Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1909-04-10
SOME VANISHING
AMERICAN TYPES

THE American temperament is 50 dudpl-
able and changes so readily" writes Lord
Northclffe in Harper's Weekly, that 10
keep pace with new national types Is al
most as impossible il is to maintain
ones acquaintance with the rapid prog
ress of your cities.
There was an American type, the
gloomy man, of kind used to meet fire.
quently years ago, who was fond or whls-
pering to visitors that all was not as It
should be In the United States-as a mat
ter of fact the world might speedily hear
of an American revolution.
The power of capital, and above all
the power of the pull had assumed such
dimensions that a clash was inevitable.
Some of the foreigners went away and
believed il and wrote about II; but TO any
VINO witnessed the calm manner in which
100000 Of people proceeded to elect the
new manager of the great United States
corporation, Judge Taft, and the absence
of bitterness, to which our ambassador.
Mr.. Bryce, so warmly testified In New
York In November last, no indication of
impending violent changes appeared. As
a matter of fact, perfection In government
has not been attained here or anywhere
else and yet 1t would be an ungrateful OBJ
server who did not see that there is n
growing culture and an increasing comfort
for the millions here, that cannot possibly
produce anything but warm feeling of
thanks on the part OF the immigrant
hordcs who find refuge and plenty The
very vigilance of public men in prompt
exposure of financial scandals constitutes
a safety valve for discontented spirits.
which seems to me admirable and effec-
tive.
Another passing character is the
'SpreadeaRle American about whom
Mark Twain had written He was as a
rule noisy, ignorant and arrogant, could
Ina, IN tbn Af
but the dumping OF oleographs to old
back numbers TO whom everything out
side his native city is very small or one
horse OF worse.
The spreadeagle American has been
Obliterated by travel Gone, too, in the
old time Yankee ! remember with what
interest years ago / viewed two real chin
bearded down east Yankees at the Fifth
avenue hotel, now demolished, like so
many of your landmarks.
Another changing American type is the
American child of the prosperous classes
] can remember when those little imps
were a source OF amusing satisfaction to
their parents. Thei, vivacity was perhaps
not sufficiently checked, and this lack Of
control was sufficient to upset the comfort
OF whole dining room or car or steam
ship.
THAT, like everything else here is no.
ticeably remedied and taken In hand and
we find that the bringing up OF children
has become a study; their voices are
trained and they are not allowed to eat in
dgestible foods at late hours, and gem
orally speaking, the intense desire for i'm
proVement has been applied to mother
hood, nursery and schools
THE way in which an American takes
hold of national fault and remedies it is
one of the Ifew traits of the national char
acter-I think an entirely new trait. Many
years ago Pasteur issued an edict against
eXpectOration, which was prevalent here
partly perhaps because OF the habits of
immigrants who come from expectorating
countries. In many of your great cities,
and In particular New York. the people
have taken the matter into their own
hands and by persuasion and coercion
have killed the practice absolutely Surely
in city of 100000 people that is a tri-
umph OF self-government
Then again, take the control of auto
mobiles. Paris, the birthplace of the auto.
Is no longer the delightful resort il was,
by reason of the recklessness OF motor
lists. Police regulations have been at
tempted there and new laws are con-
stantly being enacted But the deadly
driving still persists.
The New York chauffeur has not
reached perfection, but one car at least
cross your roads I'm safety And WHY
iOhl loh't nave Sluaitu DTODletnS abroad,
come home and constituted street SER
vice suited to this town and have made
things happy for pedestrians
"F1fteen years ago your hIstIing New
Yorker retiring from the city early on
Saturday for the leisurely pursuit OF n
small ball would have been liable to pro-
yoke laughter from his fellows. but today
the outdoor American is one OF the new
features of the national Landscape. As a
result the American man and the Aperi
can woman arc growing bigger, hand
so,ner and less nervous.
This outdoor life is with you leading
TO other changes, for IT has been the com
plant of foreigners far back az those
who visited here 100 years ago that the
temperature of living rooms and public
conveyances was such as to be a very
real source OF discomfort 10 people unused
10 II. In measure these foreigners are
themselves a little TO blame, for instead
of adopting the American plan OF wearing
thin indoor clothes and carrying an over
coat, the visiting European as rule
wears, the same heavy clothes needful In
the damp climates OF Europe in rooms
heated to as high as 70 degrees or 50 de-
grees Il.
Nevertheless rooms heated very much
above 65 degrees coupled with lack of
proper ventilation are productive of tuber-
culosis and bring about that dried I'D look
so commonly seen in the American women
of the past generations. The heat nuis-
ance is now really being remedied here and
it is obvious that the beautiful type of
American women who may be seen walk
ing in the shopping districts of the main
streets of any of your eastern cities is
gaining in brightness of eye and clearness
If skin by this open air life."