106 TRAVELS IN THE CONFEDERATION 



because of the very slight tincture they have of the 

 language. The story is that once an honorable Ger- 

 man member heard that the business was whether to 

 Move the House,* which he literally took to mean 

 whether the house should be removed. He said noth- 

 ing, but went out to the door and entirely around the 

 large Assembly-house, then came back shaking his 

 head and gave it as his opinion that it would be no 

 easy matter. Just this year an old German country- 

 man, no doubt an oracle among his tap-house friends, 

 was elected to the Assembly from his district and sent 

 to Philadelphia, where he was welcomed and congratu- 

 lated. ' Ey,' said he, ' I wish they had let me alone 

 what do I understand of all that chitter I wish I was 

 at home looking after my things.' I have since seen 

 members of that cut, in blue stockings and yellow- 

 leather breeches, sleeping off boredom in the Assembly. 

 The lack as yet of numerous good schools and of 

 capable teachers for the people; the further lack of 

 educated and disinterested Germans who might by 

 their example inspire imitation ; the prevalent policy 

 under the former regime of bestowing conspicuous 

 office mainly on the English, European or American ; 

 and the extremely trifling advantages accruing to the 

 merely educated German such are the chief reasons, 

 possibly, why the German nation in America has 

 hitherto shown so little zeal in the item of self-ad- 

 vancement, preferring the gains from moderate labor 



* ' Move the house ' signifies to lay before the Assembly a 

 question for decision by a majority of votes; the vote is taken 

 either by a raising of the hands for ' Aye,' or by those in the 

 affirmative going to one side and those in the negative to the 

 other, where they are counted by the Speaker. 



