New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-10-29

many Americans. The desire is not confined
to the plodding we'll TODD Pennsylvanians it is
n symptom, of the National health. II is asymp-
tom too, which belongs wholly TO this generation.
Our grandiathers had no time for amuse
ment and if they took it, it was in one or two
narrow channels. They either ate and drank
to excess or became bigoed in their piety. Be
Sides though not more religious people than
we their religion possessed more ascetic features.
Even rs late as forty years ago, In the hard
teaching of orthodox churches of the Middle
States, to save yOuI soul meant chiefly to deny
yourself III the matters OF dancing, card-pay-
ing, the theatre, or any "carnal amusement"
Mamnon was not 81 much the god OF base
passions, selfshness, malice and evil-speaking,
rs he was of pretty clothes, luxury, art novels.
the drama, music, and the thousand modes OF
relief which modern knowledge and taste find
for the mind from the eternal work of money
making. In New England the natural reac-
ton against the Puritan cult of religion pro-
duced transcendentaism, spiritualism, the many
modern schools of atheism; clever, civil. and
amaby tolerant of the God necessary only
for the ignorant In the Southern States,
where the population are forced into Isolated,
lonely lives, the old harder forms lof religious
beliefs still hold their sway. Camp-meetlngs
in Kentucky and the Gulf States are still the
fashionable rendezvous. The theatre Is not
yet considered respectable among church-golng
people, and dancing is device of the devil.
The reaction in that quarter we ina In the
hard -drinking Colonel who treated his slaves
brutaly, CANDLES high and dies in his boots
Such holiday as that taken last week by
city containing nearly million OF people Is
the sign of still another kind OF reaction,
thoroughly healthy and natural,-the univer-
sal thirst of the American for fun. The book,
the play, the newspaper which can make Dlm
laugh is the one that with much or little merit
invariably succeeds. In a word, the first days
hard work of this pioneer of civilization OF the
later ages is done. he has entered in and taken
possession of the land which is to afford
shelter to crowding millions. He has cut
down forests built his cabin, stretched his
lines of communication to all parts of the world.
Now he begins to stand at case, to stretch his
tired muscles, to look about him to
find if he has no other errand In the
world than to work and to earn wages
Nor do we think that this disposition to take
life more lightly than did our forefathers
argues corruption OF uCcaucuCo III Jul s"''"i
life. Two facts prove the contrary. FIRST
with every year it becomes more difficult for
man to find footing in Ills country who does
not know some special work and is not willing
to do it thoroughly. The day is past among us
for jacks-of-all- trades and oilers The Nation
has settled down to steady, inexorable business
habits; none the less because it begins to de-
mand its holidays. Secondly, while the
American is more willing to laugh and amuse
himself than he was fifty years ago, he Is also
more relerent and larger in his religious faith
He has n better conception of God than the
man who thought He would be inceused by
feather in girls bonnet or strain OF music.
Nor does he, with his wider vision, serve Him
a whit less faithfully.