New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-10-04
AMERICAN CIVILIZATION.
,,, u.uuTov ON SEw-YORk SOCIETY
AND THE MAN.


49,. i.ooorse there isn't any," said to me an A'ho'
~, c,tizen. home from short Vis't ai'oi
- of European residence. am lar 700 ni'''''
90, 70 cav cowardly TO dispute him 10 us iaoo' ~
r;vatelv have my doubts. m ue paUo"'
Minister Plenpotentiaryfrom France W ONO on.'o"
gates WAS persuaded that our eApeiiih'n' We"
t;Inro forty years ago. because proni'heu' A',io
oonused his table napkin for pocReth"noA0'on. e
and again sharp incrednlity diVlues lily I'll
mind But when Lord MalmesOnry comes ~. FL
=. h;a lately published Memoirs and says tha' ru
Al Ai1 r..ro,t vent 10 dinner in a green coat anu
osked gentleman before lie was iptroduceu w .'
~ mnch beer money he allowed his ser'"u'1'
ai,o rrpdence TO the winds and simply 90 NV 10,
80 tho storv It is far moro Likely 1n"U 80
uolmesbury should have told q lie tn"u '"1v sa.
ward Everett should have asked an IT, o.
,uostion Edward Everett was no moro mo,
WEAR a green coat to a dinner parry 81
y;o,ori, was 70 cut and make Dim oiaoN VnT
bor own roval hands. We have KNOWN - 80
Everett as a scholar presiding o'0i .I;rt1
Chi,et officer as foreign ambassador as poii9"1N
o"n'ii'' arator and in all positions bearing
h;m.elf as man of learning Oh lrropio"' -
80 .oS of commanding ability. we nave near"
- valmesbury chiefly as somewhat ian"u'
S.,ooo the nglish nobility, and We nave known
~, 40 n British Minister of Foreign Ah'i'' WV
d,.cusssl the Clavton-Bulwer Treaty WIN pio-o.n
nont weakness in diplomatic correspondent WV"
dear old General Cas-. Therefore Lord h''uio',
hurry NAV be ruled out of the question ae once Du
when the French diplomat aitrins tna' ono Pioo VI
American barbarisn is tho absence OIL cousI''o'"'''
o. ..a,ol,ors ercept coneR we admit his facts ana
cce,t his test There is no denying tha' tne 'l"'-
oIIars ot forty years ago must have Jared rather
hI, but even then women were treated WIN
,iooh,e considerations Within forty months, Two
,d.,ts in the two countries Illustrate the point 10
,ybich the two countries have advanced III INC ncS
+bers indicated. 4 young American woh'dh was
o',liced 10 take a two days railroad tourney lro"
pic alma Her friends accompanied her TO the
tram and saw that compartment was secutou lor
her sole occupancy. After tho tram had ieiV tuo
station the conductor came IN ami told her that sue
hi the wrong commandment She showed him her
ticket bearing the corresponding anu proper nSuio'
and tried to reason with him but he insisted that
sho was wrong: that this compartment WAS te-
s,rva1 for n duchess Not convinced but not
I,,ying b,w to resist she followed him to the door
90 tho compartmeut for four which he said was al
,t,aI IN her and found it to be already occupied
nv three men, In her distress she turned 10 another
croun and asked in English whether any EhRlHn
gentleman were present. lady instantly poih'od
ont her husband who justified MS blood c"ihe
;ustonty to her rescue, secured for her her Original
c,nnartment where his wife also kindly cohSehte"
IN re,nain with her lot INC nlSuU' ny ""''
~ hrowbe,tinp of the conductor this result was nc
complishod the English gentleman refused 10 I'll
vuIge This compartment she held during the
,,i,aer of the tourney, aud nothing was seen or
heard of the duchess
At about the same time youug woman had occa-
sion 10 travel alone from Massachusetts, WIN nnr
Tewksbury branded upon her brow to kentucky
whose civilization we know and admit IS sometimes
TOO blue with guupowler In perfect repose OF body
aud mind she reached the borders oil hehtucky,
WHARF, she was to await for some hours the ARRIVAL
of a steamboat. The Kentuekian official inV'teh
her into his o!6ce As beng moro quiet a"d restfui
than anv other place open to her. Here she wrote
ssvera letters before she had leisure to observe that
man in q room, below we're talking somewhat rough
lv and nrofanely anl that the Keutuckian was be
comm maulesty uneasy. In deference to his feel
inrs sh, presently went out for a walk Returning
az the appointed hour she learned that 10" waser
hl detained the steamer, bat the careful ani luss
nio1s Kent1ckian gathered up all her packages ana
conducted her on board another steamer where sue
would be co nfortabe, assuring her that lie ~oniu
ro ne for her az as her boat should arrive.
Trne tn his word at the assigned moment hs ap-
reared reassumed her wraps and straps accom-
paned her to her steamer. engaged her sta;eroom,
,eot her trunk on board. and all without hiht
fr,n her that she wanted any such attention. with
mt knowing who she vas. where she was going
all and solely because she was woman and alone
The p,int make with all who lament the absence
OF social order anl cultivated class in the United
States is thus a civilization which provides an easy
pa.h for rank aud strength. and bullies weakness,
is not so high a. barbarism which recognizes only
The rank of weakness. AMI protects wo'uan. The
Frcnchnau sta IDS at ths head of polite society and
sees nothing to be desired The American knows
that in the mnutie OF life he NAV hIvo much to
learn. maintain that it is far lser to teach the
American the use Of the napkin than to teach the
Frenchmau respect for won lnho0l; and that.
therefore today the American is nearer the king
dom Of Heaven whose portals are eoartcsy than IL
the Frenchman.
Much-au indeed-depends upon whether the in
clents related characteristic or merely spo-
radio have known too many similar incidents OF
foreign happening believe that courtesy to woman
as woman is French trait. The Kentucky polite
ness know TO be not exceptional Corresponding
attentions could he reported by procession OF
unattended female travellers One OF them, indeed
a native Kentuckan, exclams in her enthusiasm
sIf you ever inset a Kentuckian who does not
insist Oh blisterng his feet ia your service and is
not absolutely wretched if yOu don't make q ser
want Of him, remember lie is not genuine" Barring
a little exaggeratioD of expression, the underlying
hepfuness is true in every State from the oldest
to the youngest from the finest to the roughest
There is not in the whole country from Castine to
Alaska, from the northernmost point of Michigan
to the southerumost tip of Florida, railroad con
ductor who would any more think Of extorting a
fee from a womans embarrassment than he would
from the Count de Chambord or than would the
Count de Chac1bord himself. all dead as no is and
Gne Old gentleman as lac was.
The right of France to eminent domain in MILL
merry aud in manners may be indisputable though
in an aside be 1t whispered the most elegant cos
tunes Of Paris made by .n Englishman, and the
most charming woman whom French diplomacy has
sent for many years is an American!