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Show New Brltiib Aristocracy, From a London special. T ran by Croft is in Yorkshire, where many of the proudest and best of the ancient families are still found. But what is the condition of most of these families? They have been impoverished impover-ished by falling reuts and the ruin of agriculture. Some have been obliged to sell their lands, others to close their houses. The blinds are down, the doors are locked, grass grows over the drives. la their places have come men who have flourished in trade, and before whose advances the claims of long descent count for nothing. Such are the Arthur Wilsons and Lycett Greens. They have heaps of money, and fauiilios who have, iieea on the soil since the days of Wiiliam the Conqueror Con-queror have little or none. Therefore, royalty fashion flock to the homes of the former, wnile the latter are forgotten. for-gotten. Mrs. Arthur Wilson, the hostess of the prince of Wales, was the daughter of the postmaster of Leeds. She encouraged en-couraged her son to play at baccarat, while the father went off to bed rather than sanction it by his presence. Such is the modern style of life. Behold tho future gentlemen of England! In the course of a few years the Arthur Wil-sous Wil-sous will have driven out all the old stock, but they are not yet to betaken as giviug the key note of the whole of English society. It is a social revolution revolu-tion which this trial discloses, as well as throwing tide-lights on the manners to the time. Everything in England is in a state of upheaval through Lord Salisbury's iulluence. The old families fam-ilies have managed to retain their power, in politics and their full share of the high oflices. The next radical ministry will see the last of that. The people of high degree, for whose families tba army and navy and other institutions of the country have been kept as a close reserve, will be swept out of sight. Many will approve cf that, but it is a real loss to the country coun-try to have the quiet and honorable old English families submerged by newcomers new-comers whosi? idea of hospitality is to keep open a faro table or baccarat bank in their houses. The Prince of Wales may be able to staud the ourreut, but a large section of his future subjects look with regret on bis intimacy with the Arthur Wilsons, Wil-sons, the Lycett Greens and their dubious dub-ious associates and hangers-on. |