The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1853-08-11
From Colonel S!eigh's American Travels.
America and England.

In America, to fight bravely and obsti-
nately for position and wealth is accounted
honorable and praiseworthy. An honest
man, whatever his calling, is treated with
consideration, and is respected; every man
amongst them there glories in the designa-
ton ofan sadventurer' In the old coun-
try, we are sorry to say, if man, by dint
of talent and genius, defes the prejudice
against one not nobly born, or illustrious-
ly allied to some good old family enters
that field of an Englishman's ambition
the House of Commons-and afterwards
obtains Office, he is after all stigmatized as
an 'adventurer.' Life is one grand adven-
ture, and the man who rises by dint or tai
ent and genius is not so much an adven-
turer as were the Norman conquerors, who
sacked and pillaged, and divided amongst
themselves the fair fields of England
They adyentured on England because
there was a prize to be sought and obtain
ed by their valor-acres not to be found
attached to their patrimonial 'homesteads'
in Normandy. In point of fact, they who
came in with the Conquefor' were power
ty-stricken marauders, obliged to seek in
other lands for areplenishing of the purse,
if mony of them ever owned such an arti
Gle. Even the bishops doffed the mitre for
the helmet, and the pastoral staff was
thrown aside for the battle-axe and lance,
as the old pilot of Eastport relinquished
the guage at the Custom House for the
helm of the Fairy Queen, when he heard
that the tenure of the former was in jeo-
pardy.
In the United States the people are all
more or less educated To find a perfect
ly ignorant native-born American, would
be to discover phenomenon to be exhibit
ted. They are, it is true, tainted withna
tional prejudices, which are unpleasant to
strangers, but by no means. injurious to
themselves. In the arts and sciences
geography, chemistry, mineralogy and
history, they are generally well-read. l
have often been surprised at hearing coun-
try-people account for various phenomena
ofnature on scientific principles, not, as
elsewhere, repeating the traditions of igno-
rance or superstition. Its fault in Bro
ther Jonathan that he lets you know the
extent of his reading by continual refer
ence to authorities. The effect of this
widely diffused education is to render self
respect very conspicuous in the American
character. Aperson may be tradesman,
a mechanic, or an operative engineer, and
still he is a gentleman, in the true accep-
tation of that term, in manners, informa-
ton, politeness, and his general conduct
in society. He can be polite without fear
of losing caste. The odious specimen of
humanity-a weed which grows and some
times thrives in England-the parvenu, is
unknown in the United States. There
every man is proud of his or his fathers
elevation in life through his industry and
hard labor, mental or physical.
| have hitherto spoken of the educated
classes, who are your everyday compan-
ions in travelling, in the hotels, or at the
theatre. That the lower orders, the rank
and,file of the American citizens the
German, Irish, Scotch and English, and
the native American ruffian, the 'b'hoy,') J
are rather unpleasant specimens of hui
manity, none can deny, and by their votes
they virtually govern the upper and more
highly educated classes. In England,