The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-05-23

| and begin TO mntter a little TO the BALI
grown pretty things, who are comparing
with one another show many quarters mu-
sic they have had" Where the mansion
Is Of sufficient dignity to have two drawing
| rooms, the piano, the little ladies', and the
slender gentlemen are left to themselves; and
on such occasions the sound of laughter is
often heard to issue from among them. But
the fate of the more dign6ed personagcs
who are left in the other room, is extremely
! dismal. The gentlemen spit, talk Of cleo
tions and the price of produce, and spit
! again. The Indies look ut each others
( dresses till they know every pin by heart
! talk of Parson Somebody's last sermon on
abe judgment, or DR.. Tolherbody's new
| pills for dyspepsia, till the "tea" is announc-
cal, when they all console themselves to-
gether for whatever they may have suffer
ed in Keeping awake, by taking more tea,
s,eftee, hot cake and custard, hoe cake,
johnny cake, waffle cake, and dodger cake.
frkled peaches. and preserved cucumhers,
ham, turkey, hung beef, apple sauce, and
picked oysters, than ever were prepared in
amy other country in the known world
Alter this massive meal is over, they return
to the drawing room, and it always appear
ed to me that they remained together, as
long as they could hear it, and then they
rise en- masse-cloak, bonnet, shawl, and
exit.
1t is they who are indeed slaves of the
soil. One has Int TO look at the wife of an
American cottager, and ask her age, to be
convinced that the life she leads is one of
hardship, prvation and labor. 1t is rare to
see woman in this station who has reach
Ell the age Of thirty without losing every
| nj unnt,
a4iy see women with infants on their knee.
taa' you ieel sure are their grand children,
thi some convincing proof of the contrary
dispayed' Even the young girls, thoueh
hteh win lovely features, look pale, thin
and haggard. do no, remember TO have
seen IN any s;ngle instance, among the poor.
speclmen OF the plump, rosy, laughing
! Physlognomy. so common among our cot
tage girls. The horror of domestic service.
which the reality of slavery, and the fable
OF equa llty, have generated, excludes the
young women from that sure and most COM
Portable resource Of decent English girls
and the consequence is, that with most
lrrcverent freedom of manner to the pa
rents. the daughters are, to the full extent of
the word, domestic slaves. This condition,
which no periodical merry making, no vii
changed for the still sadder burdens of a
teemIng wife. They marry very young
in fact, Ir no rank of life do you meet with
young women in that delightful period of
existence between childhood and maria q @,
wherein, if only tolerably well SPENT so
much US eiul information is gained, and the
character takes a sufficient degree of firm
ness to support with dignity the more i'm
of, H.
slender childish thing, without vigor of
mind or body. is maize to stem sea of
troubles that dims her young eye and makes
her cheek grow pale, even before nature
has given it the last beautiful finish of the
full grown woman.
awe shall get along" is the answer in
full, for all that can be said by way of adj
vice 10 a boy and girl who take it into their
heads to 60 before Il magistrate and get
married. And they do get along, till sick
ness owe rtakes them, 10y means, perhaps, OF
borrowing a kettle from one, and tea pot
from another hut ntemperance, idleness,
and sickness will, in one week, plunge
those who are even getting along well, into
utter desttutlon and where this happens,
they ale completely without resource.
The absence of poor laws is, without
doubt, blessing to the country, but they
have not the natural and reasonable depend
ence on the richer classes, which. in coun-
tries differently constituted, may so well
supply their place. suppose there is less
aims giving in America than in any other
Christian country on the face of tie globe.
II IS not IN the temper Of the people. either 10
giUe or 10 yeceive.
Among other instances Of that sDecies of
modesty so often seen in an American, and
so unknown to us, | frequently witnessed
one, which, while it evinced the deIicacy of
the ladies, gave opportunity for many lively
sallies from the gentlemen. | saw the same
sort of thing repeated on several different
occasions at least half dozen times, e. e.
a young lady is employed in making SHIRT,
(Which it would he a symptom of absolute
depravity to name.) A gentleman enters,
and presently begins the sprightly da-
logue, with, Z" What are you making, Miss
ClaFissa: z"
"Oniy frock for my sisters doll, sir;
I" "A frock not possible. Don't see that
it is not frock? Come, Miss Clarissa, wha,
is it,"
IT'S Just an apron for one of orr ne
groes, Mr.. Smith"
"How can you, Miss Clnrlssa why is
not the two sides joined together? l ex-
! pect YOU were better tell me what it Isl"
my why then Mr.. Smith it is just IL
| pillow case"
"Now that passes, Miss Clarissa IT'S n
pillow case for giant then. Shall guess,
Miss ?"
"Quit, Mr.. Smi,h-behave yourself, or
III certainly be affronted."
Before the conversation arrives at this
| point, both gentleman and lady are in con-
WILSON'S of laughter. | once saw young
lady SO hard driven by wit, that to prove
she was making bag, and nothing but ii
bag, she sewed up the ends before his eyes,
shelving it trumphantly and exclalming-
"There now what can you say to that ~
One paragraph more, descriptive of n
bail and supper.
The arrangements for the supper were
very singular, but eminently characteristic
Of the country. The gentlemen had splen-
did entertainment spread for them in an.
other large room of the hotel, while the
poor ladies' had each plate put into their
hands, as they pensvely promenaded the
ball room during their absence; and short
! ly afterwards servants appeared, bearing
trays Of sweetmeats, cakes and creams.
| The fair creatures then sat down on n row
of chairs placed round the walls, and each
making table of her knees, began eating
her sweet, but sad and sulky lepast The
effect was extremely comic /; their gala
dresses aud the decorated room, forming a
contrast the most unnccountable with their
uncomfortable and forlorn condition.
This arrangement was owing neither to
economy nor want of room large enough
| IN accommodate the whole party Int puIe Y