Evening star., 1923-12-29
Red Hats and
Red Heels
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE.

Here Is a paragraph from Catulle
Mendes which 1t will be we'll for
every worker to mediate upon:
I'm france everybody is an aristo-
cIae, Tor everybody aims to be dis
tihsuished from everybody. The red
cap OF the Jacobins is the red heels
or the aristocrats at the other ex-
tremtty. but it is the same dtstfnc-
i've sign. Only, as they hated each
other, Jacobinism placed OH it's head
wnat a1stocracy placed under its
The idea that is here brought out
is that aristocracy of spirit and
not condition in life. Just as greed
IS a spirit, and a poor man can be as
ruily miser as one who has many
at heart. though he lack the courage
to take life, and one can be a thief
yet afraid to steal
Nowhere is the spirit Of aristocra cy.
which Is entirely vicious and ignor-
ant or the meaning of life. so dis
gushing as In its dregs and ieayings
which are found among those who
worship position and fame afar off,
t Is safe to say that the money
proud and rth-proud would soon
tire or their mode of life If it were
not for the envy and admiration they
excite among the so-called lower or
ders. III the vulgar crowd did not
Sape and cheer royalty would quick
Iy give up the practice Of riding in
gilt coaches, which as matter of
fsct are far from comfortable. The
duke would drop his grand ways ff
tnere were no audience OF awe
stricken buffers ard serving maids.
Tho chief pleasure the millionaire
gets out of his house with ninety
six rooms on the boulevard is the
stir he makes with il In the brea SITS
or the clerks and workmen: for
really 1t is hard to see what real
brigade or servants and living in a
residence big enough for a boarding
school. SO also there is no enjoy
Dent In wearing jewelry and ex-
pensive hats and all such gear. per
Sc: the enjoyment comes in the salts
faction of knowing that all those who
cannot AFFORD such things are green
e,.1d for them.
Theirs Is, therefore, no sense in try
ing to reform society by exhortinG
and extravasance. The trouble hes
in the poorer classes. The rich are
few, the poor are a multitude. IF the
multitude should wake up some
morning and cease to admire and
covet tho tinsel, the next morning
the rich would cease TO parade IL.
Consequently. 1t Is the poor who
need reformation. 1t is always the
poor who need the gospel. For they
alone will listen.
worthy's fraternity" a gentleman
named Hilary, had bust Of Socrates
in his study, and describes 1t as be-
ing so capaciously ugly, as though
comprehending the whole of human
life, sharing all mans gluttony and
violence and rapacity. but sharing
also his strlvings toward love and
reason and serenity" He is to tell
us, Hilary continues. "to drink deep,
to dive down and lie with mermaids,
TO lie out on the hills under the sun.
TO sweat with helots. to know ali
things and all men. No seat, he saws,
among the wise. unless we've been
through II all before we climb. That's
how no strikes me-not too cheering
for people Of our sorti'
And, to return to our beginning,
would 1T not be as hard to conceive
OF Socrates wearing the red hat of
the Jacobin. that is, railing at and
envying the magnificent ones, as it
would be to conceive of him as wear
ing tho red heels or other gimcracks
OF the lofty?