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
