AMERICAN TRAITS. Natural Independence of Character Shown in Various Ways.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 194, 12 March 1887, Page 2 (Supplement)

AMERICAN TRAITS. Natural Independence of Character Shown in Various Ways.

In the United States, the absence of that segregation of the various grades of society which exist in Europe is evinced by the habits and manners of the masses in that country. If the national Independence of character be occasionally pushed too far, and degenerate into offensive selfassertion, afc least it prevents any approach to servility. No inequality >>f position or circumstance will induce a native of any of the Northern States to f-übmit io being dealt; with in the manner or spoken to in the tone which, in England, the man in broadcloth there frequently adopts, as a mitter of course, towards the; man in fustian. The late Sydney fiodolphia Osborne used to relate how, once, a respectfible artisan said to him : "I like you, my lord ; there is nothing of the gentleman pbouf you." The meaning of the speaker was undoubtedly that Lord Osborne did not treat him in the patronising manner that members of the higher class usually t mploy to tho?e whom they regard •is their social inferiors. Now, no one pothaus has a keener appreciation of the advantages of wealth and education than the American : but that the possessor of them should feel himself justified in using toward the man who lacks these adventitious gifts the language of a superior to an inferior is what ho cannot understand, and which he will not for one moment put up with. An anecdote Thackeray uaed to relate ot an expedience of his when in the United States wei! illustrates this trait of the people. While in New York he expressed to a friend tv desire to see some of the 11 Bowery Bhoys," who, he had heard, were a class of the community peculiar to that cil.y, So ono evening he was taken to the Bowery and he was shown a*' bhoy." The young man, the business of the day beinjjj over, had changed his attire. Ho wore a dress coat, black trousers and a satin waist* coat ; whilst a tall hat rested on the baok of his head, which was adorned with loncf well- greased hair— known as "soap-locka —a style which the rowdies of that day affected. The youth was leaning against a lamppost, smoking an enormous cigar ; and his whole aspect was one of ineffable self«aVis>faction. The eminent novelist, after contemplating him foy a few moments with silent admiration, said to the gentleman by whom he was accompanied : " This ja a. great and gorgeous creature !" adding ; •' Can I speak to him without his taking offence ?" Recdiving on answer in the affirmative, Thackeray went up to the fellow, on the pretext ot asking hia way, and said : "My good man, I want to go to Broome-etreet." But the unlucky phrase, " My good man»'* roused the gall of the individual spoken to. Instead, therefore, of affording the information Fought, the *Bhoy"— a diminutive specimen ot humanity, scarcely over five foati in hoiglit — eyei&g the tall form of his interlocutor askance, answered the query in the sense that his permits* sion had been asked for the speaker to visit the locality in question, and be Raid, pafcronisiQgly : " Well, eonny, yer kin go t.har " Who-M Thackeray robeequr ntly related r.ho incident, h* laughingly .eolared that ho waf» po rli.yT.moc.rfred by the unexpected response fchafc !\e had not the courage tojontinue tho dialogue.