The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-09-27

the same thing, and there u enough ouiy tVf one,
the Engshman is sure to get n; for the caterer to
his tastes and necessities knows that he will not
dispute the bill He is not 20 famlar-pr, il he Is,
he is careful to appear to be profoundly ignorant
upon the subject-wh the real value or the regular
price of what is furnished. He ia. on the whole,
apt TO show that this species of information con-
Germs rather the duty of his steward, courier, or
valet, l have often observed that, at the table
d'hots, all over the continent, ii is no uncommon
thing for the Englishman TO be made TO pay just
double the price Of everybody else, where every
body Jared just alike. Englshmen, therefore, con-
sttute, in some respects, exception to the general
proposition we laid down in regard to society. In
travelling, he is always to have money at his
bankers and his banker is always expected to give
him an entres into fashionable society.
But the society of America and its race Of lin
ners are quite another affair. The one has no
more in common with the other, than his Grace
the Duke of Wellington has with Richard Golden,
or Jefiersons gunboats with the victories of Lord
Nelson. America is a republic, becoming more
democratic every day, and the majority have their
own way in every thing. They always have had,
from the morning the sober Puritans of Boston flung
the tea into the harbor and burned good King George
Ill. in effigy, down to the admission of California;
and we think il likely this will continue to be the
case for some time to come. They will, moreover.
have their own way in every thing-in making
laws for banking, and in making laws for society
They will elect their presidents and their own
lady patronnesses; and these, be II remembered,
were the very objects they had in view when they
cast off the mantle Of monarchy and put them
selves into what Goblet called the "slraght jacket
OF democracy" They could not do just as they
pleased under the British crown, albeit Lord
North said they had done SO, and they rebeled, and
set up republic, fighting years against fear
full odds, to prove the earnestness Of their words
when they issued that noble Declaration OF Inde.
pendence. Ii should not be forgotten that the only
object the Americans had in that memorable
struggle, was to do they pleased in every thing
freak which had been more common among
kings than ameng the people. Victory, at last,
secured the object they were fighting for; and they
Immediately began the difficult work of org anzing
civil and social institutions. The only rule ever
proposed among them that has always been acted
up TO, has been the greatest good of the greatest
number-the only test Of strength being the ma
jory This is the principle, and this the spirit of
their government their institutions, and their So
ciety. Whatever has grown up contrary to this
mass of the people stirred to contemplate its abuses
In this way, alien and sedition laws, national
banks, high protective tariffs, and other things,
have gone down to come up more.
Here is the key which opens to the traveller, or
would do so if he got hold Of il and could APP
ply it to the lock, the secret of American insttu
tons and society; and no European can trace its
operation without being struck with the fidelity
Nth he Ap,er,cans have adhsrsd 4,
Many of the grossest errors into which European
writers have fallen in regard to America, would
have been entirely avoided if they could be made
to understand, and afterwards constantly refer to,
this fundamental principle.
But to be more specific. The tourist who comes
from the old world brings his European education,
habits, and prejudices along with him. He is al
mos, rs distinctly marked the fossil. and almost
as certainly betrays the place Of his original depo-
cit. Although he may have been often warned
against it, he is sure to try everything by his own
standard, or rather the standard Of the place he
came from, and the people he has formerly dealt
with, unless, indeed, he be what is called man Of
the world-a gentleman-and then he tries every.
ihinghere by the European standard II he Is intro
duced into circle in Boston, it is select Of course,
like every other circle, from the Congress of
| Vienna up TO the Forty Thieves. lie takes il as a
sample Of The select society of the country gene
rally or, a, least, Of that particular place. And
yet, could introduce him, in that same city, to a
dozen circles just as select from any Of which
he would carry away quite another set of IDEAS Of
the little town Of Boston.
Now, we venture TO say there is no town on the
continent Of Europe Of the same size. where the
stranger would find any two rival societies, each
claiming TO be the highest and the best or il he
found two, he would find twenty, which amounts
to the same thing In Europe, every where, the
beet society means the only society-the highes,
class, the aristccracy, made up Of mobiles, off,
GERS of government, civil and military, prelates,
artists, and scholars. In America, the standard
of beat society, Of the highest class, called is
perpetually changing. In New England, IL is some
tin,es character and sometimes cant. In the West,
wealth politics In the South the amount Of
| cotton produced and negroes owned. In Virginia,
/ femily and in New York, God only knows. Ia
/ New Haven, the best society means the best edu-
| Gated and the most refined. In Boston, the poor
I bewildered traveller finds the standard one day
orthodoxy, the next Unitaranisn, the third Parker
Ism, the fourth uanscendent aism, the fifth abol-
ton, the sixth some other isgr and 80 on ad INF.
nifHm II lie probable that the number who. ia
America, put forth pretensions OF belonging to the
fire, class is a, leas, ten times larger in proportion
to the entire population, than in any country Of
Europe AS natural consequence. in the struggle
for consideration there is struggle for the true
standard Of best society and the traveller Sees IN
every village, NANNY little temples Of fashion as
he does places Of worship for wrangling sects.
How can he apply his European standard, where
IT IL, for the mosi part. entirely unknown, and
every where disregarded
10 Europe, society has gone through centuries
Of successive agitation, struggles and repose. The
g, diment has gone to the bottom, and the foam
has risen - the top In America, to keep up the
chemical image. no precipitation has yet taken
place. After all that has been said, there is no
arisiocraey among us or. ai all events, IL il, at
best. only the impilpable fPtus from which only
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