Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-04-11

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with frssa interest Is coalxsstsd with
the rest.
The New Yorker carries m face and
form and speech and action the facs
that be lives il . very bag csty, and that
competition. while II Is the soai Of trade,
Is very apt 70 be the death Of the trader,
whether his trade lies In brains or cot
ton. The New Yorker, u anything. Ia
alert; he feels that II u his duty and his
necessity TO catch on" 10 every new
idea, every new promise or development,
every new "ehAnee" before the next
nan ..xets there" One may be excused
for describing him by slang, for he uses
q great deal OF it-those terse and pun
gent expressions which men invent 10
convey an IDEA not TO be communicated
by Johnsonian English. Parallel to this
habit Of slang Is the New Workers love
Of abbreyiatioa and minimization; he
speaks Of tho Aevated road Is the IL,
OF the Atlantic ocean as 1.-The pond" Of
his country as II. S." OF millions Of
dollars as '.spot cash." OF the electric
telegraph IS 1.-The WIRE" and 50 on ad
inhEitum.
In brief. his habitual hurry leads him
to discover the briefest form in which to
convey his ideas. and his habitnal irrev-
erencs and self confidence lead him TO
speak lightly and. as it were. in a pat
ronizing spirit Of the biggest things in
nature or humanity which 10 may
chance TO encounter. This habit of
mind extends to the New Workers. social
manner and attitude. He is impatient
of prosiness: he is incredulous Of senti-
ment; no never forgets the practical side
OF his loveInaking or his attentions.
One New York man boldly avowed that
he only gave his seat in the l. car to q
pretty woman whom he might wish TO
know. to q woman Of society at whose
house he might wish to visit, or to en-
cid woman who would speak well Of
him. Whether this was true or not it
was eminen.ly New York cynicisrn.
But for all this cynicism, irreverence.
rush and self confidence, your New
Yorker Is pleasant companion and a
good comrade. He likes champagne.
and under its genial influence expands
into anecdote and Jest. repartee and at
tack. nearly as sparkling as his favorite
wine. although, like it. possessing moro
brilliancy than body. His prudence and
wideawakeness tell him where to stop
both the wine and the Jest. and the lit. a
supper or the theater party conducted
by New Yorker seldom bequeathes a
headache or regret to the next morning.
L. ,x.*. n 4
I Guilty to solve, would consult Boston
man; if required financial advice-not
help, If you please-or If were In a
social puzzle OF any sort. or wanted to
know the character Of any human being
of note, would ask 1t Of New York
man; but If had hurt heart. or had
done a foolish and iruprudent thing
and wanted to get out of it graceful
ly, would scrupulously avoid telling
either the one or tho other, for the
Bostonian would stonily stare his disap-
prevail and tho New Yorker would offer
o Jest or cynicism, or show that my
weakness had in his eyes broken down
some of the barriers between himself
and ono who had not known how to
guard herself from mistakes.
To whom would l turn in such .
strait, you ask? Why, most assuredly
to southerner; aye, or to westerner.
diverse though they be. The southerner
would understand mo better and save
! much Of the pain and humiliation Of
confesGng the folly or the credulity that
had led to the trouble we imagine; bu.
the wcsterner would be even more ready
1 to shield and comfort the sufferer.
OF course, on tho excursion we allude
to, we met many westerners, some OF
whom l had learned to know and to
value in the course of my lecturing tour
some two years since, and tho sensation
in renewing the acquaintance was as
when, stepping from the heated and life
less atmosphere of the drawing room
car, one meets the first rush of the prairio
wind-fresh, full Of ozone, a little bois-
ferrous, yet full of sweet, wholesome
scents Of grass and wild growths and
miles Of unused atmosphere.
There is no hospitality like that of the
western man: the southerner is hospi-
table, but with discrimination; joint
antebellum distrust Of . northerner
fingers in his breast and his political
likes and dislikes are rather apt to take
q personal form. Also he likes to know
something of his guests family, social
standing and antecedents. These mat
tiers pleasantly adjusted, the right man
! or woman may remain for months or
| years as guest in q southern home, and
never perceive, because it would never
exist, the slightest wonder on tho part
of his hosts e to when the visit would
terminate.
But the westerner's hospitality il not
handicapped by such, or by any, limita-
tons: he receives whatever guest may
come in his way, caring very little how
or why he came, utterly Indifferent az
to his ancestry or family ties, very in
dulgent a. to his social manners or
habits. largely tolerant Of his political
or religious views. although they may
dramatically oppose his own. He does
not lay himself out AZ the southerner
does TO entertain his guest. or trouble
himself 10 make him acquainted with
other persons; he simply throws open
tho doors of his home and expects tho
guest to share is privileges without
formality or protestations of gratitude.
Only IL this hospitality should be abused,
and the warmed adder begin to show
his nature, then God pity the traitor,
for know not whether western rife or
southern pistol is the swifter or sserner
avenger. What law and damages are
to the east and 10 New York, gunpow-