When discussing America’s entrepreneurial aristocracy we often use the term “nouveaux riches” and contrast it with the concept of “old money.” The old money families are the really rich folks. I am familiar with only a few names in that category such as the Duponts, the Vanderbilts, the Astors, the Winchesters, and a few others. They all have one thing in common: they cleaned up.
The Winchesters did it with the “rifle that conquered the West.” God knows how many people were killed by that infernal weapon. The Duponts supplied the gun powder. The Astors got rich by cruelly slaughtering innocent little animals. But there is a path to the brighter side of the story. As a proud Californian I am happy to report that it leads nowhere else but to Pasadena. There is one family, the Gambles who, while they also cleaned up, at least used soap to get rich. And nobody ever died of being washed.
I never found out what the Proctors had to do with it. I must visit the Gamble House again one day. (4, Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 911o3) I hope the curators will not tell me anything shocking.
I often wondered how it is that the French can talk French so fast. The language breaks my tongue even at my slow pace. Here is the answer, maybe: they skip unessential consonants and nouns and call that elision.