is always exploding
them, at all hours of the day and night So
I sat back and watched Mr.. McGilligan touch
a match to this one.
"There are no middle classes, anywhere"
he reiterated. "In Europe there is no middle
class worthy OF the name. And in America
the whole institution is a contradiction in
terms No American stays in the middle
class long enough to make his experience
with It worth mention in Who's Who. He
is always slipping out of it in the dark of the
night. Americans are of two claSses-news-
boys and mlionalres Between them is the
American workngman, who Is too naughty
to belong to a middle class and too brainy
to remain in In America the middle
class is merely an anteroom, In which no
one kicks his heels very long No self-re-
spectng American will consent to be. classed
in any middle division. II death catches him
still in the middle class 1t Is only by accident
It is not because he hadn't the capacity 10
get out. 1t is merely that the door stuck; Or
something"
"But are there no middle classes abroad?"
I gasped.
''None by comparison. I'll tell you what
mean. On conservative estimate, about
100000 Of us went abroad this summer. and
last summer. and the summer before that
and before that. For 20 years this country
has been the poorer every year by 100000 peo-
pie and by 10000 900. Every summer
people and our dollars keep on going to the
other side And of what calibre are these
travellers? To read the papers you would
think they were all opera singers or cap
tains of industry, every one of them. At
least, those specimens are the only ones
quoted In the press on their return. Forty
reporters will surround Judge Gary Mr.
Stotesbury; but no one thinks OF asking Silas
Hawkins or William Simpson what he
thinks of the financial situation The notion
conveyed is that only the Garys and the
Stotesburys do the travelling and spending
whereas the truth is lhey are tne ledst OF our
travellers. and for all their imperial suites on
the boats and in the hotels they spend by
far the least amount OF money.
"TTS the Silas HawlSinses and William
i Simpsons that do the travelling and that
spend the money-millions of 1t. The other
fellows are merely big men, while the silas
Hawkinses are the American People. So far
as we have a temporary middle class, Slas
Hawkins is our middle class, begging his par
don for the affront