Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1841-11-11
OUR MEN AND OUR WOMEN.


Inquirer, one or two paragraphs from
Buckingham's Travels in America. The
work, while it abounds in exaggerations
seems to US we'll calculated as a sort Of
text book, from which passages might be
quoted, and accompanied with explana-
tons and comments. OF one thing this
traveller appears to be pretty well salts
fed, and 10 this we fully and cordially
agree with him-namely, that the Ameri.
can women are the most beautiful in the
world. Buckingham is an old and expe.
rienced traveller, and his authority on
this head is worth quoting, especially as
his predictions must have been rather
against US. We some time since gave a
redeeming passage from his work, and
we now subjoin another-elicited by a
visit TO Saratoga.
There were quite as many elegant
men, and great many more beautiful
women, than are usually seen among q
any public room at Brighton, Cheltenham
or Bath. Those from the South bear
away the palm Of superiority in beauty
and manners; there being an ease, a
grace, an elegance or polish about the
Southerns, whether ladies or gentlemen,
which those of The North, as far as my
observation has yet extended, did not at
tain. The women are incomparably more
beautiful and we saw here some from
Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, espe-
cially from Charleston, Norfolk and Bal.
timore, that would grace any court in
Europe while from Philadelphia and N.
York there were also some lovely coun.
;enances, especially among the young.
My opinion indeed was here strongly
confirmed, that there is no country in Eu-
rope, in which there are so many beauti
full faces among the women as in this the
symmetry Of their features, the contrast
between the marble Wilderness Of their
complexion, and their dark eyes and hair,
small mouths, and beautifully white and
regular teeth, are the chief traits Of their
beauty. But, on the other hand, they
want the full development of figure and
bust, as well as the rosy complexion and
coral lips of the healthy English beauty
and are still more deficient in that gaiety
and animation, which a brilliant female
countenance SO often expresses, in the
look of intelligence, and glow of feeling
and sentiment, which accompany the Ut
terance Of well. educated and we'll bred
woman at home"
The above appears to US pretty fair.
We beg leave, however, to enter one pro.
tocf a aipSf ha ton IF tho In,
TO the South. We admit cheerfully that
that section of country is adorned and
beautified with some of the loveliest beings
on earth-but even many Of these are
from the North, as is well known to oil
who have travelled and mingled in society
in that section. Buckingham is right to
some extent, with regard to figure and
bust, but it should be remembered that the
English taste is in this respect, less refined
than the American, and that what in the
fashionable circles Of English society
would be considered attractive and unex.
ceptonabe, would in this country be deem.
ed coarse and indicate, AS to the glow
Of feeling and sentiment, Buckingham is
altogether wrong. On proper occasions,
nowhere in the world may a stronger ex.
hibition of the right kind of feeling bo
seen than in this country. Indeed, many
argue that this is fault on the part Of
our females-that they are too susceptible
and that hence we have SO many early
marriages. For example, many Ameri-
can females marry between the ages Of
fifteen and twenty-more it is probable
between the ages of fifteen and eighteen,
than at any other period. Physicians
and those who have examined into the
subject, pronounce this premature, and
say that with our climate, from eighteen
to twenty two embraces much more ad.
visabe period.
Buckingham also alludes TO our male
society, and hits off some Of the woud-be
fashonab es-thus
"Ofth men in the fashionable circles
of society here, tho difference between the
old and the young is very striking. The
old men, from the South, and from Care
lima and Virginia especially, are what
would be called perfect gentlemen Of the
old school with us-precise, yet elegant
in their dress-courteous and atfabe in
their acknowledgement in their politics
and taste--lax in their morality, while
fashion sanctions their conduct-warm in
their attachments-and punctilious in all
points Of honor and etiquette"
|
:" The younger men among the fashion.
sbles are almos, copylsis Of the dress,
style and manners of the young men
abou, town. as they are called in London,
and are chiefly remarkable for foppery OF
dress, and the assumption Of boards, mus
tachios, and other exotic fashions, as if
they were either foreigners themselves,
or had travelled so long on the continent
Of Europe, as to bear about them the
marks of their sojourn at Rome, Naples
and Paris. Their manners, too, like those
of our young men about town. ara IA.
Their familiar than elegant, and more re-
markable for brusquerie and nonchalanee,
than for courtesy or refinement"
"THE Brave OLD OAK. THE largest