The Portland daily press., 1864-11-22
Tuesday Morning, Nov. 20, 1854.
America and the Americans.
BY q. A. sALA, IN THE LONDON rELEeRAr

America and the Americans.
BY G. A. sALA, IN THE LONDON TELEGRAPH.
There may have been at one period thirty
five thousand persons present; but did not
see blow struck nor hear an angry word
spoken. The same predominance of good be-
haviour was visible, you will remember, at
Tammany, on the glorious Fourth. In the
Great Wigwam at Chicago, at the end of last
month, there were fifteen thousand persons,
among whom there must have been not few
"hard cases.; but the Chicago Convention
was brought TO a close without the slightest
disturbance. l revert to this subject for the
reason that there is no mistake into which for
eigners are more likely to fall than that which
assumes that the normal condition of Ameri-
can popular assemblages is one ofriOt and con-
fusion. What experience have had leads me
the rather to believe that such condition is, on
the contrary, and almost invariably, orderly
and tranquil. We hear so much at home about
gougfng and bowie-kniying, 'free fights and
difficulties" i" that we come to the States pre-
pared to find violence and lawlessness rife at
every large gathering; nor, considering what
we have read of the dreadful excesses during
the "boody week. last July, would it be IRA
tional to infer that of all American mobs,
New York one is the most lerocious and the
most sanguinary. This is am fully persuad
ed, not the case. The New York conscription
riots were wholly phenomenal and exception
al outbreak They had their origin in polti-
cal, just as the riots in London in l7SD had
theirs in religious feeling: but in theone case,
as in the other, the politicians Withdrew very
early from the conflict, terrified at the monster
they had themselves evoked, and the real and
most frightful outrages were committed by the
very scum and offscourings of the city, bandits
by prediction and murderers by trade, whose
only hope was anarchy, and whose only creed
was plunder. Baltimore, again, has long en-
i0Ead an unnepyiable repute for rioting and,
fnsulted the Prince u " ss1lzvuar1s VIC.
have always In coarseness and rowdyism far.
surpassed their Northern brethren A few
years since, New York was infested by gang
OF "loafers," "Bowerv boys" and shoulder.
hitters," !" whose cowardly and brutal rufiianism
made them pest and nuisance to the law abd-
ing Inhabitants. A good many OF these scoun-
9res were Killed Off in the Macready-Forrest
disturbance; great many more were shot In
the dead Rabbit" riots, when the rowdies
Darrlcaded themselves in the streets, and fought
the volunteers for three days; and the residue.
thanks to the organization Of Colonel Billy
Wilson's Zouaves-that great refuqiatna psccas
torum-have been mainly comfortably dspos-
ed ofby pestience. by starvation, by Confede-
rate bullets and by Federal haters a8leal
In the exclusively Irish quarters of the city.
commotions are common and chronic, as they
are Ia every city in the world where Irish peo-
pie congregate; but the behavior of the Amer.
lean people at large is, in the great mliority
of cases, most quiet, sdecorous, and peacable.
Indeed, the most serious disturbance which
has taken place in the many meetings held
mere during the last year was among the ladies
at Che Dress Reform Movement Convention
The admirable behavior of the Americans in
their popular assemblies is easily to be ac-
couHted for. In the first place they are from
their youth upwards, well broken to the har-
ness of public meetings, and sbridle wisen to
the control OF the chairman. They know that
II they do not allow others to spout they will
nave no chance OF spouting themselves; and
moreover, they derive an absolute physical |
pleasure from listening to the spouters. They
snuff up the "highfalutin,' p drink in the "bunk-
um, and smack their lips over the ''tall talk . |
and are, consequently, no more disposed to
tolerate unseemly interruptions than a theat-
rical audience would be to suffer one OF
Shakespeare's plays to be rendered inaudible !
by limitations of the Growing of cocks and the
lowing OF bulls. noted their fOndness for
the oratory of public meetings when first
came here, and somewhat heightened resi-
dence among them has confirmed me in the
opinion l then advanced. But 60 strangely
are our cousins our opposites, both politically
and socially, that whereas you cannot induce
one Englishman In the hundred to attend
onen III s &c.. 80 - ~ ,a,aas aNi.a ~
sasroaIY l,a, raIe Sa you snan
or at di1nar ,@,r ~ uUHen as.. sogeLu.
of then, -a.,;no. @ PiS ps. one
sneech gbicb ends Nv ayer1hodvss 1ho aAns hasI,h
heinz nronosed and sck1owIedged baif ea,.n Jou
on lines overNvo,, r;fI And IN +ha a,Trr ~
q hand that IN Amsr;ea averv N ,tenSs ,.rh
I;c r,as,;rsrs ~ aaos t,,ar ,,,ag s.o.Pp
th. -. ri I, , : 80 -, - a 4 s -. P1, PSusS az
~ nv .las Nneu ~ Eoseener
urposes, ~ ~ aaller " tue e4-
uenosI rarity 70 near shyenihg approachlhg 10
speecn MADE. Inc TACT is, that they are ma
turally shy and uneasy people, meagre con-
veisationalists, and incapable OF abiding long
IN any one place. They are shy and uneasy, |
however, aiter their own peculiar fashion.
1hey ascend platform, lace an audience of
Two OF three Thousand persons, below forth |
Dunkum LOT tne nail hour together, or carry a
nag or . lantern IN procession; but in pri-
VaIe they ave nervous, resiless, and reserved;
ana, lndeed, WIN some cultivated exceptions
nave had the nonor TO know, the average
American among slnall Knot OF ms fellow
men, seems seldom az ease untl ne Is tipsy.
In tnelr orlnKlng customs tney EXHIBIT In a
very marked manner thls nervous restlessness
They cannot drink, smoke, ana cogitate at
the same time. When they feel inclined to be
quiet they ensconce themselves In corner
hitch their legs above the level OF their heads,
and smoke or chew drink, and In silence.
If you shut your eyes, you may become
aware of their presence by the noise OF their
eexpectoration; but they dont speak: When