Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-06-25
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE.
EXTRACTS from Mrs. Trollope's "Domes-
tic Manners of the americans. :"

| TIC Manners vi tlfc 4ililCliCdiio.
Two very indifferent figurantes, probably from
the Ambigu Comique, or la Gazette, made their
appearance at Cincinnati while we were there's;
and had Mercury stepped down, and danced
mas seM upon earth, his godship could not have
produced a more violent sensation, but wonder
and admiration were by no means the only feel
inss excited; horror and dismay were produced
in at least an equal degree. No one, believe,
doubted their being admirable dancers But eve
~ one agreed that the morals Of the Western
World would never recover the shock. When
was asked if / had ever seen any thing SO dread
| full before, | was embarrassed how to answer;
| for the Young women had been exceeding care.
full 10th in their dress, and in their dancing. to
meet the taste of the people; but had it been Vr-
sinie in her most transparent attire, or IagIioni
In her most remarkable pirouette, they could
not have been more reprobated The ladies al
together forsook the theatre; the gentlemen NUT
tered under their breath, aud turned their heads
aside when the subject was mentioned; the cler-
gy denounced them from the pulpit; and if
they were named at the meetings it was to show
how deep the horror such theme could pro-
duce. | could not but ask myself if virtue
were plant, thriving under one form in one
country, and Furnishing under different one in
another? If these Western Americans are right,
then how dreadtully wrong are we! 1t is really
very puzzlius subject.
But this was not the only point on which
found my notions of right and wrong utterly con-
founded; hardly day passed in which did not
discover that something or other that had been
taught to consider lawful as eating was held in
adherence by those around me; many words TO
which had never heard an objectionable mean
ing attached. were totally nterdicted. and the
rnstJc apUtpnCcS
I confess 1t struck me, that notw outstanding
general stiffness of manners which think must
exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees, the
Americans have negotiations that kindle with
alarming facility. | could give many anecdotes
to prove this. bat will content myself with few
A Young German gentleman of perfectly good
manners. once came to me greatly chagrlned at
having offended one of the principal families in
the ncighorhood, by having pronounced the word
corset before the ladies' OF it. An old female
friend had kindly overcome her own feelings so
far as to mention to him the OF the GOODNESS
he had remarked, and strongly advised his max
ing an apology. He told me that he was perfect
ly well disposed to do so, but felt himself great
ly at loss how to word it.
An English lady who bad long kept fashiona-
bic bcardng-school in one of the Atlantic cities,
told me that one Of her earliest cares with every
new conner, was the endeavor to substitute real
delcacy for this affected precision of manner:
| among many anec dotes, she told me one OF young
lady about fourteen, who on entering the receIy-
inc room, where she only expected to see lady
who had enquired for her. and finding young
man with her, pu, her hands before her eyes, and
ran out Of the room again, screaming, 9 4 man!
man. a man"
On another occasion, one of the Young ladies
in going up stairs to the drawing room. unfortu-
pateIy met boy of fourteen coming down, and
her feelings were 80 violently agliated. that she
stopped, painting and sohbiag, nor would pass on
! till the boy had swung himsel! up on The upper
bansters, to leave the passage Tree
! At Cincinnsti there is Il garden where the peo-
pie 90 to eat ices, and to look at roses. For the
preservation Of the flowers, there Is placed at the
end of one of the walks sign post sort OF daub,
representing Swiss peasant glrl, holding in her
hand scroll, requesting that the roses might not
be gathered. Unhappiy for the artist, or for the
propretor, or for both the petticoat OF this hgure
was SO short as to shew her ANGLES. The lalies
saw, and shuddcred; and it was formally intiInat-
ed to the proprietor, that If he wished for the pa
trcuace of the ladies' of Cincinnati, he must have
the petticoat Of this figure heightened. The al.
fr,nhtcd purveyor oil ices sent oft an express tor
the artist and his paint pot. He came. but un-
luckily not provided with any color that would
match the petticoat; the necessity, however, was
too urgent for delay, and founce OF blue was
added to the petticoat Of red, giving bright and
shining evidence before all men Of the immaculate
delicacy Of the Cincinnati ladies'.
FMrs. TrOuope.
/ have never seen the bay of Naples, | can
therefore make no comparison, but my magma
ton is incapable of conceiying anything of the
kind more beautiful than the harbor of New
York. Various and lovely are the objects which
meet the eye on every side; but the naming them
would only be to give list of words, without
conveying the faintest idea Of the scene. doubt
if ever the pencil of Turner could do it justice,
bright and glorious as it rose upon u.s. We
seemed to enter the harbor of New York upon
waves Of liquid gold. and as we darted past
the green isles which rise from its bottom. like
guardian centinels Of the fair city, the setting
sun stretched his horizontal beams farther and
farther at each moment, as if to point out to US
some new glory in the landscape.