Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-09-01
ENGLISHMANS CRIT
ICISMS ON AMERICAN GUS
TOMS.

A YOUNG ENGLISHMAN'S CRIT |
ICISMS ON AMERICAN GUS
''Blow this country, I say!" re-
marked young Englishman in the
corridor of Fifth street hotel, the
other afternoon, yawning spasmodi-
cally and throwing away half
smoked cigarette.
"What's the matter?" inquired a
sympathizing Times reporter.
"Oh, I'm going back again to
London. The way the people here
live and work is far too much for me.
The idea of working at the Office all
day and late at night and frequently
on Sunday! It's too much, you know,
by George!''
"Much difference in office hours be-
tween your country and ours?'
"Well, / should say there is.
should like to see the average En-
glish clerk commence work before
9 o'clock in the morning, and every
one leaves at 6 o'clock. Then we
have holiday on Saturday and
bank holidays, and that sort of thing,
you know"
s'The English clerks get well paid,
no doubt, in comparison to the Amer
ican?"
"Oh, well, our clerks are not so
well paid, I suppose. A man who
gets forty shillings week considers
himself pretty we'll paid. You see
everybody in England learns to be
clerk, and it is supposed to be infra
deg. to learn trade. Tradespeople,
you know, are looked down upon, and
are in fact, very inferior. They make
more money, and obtain higher sala-
ries, and / think it is beastly shame
but the employment sought for by
most young fellows is bookkeeping,
and of course the market can be over
stocked and salaries are reduced in
consequence.
''Been long over here ?"
''Oh, about six months and that
is. six months too long. l think the
Americans are awfully rude and plain
spoken. When / was in Chicago /
asked one of the railway Office Off
cials if he could obtain a position for
me. He said: Are you out of work. p
The idea af asking gentleman if he
was out of work I told him | was
temporarily out of employment, and
he then said: sWhat can you do?'
sOh,' / said, i am fair bookkeeper.'
What do you think he said? I'VE
feed hogs on bookkeeqers in this 1
city Did you ever hear such bru-
tai expression in all your life?
''Did you catch on? to use an
Americanism."
''Catch what? Oh, see what you
mean. Yes, he offered me an en-
gagement and l accepted it; but
soon found / had no leisure time. so
resigned, and tried one or two 9TH
er things. / thought it would be aw-
fully jolly to go on farm for little
while, and / did so, but the work was
too hard and I went back again to
Chicago. By the by, do you know
that when arrived from England /
came straight through to Chicago,
and it was shockingly cold of course.
Twas wearing an English fur cap and
corduroy clothes, and when [ got off
the train at the station some boys
called out, sWhat is it? / said, i
beg your pardon;' and they repeated
What is it?' and laughed as though
they had made some amazingly witty
observation. l gradually became con-
scious that they were making game
of me, and they meant what was L.
Wasn't it a terrible position to be |
placed in? So embarrassing you
know"
"You seem TO have come west?'
''Yes, but the further away 1 get
the less like the country. | went to |
one place to seek employment and
the head of the firm asked me if / |
was hustler
II said No, sir; | am book
keeper and then he laughed in cal
lous sort of way, and said he guess
ed was too gray for the place.
did not like to ask him what he
meant by gray for fear he would
think that / was not familiar with the
language of the country, so walked
away"
ssYou do not seem to have too |
great liking for the country"
''You are right, my boy. | have
given the place fair trial and am
going straight home. There is moth
II
AMBITION, sELFIsHNEss AND
FALSE PRIDE.
Ambition is a very good thing TO
have if you don't have too much of it.
1t is like quinine- good in small