Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1864-06-29
saIa on American Hospitality.

Once let the Americans really know
who and what you are, and they welcome
you with open arms. Their houses,
their horses, their carriages, their ser
wants, are all at your disposal, not meta
phorically, as the Spaniards offer them,
but actually and entirely. They will
dine you, they will breakfast you, they
will sup you, and when there is nothing
legitimate in the way of eating and
drinking, going on, they will press you
to have oysters. They will give you, if
you allow them, great deal more cham
pagne, Madeira, Scotch ale, and Bourbon
whiskey, than is good for you. fyou say
you are a teetotaller, they will send you
a dose of Congress water or efervescing
sarsaparilla IF you confess yourself
smoker, they will cram your pockets
with Havannas, or send you box of I'm
perials, almost as long and as stIong 81
pokers. Admire an American author
and you will find his books, handsomely
bound, on your table when you return
home. l happened to mention the other
, day that, intending to look in at Havana
on my way to New Orleans, / thought
might as well get upa little Spanish
Forthwith copy of 0llenqorfs Spanish
grammar was sentme. They will insist
upon pay ying your hackney coach, you
omnibus, and ferry fare; and positively
believe that were mean enough to ask
| could find a dozen friends who would
| pay my hotel bill. That which they do
to strangers the Americans are not slow
to do among themselves. A gentleman
of mature years informed me lately that
his uncle had sent him thousand dol
lars as a new years gift. They are always
making presents. Any person of good
means, with house of his own, Is sure
to have from six to a dozen nephews
neices and cousins staying with him for
months at time. | never saw such
people for having cousins, particularly
females and pretty Ten to one, also.
but they will find an ado pied child in
every other family.
When an American fails in business
and most of them fail at some time or
another-he is sure, if he be at all de-
cent kind of man, he will find friends
who will not only ''loan" but give him
money to start afresh. And pray let me
say, that it would be doing a cruel and
shameful wrong to this people, to assume
that their hospitality towards the stran-
gers within their gates is dictated by
vulgar spirit of ostentation. That they
are Vulgarions, and stuck up and Osten-
tatious people in the Union Is clear
enough; but their great heart in respect
to the sacred duties of hospitality is
seRnd; and in the performance Of that
they beat the English, the Irish.
$the Russians-which is saying
great deal. In France, you know, you
get little cut sugar and water out ofy your
friends, in Germany nothing but smoke,
and in Italy there are some grand hous-
es where you can only obtain supper by
paying for it. In Spain you can prcure
nothing to eat, because beyond eggs and
chocolate, and garlic, there is nothing to
eat. But in the United State you may
run your digestive for nothing in a fort
night. If the oysters and canvass back
ducks don't give you the dyspepsia, the
eternal ice-creams and candied sweet
meats will; and. when you fall sick, you
will find plenty of kind friends to press
Hostetter's and brakes Plantation Bit
ters as curatives on your acceptance
All this is done in sheer, bounteous gem
erosity, and kindness of heart.
Not yspid tourist lands in New
York-with letters be it understood
not guardsman runs down from Cana
ada, not gun-room mess of a man-of-
war comes into port but the hoOdgates
of American hospitality are opened
With all their real shrewdness and i'm
puted cunning. the Americans are in
many respects as frank, as simple, and
as innocent as children. For that very
reason are they to me mystery; and
problem which l can never hope to solve.
For, once have anything to do with
them in business, and you will find your
salt in tight place" and among your
kind hearted friends you will become
aware of considerable proportion who
would steal the very teeth out OF your
head. Stealing is here called operating,
and when a commercial man smashes
shamefully, rocks his creditors, and be-
gins anew, he is said to have ''recupera-
ted" There will be a good deal of recu-
peratiye action done in greenbaeks some
day, | opine.