Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/330



of an  Apache,  while  the  Comanche  would  probably have placed  murder  first. In ancient  Greece,  far above female  chastity  was  patriotism,  while  with  us the  relative  importance  of  the  two  virtues  is  reversed. Spain's strongest  social  bond  was  loyalty,  that  and its ill-favored  companion,  religious  bigotry. In the days of  pious  vigils,  and  self-crucifixions,  humility  was at a  premium,  while  later  boldness  and  bravery  were the highest  virtues.

Now, although  the  chief  object  of  every  one  pres- ent was money,  wealth  was  not  their  highest  admira- tion. Gold was  plentiful. All started  on  an  equality. If in  the  scramble  some  filled  their  pockets  while others did  not,  the  former  were  lucky,  and  that  was all. All of  them  were  still  men,  good  men  or  bad men as  they  were  before,  and  not  one  whit  changed ; nor were  they  in  the  eyes  of  any  there  present  special objects of  adoration. Temperance, chastity,  piety, none of  these  assuredly  were  the  moral  ideal  of  the time, neither  was  patriotism,  asceticism,  nor  any  of the  soft  amenities  of  life.

What then  was  that  paramount  virtue  worthy  the devout admiration  of  this  august  rabble  ? It was  a quality  for  which  I  find  no  single  exact  expression  in any  vocabulary. It was  a  new  quality  for  worshipful purposes, and  made  up  of  several  common  qualities. Take from  extravagance  its  love  of  displa}^,  from prodigality the  element  which  tends  to  the  destruction of its  possessor,  and  from  munificence  every  appear- ance of charity,  and  we  approach  the  opposite  of what  is  commonly  called  meanness,  which  was  the exact opposite  of  the  moral  ideal  of  the  time. Gen- erosity, open-handedness, large-heartedness,  here  was the ideal ;  and  if  it  ran  its  possessor  upon  the  shoals of bankruptcy,  or  into  a  drunkard's  grave,  it  was lamentable, but  no  such  black  and  accursed  evil  as parsimoniousness,  stinginess,  niggardliness,  or  in  a word,  meanness. There was  nothing  in  the  world  so mean  as  meanness. If a  debtor  was  unfortunate  and