Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1884-03-12
JeffersOn,S Time,

The habits of the last century in re-.
spect to decorum were just receding; men
were-for better or worse-ceasing to
occupy themselves about personal exter-
nails, and the customary suit of solemn
black was only just coming into vogue.
The old regime was dying. and it's dis
appearance was as conspicuous in En-
gland as in France, in America as in En-
gland. This is easily illustrated.
If we were to read in some old collec-
ton of faded letters woman's animated
description of country visit paid to one
who seemed the counterpart of Addi-
sons Sir Roger de Coverley, We should
naturally assume that the address OF the
letter must be very far away in space
and time. Suppose that the narrator
should tell us of fine country house
surrounded by lofty elms forming two
avenues, the one leading to the high
road, the other to the village church.
There are family portraits in the hall,
bookcase containing the first edition
OF the Spectator, and a buffet of old
plate and rare china. The guest re-
mains over Sunday, and her host, wear.
ing wig and cooked hat and red cloak,
escorts her down the avenue of elms
through the rural church-yard to the
village church. At every step they
pass villagers who make profound obel.
sance, and at the conclusion of the SER
vice the whole congregation remains
standing until this ancient gentleman
and bis friends have passed down the
broad aisle. Who would not fancy this
q scene from some English hamlet in the
days of Queen Anne? Yet it all took
place in the present century, and in the
quiet village of Harvard, Massachusetts,
little more than thirty miles from Bos-
ton, and now only noted as the abode of
q little Shaker community, and the
scene of Howell's undiscovered Coun-
try" The narrator was the late Mrs. Jo-
siah Quincy, and her host was Henry
Bromtield, elder brother of the we'll
known benefactor of the Boston Athe-
nseum: He was simply ':survival'' of
the old way of living. He spoke of
State Street as King Street, and Summer
Street as Seven-st Lane, and his dress
and manners were like his phrases.
Such survivals were still to be found,
here and there all over the country, at
the precise time when Jefferson became
president, and shocked Mr.. Merry with
his morning slippers, and Mr.. Sullivan
by opening his doors to all the world.
Jefferson's way of living in Washing
ton exhibited profuse and rather SLOW
emily hospitality which 8: last left him
deeply in debt. He kept open house,
had eleven servants (slaves) from his
plantation, besides French cook and
stewards and an Irish coachman. His
long dining-roem was crowded every
day according to one witness, who tested
its hospitality for sixteen days in success
sion; it was essentially bachelor estab-
lishment, he being then widower, and
we hear little ofladies among its visitors,
There was no etiquette at these great
dinners; they sat down at four and talked
till midnight. The city of Washington
was still frontier settlement, in that
phase of those outposts when they con-
eist of many small cabins and one hotel
at which everybody meets. The White
House was the hotel; there was no $50
ciety" anywhere else, because nobody
else had drawing. room large enough
to receive it. Pennsylvania Avenue was
still an abyss of yellow mud, on which
nobody could walk, and where carriages
were bamired. Gouverneur Morris, of
New York, described Washington as the
best city in the world f,r future resi-
denoe. .sWe want nothing here he
said, stbut houses, cellars, kitchens,
well-informed men, amiable women,
and other little triaes of this kind, to
make our city perfect. !"
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