Revealed: how New York's old money shuts its doors against the nouveau riche

The Telegraph ^ | 06/12/2005 | James Langton

[AnAmericanMother]

My goal is to have just enough money so that I don't have to worry about money. Too little money and it's what you waking up thinking about. Too much money, you go to bed thinking about it. My goal is the pursuit of that perfect sum.

Robinson Crusoe's father told him the same thing.

He told me it was for men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortunes on the other, who went abroad upon adventures, to rise by enterprise, and make themselves famous in undertakings of a nature out of the common road; that these things were all either too far above me, or too far below me; that mine was the middle state, or what might be called the upper station of low life, which he had found by long experience was the best state in the world, the most suited to human happiness, not exposed to the miseries and hardships, the labor and sufferings, of the mechanic part of mankind, and not embarrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper part of mankind. He told me I might judge of the happiness of this state by one thing, viz., that this was the state of life which all other people envied; that kings have frequently lamented the miserable consequences of being born to great things, and wished they had been placed in the middle of the two extremes, between the mean and the great; that the wise man gave his testimony to this as the just standard of true felicity, when he prayed to have neither poverty nor riches.

He bid me observe it, and I should always find that the calamities of life were shared among the upper and lower part of mankind; but that the middle station had the fewest disasters and was not exposed to so many vicissitudes as the higher or lower part of mankind. Nay, they were not subjected to so many distempers and uneasiness either of body or mind as those were who, by vicious living, luxury, and extravagancies on one hand, or by hard labor, want of necessaries, and mean or insufficient diet on the other hand, bring distempers upon themselves by the natural consequences of their way of living; that the middle station of life was calculated for all kind of virtues and all kind of enjoyments; that peace and plenty were the handmaids of a middle fortune; that temperance, moderation, quietness, health, society, all agreeable diversions, and all desirable pleasures, were the blessings attending the middle station of life; that this way men went silently and smoothly through the world, and comfortably out of it, not embarrassed with the labors of the hands or of the head, not sold to the life of slavery for daily bread, or harassed with perplexed circumstances, which rob the soul of peace, and the body of rest; not enraged with the passion of envy, or secret burning lust of ambition for great things; but in easy circumstances sliding gently through the world, and sensibly tasting the sweets of living, without the bitter, feeling that they are happy, and learning by every day's experience to know it more sensibly.

He didn't listen, of course.

[Young Scholar]

After all, consider that the schools and the media lie about just about every other aspect of history -- why shouldn't they lie (or at least exaggerate) about the Depression?

It is proof that capitalism leads to economic annihilation, and that it was only Roosevelt's government programs that rescued the country from starvation and despair.

[AnAmericanMother]

Glad to help.

BTW, that index contains only the barest of information. There were other John Henleys, but not with the correct middle initial.

The GOOD news is that with that information, you can hit the nearest National Archives research center, where ALL the surviving Confederate records (muster rolls, medical files, pension records, and correspondence) are on microfilm. They have a very handy index on site, and it's surprising how much stuff you can find.

[AnAmericanMother]

bingo! another example of distorting history to fit an ideological template.

[sauropod]

Ping!

[durasell]

Post's book, in which she states that good manners and a nice personality (even without a great deal of wealth) can, over time, do what no amount of money can.

I wouldn't count on that if you're looking for acceptance at the upper end of the spectrum. But, of course, you don't believe my advice. So you'd best put some body armor on your ego and prepare for some serious life lessons.

[freepatriot32]

Although federal law prohibits housing discrimination based on race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or familial status, co-op boards do not have to give reasons for turning down potential residents.

Now it seems to me that even a public defender 2 days out of law school can find a jewish client that got turned down for a co op and supena the records and find out that every last jew that applied got turned down for an apartment since the place went co op and they could file a lawsuit big enough for the client and lawyer to own the entire building plus get some board members thrown in prison besides