The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-07-27

arrive. They are not obliged to choose be-
tween washing their own dishes, OF having
tnelr cut glass, silver and china, left to the
mercy OF foreigner, who has never done any
: thing but field work And last, not least they
arc not possessed with that ambition to do the
Impossible In all branches, which, believe, is
the death OF third of the women in America
"hat Is there ever read Of in books, or de-
scrlDed IN foreign travel, as attained by people
in possession Of every means and appliance.
which our women will not undertake single
handed, in spite of every proyidential indica-
ton to the contrary Who is not cognizant
OF dinner parties invited, in which the lady Of
the mouse has figured successfully as confeo-
toner, cook, dining-rCom girl. and lastly. rush
ed up stairs to bathe her glowing cheeks.
smooth her hair draw on satin dress and kid
gloves and appear in tho drawing room as if
nothing were the matter? Certainly, the IN
daunted bravery Of Cur American females can
never eno1gh he admired. Other women can
play gracefully the head Of the establishment;
bot who, like them, could be head, hand and
foot, all ut once?
AS have spoken Of stoves, viii here re-
mark that have not yet seen one in England
| neither so far as | can remember have | seen
a house warmed by q furnace. Bright coal
fires, in CRATES of polished steel, are as yet the
| lares and pcnates Of old England If | an in
clined to mourn over any detection in nv own
country, it is the closing up Of the cheerful
open fire. with its bright lights and dancing
shadows, and tho planting on our domestic
hearth Of that sullen, sitting g0ome, the air
| tight | agree with Hawthorne in thinking
| the movement fatal to patriotism ; for who
would fight for an air-tght!"
We must differ from Mrs. Stowe as from
some other American tourists. During the
| month Or two wa sr,nrL - orJo, a,3 IT,,
land last summer, our attention was constantly
directed to the appearance of Eaglish women.
At their operas, in their parties in their
churches, On the streets and at their watering
places, we observed them critically, and GER
tainly with favorable preposse.sious; but wo
could not see the justice OF such contrast as
that presented in the foregoing extract. Asa
| general rule, we have no hesitation in saving.
that American women, when married, retain
their good looks and their healthf1Incss Of ap-
pearance quite as long as the English How
can we help believing this, when on the single
street in which we live, comprising some twenty
Six residences, there arc about ninety children,
ranging from one year to fifteen, end that their
mothers, with one or two exceptions, are large,
|
ing women, without any Of those irregularities
to which Mrs. Stowe alludcsl Shall we be
| pardoned for saying that their average weight
would be over one hundred and twenty, while
| some Of them would reach near one hundred
and forty? The truth is, in passing in review
before. our minds eye, the married ladies Of
our acquaintance throughout the country-and
fhasr tLok 81, IS
form and fine health are the rule aDgulsrity
and i'll health the exception. 1t is no dispar-
agement to English women to say that our
American women will suffer nothing by COM
perison with them at any stage of life.
Mrs. Stowe viii pardon US, but we arc in
elined TO think that the superior qunor ae;es;1sai
beauty Of England, Ike its surprising roast
beef, is partly traditional
MACAULAY.
81 had met Macaulay before, but az YOU
have not, you Will of course ask lady's first
question, How does he look -
"Weli, my dear, so Far as relates Co tho mere
outward husk Of the soul, orr cngravcrs and
daguerreotypists have done their work as well
as they usually do. The engraviugs that yCu
get in the best editions Of his works may DO
considered, | suppose, = fair representation Of
how he looks when he sits to have his picture
taken, which is generally very different from
the way anybody locks at any other time
People seem to forgot, in taking likenesses, that
the features Of the face arc nothing but an
alphabet and that a dry, dead map Of per
sons face gives 10 more idea how one looks
than the simple presentation Of Tn alphabet
shows what there is in poem.
" Macaulay's whole physique gives you the
impression Of great strength and stamina Of
constitution. he has tho kind Of frame which
we usually imagine as peculiarly English;
short, stout, and firmly knit. There is come
thing hearty in oil his demonstrations He
speaks in that full, round, rolling voice deep
from the chest, which we also conceive CT as
being more common in England than America.
AS to his conversation, it is just ike bis writing;
that is to say, 1t shows very strongly the same
qualities Of mind.
was informed that he is famous for q most
uncommon memory one Of those men 70 whom
it seems impossible to forget q thing once
read; and he has read all sorts Of things that
can be thought OF, in all Languages. A gem
tleman told rue that he could repeat ell the
NeWgato literature, hanging ballads last
speeches, and dying confessions while his
knowledge Of Milton is 80 accyto that if his
poems were blotted out of existence they
might be restored simply from bis memory.
This same accurate knowledge extends to the
Latin and Greek classics and to much of the
literature Of modern Europe. Had nature been
required to make u man to order, for per-
feet historian, nothing better could haze been
put together, especially since there ID enough
Of the poetic fire included in the composition,
TO fuse oil these multiplied materials together,
and color the historical capitalization with
them.
Macaulay ia about fifty He has never
married yet there are unmistakabie evidences,
in the breathngs and aspects Of the family
circle by whom he was surrounded, that the
social part is not wanting 10 his conformation
Some very charming young lady relative seem
ed 10 think quite "a much of their gifted uncle
as you might have done had he been yours.
Macaulay Is celebrated as a controversial
list and, like Coleridge, Carlyle, and almost
every ono who enjoys this reputation, he has
sometimes boen accused Of not allowing peo-
pie their fair share in conversation. This
might prove an objection, possibly, to those
who wish to talk; but as | greatly prefer to
hear, Is would prove none 20 me. | must say,
however, that on this occasion the matter was
quite equitably managed. There were should
think, some twenty or thirty at the breakfast
table, and the conversation formed itself into
little eddies CT two or three around the table,
now and then yelling cut into great bay OF
general discourse"
NEGRO PATRIoT.-The Charleston Bier
cury of late date chronicles the death. in
that city. On the 18th inst, Of Captain Will
hansen" free man of color, at the great age
Of one hundred and thirteen years In this
oop life of industry no accumulated a sniff