The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1868-11-04
.sOCIE7Tn IN AMERICA.
from the EOr:h American Review

"SOCIEIT" IN AMERICA.
from the Nor:h American Review.
sslindarn Woman Is aSirafis against mnderl
Encishwomen, and. parSnEheSicaily, against
modern woman Of Olhnr natlons; we have
already given s2ac;ngn OF the chnrsas. We
hcrr rnese accusations III America rs we'll, and
il nehuoves Us 20 examine the iouudG5lon OF
them, that We mar discover whether or no
they IRE true, and Il true, what the remedy
should be- In piG.n EIglsh, nre we going TO
the devil? VII the Saratoga women G ten
vearR hence be such wlmBn as ths Saturday
Review describes q These scr2is "Bal:sdon-
I,s flashes fran har eyes. Eoal and antimorv
deapen uhe hiackness Of her eyebrows, 'hioon
OF rlsas' hush from hsr :tI,S?" * she ot tins
SORT now: T. our poltlc!I-s IT, every yea be-
Coming more End more corrupt or lleatTcs
every yeCr more End more INDECENT. INA Our
sociefv more and mure GS-adoaod II rs CEGiy
Fad trrvoii;v, We sSal very soaa reach T'o-at
III winch there Wi ba VERY htiie sacur!ty, toI
lie or t~a-rerTy-u thai II soma quarters oi
the couury has nut a.:;l rcec.,e. a-raaty. The
.t,barasi oi American cites h&s tad lCs WIZ
tcr's excitement furnished bv the Calca:!, the
ct.ic;rs Of ibe law IN New Yorh net or remain
iaLclys a..;orliHg 70 tit reloIIvs IoiiSth .! tat
plaintiffs and Defendants purses whl!2 iae
noi vi ri Of Newport and SarIfcrs serves rs Il
er lishea1isliuS fhctnrs c'Sai bs orawa II
LIS wsy q ear T.-ot,ahs- icFars; and YET ~e
carro; believe - lis i.uiA.
Iae qncs, o. i What 2:ao7a; .. iala2-.ci
do iLa .a-ces c.Iiaa S1c:2. sxer; u;,J- i.e Sel.
t.-ai cC-rca; q: iaoa5hi aud T'pe1 ilS Ss.-..a!
Inora- ioaa Of iae country: We en- oi say
how i : j. L.alaad OF franc. (wh:eL latter
coal;ry, W suspect: has .urnisl lel NOS of the
a.ial ioi ;i-.s@ es:a,s) b; n -i::lar.ca ih.S
: 40.
Ecrc ws-o II ,ha bands u Z . o.ltr I'd mare
-:oMice.it nal al. woman, = tas Lands Of
or great bE.ke-s. aud srIai orators. and 2r a.
merchants aEG ;lalr WIVES. IL. exTavarance
GDi s:rp.6ifv Cf VI - We hear - Ilrca !llc Ii
fairly ie expected 10 baSe: e@tcavs gance'aad
apldiiy among Il! oris-S AMI Classes, a!i
those Who believed genera! Te!Sa o: corru1
tlol and ina-i:;! 10 " approaching wolid
probably form G Iaajo:4iv Of The thinking p:o-
lie. il iAe rcc2.e who b. Their acdias al
i:a:t tcc attention and ma:.l! lie fashion
oI the masses are seD>s.ll n tnair tastes
srd low in their ais. the res; u the people
! viii. ty comm, undt- ihe.. infiucnce. become
Ike hen. Ihey say thai when the ''BeSgar> :
0..er-' w:S t-s: performed n Lou,oa Sir
E9baT: Na.poie, then minister. and vel hnovn
- l., b-iu;nS 10 .ha right and 10 the !et.. w :
il . stage ,'ox. Oh he slrsiag Of the follow
ing sir ii Locii;'s, ali cyes were turned On SIR
Eeber:. and tle Z = was eIcorto:
When you c, nsure tie az,
Be csciicls ana sage.
