Project Gutenberg 2020-08-21 Public domain in the USA. 267 Martin, Frederick Townsend 1849 1914 11024158 The Passing of the Idle Rich Produced by Tim Lindell, Charlie Howard, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "The Passing of the Idle Rich" by Frederick Townsend Martin is a social critique written in the early 20th century. The work delves into the dynamics of American society, particularly focusing on the excesses and moral failings of the wealthy class, which the author dubs the "idle rich." Martin aims to explore the impact of rapid industrialization and its consequences on social structures and values, suggesting that the idle rich contribute to the degradation of society's foundations. At the start of the book, the author establishes his personal background to give credibility to his observations about society. He reflects on the evolution of American society, characterizing it as an oligarchy led by the idle rich, whose behaviors and values have infiltrated and corrupted the social fabric. Martin laments the departure from simpler, more virtuous ideals and traditions, criticizing the meaningless extravagance and moral decay that characterize the contemporary elite. He suggests that this idleness and self-indulgence have not only tarnished the spirit of American society but have also set the stage for class conflicts and societal unrest. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 66.4 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en United States -- Social conditions -- 1865-1918 Wealth -- United States Rich people -- United States HN Text Category: History - American Category: Sociology 248592 2025-09-25T05:48:46.102421 text/html 224800 2024-10-18T05:21:52 text/html 376827 2025-09-25T05:48:51.328421 application/epub+zip 374669 2025-09-25T05:48:47.478455 application/epub+zip 373302 2025-09-25T05:48:46.786424 application/epub+zip 930696 2025-09-25T05:48:54.231403 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 901629 2025-09-25T05:48:50.751425 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 872891 2022-09-28T11:55:43.035368 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 217856 2025-09-25T05:48:45.781443 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 197969 2024-10-18T05:21:52 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16769 2025-09-25T05:48:54.359396 application/rdf+xml 20509 2025-09-25T05:48:47.053418 image/jpeg 3159 2025-09-25T05:48:46.917431 image/jpeg 350495 2025-09-25T05:48:46.127442 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