existed between the settlers of North and South America. Instead of
wealth-seeking, voluptuous adventurers, with a religion so flexible,
that it adapted itself to every form of human passion, New England was
settled by stern, uncompromising Puritans--men who considered mirth
an indecorum, the love of women a snare, and dress a shameful memento
of the fall of Adam. Though resisting tyranny, they themselves were
most tyrannical. The selectmen deemed they had a right to ascertain
whether every girl in their village did a proper amount of spinning
and weaving; and if a mother staid away from meeting, to tend her
babe, the deacon straightway called to reprove her for neglect of the
ordinances. It was then customary for women to carry their infants to
religious meetings, and attend to all their wants with as much freedom,
as if they had been by their own firesides. With regard to external
comforts, there was a near approach to equality in the condition of all
classes. The employed ate and drank and labored with their employers.
Each household was a patriarchal establishment, of which the hired
domestics were a component part; and they generally remained in the
family they once entered, until they were married or died. It was an
almost unheard-of thing for a family to keep more than one female
domestic, and her wages, even forty years ago, was not more than two
pistareens, or 2_s._ 6_d._ Though cloth was then three times as dear as
it now is, this price was sufficient to satisfy all wants; for a new
calico gown once a year was then considered quite a luxury. The most
respectable inhabitants of the colonies were quite content to ride to
church on horseback, with a wife or daughter behind them, on a pillion.
One gown of silk brocade was considered wealth, and two constituted
magnificence; especially if a string of gold beads, and gold buckles
for the shoes, were appended thereto. But though the richest wardrobe
of those primitive days would appear scanty enough in modern eyes, men
did not fail to discuss the worn-out theme of female extravagance.
The Simple Cobbler of Aggawam, who wrote in Massachusetts as early as
1647, says: “I can make my selfe sick at any time with comparing the
dazzeling splender wherwith our gentlewomen were embellished in some
former habits, with the goosdom, wherewith they are now surcingled and
debauched. We have about five or six of them in our colony: if I see
any of them accidentally, I cannot cleanse my phansie of them for a
moneth after. I speak sadly; me thinkes it should break the hearts of
English-men to see goodly English-women imprisoned in French cages,
peering out of their hood-holes for some men of mercy to help them
with a little wit, and no body relieves them. It is no marvell they
weare drailes, on the hinder part of their heads, having nothing as
it seems in the fore-part, but a few Squirrills braines, to help them
frisk from one ill-fauored fashion to another. It is no little labour
to be continually putting up English women into Out-landish caskes;
who if they be not shifted anew, once in a few moneths, grow too sowre
for their husbands. When I heare a nugiperous Gentledame inquire what
is the newest fashion of the Court, with egge to be in it in all hast,
whatever it be, I look at her as the very gizzard of a trifle, the
product of a quarter of a cypher, the epitome of nothing, fitter to be
kickt, if she were of a kickable substance, than either honoured or
humoured.”
About the time of the revolution, the fashion of wearing hooped
petticoats was imported from beyond seas, and gave rise to considerable
satire. A sailor in New York, finding a narrow street entirely filled
by two persons in this inconvenient dress, amused the spectators by
jumping over, through a space left between the ladies by the immense
circumference of their hoops.
While we remained English colonies, a system of strict subordination
was observed throughout society. Men took off their hats, and women
made a profound courtesy to the magistrates, or the minister; children
seldom presumed to speak in the presence of their parents, and were
always taught to “make their manners,” when they met any person.
It was in these days of simplicity, that the marquis La Fayette
went to take leave of the mother of Washington, and found her
weeding her garden. The dignified matron received him cordially,
without embarrassment or apology; and when he congratulated her on
the greatness and glory of her son, she quietly replied: “I am not
surprised at what George has done; for he was always a good boy.”
The women of ’76 shared in the patriotism and bravery of the men. They
were ready to sacrifice themselves, or their children, for the good of
the country. Several individuals carried their enthusiasm so far as
to enter the army, where they courageously faced all the perils and
fatigues of the camp, until the close of the war.