Les; the cturiiers ocen:e,l >ho;'a be-
i you In-:i;io: vice o. b.icc,
i j. 20 pai 20 all the ir.oc
La; each cries : Iha: was levelltd AZ ala!"
Sir Robert, observing Inc pointed manner in
which the audience applied the LIST liua 10
him. paired tie thrust by cncorins il with bis
sirc.e vcce, anu i..uS 10; cn'y b.Gn,.d the
Sltrs u
from ii!e audience Aai there ca.i 10 10
doubt liza. Waipo!c !owtge,! the :o2c Of I.o..,oa
Jcicty by the clever aI>ic:i! w..i:t.! :,a:nad
him ;he iiuZzi.
Bu, ii You seel; ;:lc leader. OF society in
America. ycu dp not lind Them IL the states
men! thc ura;o:s, the presidents Of colleges
Lui il boys oE twenty-five. with cood faculty
10. tianc.A:, and girls ct twenty, just home
from Paris Or # You iooh ior maturity. you
may lind /, in the person OF some broken down
s;ock-.anblcI, Known BY his fast EorScs and
disrepuabie lie. Even these last are in =
small minority; the crowd Is young, and it is
the youth of ths crowd, AMI its consequently
unintiuential character upon which We wish TO
dwell. A generation in our society lasts three,
or at the outside four years, Il Il /. Is only 1T
the close of Their social career that OGr young
men and women begin to have any Influence
in directing the current of thought Or action at
all. The plumber of persons who i'll any largo
American city are Mt once prominent plenbcrs
Of ''soc.ety, and also prominent III pubic lie
or business Of any kind, can b, counted on
the fingers Of one hand. And it is very
easy to sec that prominence as 4 cotilliOn
dancer AID prominence IS human being are
really incompatible, for it requires all the cner
gies of ones nature TO be prominent i'll either
capacity. II any Que wishes to realize the
truth OF these statements, let him pause mo-
nent and reflect upon his probable sensations
NJ, han
turer in the United States was in the habit Of
spending his summer afternoons Ill driving on
the avenue at Newport, and lis winter eve
nlngs III leading tho German At Dclm 5uicu's.
The fact is, thaU all young American Ineu and
woaleil, who have any ambition or desire to
serve mankind leave ''socie;l' IL -oon ~ they
arrive at years of discretion; aud tho r.sll! IS
t.at ''socicy" is compo,od of those Who llayc
not yet reached years OF discretion and those
who never will TO so-a society not very likely
tomould opinion mt larS,c, Or, III thc long run,
to damage the cause .; ln"la.iiy With those
who remain ont OF 1t.
Let US say thai, in making; these remarks,
we are not speaking OF any sOcic otncr than
that which is iown by tins name in our iar"c
Cities which j. rccogniZcd as such by reporters
of newspapers at L,nG Branch Or Saratoga
the oaiy society properly speaking, in
America. There is, indeed larger III an!ns
in the worl. which p"rI1:ts ii sometimes to IL
cudc any ASSOCIATION OF 1ncn aud wulcn Tor
purp Jses o p!easurc o. igS!ri;c ioa-l meaning
which would hardly exclude lectures o. read
ings," and would certainly co:lnrc!irnI talk
l.S parties" But this i. n,t society,"" 1t
cannot be 100 often repeated that society in
America means The 'Gcf'nam.'
Il is very difficult 20 sHbs:an.iatc what we
haze said, because, lr1. the fact that the i'll
tiucncc OF society Oh opinion Is so small, spc-
cIal instances OF its weakness are hard to fad
We arc obliged to appeal to the general sonao
OF the pubic, and wc ask whether wc arc not
borne out in our assertion that the people VINO
really direct and change the direction Of the
movements Of thought an1 fcc.inS in tho
Un.tel States ere ncop,c outside thc so:!a!