The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-05-28

v INV " " W
and n tumbler are always furnished FREQ o.
| charge " ons will take the trouble to ring fol
them. Ho notes tho curious fact. which has
often %perplskod Americans. that soap. though
always Forthcoming in hotels. IL not provided
in boarding houses or lodgings. AZ regards
the resources Of the American lnrder. 1t Ia
acknowledged that sour. fish. poultry. game.
and sweet dishes are generally good. but the
beef and mutton arc declared 20 be infetiorto
those OF England. 1t Is true enough that In
this country vino or beer Is much
less frequently drunk ut meals than
In Europe. and the visitor lie not ex-
pectod to order liquors for tho good
OF tn house. Tho editor observes that iced
watet is the universal beverage. and what
strikes him rs no less noteworthy. that a cup
OF tea or coffee Is included in all meals at n
fixed price. No one will gainsav his averment
that restaurants which solicit the patronage
OF "gents" should be avoided. but his further
statement that tho meals on dining cars and
buffet cars are preferable to those at railway
restaurants. will scarcely bo confirmed by
travellers between New York and Washing
ton. Tho editor. on the other hand, is right
in saying that with us the term cafe is con-
stantly used as the equivalent OF restaurant.
and that cafes In tho European sense nre sell
dom found in the United States. except In New
Orleans and n few other cities having a largo
French or German element In the population.
Although It is admitted that the speech OF
the cultivated American varies but little from
that OF the cultivated Englishman. and no
misunderstanding is likely to arise in their
verbal intercourse. the editor gives a short
list OF words which. in tho United States. are
used In q sense not commonly known in Eng
land. We have already referred to some dif-
farnnoaa IN thu rafIUAv poma nclafurA. among
other terms which might not at first sight be
identified with the English equivalents may
be m entioned the following: We speak. FOR
instance. OF a bedspread instead OF n coverlet
or counterpanc: OF biscuit instead OF hot tea
rolls: Of q telegraph blank. meaning q tel
graz phi form. and OF a blind for O shutter. we
say bowl instead OF basin. and bureau instead
OF chest Of drawers. With US a cannon at bill
lizards is a carrom. and q city 10 any corporate
town. without reference to whether 1t Is tho
see OF a Bishop. Corn. which to an English
man means any kind OF grain. signifies In
our vernacular only maize or Indian corn.
What we call a cracker the English call Q bis
cult; and what we term cunning or cute. they
would describe as neat, pretty. winsome.
Tho English spittoon. which. by the
way. is never seen in q decent house
or first-rate hotel in England. is u known to us
as q cuspidor. What tho English call n pack
OF cards is familiar to some OF us-happily not
alias O deck. A commercial traveller is
known to us as o drummer. a lift as an elevator.
a shopman as q clerk. autumn as fall. and q
pair OF horses as c span. When the average
American thinks a man clever he says that he
is bright: and when he calls him clever he
means that he is Rood-natured. , We speak
of a stout man as O ieshy man. and whom we
say that o nan Is ugly we mean that he Is
-tempsred. We get mad when an English
man gets ye1ed or cross. There are. however.
three mistakes in the Baedeker list. For In
chowder Is described as a thick soup:
but the basis Of the soup must always be fish
or shell6sh. not meat. We are told that an
takes a lady out" to dinner. while
an Englishman takes her in" We have
never heard the former phrase. The term
smart In the sense OF stylish or fashionable is
not an Americanisn,. but an Anglicism. The
term was used in this sense in England before
It was imported.
Prefxed to this volume are eight. essays
on the whole may be described as
OF compact and accurate dis
Here. for instance. Is o short his
tory Of American politics by John Bach Nc
Master: m account OF the Constitution and
political institutions Of the United States By
James Bryce: q paper on the aboriRines and
aboriginal remains by Prof. @. T. Mason OF the
Smithsonian Institute: an exposition OF the
OF North America by Prof. N. s.
OF Harvard University; a brief disserta-
ton on the climate and climatic resorts OF the
United States by DR.. T. c. Wendt OF New York.
and two papers on the fine arts In America by
A.. Coffin and Montgomery Schuyler.
IT. th-so i. 81 - - Ia
the most easily accessible. interesting. and
useful books on the main TOPICS with regard
to which visitors would desire to be informed.
We observe that in Mr.. McMaster's account
OF the capture OF CORVALLIS at Yorktown he
Gays nothing about the large and indispensa-
BILE part which the French ARM under
beau took in that achievement. 1t
to us. also. that Mr.. McMaster exag-
geratSs the defects OF the Articles Of Confeder-
ation which were put in force in 1871. A sin
gle amendment would have suflced to render
the Government established BY
these articles. namely. the right to regulate
between the States or with foreign
powers. which would have involved an exclu-
sive right to levy customs duties. An amend
ment OF this kind was foremost In the minds
Of the mon who sent delegates to the Philadel-
Convention. which. in violation OF its in
framed an entirely new form OF
government. Mr.. McMaster says that in
the First Congress no trace OF party lines
visible. That is true enough. because.
except the Federalists. nobody at tho outset
cared about the Offices OF Senator and Repre-
Already. however. party lines were |
deeply traced among the people. between those |
who had welcomed the Constitutionand those |
who had viewed 1t with inveterate suspicion. or |
upon adding to 1t a bill o! rights. Mr.. |
McMaster says truly that scarcely had the fol.
lowers OF Jefferson got possession OF power
when they dIsavowei their fundamental doc
trine OF strict construction by buying the
territory from France. He also
brings ont the important difference that while,
from 1903 to 1915. the political and industrial
history o'the United States was deeply affected
European events. for some thirty years |
after 1873 foreign affairs sank into lnsixnil- |
canoe. and It was questions OF do n sstio policy |
hat mainly occupied the time Of Congress-.
Mr.. McMaster further recalls tho noteworthy
TACT that. In 1920. when Monroe was reelected
he really had every electoral vote,
though one elector throw away his vote ON