The Placer herald., 1863-09-12
Household Life in America, as Seen by a
Britisher.

BrltlSner.
The London Victoria Magazine has the
following article on household life in Ame-
rica:
In most respects the ordinary social life
OF an American household is very like that
of an English one. Every man, almost with,
or another, so that the male members are
always from home during the dav. The
difficulty of obtaining servants causes the
ladies' to look after the cares of the house
perhaps more than they would do in q
similar position here. But otherwise they
appeared to do very much what they would
have to do in England. Every American
woman is politician, and reads the papers
regular v-an occupation which takes up a
good deal of time. Then. too, there is a
popular passion for attending lectures and
meetings, which creates in itself number of
sources of interest for women. And finally,
calling in America is a custom enforced
with the strictest regularity Moreover, the
rocking-char is like smoking, at once an
amusement and an employment. The extent
to which American families live in hotels
appears to me to have been much exagge.
rated. The practice undoubtedly offers great
attractions to persons with small incomes
and without children. Still, of all the
people | was introduced to, only found
one gentleman living with his wife at hotel
and that was at Washington, where my
friend was himself only visitor for few
months Of course for one family who lives
at hotel in England, you have a hundred
who do so in America; and SO tar AS | could
learn, 1t was very common for a new " mar.
rled couple to board at a hotel during the
first year or so of their marriage But in
no sense is hote life the habluaI or ordinary
one of welto do Americans The social
amusemens of the people are, like our own
mostly home ones. In almost all the North,
ern States, the climate is too cold in winter
and too hot in summer for out door amuse
ments to be much in fashion, In the winter
there are the sleighing carnivaIs, which are
doubtless very enjoying to people who have
no objection to having their fingers frost
bitten; and in the early summer there are
strawberry teasts, which are a sort of gigan-
tic pic mic got up by the members of some
class or congregation. Dancing is said to
be the great passion of the young people in
America Personally | saw verv little of
1t, for since the war, there has been a strong
popular feeling against balls or festive meet
lng~ of any kind. The few dances | saw
anything Of were very like ordinary London
parties, except, perhaps, that supper was
more substantial meal than it is in London:
The most striking feature, however, about
them, was the extreme youth of the COM
pany. As rule, all American women
marry, and marry young; and after mar
mage they 90 out very little to balls. The
great majority of them become "church
members" and most of the churches, with
the exception of Episcopaian, look untavor-
ably, to say the least, on dancing. Card
playing seemed to me as rare in families as
1t is in Eny land, and indeed, from what
saw, should say that gambling in games of
chance was not a natural vice of the North
erners. The chief patrons of the faro
rooms were the wealthy Southerners, and
since the outbreak of the war most of these
saloons have been shut up for want Of Gus
tom. One odd fact about the Americans is,
that they are an emnently unmusical people.
never remember to have heard singing at
any private party or in any house stopped