Smyrna times., 1873-11-12
The Old Types.

The country bred men and women who have
reached the age of fifty years are all able to
recall picture-lying now far back in the mel
low atmosphere of the past-of bandof child
rem, standing hsnd-in-hand by the side of the
dusty highway, and greeting with smile and
bow aud "curtsy" every adult passenger whom
they met on their way to and from school.
They were instructed in this polite obeisance
by their teachers. 1t was part of the old
New England drill, which, so far as we know,
has been entirely discontinue. We do not re.
member to have seen such sight as this for
TWEEN y-hye years. 1t would be such an old
fashioned affair to witness now, that multitudes
would only reward it with a smile of amuse
ment yet with all our boasted progress can
we show anything that is better or more sug.
gestive OF downright healthy good breeding?
Are the typical boy aud girl of the period bet
ter hammered, more revercnt, more respec |
toward manhood and womanhood, more defer
ential to age? Do they grow up with more
regard for morality, religion, law, than they
did then? Alas with all our books, aud our
new processes of education, and the universal
sharpness of the juvenile intellect of the day,
We miss something that was very precious
among the children of the old time-reverence
for men and women, systematic courtesy In
simple forms, and respect for the wisdom OF
the pulpit the school room and the 6reside
Ii we were called upon to describe the mode
boy or girl, We should be obliged to call up the
old type-the rude, healthy lads and lasses
who snow -balled each other batted with each
other in spelling bouts, and imbibed the spirit
of reverence for their elders with every infu
ence Of church and school and home. We
have made progress in some directions but in
some we have sadly retrogaded. Our boys are
all young men, and our girls are fearfully old
Our typical child has no longer the spirit of
child
Occasionally we meet what are popularity
denominated gentlemen of the old school. T"
| We have only enough of them among US to
make US wish that we had many more,-men
OF courtly dignity, of unobtrusive dress, OF
manners that seem little formal but which
are, nevertheless, the manners of gentlemen.
They remind US of the worthless of the old col
Onial time, and OF the later time OF the Revo
lution-of Washington and Madison and
Frahklin-of men whom all revered, and to
whom all gave Obisance. Into what has this
style of men grown, or into what have they
been degraded2 Looking where they would be
pretty certain to congregate il they were in ex-
istence, we see them not. Has any one seen
them at Newport during the past season 2
Have they abounded at Saratoga? Have they
been found in dignifed and graceful associa
tion with the President of the United States
at Long Branch Are they presiding over mu-
| ncipal affairs in our great citiesP Do the en-.
ter largely into the composition of Congress,
even after we have substracted the gamblers
and carpet. baggers? II We have them in con.
siderable numbers, where are they2 Certainly
| they have either ceased to be reproduced in
our generation, or they are so much disgustsd
with the type Of men met in public life and
fashionable society that they studiously hide
themselves from sight. There is little comfort
in either alternative, but We must accept one
| or the other.
Progress has doubtless been made in many
things. We are richer, better clothed, better
housed, better fed and better educated than
| We used to be. Our railroads run everywhere; {;
| our well nigh exhsustless resources have been
| broached In a thosand directions we count
| the increase of our population by millions !;
| the emigrations of the world all move towards
US colleges, churches and school-housss have
gone up with the building of the States, and
the States themselves have multiplied SO rap.
| idly that not one American in ten knows exact.
| ly how many are in the Union. All this is
true but during the past twenty-five years
we judge that We have made no improvement
| in the typical American gentleman. If the old
men with their breeches and knee buckles and
cooked hats could have looked in upon the
| President aud his chosen friends at Long
Branch last summer, We are inclined 30 think
the latter would have been q good deal embar-
rassed with the situation. 1t they could have
4 walked through the piazxas of the Grand
Union at Saratoga, how many equals would
they have met 9-hew many men who in anan-
ners, dignity, culture and spirit would have
felt at home with themp The old type of mer-
chaats--the old type of statesmen---the old
| type OF gentlemen-surely we have not i'm
proved upon these. The restless, greedy, grasp
ing, time serving spirit Of our generation has
yitisted asd degraded this type, and in our ei-
forts at Improvement we may vel 20 back to
the past for our models. ....r
| What shall we say about the old type of we-
men as eompored with the present representa-
! iives Of the best OF the sex2 The sanity,
heroic, frugal, Industrious wives and mothers