The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-07-21

When the manly and sound hearted Thack
cray seOurged the petty pretenders and false
liyers OF every rank in his own country, we
read his 'Book of Snobs'' here with keen
satisfaction and enjoyed the fagellation with
which he visited social falsehood in his own
land. And yet snobbishness, that wretched
pinchbeck imitation of refinement and dig.
nifty, is, to my mind, venial in an English.
man, where it would be objectionable In an
American.
The American snob has none of the in.
ducements or excuses of his British brother,
and when he follows in his track and gilds
and yeneers his pettiness and vulgarity in i'm
itation of rank and distinguished station, he
sins more against nature and the honest sim.
plicity and natural dignity which are akin to
Republican institutions, and which may well
be worn by every man who lives under them
according to their true and manly spirit.
Self.respect is the basis of true personal
dignity, and everything in the theory of our
system tends to foster it.
1t is in our power to create standard OF
American character and manhood as lofty as
that of any age or nation, and to compel our
representatives at home and abroad to con.
form their conduct to it. The spirit of true
chiyalry in allits gentleness and unselfshness,
showing tenderness to the feeble and resist.
ance TO the overbearing, mercy to whom
mercy was due, and honor to whom honor,
can and does exist in America to-day, under
the "hodden gray of the laborer and me.
chanic, the threadbare coat of the clerk o
the grave garb Of the hard worked merchant
or man of the professions, as truly as it ever
did under the helmet and chain armor of any
knight.errant in the olden time.
The American people can Justly demand
from those who are delegated to represent
them abroad or at home punctilious obsery.
ance Of honor and delicate pride in their pri.
vate and public conduct, and the moral in.
huence tobe obtained by dignifed selfrespect,
intelligence and high personal integrity will
far outweigh any attempted competition with
the show and glitter Of the representatives Of
other governments not based upon the prin.
ciple Of voluntary and orderly selfcontrol.
In truth it will be found that where American
representatives abroad have drawn obloouv
and just eensure or contempt upon them.
selves or their country, it has been usually
caused by some ignorant attempt at ostenta.
tious display, or the unworthy pursuit of pri.
vate gain, in both of which the dignity n,
their position was forgotten or disreearded.
and the fault was not "Americanism, but
the absence Of it. The vain contest Of the
written against the unwritten law is necessa.
rily exhibited in strong examples under the
freedom of our system. We profess TO hold
taxation without representation to be tyranny,
and yet witness daily proofs that the most
powerful influences upon society are from the
unrepresented classes, of womanhood and
infancy. Few will deny the influence of Inc
women OF America upon public conscience
and opinion, and the power they hold and
exerS'se of moulding the national character,
10 woman is assigned the control of home
and infancy, and from the gentle but mighty
Influences Of her training comes what is mosi
potential in mems lives. All ideas, religious,
moral and political, must of necessity have
their commencent and progress. Itis ques,
ton OF degrees narrow and incomplete Al
hrst, they enlarge themselves and their inau.
ences insensibly until they reach the stage q
public welfare. The point of departure i
family, and under domestic influence the
ideas are first nurtured; thence enlareinR from
the household to the State they soon proclaim
themselves to the nation. The unwritten law
that gives the modesty and purity Of Ameri
can women such confessed control over pub.
lie sentiment is recognized daily all over hi,
broad land in the difference and respect pait
everywhere to il in public. Even in thos,
regions Of new discovery, where, tempVed b,
the spirit of adventure, or the auri saer.
tames, the toughest side of mems nature !;
developed, where the bowie knife and reyol
yer have recognized authority and admitte,
jurisdiction, even there the presence of mod
est womanhood can still the oath or ribal,
song, and an unwritten law of American man
hood obtains for delicacy and helplessness Al
homage as sincere and respectful as chivalr
itself would exact.
With no other companion than modesty
woman may travel in any part Of the Unite,
States, not only in safety; but with an assur
anee OF constant courtsy from men Of ever
condition and with possibility extremely re
mote OF encountering incivility or is.ult.
As to the protection Of legal rights Of thes
two unrepresented classes, [ could appeal /
the experience of every practising lawyer !
the land whether the cause Of the widow I
the orphan has not success before America
juries, and sometimes judges as well, whic
can only be accounted for by the influence
supposed helplessness Property, per Sc, h,
no representatio on provided for il IN the FeI
eral Government, nor so far as know IN al
OF the States. Daring the continuance
! negro slavery that property was recogniz,