The strange delusion concerning witchcraft, which prevailed in Europe,
extended itself to the English colonies toward the close of the
seventeenth century. Every old woman who had an ill temper, a sinister
expression of countenance, or an uncommon degree of shrewdness, was
in great danger of being burned for a witch. Indeed such was the
infatuation, that a little girl about four or five years old was
committed to prison, charged with biting some bewitched persons, who
showed the print of small teeth on their arms. Another poor child was
brought before the magistrates and asked, “How long hast thou been
a witch?” “Ever since I was six years old.” “How old are you now?”
“Brother Richard says I shall be eight years old next November.” “You
said you saw a black cat once; what did it say to you?” “It said it
would tear me to pieces if I did not sign my name to a book.” “How did
you afflict folks?” “I pinched them. My mother carried me to afflict
them.” “How could your mother carry you, when she was in prison?” “She
came like a black cat.” “How did you know it was your mother?” “The cat
told me she was my mother.”
It seems unaccountable that such testimony as this was gravely listened
to, and believed by the magistrates; and that too in cases where human
life was at stake; but the very nature of the supposed crime did not
admit of any other than absurd evidence. The delusion prevailed to
such a dreadful degree, that every woman feared her neighbor, and
when she lay down to sleep, knew not but the next night would find
her in prison. Children accused their own parents of carrying them to
witches’ meetings at midnight, and baptizing them in the name of the
devil. Sometimes the accused denied the charge, and when asked what God
witches prayed to, answered, “I cannot tell; the Lord help me:” but in
numerous instances they confessed themselves guilty of all the absurd
charges brought against them, and accused others as their accomplices.
Some of the accusers lived and died without ever acknowledging
that they had stated any thing untrue, although they were reputed
religious women; but several of those, who confessed guilt, afterward
acknowledged that they did it because they had been told it was the
only way to save their lives. Men were sometimes tried as wizards;
but this was comparatively rare. Some remnants of this superstition
lingered long after the universal epidemic subsided. Within the last
twenty years, an old woman in the vicinity of Boston, called Moll
Pitcher, pretended to tell fortunes, and her claims to supernatural
assistance were believed by many, especially by sailors.
The state of society in the United States bears a general resemblance
to the English, though considerably modified by the peculiar
circumstances of the country. In Europe, the female peasantry are
universally more virtuous than those who (for want of a better
term) are called the higher classes; even the _contadine_[4] of
voluptuous Italy are said to be generally modest in their character
and deportment. In America there is no class corresponding to the
peasantry; but nearly all the people are obliged to support themselves
by their own industry. The result is favorable to female virtue.
Intrigues with married women, so common in a more luxurious state
of society, are almost unheard of in the United States. Should a
Frenchman, or an Italian, address himself to an American woman in terms
with which his own countrymen are quite familiar, he would generally
find it very difficult to make himself understood. I by no means intend
to say that profligacy does not exist, even in the most puritanical
portions of our country--far, very far from it. The vicious class
of females in our cities perhaps bears as large a proportion to the
population, as in European towns; and among the respectable and genteel
classes of society, there are individuals whose conduct is culpable;
but these are exceptions to the general rule. The laws of modesty
are never transgressed in dress, except by a few ultra-fashionables,
and the opinion even of their own class is decidedly opposed to it.
But a change is visibly coming over the face of society. Wealth is
introducing luxury into our cities, and foreign refinements are coming
with foreign vices in their train. The descendants of the Puritans
allow their daughters to waltz, and think it no scandal to witness the
exhibition of opera-dancers. The substantial body of the people have
still a religious cast of character; but infidelity has taken strong
hold in cities. The connection between religion and marriage is not
obvious, but it is real. All infidels, whether they be found in France,
England, or America, have a decided tendency to regard the institution
of marriage as tyrannical. The lines of demarkation between different
classes are becoming more distinct, and active industry is considered
a bar to gentility. These causes may work slowly, or rapidly; but
if their ultimate effects prove favorable to virtue, the history of
America will differ from that of all other nations.
[4] Peasant girls.
One of the most observable traits in the character of Americans, is
the great value they place upon education. A mother will submit to any
privation for the sake of placing her children at good schools. There
are not many instances of the thorough and elegant female education,
which the higher classes of French and English receive; but women
are generally intelligent and well informed; a good knowledge of
history, the popular sciences, Latin, French, and Italian, are common
acquisitions; and among the descendants of the English settlers,
it is almost an unheard-of thing, for either man or woman, not to
know how to read and write. The Dutch settlers, with their wives
and daughters, are generally ignorant of those first rudiments of
learning; and the descendants of Africans, of all complexions, from
black to the slightest possible tinge of olive, are almost universally
so. In the slave-holding states, which constitute half the Union,
it is contrary to law to teach them the alphabet; and in the free
states the prejudice against their color is so strong, that they have
found many discouragements and obstacles in the path of learning. The
same prejudice excludes them from all trades and occupations, except
those which are considered the lowest. A young mulatto girl, of very
respectable character, belonging to Boston, lately attempted to learn
the art of mantua-making; she was charged ten dollars, five of which
were paid in advance. In a few days the mantua-maker informed her that
she must not come any more, because her other apprentices would not
consent to work in the same room with a colored person. Another girl,
who became an apprentice to a milliner, was discharged, because the
woman with whom the milliner boarded threatened to turn her out of the
house, if she thus equalized herself with a mulatto. It is almost an
invariable rule to exclude colored people from stages, and from all the
comforts and conveniences of vessels and steam-boats; respectability
of character and appearance, and ability to pay for such privileges,
make no difference in their treatment. A worthy woman, who attempts to
visit a dying child at a distance from her home, is generally liable to
insulting conduct and contemptuous expressions, if her complexion has
the least tinge of African ancestors.
In New Orleans there are a large class of the mixed races, called
Quaderoons. They are frequently the daughters of wealthy and
accomplished men, who do not spare expense in their education. As
a class, they are proverbial for beauty and gracefulness, and are
regarded with most peculiar and inveterate dislike by the white ladies.
In every slave state, it is supposed to be necessary, for the safety of
the planters, to have very severe laws with regard to free people of
color; and these laws fall oppressively upon the Quaderoons. Some of
them have inherited handsome fortunes; but they are not allowed to ride
in a carriage, they must not sit in the presence of white ladies, or
enter their apartments without special permission; they can moreover be
whipped, like slaves, upon any accusation proved by two witnesses. Many
of them have lost even the olive tinge, and have a fair skin, sometimes
with light hair and eyes; but the law forbidding marriage between the
colored and white race is applied to them. Their personal endowments
often render them objects of attraction to wealthy and distinguished
men, and custom bestows upon temporary connections a certain degree
of respectability. The Quaderoons are said to be generally modest
and decorous in their manners, but usually have that flexibility of
principle, which might be expected from people placed under such
pernicious influences. Instances are, however, by no means rare of
constant and virtuous attachments, which continue through life, though
the laws prevent their being sanctioned by the form of marriage. In
such cases, the children are frequently sent to France to be educated,
where they often form highly respectable matrimonial connections.
The attention of many people in the United States has recently been
called to the demoralizing influences growing out of slavery, and the
consequent prejudice against color. The reformation of the evil is in
the hands of Him, who hath said, “As ye would that others should do
unto you, do ye even so unto them.”
As a general rule, education among the wealthy classes is much more
neglected in the slave states than in other portions of the Union. This
is owing partly to the want of schools, and partly to the indolence
induced by slavery. It is a common thing, even for the wives and
daughters of distinguished men, to be as deficient in correct spelling,
as they are in a knowledge of household duties. But many are sent to
the free states for education; and not a few are admirable exceptions
to the above remarks. The southern ladies in general are delicately
formed, with pale complexions, a languid gracefulness of manner, and
a certain aristocratic bearing, acquired only by the early habit of
commanding those who are deemed immeasurably inferior.
The women of the United States have no direct influence in politics;
and here, as in England, it is deemed rather unfeminine to take an
earnest interest in public affairs. But perhaps there is no country in
the world, where women, as wives, sisters, and daughters, have more
influence, or more freedom. Some travellers have compassionated the
condition of American women, because they spend so small a portion of
their time in amusements; but this remark applies equally to men; and
it could not well be otherwise in a country where so much is to be
done, and where estates are so equally divided that few become very
wealthy. It is true that Americans do not treat their ladies with
the graceful gallantry of Frenchmen, or the chivalric deference of
Spaniards; but in place of these external refinements, women have their
respect, esteem, and undoubting confidence.
The class who are exempted from personal exertion, or at least from
personal superintendence of their domestic avocations, is comparatively
very small. Labor in the open fields and streets is rarely performed by
women, unless it be by foreign peasantry lately arrived in the country.
The buxom daughters of the Dutch farmers do indeed continue the old
custom of raking hay, and the girls in Weathersfield, Connecticut,
may often be seen at early dawn weeding the immense beds of onions,
for which that town is celebrated. A large proportion of schools
throughout the country are kept by women, and it is not uncommon for
them to keep shops for the sale of English and French goods, toys,
confectionary, &c. Mantua-making and millinary are, of course, their
peculiar province; and many are employed to tend looms in factories,
to set types in printing-offices, and fold sheets for the bookbinders.
By far the largest proportion of these do not work for support, but to
gain additional luxuries, which their parents cannot afford to furnish.
Nothing surprises a foreigner more than the near approach to equality
in the dress of different classes. The rich and fashionable are in most
respects like those of Europe; and humble imitators have need of great
diligence to copy their frequent changes. In the article of jewels, the
most wealthy cannot indeed cope with their European models; for the
diamonds of a foreign duchess often surpass in value the whole fortune,
real and personal, of a rich American.
The habit of tight lacing, in order to form a slender waist, has been
copied, like other European fashions. This practice, combined with
the habit of taking very little exercise in the open air, has an
unfavorable effect upon freshness of complexion and beauty of figure.
Excursions on horseback have lately become a very favorite amusement
with American ladies.
In a country where the price of labor is so high, it is no uncommon
thing to see domestics dressed as well as their employers. But though
silk gowns and laces have taken the place of coarse calicoes, the
situation of domestics is by no means improved. They are less contented
in their situation, and less conscientious in the discharge of their
duties, than they were in more patriarchal times. Many attribute this
difficulty to our democratic institutions; but I believe it originates
in a want of republican principle, not in the excess of it. If people
would consider their domestics as sisters of the great human family,
differing from them only in having, for the time being, a different
use to perform in society--if they would have a tender regard to their
health, a reasonable regard to their convenience, a friendly interest
in their characters and plans--in a word, if they would perpetually
acknowledge a reciprocity of duties--we should soon cease to hear
complaints of the indifference and carelessness of domestics. While
they are regarded as pieces of machinery, to whom nothing is due but
the payment of wages, they cannot be expected to feel a deep interest
for those who manifest so little interest in them.
American ladies are accused of being more prudish than foreigners. I
hope the charge will always remain a true one; but there may be an
excess even of a good thing; and when a sense of decorum led them
to be squeamish about seeing Greenough’s beautiful little cherubs,
because the marble innocents had no drapery about them, I acknowledge
it reminded me of Sir Charles Grandison’s remark: “Wottest thou not, my
dear, how much _in_delicacy there is in thy delicacy?”
The tendency of modern times has continually been toward external
refinement. The language used by queen Elizabeth and the queen of
Navarre would not now be tolerated in any part of the civilized
world; yet the marriage of a divorced wife aroused more virtuous
indignation in the court of Elizabeth, than a dozen such incidents
would now occasion, in any European court. Many phrases and subjects
of conversation which appear perfectly proper to an English or French
woman, are not so considered by an American. Some of our customs are,
however, offensive to the modesty of foreigners; such as the treatment,
condition, and sometimes the dress of female slaves. The practice
of being assisted by gentlemen, in rising from the rolling surf at
Rockaway, after indulging in the refreshment of bathing, has likewise
been regarded as singular. It is allowed on account of the overpowering
might of the waters, and scrupulous attention to propriety is observed
in all the arrangements of the bath.
