New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-24
SOCIAL NOTES.

THE AMERICAN ATTITUDE TOWARD CRIT
les OF. AMERICA - SOCIETY AT THE
METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUsE-THE
AMERICAN GIRL AND HER sue
CEssOR-sECTIONs OF THE
SOCIAL CODE-"RECEIN
ING" AT BALLS.
London February 3.
They say there Is a new New-lork every
three years No doubt the city changes rapidly
changes physically. and perhaps morally. II
man revisited it for the purpose OF ho'hS
changes he might have much TO say al the emu
Of fortnight But my fortnight has been o'hei
wise occupied, and have only casua! remark
or two to offer; the result, perhaps. more OF Whas
Mark Twain calls absorption than of observation
/; was in his comments upon NJ PAU Bourge'
studies of America that the author of the jump
ing Frog made this distinction between what
one notices consciously and notices uhcoh-
sciousy.
We do not expect very serious comment from
Mark Twain. His business is to make us iaus"
and when he is successful in this we are CRATE
ful to him. He has. nevertheless attempted
serious criticism on NJ. Paul Bourget lie mas
oaricatured half Europe; turning all sorts Of
things which men respect and revere. and many
associations which are dear to them. into ridl-
cuIe F,urope never complained. None OF us
comnlained He is jester and was plying ms
trade and though we might not quite ike To see
great names ignobly handled. or art ana other
high matters used for buffoonery, we made al
lowances But NJ. Paul Bourget is writer
with serious aims. Why should Mark Twain be
let loose on him? Ana why should criticism
honestly meant and a record in which the
spirit Of frendliness is evident. provoke such
wrath in Mark Twain and in others?
NJ Bourgeois frankness seems to be widely re-
sented Yet we allowed Mr.. Bryce to paint a
picture of the public life of the United states
which has done us infinitely more harm abroad
than NJ Bourget possibly can do and we are
never tired of lauding Mr.. Bryce and his Airefl-
can Commonwealth. / doubt whether we al
see quite clearly what the effec: in either case is
We iudge of il by the effect on our own minds;
which is not the true test. But of that some
other time We vary good deal in our way OF
looking at criticism appreciation we are
fanabIe of treating it humorousy and equally
capable of resentng it.
In ouch a case as that of Mr.. John Burns, we
might well enough resent it if 1t were worth
while have not seen what he said OF us AFTER
his return to England Whatever ii was, II may
have a momentary importance. because MI
Burns's immense self-confidence has bego''eh Il
certain amount Of confidence in other peoPie
which there is little in his career to JUSTIFY lie
is taken temporarily not certainly at MS own
valuation but a good deal nearer ii than ne VIII
he by and BY The English. nevertheless, are
capable of rejecting that Mr.. Burns had been IN
America only three or four weeks. that ne went
there in the interest of a class, saw win the
eyes of his own class. is the slave ana too Oh HIS
own prejudices and that with his intense mar
rovness no opinion he formed Of America could
he near the truth. He generalized from Yer!
few facts and more often from impressions VI
which facts not the basis
Keeping quite clear of such high topics as occu-
MED Mr.. Burns wish TO do no more than record
an impression OF two mostly social. First i'm
pressions are as good any with respect TO
things which lie on the surface had gImpses
both of domestic life in New-York and Washing
ton and of social life in the wider sense. The
charm of the one and the brillancy Of the other
were about equally remarkable In any capital
Of Europe the opera house will give you a good
notion OF the degree Of beauty and Of taste in
! dress Of which that capital can boast The oes'
society.-at any rate the most fashionaoie'-is
likely to be there. The same Is true OF NeW-i orK
re,, 70 tho opera the evening | landed. The
house had been rebuilt since | last it. No
doubt it is better than the old. though heard
complaints that the boxes were too open ana
that none Of the privacy one expects IN box was
to be had. There is compensation Tor mat
The general effect Of the house is far inner than
il there were high partitions. or if each box were
inclosed as is common in the opera houses OF Eu-
rope. Perhaps the American system IS more
t. MI 'ht
eve takes in at a glance the whole range. the
whole company Of beautiful and admirably
dressed women / thought had never seen any
thing equal to II. and this view was confirmed by
a far more competent wtness-an English lady.
herself a brilliant being who beheld this spec
tacle few nights later on her arrival in New
York and pronounced it far superior to anything
anywhere to be seen in England.
There were other more private opportunities OF
Judging. and the impression was always the same.
IL has been said before now that an American
LADY, who has been in Paris a little probably
knows what 10 and how 10 wear II better
than any other woman in the world Those VINO
have not been in Paris are. presume, the rose
buds of the season, to whom no lustre OF French
art is needful. I will venture TO say that there
seemed to me TO have been in one respect con-
siderable social change. 1t used to be thought
that the American Girl had the best of 1t while
she was girl and that when she married she re-
tired little into the shade as If to make room for
other girls London. were told was the Para
disc Of the young married woman; or. to quote
again the judgment Of lady who knew both
worlds 1t was better to spend your unmarried life
IN New-York and after marriage to live In London.
Thus and not otherwise did the American secure,
both as girl and as bride, the full homage due
her.
1t seems probable that she need no longer
come to London The bride. and also the brides
of more than a years standing. have come to
the front in New-York. Dining out the night l
landed / sat opposite one of these;-beautiful
enough no doubt. to make her an exception to
all rules IL there any rules perfectly
d.ossod nd Will nerfecf manner. and that