Indiana State Sentinel

American Notion of Aristocratic Behavior.

A correspondent of the Dollar Magazine, published in Philadelphia, gives the following curious information to his brother Republicans as to the characteristics of Aristocracy:-

I have in my travels heard a great deal said at one time and another about Aristocracy; and I have seen people who talked very much against it, and yet could not tell exactly what it is. Now, as I have never been an Aristocrat myself, and will never be so if I can help it, I shall be glad to give some notions of what are the symptoms and character of this so much dreaded monster.

While I was travelling, some years ago, in the middle and back parts of the State of Pennsylvania I came one night to an inn with another traveller, and after supper, we were both put into a large room containing three beds. We had just got into them when a very decent looking young man came up, with a candle in his hand, and began to undress himself at the side of the third, I should have mentioned that it was of a Saturday night.

Well, when the young man had undressed himself, he put out the light—and then, taking his shirt off, got into bed. We could see this by the moon, which was shining quite bright at the time. My fellow-traveller had shown, even during supper, that he liked to have his own way, and did not care much for anybody's convenience interfering with his. Perhaps I am rather uncharitable in this matter, however, for upon reflecting, I don't believe he thought about any one else at all.

Well, as soon as the young man had covered himself, with the bed clothes, my fellow traveller called out in a very loud and domineering manner, "Are you going to sleep without your shirt!" as no answer was given, he cried out again very boisterously, (for he was more than six feet high, and thick in proportion,) "Do you intend to sleep in the room without your shirt, sir!" "I shall do as I like" was the answer now. "I'll be— if you do," says the other. "get up and put on your shirt or I'll put you out of the room." With that he threw one of his legs out within the sight of the young man who might have a specimen of the force with which he was threatened. "It's a very hard case," says the young man, "that I can't please myself in a matter that concerns nobody else." But the other persisted that it did concern him to have any body sleep in the same room with him without having a shirt on. At last the young man stated that he had come thus far on a visit to his sweetheart, whom he should see next morning—and knowing, as it seemed, that he should have no chance in resisting his huge adversary, he entreated as a favor, that he might be permitted to reserve his shirt for service next day. I was much moved by this plea, and the tone of humble entreaty—but the effectual hard hearted man was not touched at all—and the poor young fellow was actually obliged to wear his shirt all night.

I think, M. Editor, that this was a real piece of Aristocratic behavior.

Yours, respectfully,

PETER SIMPLE, Jr.

In Aristocratics it is a first principle that "what is yours is mine, and what is mine is my own," and accordingly, that in doing what they will with their own, they do what they will with the rights and property of others. Our Duke of Newcastle or Lord Exeter would regulate the voice of any man in their power, as the bully in the above story regulated the covering; but Aristocracy does this thing more completely in England. As Jonathan Wild would say, "It knows a better trick than that of making a man sleep in his shirt whether he likes it or not; in England it strips him of his shirt for the maintenance of those in purple and fine linen."

The publication from which the above characteristic anecdote is copied, bears the name of the Dollar Magazine, though of the same class as the periodical which in ostentatious England is humbly called the Penny Magazine. In frugal America, where there is a Penny President there is a Dollar Magazine, and where there is a Dollar King there is a Penny Magazine. The name of a Dollar Magazine would scare our people from any publication. The Americans can bear the idea of such a disbursement in lump, but, on the other hand, they would take fright at the thought of a Crown Magistrate. They had him once, and insisted on change.