, 1884-11-14
IN FREE AMERICA.
A FrenehmAn's Impression on Firnt
Landing IN This Country.
Some rhinEs Which Appear ver5
Large 60 q Foreigners Eyes-
Faults OF People and
Place.


TITTT III u 1TVI III : IIUTI u II 7
ses here In America interests me aud charms
the. Perhaps I ought to premise that the
people whom | have met are most friendly
and quite engaging. The ladies af- very en-
chanting when not overmuch free aid aus
pictously familiar. Indeed. the ladies CON
stituts the society OF America The geutls-
men, I mean tho male section VI society. ART
ungraceful OF Manner, ADD ara for the most
part unframed in the god brssding and lit
tie punctiliousuess which one expects TO Uni
Ia polts circles.
II happened TO 10 n Sunday nlorning wner
va landed, and all the men seemed dressed
exactly alike. The customs officers aud tho
civilian and tho iaborinS men ali wsro
dressed In mourning-that is, IN black
clothes. But ninguiarly enough-A fact
which tells the unparalleled prosperity Of the
eountry-every man whom ] saw had an Inn
mense seal ring on the fourth finger OF tho
left hand, Indicating that they we're all
sither married or matrimonizlly engaged
and l believe every man / snw had n breast
pin or shirt-stud with "a genuine and enor-
NOUS diamond. Such immense stones in pins
and rings l nsvsr saw before. It struck me
ss in bad taste to sec mers boys who ought to
10 In pinafores thus bedecked in precious
stones, and even more so to sec ~workingmen
20 beJeweled. l rushed hers and there In e
confusion l could not understand the need
of, until / saw u line OF men getting bits OF
paper from some gentleman who was an Off
cial. although no had no livery or badge to
Indicate his authority or function.
This man had a silver-headed cane in his
hand, and q white tall hat balanced cleverly
over his right eye. This officer OF the Gus
toms was dressed In black broadcloth, except
he wore a very low-cut white waistcoat. His
was the largest diamond / saw among all the
muffifuia vearfur diamonds Hfa shirt
front was immaculate. l was distressed to
wee, however, on this snowy white acre OF
linen one great yellowish and still undried
splattering. I called inquiringly the atten-
ton Of an Americana genial gentleman,
whose acquaintance had been a source of
supreme pleasure to me on the voyage-to
this nnstiness, and be told ma that It was to-
bacco spittla. ! think this Is the word he
used.
l must stop here to tell you of the road
beds and pavoments OF New York. / am told
that all American cities are viilianously
paved, and that they are all unkspt and
nlthy. New York inconceivably fulnls these
assertions. Remember It was Sunday. The
shop and all restaurants seemed closed. and
it was dull and dismal as a cemetery. sup
posed / was In tho low quarters of the city as
we drove over ragged and rugged streets TINT
were filthy beyond description. Ashes, bits
OF paper, ofal and swill barrels were every
where TO be seen, and ono might conjecture
that tho street had not been mended or
cleaned for many Year.. The great avenues,
such as Broadway, were In q not much moro
civilized condition
was astonished to rec immense mnsts In
all the streets, and which l was told are tele-
graph poles These run the length of these
long, straight s~treets, and are = Disagreement
~ ~. Ia --1~r -. II - III
roads / cannot believe that Americans have
no artistic sense, but it is SO inactive and 30
unassertive that the American cities are
wholly given over to uglness and dsformlty.
Everything has an unkept air. There Is just
now beginning to be a little attention paid to
architecture. There are perhaps half a dozon
public buildings In New York that arc arts
ticslly beautiful. The residence streets are
alsd with houses of three and four stories,
with high steTs up to the front door. and one
Is just like another. These are the mosa
monotonous streets I have ever traversOd.
The American hotels Are unlike European
public house IN every essential way. This
hotsl where I Am u guest is All immense
structure. and all its appointments aro very
gorgeous. perhaps a little glaring. The pub
lie halls seem to be open TO all comers, and
the corridors arc open to the public. and
the public Hro perfectly at home in them.
They are really public promonader. The
table has an endless variety on It, or, at
least the menu has. dare not venture upon
a desci lption OF the way the table Is served,
for l am SURE ! would fail, and IL I should
tell you the exact truth as to the manner OF
eating, AIN quite as SURF you would not be-
lieve me.
At all the meals you can order at pleasure
from any course on the menu, and the food
I a.. --..-I L.. l. l. - -
more Of these are arranged In a sort OF semi
circle round your plate. Ibid not know
whether to eat out of these several dishes or
to put the food on my plate and eat from
that A gentleman and lady sitting opposite
me, and a boy who seemed to be dining quite
alone, and who could not have been more
than 10 years old, all used both methods, and
ate fish, beef, ham and at least five
vegetables, all as one course. The dining
room Of this hotel is gorgeously decorated,
and Is beautifully light and airy, but I
thought / would 10 driven mad by tho clat-
ter Of dishes and the noise made by tho
walters.
At all the hotsls where I have been, tile
noise OF dishes in the dining-rooms gives ore
the suggestion OF Bedlam. The toothpick is
ubiquitous In America. Gentlemen walk
about tho hotel, and even in the streets, with
t~oothpicks In their mouths, and in many
places ladies walk out Of tho dinlng-ruom
picking their teeth.
Nothing Is more striking than the presence
OF children In all public places. They are
prominent At the tables Mt the hotsls, and
very young children come to the evening
dinner, and ssem T. eat all and everything
placed before them. l pity these poor little
creatures, for most Of them look as though
they were half dead Of dyspepsia Then.
too. their manners are assertive, unrestrained
and unbearable.
One intolerab,e nuisance here on the trains
Is ths newsboy. TIL railway companies per-
NIT rough, nnsightly men and boys to range
through the cars at all times 10 sell books,
papers and things to eat And such things to
eati you arc offered hard sandwiches, balls
Of pop corn and stale candies.
One meets gentlemen and ladies every
where In America, but there seems no @classr
Of gentlemen and ladies. mean there are
no standards of high bresding. OF speech and
manners which are deemed as esseutials 20
sooisty, as in all European countries.