The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-09-26
SOME AMERICAN SOCIETY
A Few of it's Faults and Snort,
comings Plainly Depicted.
BY L. DOMAIN.
from Andrews Bazaar for Oct

about III OIL III lcluIl w
q tour of the United States. SAID he
had seen none-only a lot of Ill-bred
dancing boys and girls. And ms
statement, to our countryS shame De
il spoken, was scarcely too severe. VI
real society we nave little. The SOLID
classical learning, the thorough men
tai culture, the refinement OF taSte,the
dignified aud elegant bearing, the
polished and courteous anu
The softly modulated tones, that Iend
a charm to true social liie ana render
its inner circles a more than royal
realm. are almost wholly wanting. IN
their stead, as our too frequent suDsll-
tute, Is a hOlsy mob oil counterilopplhS
snobs and loudly dressed young 1e-
males. with an occasional sprinkllng
OF aged ~frivolity and gilded plebian-
ism who mistake insolence for ease,
swagge for grace, and fiippancy or
vulgarity, open or concealed, tor VIII
The theatre and the ballroom are Its
only abodes-there alone are It's semi
idiotic manifestations to be seen IN
full bloom. Would o an alyze 1t
inspect it's component element
anime it in detail as you do a Jog
fennel blossom or d Scavenger-Deetle:
Look, then.
Stand aside. DO you see that thing:
She is one of the bellies of "a great city.
Her pa is a millionaire. She IS a lead
er OF the ton: a StHe IHd NON OF SaratO-
ga; a ne pins UIt of Newport: star OF
the evening. radiant star, of all operas,
diplomatic and military balls. recep-
tions and s~oireeS: one of the dumswiZ-
Zlingest daInseis of famous Fifth
Averoodledom, Washington Heights
nr none I4la.n Goo l,ar. .a-.I IlpraaAl-
est stare; her checks enameied and
rouged; her lips dyed; her eyebrows
penciied; and her eye-lidS tingcd with
lead or manganese, to give brililancy
to her dissIpation-wOrn, lack-lustre
eyes. Note the insane, dull. dead va
Guilty of her face; no soul OF eX-
preston in it. than the bottom of a
painted porcelain teapot. Every fea-
ture, Ineament, glance and movement
telling of a life squandered, frlttered
away In stupid eating, drinking and
sleeping, lounging on sofas, or sumter
ing along fashionable promenades to
show the latest achievement of her
mllllner or dreSS-maker: porting yer
trashy Ladies' Books" and yellow
backed novels; careSSlng vile, ribbon
decked poodles, or flirting in slang and
lnnuendO with Sweet-Scented, shipper
Inc tops, even more insignificant and
despicable-poodles with souls. See
how she bends. Sick, you think? Oh,
no: bless your unsophisticated soul not
a bit of it; no sickness there. 1t is
1.-The fashion," She thinks, or some
Ignorant cOStumer and belle-builder
does for her, that lOrrid, ungainly pose
resembles the classic curve of Grecian
statues. Does she know why the
figures she thus c~arrIca'ureS assume
that attitude? Theirs is the result of
modesty; hers, of anything else. And
that monstrous hump on her back.
That is fashions doing too. What a
pity she had not been born a She
drOmedary. She would have been in
in the style then, without all this
semi-indecent effort, and all this waste,
this sacrilegious misapplication of
editorial genius and topographic art
and labor. Mark all her tiounces and
r%utfies; her kangarco-drooped hands:
her licentiously raced low-necks and
Oath-provokingly long trails; her angle
twisting, h~obble-de-gee high heels,
and ostentatiously displayed barber
pole hosiery; and her bashlessly impu-
dent looks and leering chances, any
one of which would furnish material
for a dozen verdigrily brass candle
sticks. Ugh! the hIdeous, nauseating
creature! God grant that no such
feminine denominations may ever be
found among my thousands of young
girl and lady readers!
Sample number two. Look al
that glittering equipage; chariot
Respondent; hubs and tongue tipped
with silver; harness golden plated:
steeds black and glossy as the lace of
a reconstructed Louisiana law-grinder,
Mississippi senator or South Carolina
supreme Judge; pompous footman and
driver; gorgeous liveries: huge gilt
buttons; tall hats, cockades white
gloves, Goldfish nobility, the dirty
creases of the hands showing through
their kids. There leaning back on
those costly silken cushions, sits the
mother of that silly libel on young
womanhood we noticed just now,
Poor old thing. With her rolls of false
hair: her curls and f~riZzes: her artifi-
cial teeth; bumpers to till out hel
shriveled jaws; laced and coseted, til
a thimbleful of honest breath woult
burst her into Hottentot hash. he,
wrinkles Smoothed over with enamel
the CHASTITY pallor of old age hiddel
under a coating OF paint thick enough
to satisfy the vermllliOn daubing pro
pensities of a kicapoo OF Pottawotta-
mie brave" Eyeglasses stuck on he,
diamonds cleaning on her Skim,
old arms: ieweled pendants danglin.
from ears that are as eager for gossil
AID scandal and tiattery, as they wer,
alf a century ago. Poh, the miserable
old thing. The ruling passion stron,
in death: determined to show OFF, eX
cite the envy of some stupid neignbCr
be a woman Of the world to the last
Scene third-last specimen slugs
U-u-ugh! Disgusting little reptiles
Contamination in their very touch an,
breath. Dandies. Swells. Physiog
Monies that are ~scanlalous, burlesque
on the lap dog family. Shanks AN
feet that look like broomstraws stucI
in pumpkIns-seeds, Strange leg trous
ers. Coats that terminate SO as t
invite special attention to just wha
coats a~resntpnded to conceal Elamip,