Project Gutenberg 2017-01-10 Public domain in the USA. 103 Alger, Horatio, Jr. 1832 1899 Putnam, Arthur Lee Starr, Julian Preston, Charles F. Alger, Horatio Nothing to Do: A Tilt at Our Best Society Produced by Chris Whitehead, David Edwards and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Nothing to Do: A Tilt at Our Best Society" by Jr. Horatio Alger is a satirical poem written in the mid-19th century. This work explores the themes of social class and idleness in American society, particularly focusing on the lives of the wealthy elite. The poem critiques the shallow values and moral shortcomings of those who are privileged without effort, as well as the contrasting experiences of those who work hard to achieve their status. The narrative centers on Augustus Fitz-Herbert, the son of a millionaire, who embodies the arrogance and disdain often associated with the wealthy. He navigates through his life of leisure while reflecting on his family's rise from humble beginnings to high society. Alger paints a picture of a world in which wealth equates to social superiority, yet questions the merit of such distinctions. The poem highlights various characters, their interactions, and the consequences of a life spent in idleness, ultimately advocating for a more engaged and purpose-driven existence. Through humor and sharp observations, Alger encourages readers to consider their contributions to society and the value of hard work versus inherited privilege. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 60.3 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Satire United States -- Social life and customs -- Poetry PS Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Humour Browsing: Literature Browsing: Poetry Category: Poetry Category: Humour Category: American Literature 55920 2025-06-21T12:43:48.474525 text/html 33357 2024-10-23T01:37:30 text/html 245572 2025-06-21T12:43:50.957512 application/epub+zip 244303 2025-06-21T12:43:49.038537 application/epub+zip 72359 2025-06-21T12:43:48.734509 application/epub+zip 280097 2025-06-21T12:43:52.557535 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 288951 2025-06-21T12:43:50.667511 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 117195 2022-09-24T14:40:51.553530 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 37680 2023-09-23T09:17:10.428928 text/plain 17869 2024-10-23T01:37:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16319 2025-06-21T12:43:52.692521 application/rdf+xml 17501 2025-06-21T12:43:48.826555 image/jpeg 2187 2025-06-21T12:43:48.779539 image/jpeg 221687 2025-06-21T12:43:48.489554 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia