He was a member of that absolute democracy, the old-fashioned New England country town, where character and worth were the only titles to respect in the community, where the son of a President or the son of a Senator or of a Governor stood on an absolute and entire social equality with the son of the washerwoman.
This passage illustrates Hoar's belief in the egalitarian nature of New England towns, where social status was determined by character rather than lineage.
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