Year: 1876

| gariOus commons, and become the Simple
"Mr." and Miss" of domestic life.


To be thus raised above your fellows
! into what most people consider a higher
| sphere of social existence is, if not a
laudable, At least an intelligible desire.
What is not quite 50 iHtelIigible Is the
desire for promotion in this higher
sphere. Promotion in the army, or the


navy, or the civil service means higher
pay and more interesting and important


and responsible work. Promotion in the


peerage, if it means anything at all,


means the reverse -Of-this. Why, for


instance, should the present lord presi-
dent of the council, the duke of Rich


mond, desire to add a new barren duke
dom to his name? He is duke of Rich


mond in the peeTage of England, duke
of LennoX in the peerage of Scotland,


and due dAUbigny in the Peerage of


France. He Is earl of a good many


places, and baron of many moro. But


his taste for titles Is Unsuitable. and last


week he was gazetted duke of Gordon.


He may wear his weight of dukedoms


like a flower; but he cannot fit four rows


of strawberry leaves into his coronet;


and if he did, he and his cOronet would


look suPremefy ridiculous. Malignant


rumoT says he has persuaded the prime


minister to advise the crown to make


hime duke Of Gordon in order to snub


the young marquis of Huntly, who, as


the lineal descendant of the old dukes
of Gordon, naturally aspired to see the
dignity revived for him. Unfortunately,
however, for his chances with the pres
ent tory government, Lord Huntlv is
liberal-amost radical-in politics, and


actively hostile to the present admins


tration. This is the only explanation


hitherto vouchsated to the duke of


RichmOnd's proceedings This motive


is-coHtemptible if it be the-true- one.
But Lord HUntly may console himself
if he cares to do 50, by comparing his
pedigree with that of the cuckoo duke


who has entered into his nest For,


while his ancestry Is lost in the clouds
of antiquity which obscure the times
anterior to Malcolm Canmore, the cuckoo
duke desccndS from one Of Charles the
Seconds bastards, who was born two
trumpery centuries ago. Why, again,
should the earl of Abergavenny-the
descendent of the NeyilIes, one Of Eng
lands oldest families-ask Jew prime
minister to enable him to sink the earl
dom which has been for generations in
his family, and the barony which his an
cestOrs have held since 1850, in a brand
new marQuisate of 1876? 1t is easy
enough to see why the Jew prime minis
ter granted his request. No one has
done more work behind the scenes, of
the kind that peers do not generally do,
for the party now in office than the
g Tory bloodhound as the present rep
rescntative of the NevilIes is called
among his friends, But even the
staunchest bloodhound looks for fondIing
and for supper when his work is done
Accordingly. he has got his promotion.


He Is entitled to be addressed by the
crown as our right trusty and entirely
beloved cousin :" to hear his eldest son
called viscount," and the rest OF his
sons called g lord" and to take precc-
dence over all the eaTls. He will prob
ably rest and be thankful now, and leave
the obscUrer forms of party tactics to
the humber orders Of tory pcerage.


The thirst for such promotions in the
peerage is difficult to understand by
those who are not Of it. But for many
of that distinguished body all interest in
politics and political life Is concentrated
in that portion Of the Official Gazette
which narTates the new promotions.
The explanation perhaps may be found
in the principle that the steps of the
social ladder are infinite in number, and
every IInglishman wishes to fix his foot
upon the one Immediately above him
Well, it Is an innocent if not noble am.
bitiOn. 1t does not lead to crime like the
desire for wealth, and it does not lead to
universal misery like the desire for
glory.