The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-01-04
American Good Nature.


9ne great aim of American life IA
labor saving. Wherever the mechan-
ISM by which mans wants are to be
supplied consists in part of haman be-
lnSs, the trouble Of getting 1t to work.
anu nsequently the advantage of do
ing without, is en- ,rmously greater than
IN England. In such cases, therefore,
saoin!ssl"h becomes prudence, and sub
mission generates patience or good na-
eurc. You cannot command so much
human machinery; and the consequent
mpl ance with the resulting incon-
IohiehCeS 10 sometimes Interpreted by
nasty persons rs n result Of wicked
jealousy. Take, for example, those
large h Ite!s which were formerly peoul-
lar 10 America. You are forced, said in
0ignhnt travellers fresh from European
comforts. to be mere number instead Of
BENG the ,ect OF personal attention:
and this illustrates the tyranny Of ma
iority and its hatred for individual PC
cularities. No such sentiment need be
inferred. Where everybody eats like
ms neighbors, eats at the same time.
ana submits to uniform regulations.
lheFe Is an en- rm iuS economy Of labor
Two or three walters can serve MI the
guests Mt table d'hote where, if each
man wishes Tor separate waiter TO at
tend to all his wants just rs the wants
are felt. dozen would be insufficient.
lhe snmc principle is equally visible in
All the other arrangements which are
most obvious to q traveller. The En-
gHSh traveller, accustomed to any
number Of pOrtcrs and guards and SUI
Pciihtcndents. IS disgusted when he
hndS ~ such array OF dependent
officials, and when no is expected to
facilitate arrangements by submitting
to do what everybody else is doing, and
finds that neither tips nor obiureations
are dreaded Or expected. The readi-
ness with which Ercnchmen form a
g"c"' on appropriate occasions has often
been mentioned as Il proof of the ma
uonal intelligence and courtesy. In
America the traveller is always forming
queues: he finds himself constantly
obliged to fall in with some such spon-
taneouS arrangement, tho final cause of
which IS the saving OF all the elaborate
personal machinery SO easily provided
where labor is cheap. He frets and
fumes at the inferior quality of the ac
commodation provided, and is half
edited and half-scandalizod bv the good
nature OF tho habituated Tho good
nature means, in fact, the habit of sub
mltt'ng to inconvenienceS caused by the
Independence Of your interiors; it is tho
quality developed in bachelor in cham
bers who is bullied bya slattcrnly laun-
dress and dcsDi cd fer his tamcncas by
the comfortable monarch OF q domestic
estab 'ishnent. We do not presume to
say how far this habit OF Pronunciation
enters into the Indifference with which
Americans too often accept political
scandals and grievances, or the too easy
forgiveness which they extend to vari-
Gus evil docrs. Neither do we ask how
tar it rs compensated by Advantages to
the classes whose services are in de-
mani. We simply observe that tho
nasty traveller often assigns some occult
working Of democratic prin iples as the
cause of what is simply due TO the scare
ity OF labor. In country where tho
raw material OF social machinery is SO
dear and SO aGot to disper:e ino its con-
Shtuent atoms, ono learns to accept the
alternative of doing without. and taking
IrpriratIon rs easily as oIe can, be.
cause no amount OF stoldng will lead to
satisfactory rrsults. .-Puji- IuU Gu:cttC.