The Portland daily press., 1881-01-31
The Original ''Y ankee Doodle"


1t is probable say the curious in such mat
ters, that we owe the well-known caricature of
Yankee Doodle. which looks like nothing
that we Americans have ever seen, but which
passes for our national prototype all over Eu-
rope, and sometimes does duty on our own
stage, and on the cover of an illustrated paper,
and in caricature as the typical Yankee-to
the singular appearance of Gen. Jackson. He
was tall, thin and angular, and at the 'Her-
mitage," and when off duty, delighted to wear
the great white hat, the short-tail dress coat,
the striped jean trousers, held down by two
long straps-all of which was probably made
by Mrs. jackson, and which passed from him
into history.
Undoubtedly these sketches came from some
clever Frenchman, made at New Orleans,
when in 1915 the conquering hero was enter
tanned in the city he had saved. 'The upper
part OF the Exchange was arranged for dane
ing, says an eyewitness, land the under part
for supper, with flowers, colored lamps and
transparencies for inscriptions. Before supper
jackson desired to look at the arrangements
unaccompanied. One of the transparencies
between the arches bore the inscription, Jack
son and Victory-they are but one.' The gen.
eral looked at it, and turned to me in hail
fellow sort of way saying, why did you not
. fite Hickory and Victory-they are but
one?'" After supper we were treated to
most delicious pas de deux by the conqueror
and his spouse" To see those two figures
the general a long, lean, haggard man, with
arms like skeleton, and Nine. la Generate,
short, fat dumpling-bobbing opposite each
other, like half drunken Indians, to the wild
melody of "Possum up Gum Tree" and en-
deavoring to make spring into the air, was
remarkable, and far more edifying spectacle
than any European assembly could have fur
nished. Mrs. Jackson's arrival in New Or
leans then the most elegant city in the Union,
was curious episode for the Frendh and Gre
ole ladies to observe. She had never visited
city larger than Nashville before. She con-
fessed to Mrs Livingston that she knew moth
ing about fine company or fine clothes, and
she had no resource but to throw herself upon
the guidance of her friends. Mrs. Livingston
undertook to provide her with clothes and
dresses suited to her appearance in public.
The anti-Jackson party published caricature
1T the time, in which the short and stout Mrs
jackson was represented as standing on table
while Mrs. Livingston was employed in lacing
her in, to make waist where waist had been,
or should be, but was not. 1t was remarkable
| that Gen. Jackson, though himself an adept
| (when he chose) in drawing-room arts,
and at home in elegant society, was
blind to the homely bearing and country
manners of his wife. He put great honor
upon her at New Orleans, in all companies,
| on all occasions, giving proof to the world
| that this brown wife of his was to him the
| dearest and most revered Of human beings.
1lxz al
notorious Mrs. Eaton would not have occurred
to forever cast an evil reputation on his ad-
ministration. 1t was for her that he built the
new Hermitage" near what Is now the beau
tiful city of Nashville, called, before the war,
| tie philadelphia of the South" Nashville
las superb situation, a gently undulating
fertile valley 10 or 20 miles across, quite en-
circled by hills. Through this valley winds
the Cumberland river, as broad as the Hudson
at Albany. The bluffs are high, protection
against the marvellous rise of the river. Eleven
miles from the city is the two story brick
| house, with a double piazza, wooden and
painted white, supported by thick grooved pill
lars of the same material and color; the floors
! of the lower piazza of stone, each ending in q
room, Southern fashion-more commodious
than elegant-known as the Hermitage" the
residence of the most eccentric of Americans
Andrew Jackson; for Mr. Lincoln, who came
the nearest to him, was far more like other
people. In the generals day, the portrait of
Mrs. jackson in white satin and topaz jewelry,
low neck and short sleeves STAT, 40, but not
fair and busts of Edward Livingston, Cass
and Levi Woodbury. ornamented these parlors.
Here did the general Offer indiscriminate
hospitality, and here, after dinner, did both
husband and wife sit down and smoke clay
pipe; and yet, so perfectly contradictory was
their life to our northern ideas of consistency,
that when they drove out it was in a.carriage
drawn by four handsome iron-gray horses, at
tended by servants in blue livery with brass
buttons, glazed hats and silver beads. When
dinner was served at the Hermitage" all the
gentlemen went to the side-board to take a
drink, and then to the dining-room. The ta-
bles were loaded with food, served indiscrim-
inately; and in all the rooms were two beds
for passing strangers.
Gen. jackson was never handsome, but he
had two bright eyes, and what Parton calls
"that mysterious omnipotent something which
we call "a presence" that he could look well
in uniform, ride horse admirably preside
well as judge, fight well as a general, and
that he had certain chivalrous Difference for
women. We have read that he also preferred
whiskey, corncob pipe, and that he waded
through many vices to the presidency; that we
also know "his instincts were better than his
principles" His conv entionality was semi
occasional.
Yet he has stamped his individuality upon
the American name, and when in 1850 the ele-
CANT Prescott visited England he found a lady
at one of the grand houses which he visited
who asked him if Boston ladies smoked a pipe
after dinner, and if they lived as Gen. and
Mrs. jackson did, and also at Alnwick castle,
the ancient palace of the Percys, he found a
picture of the general. 1t is strange circuun-
stance, not speaking much for the reading OF
intelligence of certain English ladies, that
they have as blank an ignorance now almost
of what America really is; and that, so late as
1869, an English lady asked her American
guest if New York did not burn down con.
stantly, as it was all built of wood!