Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1889-02-09
CHAPTER XXI.

That which strikes tho European most In
his first walk through Now York streets is
the absence Of stupid faces All aro not
handsome. but all are Intelligent looking and
full Of lifa Tho next thing that strikes him
Is tho well grown look Of tho people Fow or
no deformitiez He docs not 800 ono halt or
hunchbacked person out OF tho ton thousand
ho may meet. With tho exception of tho old
people, few have defective sight. Apart
from the complexion, which Is pale. every
thing seems TO indicate an active, strong,
healthy people Tho constant crossing Of
races must daily tend TO tho improving of
tho Americans. physically and intellectually.
You SEQ so many thin men and 10 many
stout women that you almost Immediately
conclude that the former live in a furnace Of
activity, and tho latter in cotton wool This
impression grows upon you, and soon takes
tho form Of q conviction.
Tho Americans do not walk much. u Is
not that they arc indolent Far from II II
Is because their legs will not carry them fast
enough.
The faces Of the men you meet look ab.
sorbed In thought. Their hats arc well down
on their heads This again Is sign Of intel
llgence DO not smile Tho fool perches his
hat on his head, tho man with well flled
brain puts his head into its covering.
These same faces arc pale, and you SEQ
many prematurely gray heads Tho wantof
open air exercise, the dryness Of tho atmos-
phere, the suffocating heat OF tho rooms, tho
vitiated air In the houses. which seem to have
windows only for the purpose Of letting In q
little light, easily explain this double pho
nomenon.
The women of every country are unani.
nous In pronouncing the American men
handsome, and as there are few men who do
not think tho American women lovely, there
can be but ono opinion on tho subject, tho
American race Is good looking race. But
that which makes tho charm Of the mems
faces Is not regularity Of feature; II Is as
have already said, tho intelligence written on
them.
This activity you find In all stations Of life
in tho financial world, the literary world, tho
world Of politics, everywhere. II is fever
with which tho whole nation is smitten.
In the eyes Of the worthy, peaceful French
man who has not Travelled, an American IL q
lunatic, who does nothing like other people
After all, eccentricity Is but an exaggerated
form Of activity, but for certain people with
narrow IDEAS. occentricity and madness are
but one and the Same thing.
Let Us take little look ut Americans at
home, and see II I was wrong in calling
American life puro phantasnagoria.
We win begin by tho private houses.
In a well appointed house you will find In a
littlo room on tho ground floor q brass plate
fitted with several buttons. You touch tho
first and Immediately a cab drives up to your
door. II you press 1t twice it Is a two horse
cab that comes. You touch tho second and
In minute or two there appears messenger
from tho telegraph office to tako your tele-
gram or carry parcel or message for you to
any part OF the city. You touch tho third
and policeman presents himself, as If by en-
chantment, TO know II you suspect the pres
ence Of burglars You touch tho fourth, and
hey, prcstol up dashes the fro brigade with
engine, fro escape and tho rest Of their life
saving apparatus, and this In about the timo
that 1t took Cinderella's godmother to turn
the pumpkin into a coach.
Jonathan will not stop here. Before long
we shall SEQ the architects Of all first class
houses laying on not only gas, water, the tele-
phone and the electric light, but the opera
and church service. A landlord will adyer-
tise l. house to let; "The opera and church
service laid on the premises"
Already the ladies Of Chicago are able TO
do their marketing at home.
The housekeeper goes to her telephone and
ringA
"....s!H responds the central Office