The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-03-31
From he Nep Pork Eoening Post.

III. Ampere's Pr0menades In America,
The last number of the Revue dies deux Monde,
contains another paper from M. AmpAre. He 70.
appears again in the United States At f,ard.rs
burgh, intending to take the fret boat west INIT
las NOBODY warns one OF any thing in America !,
tns ooat steams on without him, and leaves him t.
Gay ana hall OF reflections at Ogdensburgh
"One OF the most interesting spectacles Which
ine United States present to an European. ia VIA
may perhaps call the embryogeny Of cities. One
may study the entire process of formation: from
tne cluster OF wooden houses, which is the frs
In all its parts.''
Hls next station is Niagara Fails.
!. ne nrst eject was sublime; seen by the pale
iignt Of morning, through the fog, the river seem
Gu 20 laiI rom the clouds was in the presence Of
sometnlng extraordinary, miraculous. 1t was not
a spectacle, 1t was a -Chateaubriand hit
upon the only expression which can depict what
Ia., when he said 'ce't ure eolonns d,sau d. de-
two grandes things in this world are the ruins Of
Ihebes, among the monuments erected by man;
and among the works of nature the Falls OF
Niagara"
| cuated the water power of the cataract. 1t is of
4,oSS,l44 horse power-nineteen times greater
than all the motive power of Great Britain and
more than sufficient to work all the factories of the
world" -
Thence our traveller goes to Buffalo. Renewed
establishment on his part at the growth of western
cities. He poetizes the history of Mr. Rathbup,
whom ne makes the founder of the town. Look
Ing at the Buffalo water works, he asks: s'Have
they existed long?' "Certainly," was the answer,
''for more than year." Gin the United States
year is an age"
81 perceive that am approaching the west from
the greater familiarities of interiors. coachman
man, but it amuses me as much as the speech of
Roman cobbler of whom asked the way, and who
answered, sAmina mia, so.''
M. Ampere adds, by way of illustration, the
story OF - m the gentleman that's to drive you"
which we hope may be new in France
The Lake Erie steamer is object of wonder
nent even to member of the academy. ssThe
steamboat is floating house; house of several
stories, Emlgrants are heaped together the
ground-hoor; above is vast saloon, furnished
with tables, sofas, arm chairs stoves, and piano.
custom reserves one end of this apartment for la
dles. Every passenger has a little room, which
opens outWardly, in which he is at home. Life on
board is like hotel-life. When the gong sounds,
you take your place at the table-that is to say,
when the ladies are seated; until then, the walters
forbid you positively to sit down. No people in
the world obey recog nised authority 80 readily
Americans"
M Ampere's views of the Americans politeness
to women are not so fatterng to our vanity as our
own theories on the subject. Nine. Pulzsky has
something liar in her book
Gas regards this forced Difference to women no
one resists the walters, because the walters com.
mand In the name of the feeling of the majority
We all know with what attention (egards) women
are treated In the United States. This respect ia
pushed 80 tar that it extends to men who have a
lady IN Charge which must say thought rather
too much. These privileged mortals partake of
the advantages which American courtesy bestows
upon the fair sex, and it often vexed me to see
them comfortably seated while three hundred less
fortunate men waited standing, until some LADY,
who frequently was no lady, found it convenient
TO come and take his place. l once saw a cunning
american take an old woman from the emigrant
deck and pass in before US, because he had slady
In Clar0e.' This abnae huf
abuse OF a principle honor.
~ do not believe, is often asserted that this
respect Tor women grows out of their scarcity in
the west, because have noticed it everywhere.
suspect, from the rudeness of American manners
In country where the forms of politeness are re-
duced to their simplest expression this check did
not exist, an lntolerable (grossierate)
would arise in the relations between the sexes The
same reasons, perhaps, produced the gallantry of
the middle ages. In all societies which are more
vigorous than polished, an instinct warns mankind
70 respect weakness in order to avoid crushing it.
In the middle ages If the chevaliers bad not adored
women, they would have treated them as the cav
ages treat their women. An analogous state of
things presented itself in the United States, par
tcnlarly In the new settlements. more refined
people does not need to be restrained by such pre-
else regulations. Natural elegance of manners is
sufficient guarantee that women will be treated
with the respect they deserve. Still, must con-
less that we trust too much in France to our pro-
WI oioi ICpotdtlou loT pOuCeQeS5, ana that
countrymen might often be reminded, with ad.
vantage, by waiter, to observe a duty which they
frequently neglect to fulfil"
M. Ampere reaches Detroit and visits General
Cass 81 had the honor of seeing General Cass in
his family circle There is no affectation of dem
ocratic manners about him His house is modest,
not differing from those of his neighbours Every
thing In 1t bore the stamp of digniied simplicity
Mr.. Cass spoke much of Louis Philippe. to whose
memory he is still much attached. He thinks that
france m nnin ;&,,k;o II
monarchy for republic. l must say that have
never met an American who was not of this opin.
lon." If SO, we can only say that M. Ampere
must have kept strange company while in Anne.
RIGA.
General Cass told his visitor that in 1910 there
were only 20 900 white inhabitants west of Detroit
and that now there are 100000. This rapid
growth of a country seems to have impressed M.
Ampere more than any thing else. He sees a
crowd OF Detroiters hurrying to look at a Door
picture. "Good heavens,'' he exclaims, show can
you pay to look at such miserable daub, when
you have this miracle of expansion all around YOU
spectacle which all Europe could not present!''
Presbyterian sermon on the decline of religion
amuses him. The preacher warned his hearers
against idleness and negligence, and took his COM
parsons from commercial life. elf young men
prefer horse and buggy and cunning to their
great business of hereafter" M. Ampere thinks
that there is more faith and religious zeal Ten
troine'aent) at the west than at the east Such has
not Deen our experience lie cannot De made to
understand the advantages of sectariansm. He
finds thirty.sx churches in Chicago. "They be-
long to different Christian sects. hear said often
1--WE like diversity of sects; we consider it qua
rantee against the preponderance of any one of
them This is the true democratic spirit; but is
it the religious spirit which appears to be so pow
erful in America? The sentiments of Americans,
as regards religion, are an enigma which do not
yet we'll understand If they really admit any pro-
fession of faith, it is impossible they should think
that sects who differ in vital points and anathema-
tie one another, should be equally in possession of
truth. Perhaps in the United States the majority
feel more the excellence and moral usefulness of
religion than the truth of any given dogma. Men
OF action rather than of thought their will adheres
strongly to belief that they have never had the
time or the taste to examine. know number of
such Americans at Paris.''
From Chicago the pilgrim takes the train west
ward to look upon prairie, and is impressed by
the spectacle.
"Not sound, not movement-the sky, as at
sea, seems to plunge beyond the horizon. Thought
OF the beautiful verses in which Mr.. Bryant, an
American poet, has sung these immense steppes,
on the borders of which am standing; but at
least to-day, l may say as he did,
"'And am in the wilderness alone'"
down train cuts short his reverie sin the will
derness." He is carried off by it to Chicago and
| Mr.. Ogden's pleasant mansion, where the evening
is spent in eating ices and in listening to good