The Kanzas news., 1857-12-12
From { he Evening Post.

- From the Evening Post
Republicen Simplicity in New York
Mrs. Sole Hammerfest was a woman o
fashion; ske occupied 3 palatial residence
in Upper Tendoms gave fashionable parties,
and talked about the. elite as if she were
one of them l speak in the past tense,
for, as said Corporal Trim, ''are We not
here to-day, and gone in moment ?"
Once upon time, long ago. Mrs. Sole
Hammerfest, In a moment of weakness,
made this melancholy disclosure to friend,
to whom the facts were not new, though
the phases of feeling were
Years ago, when Mr. Hammersest was
a shoemaker, we occupied little room,
which was workshop, kitchen, and all
and used to think if ever had room
to myself, out of the way of the smell OF
leather, and the everlasting tap of the ham,
mer, I should be happy woman. We
were saving, and we prosPered and by
the next year thought we could afford to
take q room next US, where my husband
moved his work out of my way and left me
to myself
"I was delighted with the change, and
for time eontented, the place was so much
more tidy; but then began to think if I
only had separate bedroom how nice it
would be. ! had two little children, and
we really wanted more room. The next
year We had this also, and for a time l felt
very proud and very comfortable.
''Then, as I saw we were prospering. /
did not know why we might not have a lit
tie parlor, where we might sit down out of
the hustle, or see friend in quiet way
In time this also was added to our comfort.
But then we had some disagreeable neigh
bors, and concluded house to ourselves
would be perfect happiness and so we had
a house to ourselves, and nicely furnished.
"My husbands business prospered, and
in the end l thought if we only had a
house in Park Place, Park Place was up
per-tendom then,) as some already had
who had started IN life with us, should be
Isupremely happy. So in time we had a
house In Park Place, and a carriage and
horses, and ali that and we had plenty
of money and all we wanted, but-I'm a
shoemaker's wife still I''
But Mrs. Hammerfest said no more
about this; perhaps she had forgotten it
when they moved up town into brown
stone front, with all the modern convenien-
ces. The sons and daughters had grown
up into elegant men and women; her sons
spent money and her daughters swept the
streets; and they gave elegant entertain
ments, turned night into day, and lived a
life which might have been well enough
(tastes differ) if they had all drank of the
fountain of life and the fountain of youth.
Mrs. Hammerfest studied fashions, and
always followed them, no matter how alb
surd. She always bought the richest, judg-
ing by the price; indeed, as merchant
told her one day, the difficulty was to find
anything elegant and costly enough for
Mrs. Hammerfest.
It was manifestly absurd Somehow
she never became these things, and you al
ways thought how much more appropriate
would have been good stuff gown, and a
nice black silk for Sundays. Her parlors
were full of ornaolu, and gliding and cary
ing; and the covering of the furniture was
shot with gold. To be sure, it was too
good to use, and was always. covered, ex-
there. 1t would have been more appropri-
ate in the state apartments of a palace.
In Our American houses, where We have
at most only two or three rooms in which
to receive our friends, what right have we
to the furniture of palace, and who would
imagine it was republican simplicity, when
woman appears in the robes of princess?
It is part of the life of the Old World
nobility to blaze and shine and keep up the
splendors of the court; but if any of them,
like old H, had earned the money, perhaps
they would not have spent it so freely On
furniture and equipage and diamonds
However, here we must initiate their splen-
dor and spend the money, Tor give notes,
as the case may be, and have perhaps no
way to show it of, except to the neighbors,
or in the street. No wonder the French
man asked where our ladies were, when he
saw such professions of oyer-dressed wom-
en- in the street.
But to go On with my history. One day
Mr.. Sole Hammerfest's note went to pro-
test, and nobody knew how it was but af-
ter that, whatever he had seemed to melt
away, brown-stOne front palace, furniture
and all-summer friends vanished, and
nothing remained.
What could they do? The whole object
of life was taken away. The poor old man
was broken and almost gone, and Mrs
Hammerfest dropped into quarrelsome
old woman, while their children lapsed into
hopeless helplessness.
The young men had known how to spend
MONEY. to dress and to smoke; were good
judges of wine and cigars, and of horses ;;
but had not thought beyond. The young
women seemed equally hopeless they had
ccomplishments-a little music, a smatter-
ing of French and Italian-their reading
had been confined to few French words,
and their sewing to a trif1e of embroidery.
Dress and the display of dress had been
their business; and when they had no
longer means, the zest of life was gone.
need not follow them-as they had sown
so they must reap. Those who have no
earnest purpose in life, must not be disap-
pointed if they attain nothing.
For them-really could see nothing for