Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/316

 al doom.

Very hard  were  the  times  in  the  mountains  now and then ;  times  when  no  one  could  pay  his  butcher bill, when  the  miner  had  not  money  enough  to  roll tenpins; yet,  there  was  little  complaining. The merchant considered  it  useless  to  sue  for  his  account, for even  if  he  could  collect  it,  he  knew  he  would  incur enough of  unpopularity  to  make  the  loss  many  times greater, and  perhaps  get  a  sound  thrashing  some  night when the  boys  were  deep  in  their  cups  and  with  plenty of money. Society at  this  time  was  far  too  unselfish for its  own  good,  or  for  the  good  of  the  world.

An aristocracy,  in  the  common  acceptation  of  the term, never  has  found  place  in  California. Vain and silly women  have  attempted  cliques,  have  drawn  round themselves lines  of  exclusiveness,  and  essayed  the leadership of  fashion;  but  all  such  efforts  have  had little mterest  to  any  except  the  aspirants  themselves, usually involving  them  in  contempt  and  ridicule. Likewise there  have  not  been  wanting  those,  wht), jealous  of  the  pretensions  of  the  ambitious  in  this direction,  have  by  their  envious  scoffings  betrayed a  desire  for  the  position  which  they  pretended  to despise.  With  no  provincial  court,  with  the  officers of  government  not  the  most  admirable  characters in  the  community,  with  no  fixed  military  or  naval system,  with  agents  of  the  general  government  too poorly  paid  to  make  much  display,  with  but  a small  literary  class,  with  the  entire  community  in- tent chiefly  on  money-getting,  and  holding  in  con- tempt all  forms  save  the  forms  of  debit  and  credit, there  was  here  not  the  first  element  on  which to  base  an  aristocracy,  either  of  money  or  mind. Wealth  was  worshipped,  and  success,  and  that  keen- ness of  intellect  which  could  acquire  wealth ;  but  the possessor was  as  frequently  despised,  and  his  quondam washer- woman wife  snubbed  by  her  less  pretentious sisters. Early society  here  was  an  aggregation  of strangers  in  which  lucky  strokes  of  fortune  dazzled