The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-04-02
sLOvENLY AMERICANS.
Mrs. Van-Reasselser Cruger, One of
the 400, Writes About Them.
Fror. tn No...o,oIiso,

Mrs. Vau-Re1sselaer Cruzer, One OF
the 400, Writes About Them.
From the CosmOpolitGH.
The American, and allude only to the
male, is lamentably untidy-I hesitate TO
say unclean, but i do not hesitate 70 assert,
and to assert it vehemently, that the first
clause is true of our men Of all classes, sta
tons. vocatiOns and degrees of wealth.
Its evidences parade themselves in our
palaces, where lack Of means cannot ex-
culpate. In fact, cleanliness, neatness, aud
money have nothing whatever to do with
each other. When dog is not occupied in
hunting Tor prey he is usually busy with
the care OF his person, and there is nothing
more edifying TO watch than the evolutions
OF young duckling at his toilet Animals
can teach men important lessons in self
respect. An American lady residing in
London part Of each year, when asked
suddenly what especial superiority she
found in the British over her own people,
replied naively. 20! their men are SO
cleanw
The thrust was as UNCONSCIOUS as it was
unstudied. 1t were well for our men to &C.
cept 1t as such. Take one Of our morning
trains and ferries carrying an average
American crowd to the city OF morning.
Here we have a fairly representative va
riety Of types and of classes. and sorry
enough spectacle it ia which presents itself
to our view, even at this early hour. Spotted
clothes, unbrushed shoulders, frowsy hair
and frayed shirt cuffs are not uncommon
| w hen this herd returns at 5 o'clock after
the struggle of the day, we draw the veil.
IL meet q man in the late afternoon with
uncertain finger nails, depressed collar and
soiled cravat, and he laboriously explains
To me that he takes his cold water bath
4 nv v,N.xv d. q \
upon his return to his country home before
his late dinner, refused to be impressed.
His assurances carry no convictions, even
| though do not for an instant doubt their
veracity. DO not care to be informed that
he was clean early aad will be clean again
anon. His present aspect is none the less
revolving.
Military exercises, athletics, develop in
Europe race Of splendid, broad -chested,
| elastic, graceful, elegant men, upon whom
their garments sit as upon kings and gods.
While to many OF our men such a training
would be useful and entirely attainable,
there are Others, of course, to whom it must
| perforce, through circumstances, be denied.
But this is hardly a reason for the deplor-
able tenue OF the average American.
He shuffles with his feet His head is
sunk and held low between his shoulders.
! His arms are carried like the grocer boys,
1
brown-paper parcel. If he bow to you, be
will either give you a grin and an imper-
ceptibe nod, or shove his head gear back
and forth on his head without dignity.
Nothing less impressive and distinguished
can be imagined than an Americans salute.
There has been good deal of righteous
wrath covering the ill-concealed pin pricks
OF foolish jealousy in the TRADES Of our
| countrymen against the American womap's
prediction for foreign lovers and husbands.
Pray remember, my indignant gentlemen,
| that feminine creatures are always allured
by externals. The male bird found it out
long ago, if you did not.
The physician or the lawyer will not
| jeopardize patient or a case, will not lose
his skill or his eloqusnce because he has the
| courage and the patience of scrupulous
neatness. l remember a consultation be-
tween Velpeau and Nelaton. greatest of
French physicians. The extreme elegance
OF their appearance has always remained
an impressive picture of my earliest child
hood.
There is a much-abused creature going
| about in our streets and drawing rooms 4,
booted, jeered at, made the laughing-stock
OF the club and the scapegoat of the thea
| ter, harmless, mild creature enough as TO
retaliation-possibly because he is so per-
fectly self-satished-the dude. Now, the
| dude has done for us a great deal more than
we deserve, for all the abuse that is heaped
on his good-natured defenselessness
The dude has helped to institute out-of-
door life among us, which Is excellent, and
over and above this the dude keeps
himself clean. All honor, therefore, to the
dude, say I. Ofcourse, there may be dirty
dude or two. have myself seen--one But
taken in the gross, the dude is sweet and
fresh as to his skin, his teeth, and his hair,
immaculate at all times and upon all occa-
sions as to his shirt collar. and the lapel of
his coat will never he adorned by the suspi-
cion of a vaguely greasy crease. For this
women like him, and so they should, and so
4 they will continue To do