The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-04-05

Noysse aux E:atsInis de L Ameriq'lc i'ss- 20 20
H. Morcau dc Ssint-Mcry. EditcdsWith an In
PRODUCTION and Notes BY Stewart H. Minis IS
slsant Professor OF History in Yale College
Published by Yale University Press, New Haven
Conn.
Moreau dc Saint-M Merry was horn al
Port ROYAL Martinique, on January IL
1850 He was sent 10 Paris FOR legal
education and vas admitted to practice.
Returning TO his native island ne found
the family fortune dissipated. Appar-
entity discouraged by the outlook. he re-
moved to Cape Francais. a thriving port
of San Domingo, the richest and most
prosperous of All the West Indies at that
lime He first gained fame by coditca
ton OF the laws in FRANCES West indian
possessions, and was called TO Paris TO
engage in another important compilation.
When the revolution broke out he threw
became leader of the popuace. and, as
lie facetlously expressed II. he was
al the pinnacle OF his power be, incurred
The enmity OF Rohespierre. and to escape
the guillotine he fled with his family TO
the United States. HIS so1ourn In THIS
diary. which is presented in the original
French by the Yale University Press.
visits to various cities his life In Phila-
delphia and his comments upon The peo-
pile and social and economic conditions
generally. -,
ouction. the diary OF Saint Merry is Inn
portant because he was natiVe porn
American. politician. leader, savan, want
West We, India indian life and with the culture and
civilization of France. He was. tnere,
Gore, a shrewd observer e and ,nasTsf raientea
the life of the American people
II is possible only To indicate here me
quaint and curious interest OF the pook.
II reveals TO us the life and condItiohs
during The presidency OF General Wash
ngton in a way that IS neglected by most
historians. II gives us an intimate view ,ioS,
of our ancestors and affords Information
as la conditions which causes us 10 IN
stltute comparisons with conditions IN
our own day. One of the most interest,"
ing subjects of discussion NOWADAYS is
the cost of living and II Will be inter
esting to compare prices In the last years
Of the eighteenth century wlth the prices
1874 In New York. as listed by. saint
Merry Milk and cider. SIC pint choiSe
cut OF meat i0c a pound orolnary GU,
Sc or &c; mutton; ,Ioc guar Sea. t.os2' s3e
green peas I2hc a bushel; butter. lsc TO
25c pound; potatoes. soc a busnei;
French bread SIC for ten ounees: mems
shoes. So q pair: half boots, sb a pair
In i7sa the day laborer received in New
York soc a day: at the end or li92 aD0ut
6Oc: 1193 about 621c. and ioc IL li9f,
ceived about S125 a day.
The author gives MS n sketch oil AieN
ander Hamilton. which represents MIN as
inordInatoIv ambitious. selfish and not
very friendly 10 Washington. lie declares
that although Washington made him his
secretary. then colonel and then ms nrs1
nidc -dc-camp during the war. HatnlitoIi:
devoured by ambition, convinced hlnseii
that he was the "soul OF eNerVthlns,
and decided to separate from ms bene-
factor. He was given command OF bat
talon and endowed with true courage,
he served in the light infantry OF the
French army, which was aiding Tie
Americans AT the siege Of yorktown lie
H. Ian, Mt
Of Yorktown, but dissatisfied because he
believed that he had not been duly hon
ored for the taking OF certain redouot,
he retired from the army and began tne
thor intimates that Hamilton: believing
that the differences OF political opinion
In this country could only be settled by
conflict, desired n civil war.
1.-The prospect OF civil war did not al
fright him." says the author, because
he was courageous and possessed natu-
raj talent for military anairs and oe.
cause he believed and declared that
America would not have genuine and
stable government until II had been ere
ated out of an internal conflict.
During his visit to Norfolk, Saint-Mery
learned something about the characteris-
ties of the early Virginians that disclosed
them IN an odd light He says that in
eastern Virginia 1t was customary for tie
extremely long so that they could tear
out one another's eyes when fighting,
instead OF fighting with their fists. Cen
tlemen. OF quality, however. fought Win
pistols, and he heard that in one case |
both cornbatants shot each other to death, |
In our own day we are accustomed to 4!
lament the fact that immigrants are
pouring into the country at the rate OF
a million n year and we believe this 10 be |
an unusual situation, but Saint Merry |
shows that In l774 the Dative-born Amer
leans In Pennsylvania were about one
NTH OF the population. The emigration |
10
varia and the celebrates was prodigious |
and the authorities OF these states pro- |
mulgated severe Avs to stop the outflow |
Of their population Then the Americans |
seeking laborers. sought recruits In
Switzerland and Ireland. and the immi- |
grafton from these lands was In full swing |
lie gives the following list OF Pennsyl- |
vanla's ir1habitants in 177H: Blacks $4,000, |
Germans. 100. .o00: irish. 10000: lIessians |
5000; free English. 10000. Americans !
populatio Of ESQ oQo-about $4,000 less
than Utah has at the present time. The /
foreign population was 215,000 and the |
native American population only. $4,000 |
number Of foreigners In the revolution
airy army. not counting the thousands OF /
French sent over 10 take part in our |
revolutionary wan. must have greatly eN-
ceeded the number OF native Americans.
II must be remembered also that most |
OF the foreigners who took UP arms were
'nlsted on the American side, whereas |
hundreds Of thousands OF native born
Americans were Tories, and some OF them
enlisted on the English side
We are alarmed TODAY by the state
mcnt frequently made That the native |
stock in this country have few children. !
whereas there arc many children In each |
foreign family. /, bly, will be
startling To most persons TO learn from |
ihls work that precisely the ame condf-
lion existed In The latter part OF the |
eighteenth century.
Discussing the Ina bits OF a merica MS, the |
author lists briefly the following:
The Americans wash their faces and |
their hands with care. but not the mouth /
rarely the feet and more rarely the body. |
''One often sees In the newspapers |
husband warning that credit shall not |
he given TO a wife who has quilted his |
home.
THE American woman Is highly moral |
III spite OF tile liberty permitted her."
lie noted with regret, however. that |
many of the Philadelphia girls had little |
respect for virtue. Divorces were obtained !
With scandalous frequency.
"All the American girls and married |
women love TO dance and the men are !
hardly less fond OF this recreation"
On June 3. 1895. Matthew Clarkson, |
mayor OF Philadelphia, deplored in a long |
proclamation the disorders produced by |