The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-05-23
DOMESTIC MANNERS OF THE
AMERICANS"
BY MRS. rReLLopE.

s, been published in London. The descrip
~ tons are very much exaggerated, and a.
Id regards large portion OF our country, un
true. We give few extracts as speci
men. The lady landed at New Orleans
- and proceeded up The Mississippi.
Let no one, she says, who wishes to re.
', ceive agreeable impressions of American
" manners, commence their travels in n Mis-
', sissipp steam hoat; for myself it is with
= all sincerity declare, that | would inf
niteIy prefer sharing the apartment of pa r,
>: ty of wel-conditioned pigs to the being CON
d fined to its cabin.
e hardly know any annoyance so deeply
r rcpugnant to English feelings, as the in.
r cessant. remorseless splitting of Americans.
y The gentlemen in the cabin would Ger
tainly neither, from their language, man
ners, nor appearance, hnpe received that
e designation in Europe but we soon found
their claim to it rested on more substantial
e ground, for we heard them nearly all adj
' dressed by the titles of general, colonel,
> and major. On mentioning these military
djgnities to an English friend some time
afterwards, he told me that he too had made
the voyage with the same description of
company, but remarking that there was not
n single captain nmong them, he made the
observation TO fellow passenger, and ask
ed how he accounted for it, iOh. sir. The
captains are all on deck was the reply.
r The total want of the usual cour,esies of
the table. the voracious rapidity with which
the vians were seized and devoured, the
strange, uncouth phrases and prenun-
citation the lonthsome splitting, from the
&c al, II.
impossible TO protect our dresses; the fright
ful manner of feeding with their knives, till
the whole blade seemed to enter into the
mouth and the still more trghtfnl manner
of cleaning the teeth afterwards with a
, pocket knife, soon forced us to feel that we
were not surrounded by the generals, colo
nels, and majors of the old world and that
the dinner hour was TO be any thing ra,h-
er than an hour of enjoyment.
In the beginning of February our party
reached the town of Cincinnati, on the right
bank of the Ohio. of course they were
obliged to snatch their first hurried meal
at the public table but as they had not vet
become reconciled to the fashions of the
country, they preferred taking tea in their
) own room. A good-nntui ed Irish woman
served them as waiter, when loud sharp
: knocking was heard at the door, and in
walked portly parsonage, who proclaimed
himself their landlord
"Are any of you i'll 2" he began. "No.
think you, sir we are all quite WE'LL" was
my reply. "Then, madam, must tell you,
' that, | cannot accommodate you on these
terms, we have no family tea.drlnklngs
here. and you must either live with me or
my wife, or not at all in my house." This
was said with an air of authority that al
most precluded reply, but ventured sort
i of npologistic hint, that we were strangers
Il and unaccustomed TO the manners of the
country. Our manners tsaid hey are very
good manners. and we don't wish any chan
ges from England" l made no farther re-
monstranc", bat determined TO hasten my
removal. This we achieved the next day
TO our great satisfaction.
It The greatest difficulty in organizing a
family establishment in Ohio is getting ser
wants. or as it is there called, "getting
!, help" for i. is more than petty treason TO
= the republic to call free citizen servant.
. The whole class of young women, whose
i. bread depends upon their labor, ale taught
}, to believe that the most ahject poverty is
preferable to domestic service. Hundreds
of half-naked girls work in the paper mills,
or in any other mandatory, for less than
half the wages they would receive in SER
vice; but they think their equality is com
promised by the latter, and nothing but the
wish to obtain some particular article OF
!, lnery will ever induce them to submit to it.
! A kind friend, however, exerted herself so
eifectually for me, that n tall stately lass
soon presented herself, saying, !" | be come
TO help you" The intelligence was very
agreeable and | welcomed her in the most
gracious manner possible, and asked what
| should give her 10y the year. "Oh Giml-
ni!' exclaimed the damsel, with loud
laugh, "you he downright Englisher,
sure enough. should like to see a young
lady engage by the year in America!
hope | shall get a husband before many
months, or expect shall le an outright
old maid, for be most seventeen already
: besides, mayhap want TO 90 10 school,
e You must just give one dollar and half a
week; and mothers slave, Phillis, must
come over once week, expect from 10th
er side the water to help me clean"
agreed to the bargain of course, with all
dutful submission and seeing she was
preparing to set to work in yellow
dress wilt red roses, gently bnted that
l thought 1t was pity to spoil so fine Il
gown. and that she had better change it,
Ills just my best and worst" she answer.
Ell, "for I've got no other" And in truth
] found that this young lady had left the
paterna mansion with no more clothes Of
any kind than what she had on. | imme'
dntely gave her money to purchase wha'
y was necessary for cleanliness and decency
: and set to work with my daughters to make
her gown. She grnned applause wher
our labor was completed, but never uttered
the slightest expression of gratitude for thai
, or tor any thing else we could do for her
She was constantly asking US to lend hel
j. different articles of dress, and when we de
cined it, she said, Well, | never seed sucl
grumpy folks as you NE; there is severa
young ladies Of my acquaintance what goe'
to live out now and then with old womeI
about the town, and they and their gurl,
always lends them what they asks for
guess, you lnglish thinks we should poison
your things, Just MS if we was negurs."
Such being the difficulties respecting do
nestle arrangements, adds our author i
is obvious, that the ladies who are brough
- up amongst them cannot have leisure fol
any development Of the mind; it is, in fact
out of the question; and remembering this
it is more surprising that some among then
should be very pleasing, than that none
should he highly instructed. But, whatev
or may be the talents Of the persons who
&c may meet together in society, the very
=. shape, form, and arrangements Of the meet
ing is sufficient to paralyze conversation
The women invariably herd together at one
part Of the room, and the men at the other
but, in Justice to Cincinnati, must acknow