The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1856-05-07
FRENCH VIEWS of AMERICAN DRESS,
BY BLAGuE DE auANART.

translated from the French Of the eminent
journalist Bague de Quanart, whose contri.
buttons to the principal Partisan and Belgian
journals have of late years attracted SO much
attention: -
II has often been remarked by travellers,
that one of the predominant characteristics of
our American cities is their newness. Ev-
erywhere there is fresh, bright color, and
! an expression OF recent manufacture the
houses seem 10 have been turned oui by
thousands to ordeL and look as if just finish.
ed in one colossal batch-the pasements are
washed as If for holiday--the very trees on
The sidewalks, in their elaborately trimmed
nealnsss, ::look as il they were young, and
not ye, accustomed 10 a regular growing life
i'm short, the endless newness and recent
fashion of everything creates at least feel
ing as though the whole city were for sale,
and lis propristors were bent on keeping ii
as clean, and as much in The style as posi-.
Bile, so ,ha, no opportunity to praise /, as "a
neat and tasty thing, sir" might be lost.
But not in houses alone do we perceive
endless newness and never ending submis-
sion 10 the mode as though the Americans,
who have succeeded thus far, better than any
other nation IN annihilaling space, were bent
on defyiIg time also, and leaving no'trace
oi his progress in the past. These people,
SO rapid, SO bruSque, when threatened with
delay, so intoxicated with the endless spirit
Of business, still contrve to present in their
persons a newness and freshness of attire
which altogether corresponds with their
houses, and which, 10 practical philoso
pher, is perhaps one of the most curious ol
the lesser phenomena of the race. For, as
among the houses, there are but few Of
those pala,ial edifioes so common in Europe,
although their freshness and luxury of paint
and scrlbbing distinguishes them entirely
from the citizen homes of France and Ger
many, or even England, so :he American,
though bu, rarely fashion-plate dandy, still
in his style and attire maintains on an aver
age, an infinitely higher standard than that
aspned 10 by his colleague in perhaps the
same line of life in Europe. When you
promenade even.the Boulevards of Paris, or
ride in the Champs Elysees-those gardens
of all the flowers Of fashionable attire, where
the robes and Aounces of yic,oune wave in
harmony witt the arlistically constructed
ccals OF Humann-you do not, 70. all that,
find yourself in multitude of well dressed
people. No--even there the long haired
peasant, en- House; the artist, fierce, pictures.
que, and sometimes dirty; The old gentle.
men who recalls the storms of the Revolu.
ton, and who clings fondly 10 his long queue
and coat la MaSarin, (or who rather So ffers
them to cling 10 him)-all these persons,
picturesque though they may be, break in
upon the idea of plain good dressing. They
may serve as foils to others, but are in them
selves discords--of silk, cotton and woolen.
But let some one who can recall the best
dressed street multitude which he has ever
seen in Europe, walk some fine morning up
an American street, and that at about nine
o'clock, Just when the entire current of busi-
ness men is flowing down town in one enor-
nous tide towards its daily haun,s Par
preference, would commend Broadway, New
York, for this observation, since | can recall
no other city in which such vast food OF
life flows through one single street. You
who have only seen the Boulevards, or the
Pom, Neuf, when most filled with passengers,
or who have derived ideas of crowded
thorough.are from tha: terror 10 strangers,
the Strand in London, or who believe ,ha.
the Vienna Prater was ever too lull on the
day of high procession, would regard them
all as dreary solitudes when compared with
Broadway. In all this immense multitude
there is not one who is not more than passa-
bly, dressed, and If you see single person
among them whose boois are not faultless,
or with soles which are not thin as rose
leaf, you may rely upon it that he is an En-.
glishman, German, or millionare. None
but foreigner, or man whose standing is
more than secured in society, would dare
transgress the law of good boots which
weighs more heavily upon the Amencan
than all the ieI commandments and the com.
non code Of the land.
Chiefly are we impressed with the fact
that among all these fine clothes there is
nothing outrc--no,hing absurd-unless it be
indeed an occasional instance given by some
one who in. his intense eagemess 10 keep up
with the fashion has actually leaped beyond
it. In this uniformity-lhis dread of being
"odd'--this terror of eccentricity this awe
of singularity-we have curious illustra'
lion of one Of the ultimate social effects Of 9
republic. In all communities where every
one exercises freely his right TO express
opinion, and where such rights are cherish
ed as the dearest of privileges, we soon have
public opinion-fot as history is nothing
but fusion of biographies, SO in republic
the governing opinion is nothing but the
concentrated thoughts Of the many. This
public opinion, confined in Europe 10 so few
points, extends itself in America over many
II may say myriads. 1t has few bat
points, and many good ones. II Is the cause
of little hypocrisy and of much SOUND
morality. IL suffers no one TO wear an OLE
coat, bat condemns TO q dreary and despe
rate life Of brandy, Of clubs and Of stables
the man who gives himself entirely up Il
Ill G. ~1~,Ls. =. A.. h~:r.<~ al. s4s.i t.a