Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-11-05
ANALYSIS OF THE AMERICAN
CHARACTER

A work has Just been published in England, ell.
| titled "1wo Years on the Farms OF Uucle Sam,
with sketches of his Locations, Nephews and
Prospects," by Charles Casey, The author Of which
seems to have some power and considerable power
| of analysis. We find the following passages from
the work in one ofour English exchanges, AMI give
them as indicating at least desire rightly to appre
ciate the American claracter:-N. 4. Com. app.
| .Vieing with the Partisan in dress, the English
| in energy cautious as n Dutchman, impulsive n
Irjshman patriotic as Tell, bIave Wallace, cool
as Wellington and royal as Alexander-there he
goes, the American citizen! In a. swerng your
question or speaking commonly his style is that OF
| the ancient Spartan; but put him on stump, with
audience of Wings, Democrats or Barnburners, and
| he becomes compound of Crib and Demosthanes,
fountain of eoquence, PASSION sentiment, sarr
casm logic and drollery, altogether different from
anything known or msgined in the Old World
States. Say anything of anybody (as public men)
united with conventional phraseology, he swings
his RHETORICAL mace with a vigorous arm, crushing
the anagonistc principle or persons into most WI
laneous compound. See him at dinner; he dis
patches his meal with speed which lead you to
suppose lin rumnating animal; yet enjoying his
cgarro for All hour afterwards with the gusto and
"ennui" of Spaniard.
Walking right on, as if it were life against time,
with the glass at fever heat, yet taking it cool IN
| the most serious and pressing matter, a compound
of the red man, Brummell and Franklin-statesman
and aborer, on he goes, divided and subdlvided IN
politics and religion, professionally opposed with
|
in England; yet let but the national rights of Ii
berty be threatened, and that vast nation stands
pyramid of resolve, united as one man, with heart
| head, hand, purse, burning with Roman zeal TO
defend inviolate the cause OF the commonwealth.
| "To him, Who has lived among the Americans
| and looked largely at the theory and practice OF
their Government and its Executive, there remains
no doubt that the greatest amount oil personal Sc.
curty and freedom has been produced from the least
amount of cost of any nation in the world. Culling
its principles and wisdom from the history of all
empires it stands the nearest CT all earthly systems
to perfection, because it is built on and embodies
those principles which God has proclaimed in his
attributes. aH ly....
al noticed that the Americans set less value on
life than Europeans; that is, he does not think the
loss of life the greatest loss, the ultimatum When
| n man dies, you see none of that sentiment Il use
the best term can think OF which surrounds such
an event in older countries. The American is 81
lent in manner, embarrassngly SO at first, extreme
| " accurate in his observation of human nature,
| and any man that cannot bear to be scrutinized
| had better not come here. The American judges
lmuch by the eye and has most enviable power OF
estimation; your temperament, speech, look and
act all taken by him; and If you can get at the
table of his judgment, you will find remarkable
daguerreotype of your exact worth written thereon
They are phrenologists and physiognomists, not
merely as philosophers, but as practical applies o.
those inductiye sciences, and beneath show OF
positive azinesS OF lnnguor, there is an amount OF
energy and action, mental and physical, perfect,
surprising. They are not arerse TO the higher
branches of science and literature; but they bent
all TO utility and are, nation, the best arthme-
ticians in the world; and this science alones gives
teIse, matter of fact tone to their mental working
In fact, when a man wants to reflect on PROPOSE
ton, he says: "W ait till figure up.'
|
"rhe law courts trulydemocratic in the first
glance of the strangers eye, who has been accus.
toned to see law dispensed with the auxillaries Of
horse hair, ermine, and policemen. There is nc
dock with spiked bar, crer up in the pulpit mol
counsel with flowing robes, high wigs and pletho,
ric bags In the City Hall at New York, entered
one of the courts, consisting of large room with
an elevated seat at one end, on which was seated
an ordinary looking gentleman, dressed in plain
clothes, while other similarly dressed gentleman
occupied arm chairs, their legs and arms disposed
in every conceivable attitude. 1t was the crlmi.
nal court; railing ran across the room, outside
were benches for ae people; at table were seated
the lawyers in the cause, and the jury at one side,
in twelve chairs"