The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1883-06-02
The DopaIdsoQuIIe CRieG'
BRIEF EDUCATIONAL ESSAYS.
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BRIEF EDUCAIl ONAL ESSAYS.
The Great Desire Of Americans to Traye
in Foreign Countries Before Learning o
Their Own--Tonrists to America.
DoSALDsoNvILLE. May 81, 1883.
EDITOR CHIgF:
We never could account for the taste O
desire Of the American people that lead
them into other countries before they hay
become even specifically acquainted witt
their own. We hear every day of men O
intelligence authors, artists, professional
men-leaving for Europe, some with TIN
intention of book making An excuse ma.
be found in the fact that such books, if vel
written, command large sale. Moreover
they may be easily written. Distance lend'
charm to natural scenery, as well as tt
most ordinary events which befall travellers
such as an attack of robbers or the meagrf
accommodations of Wayside inn, q noble
ruin or a rapid river, and the most com
monplace bungler finds no difficulty in
writing ON such topics Readers have great
ideas of the beauties of the Rhine, while, il
the truth be told, there is as much, if moi
more, true grandeur in the Hudson. The
'castled crag of Drachenfels,'' it is true
presents such scene as has no parallel
upon our rivers, and SO, indeed, may
Ehrenbreitstain, with her SHELTERED wall
Black with The miners blast;
but though these frail fabrics recall some
lera of mans history, they can not lend to
soul and mind that great nobility which
natures works inspire. Thus could we 90
through entire Europe, searching out its
beauties, and demonstrate to the satisfac-
ton of the most sEeptical that our own
country affords scenery as majestic and ell
egant.
When health is the avowed object of the
tourist, the excuse becomes contemplate,
for it betrays ignorance, if not deception.
Health, indeed! We will venture to say
that tour of the Rocky Mountains would
send more IMMIGRATION through the physi-
cal system than may be found in the fogs
of London, salons of Paris or the ruins of
Rome. The nearest reason which I can
give for the frequency of these tours is van
ity-the vanity of having seen-the vanity
that may be gratifed by fashionable atten-
ton upon returning home-the vanity of
being lionized-the vanity of authorship.
The fact is, in fashion we are essentially an
Initiative people; we take our modes of
dress from the Parisians, and in our fash
1onable assemblies the point aimed at is
merely an imitation of an assembly at
Windsor Castle or in Grosvenor Square.
Green-grocers become wealthy, sink their
gains in a fashionable house, q carriage
with coat of arms borrowed without credit
from the Book of Heraldry, and give weekly
assemblies during the "season," all be-
cause such is the fashion abroad. We will
carry it still farther and to most ridicu-
lous excess, as we will proceed to demon
strate. The whole of the British Islands is
equal to something less than two of our
largest and one of the smallest States of
our Union-say New York, Virginia and
Rhode Island. 1t would not occupy any
great length of time to visit every nook and
corner In these islands; and the English
nobility and gentry, after becoming famil-
lar with all worthy of note, are in the habit
OF crossing the channel and making a con-
tlnental tour. In this, too, we follow them,
as lackey follows his master. Because NV
Lord What'shisname has visited Italy. SO
must John Brown, retired pork and cab
bage seller, and inasmnch as Lady Thing
ummy has spent winter in France, Mrs. |
snooks, one of our sold Standards" whose
mother was Division street milliner and
whose father was retired gambler and
blackleg, must likewise charm all Paris
with her delightful society. We do not use
this language Unfortunately of all fash
lonable society There may be some prop
erly exempted, and wish the assertion to
be taken with all due exceptions.
What particular benefit does it confer
upon American readers to have thousand
descriptions in every year of the architec-
ture, etc., of the Louvre, the dimensions of
the Coliseum, the height of the tower of the
Cathedral at Antwerp, and all tho stereo-
typed descriptions of continental sceperv2
These are the subjects written upon bv ner-
sons who can not tell the latitude and
longitude of their native city, and only that
here were battles fought during the Revo
utionary war, in which one George Wash
ngton won distinguished honors, and for
Which he was made President of the United
states. Ihey give us profound meditations
written upon the battle fields of Waterloo
u Austeriitz, of Taiavera, and perhaps of .
Or Marathon. But when at home
hey would not get out of railway car
lage to moralize upon tho battle fields of
trenton or Princeton, they would not ride t
"A hour to stand upon Harlem Heights, or
pend ten dollars to visit Bunker Hill. Such /
re the pork and Goldfish aristocracy, gener s
ted through our unfortunate strife.
whip us such knaves," say we, with our
hole heart Of all fashionable people, we
'ouid sooner avoid a fashionable author \
nd they are by far too large a class. Nine !,
ut OF ten OF the books written by travel q q
RS OF this description are sheer nonsense Fl
halloW III their reasonings, meagre in their u
lformation, fashy in their style. We take
lem up and after reading through pre- Sc
ice of apologies for Goodness" which
ate that they are g mere notes by the way
de" or "penciiings," or some such trash,
only published at the solicitation of valued
lends" we come to the part that should =,
, substantial-the part from which we d.
'pe to CLEAN information concerning f.
aces it may never be our good fortune to CT