Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-09-09
A NOrd for k1uCkstcrs. and q Blast al
Other Noisy NuiSances.

In THE STAR of Monday noticed letter from
some one signing himself, or herself Gas it may
be- &C, in which the hucksters of this city are
berated in terrible manner for the noise they
make in calling out their truck if We may so
term their articles of sale. besides speaking Of
them i'll very degrading way.
Now, sc" must not forget that these same
dealers in watermelons and SIGH are endeavor-
Ing to gain an honest livelihood ana should be
shown some little lieniency. If they are SO I'M
| fortunate as to be pedders of vegetables and
| fruits. and not occupying snug positions in
| the government Offices, banking houses &c
4 The ma ority of them have large families de-
| pendent upon them for support. and no one
| not similarly situated) knows the many heart
aches they are subjected to when the cold blasts
| OF winter sweep through the streets of the ma
tlonal capital for it is then that the carter of
| vegetables and fruits can but poorly Of at alp
| ply his vocation on account of the high prices
and rigorous weather.
| Now, on the other hand. there is a great
| variety of noises tolerated and even encouraged
! in tnis city that are not known nor heard of in
! other cities. and would most assuredly be SUP
| pressed We're they inflicted on the good people
residing therein. have reference to the wv i'd
cat walls, dog hOwlinss. songs and whist
| fngs which cannot be designated. though par
ticularly prevalent in Washington. aud given
utterance to 10y the juveniles here of all sizes
and color. rich, poor and all conditions in life
Now. until there il an entire suppression of this
most unearthly ''hoOdlumism' (for it is nothing
eise) DO not let Us hear anything more derOga-
tory to the Interests OF the industrious "huck-
ster" CONSISTENCY
! September 5. 1882.
| English Views of American Society.
From the New York Critic.
! Many of the English reviews and magazines
! seem to be troubled just now about American
| society. Half dozen triiing American novels
inspire the staid Edinburgh Reuie,o with obser-
vations on the subject; Mr.. Freeman the hsto-
riai. discusses 1t in the FOItnjghty Reuiesc that
organ OF pl!ii0sophic liberalism the Spectator.
! sounds general alarm 10 Americans that their
customs have been attacked by Mr.. Matthew
Arnold. and calls on Mr.. Lowell to reply TO the
assault. We hope that Mr.. Lowell will do
nothing SO foolish. AS a nan-Of-Ietters Mr.
Arnold has not very high place in American
| esteem. He is writer's writer. To the mass
of Americans he is unknown: to the mass of
| Engtisnlnen he is only known by his fathers
name. As critic of our ways he is not entitled
to a hearing for he has never been to America:
he has never lived with Americans: he confesses
| and is proud of his ignorance. Is such foe
! man worthy of Mr.. LOweIs steel?
| We marvel at the audacity OF these critics.
They all av0w that they know nothing OF Amer
| lean society. They have read few books like
| the Edinburgh lN.iewer; they have travelled on
American railrc<is, like Mr. Freeman; and from
these experiences they evolve their generalities.
| When the writer OF The Spectator. writer
of far deeper insight than Mr.. Arnold. was in
this country he called at the White House and
! found the President studying his books hearda
cabinet minister's son Call his mother old stick
in-the-mud,' and was only saved from entertain
ing deplOrable opinion OF our civilization by
the courtesy OF a native who drew on an enye-
iope plan of the street where the writer want
| ed to go. That preserved us. we admit SAYS
Ihe Spectator, with delicious cOndescension.
wholly unsuspecteN by the writer we admit
| that an American gentleman does not differ
bic spirit speaks MIR. Oscar Wilde to The Sun:
| 4 believe most serious problem for the Ameri-
can people to consider is the cultivation of
better manners In its people, 1t never occurs
! to this young man that his own manners are
open to criticism. Satisfied of his own social
supremacy, acclaimed bv Oshkosh as the arbiter
| Of elegance. he forgets that by the majority of
| cultivated Americans he is regarded with good
| natured contempt.
Englishmen may, indeed. make up their minds
that their criticisms on American society will
neither correct nor instruct. With all the vuI-
garit!es which inhere in democracy, and which
| run without restraint in the United States. We
cannot accept reproof or advice from country
so snob-ridden as England. Caste has eaten up
English good manners. Tory or radical. bishop
or costermOnger, all are smitten by the terrible
social garigrene from which the mass of Amer
leans are free. On the life of the Latin races
we can afford to model ours, for to them base
hero worship is almost unknown. With English
men it is part of their being, and We venture to
say that our friend of The Spectator would rather
be seen in the company OF an iiterate. unman-
merry duke, than of a cultured and weil-bred
artisan. Until, therefore, they have cured this
domestic evil our English critics should sit
silent and ashamed