The laws of England prevail in the United States, with slight
modifications. Marriages are not generally performed in the church,
because the dissenting sects are more numerous than Catholics or
Episcopalians. The ceremony is legal when performed by a magistrate,
but a clergyman is universally preferred. Fathers give portions to
daughters, according to their wealth, and it is a rare thing for a
bride to be entirely destitute. It is customary for women to purchase
their furniture, which is generally arranged in the house by some of
the bride’s female friends. Divorces are very uncommon. Infants are
never wrapped in the swaddling bands, ligatures, and biggins, still
used in many European countries. Of late years, even that pretty
ornament, the cap, is generally dispensed with, in conformity with
the advice of physicians, except at baptism and on other ceremonious
occasions. As yet, it is an uncommon circumstance, even among the rich,
for a mother not to nurse her own children.
Great freedom is allowed to young people; particularly during
courtship. In old times, the North Holland custom prevailed in interior
parts of the country, to considerable extent. It is a universal
practice for lovers to remain with the objects of their choice
several hours after other members of the family have retired to rest.
Aristocratic people do indeed consider this custom ungenteel, and
urge upon their daughters the scrupulous etiquette of more corrupt
countries. “The spirit of the age” is unfavorable to the old-fashioned
doctrine of “falling in love;” even literature, which formerly
represented this passion as the moving-spring of all human action,
now generally ridicules its power. This influence has extended in a
considerable degree to America; and mothers are not wanting who will
consent to sell their daughters to the highest bidder, though the
bargain is accompanied with formalities, supposed to render it much
more respectable than the sale of Circassian girls in the Turkish
markets. But while the country is so prosperous, and there are such
facilities for gaining a living, matches of interest will continue to
be exceptions to the general rule. Stolen marriages can be solemnized,
without the consent of friends, at Providence, Rhode Island, as at
Gretna Green, in Great Britain; but there is seldom any serious
opposition from parents to render such a step excusable.
There are very few convents in the United States. The nearest approach
to them among Protestants are the establishments of Shakers, where
the brethren and sisters live in different dwellings, and enter the
meeting-house by different doors. These people are proverbial for
neatness and industry; but their unnatural mode of life induces
something of automaton regularity, which is painful to a free spirit.
The games and amusements of America are similar to those of Protestant
Europe. Where all are peculiarly amenable to public opinion,
eccentricities in character or dress are very rare, and some complain
that this produces a monotonous surface of society. Lady Dare-all, the
pride of fox-hunters and horse-racers, would require even more boldness
to act in opposition to public opinion here, than was necessary for the
same process in England.
The custom of giving presents on the first of January is generally
observed; and Catholics and Episcopalians commemorate Christmas
with religious services and social festivity. In New England, the
last Thursday of November is set apart as a day of thanksgiving, in
conformity to the custom of their forefathers. All the members of
a family, far and near, generally meet under the parental roof on
this occasion. An abundant supply of roasted turkeys, puddings,
and pies are provided, and the day is spent in festivity. The poor
are bountifully supplied by their neighbors. In remote parts of the
country, it is still considered a delightful frolic for farmers’
families to meet together in the barn, to husk corn. If a girl finds
a red ear of corn, she is entitled to receive a kiss; and if a young
man finds one, he gains a right to take the same privilege. The party
partake of a plentiful supper, and there is no lack of merriment, or
good cheer.
Female societies for benevolent purposes are very numerous in the
United States. A large portion of their funds are gained by the sale of
ingenious articles of their own manufacture.
The United States have produced several female writers, some of whom
have talents of the highest order. Foreign critics would probably
unite with Americans in conferring the title of pre-eminence on Miss
Sedgwick; and never, in any age or country, have the laurels rested on
a woman of purer principles, or more expansive benevolence.
[Illustration: A Sewing Society.]
[Illustration: Woman of Caroline Islands.]
SOUTH SEA ISLANDS.
Among these numerous islands there is a general resemblance of habits
and manners. Their dwellings are small huts covered with matting, and
their furniture consists of a few gourds, cocoa-nut shells, lances,
slings, fishing-nets, and low wooden stools, of black or brown wood,
neatly inlaid with ivory obtained from whale’s teeth; these latter
articles serve both for seats and pillows. The floor is strewed with
soft grass, covered with mats, on which all the inmates of the house
sleep without distinction.