THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



9 



000,000 to Europe on our national debt. 

 "With our granaries and storehouses filled 

 from the Atlantic to tlio Tacitic, our whole- 

 sale and retail stores stocked to overllowing, 

 many of our factories and niacliine shops in 

 active operation, with the numberless cattle, 

 sliecp and swine, jiroduced by the Western 

 and Soutliwestcrn States, we liave a supply of 

 material wliieli no nation or government ever 

 had before— nearly enough to sustain us three 

 years without replenislnnent. 



The question arises, "How was all this 

 brouglit about V From whence did it come ? 

 Did all this come spontaneously— grow up 

 like mushrooms ? Or was it the result of 

 labor, of energy and of enterprise, as well as 

 industry and economy?" To which we will 

 and must answer, to all these influences com- 

 bined ; but more, mucli more to the favor of 

 that superintending Providence, which ad- 

 monishes us to "seek first the kingdom of 

 God and his righteousness, and all these things 

 will be added unto you." Labor, economy, 

 science, arts, machinery and manufactures all 

 combined liave made our country, under God, 

 what it is in material wealth. All our ma- 

 terial substances have tlieir origin in, and 

 must be produced from mother earth, so far 

 as we can have any sensuous consciousness of 

 them. Steamboats, canals, railroads and 

 other modes of transportation will avail us 

 nothing withont tonnage, and tonnage cannot 

 be obtained without productions which are 

 elaborated by labor and machinery. As to 

 the best modes and the most ample facilities 

 by which to increase our productions we meet 

 hero to-day to discuss, and this ought to be a 

 leading object among all individuals as well as 

 societies. As already stated, it is by indi- 

 vidual energy, aided by invention, society or 

 organization, and governmentencouragement, 

 that we have attained a position which no 

 government or nation ever before occupied. 



People may talk about dull times, but what 

 will they say when we compare the present 

 with the time when the balance* of trade was 

 against us, and no supply of anything— when 

 an axe cost S3. 00, and a day's wages from 

 $1.50 to m.OO ; a pound of coffee from 30 to 

 40 cents ; a yard of muslin from 20 to 30 

 cents, and other things in proportion. Through 

 discussion, through the interchange of opin- 

 ion, through art and science, through agricul- 

 tural and horticultural associations, much 

 has been accomplished. Then let us proceed 

 with the good work. The iron mouldboard 

 of the plow took the place of the wooden one. 

 The cultivator took tlie place of the spike- 

 harrow, the .seed-drill superceded hand sow- 

 ing, the reaper takes the place of the cradle 

 and the scythe, the threshing machine and the 

 steam engine have taken the place of the flail 

 and the horse tramping, together with the 

 improvements in fertility ; so that twice as 

 much may be brought out of the soil now as 

 formerly, all of which indicate progress. 



The railroad has taken the place of the 

 Conestoga teams, the telegrajih has taken the 

 place of the stage lines, and the various kinds 

 of machinery have taken the place of hand 

 labor ; and there are many improvements in 

 implements, &c., of which we cannot have a 

 full appreciation, unless we were entirely de- 

 prived of them. A great deal is accomplished 

 by means of meeting together periodically in 

 associations, and by tlie aid of newspapers 

 and such sterling agricultural journals as 

 The Lancaster Farmer, which, as a reflex 



•Tho "balance of trade" is a sort of enigma to many 



„.„.,,. ^ , .._ . , ^^^^ ^jyj; prospcr- 



avor, auU perha a 

 i not seem to be prosperiug in 

 any very particular sense at the present time, although the 

 balance of trade has been in our favor for some time past. 

 Perhaps it is too Soon yet to look for the advantages of such 

 a contingency. We appear to bo somewhat mudaleJ upon 

 the subject, at least no one has so far been able to make it 

 specifically clear that the nation is prospering in any degree 

 oorresponding to the balance of trade iu our favor. The 

 fact as to whom that balance is due, and what they are doing 

 with it, may kave something to do with the question. A 

 rich nabob in a commuuity may have a large balance of 

 trade m his favor and may not be of much pecuniary ad- 

 vantage to the community in which he lives, if he keeps it 

 in his coffers and engages iu no enterprise t'lat would enect 

 it« circulation among the people. We would like to see the 

 balance of trade and the present depressed times satisfac- 

 torily harmonize, if the thing is at all possible. -Ed. 



I the balance of trade i 



of our local views, is of paramount advantage 

 to the county and tlio country. If we have 

 not done as much good heretofore to ourselves 

 and our fellow-beings as we ought to have 

 done, let us console ourselves with the reflec- 

 tion that we have tried to do some good in 

 our humble way, and have endeavored to 

 keep along with the tide of invention, im- 

 provement and iirogrcss. The time may not 

 bo far distant when our farms may be plowetl 

 by steam, aiiil tlie same element may be util- 

 ized in drawing (lur wagons over our comiiion 

 roads, and (inr iriiienil economies be entirely 

 revoliitioni/.til.' In addition to this we may 

 light :iiid lieat our houses by the economical 

 iiUrodiietion of gas, steam, or electricity. 



In conclusion, let us hope tli;it in tlie I'utuic, 

 as in the present, thing's nuiy ciiitiiuic cliniii 

 and abundant, and that in-acc uinl pros|Hril\ 

 may be ours ; and, in this i!()nneclioii, 1 wish 

 to be understood as meaning a uniform system 

 of cheapness — not product sacrificed on the 

 part of one class and e.xfortions practiced by 

 the other class. 1 think that cxiuiieurc will 

 successfuUydemonstrate tliat our country has 

 enjoyed more real pi-ospcrily \vlieii tilings 

 were uniformly cheap tluiu when tln'y were 

 uniformly dear. People may say that it 

 amounts to the same whether all things arc 

 cheap or dear, btt it does not. There is not 

 the same stimulation to speculation and ex- 

 travagance in cheap times as there is in dear 

 times. Our recent past and present extrava- 

 gances had their origin in the high prices and 

 the redundancy of money which ruled during 

 the rebellion. The people lost their mathe- 

 matical reckonings and spent very much at 

 random. 



The French as Seen with American Eyes — 



What Our Correspondent Has Learned 



During His Eight Months' Visit in 



the Gay Capital. 



Hotel du Louvre, Paris, 1 



January 0th, 1879. J 



The extravagance of French politeness is 

 as remarkable in the present as in the past. 

 Three centuries ago there was such an ado 

 when two people met that the Chevalier 

 Warin said that all conversation began with 

 a ballet. Fourscore years ago graceful antics 

 and high flown compliments were still in 

 vogue ; but the deep triplicate salutation, 

 with the "Beautiful marquise, your bewitch- 

 ing eyes make me die of love," passed away 

 with the revolution of '93. The eccentricities 

 of gallant speech and gallant acts constitute 

 one of the principal arteries running through 

 the body politic from its earliest history to 

 the present time. Under cover of the French 

 dictum, that it is impossible to be too polite, 

 singular extremes are reached, especially by 

 the elderly men, who aftect something of the 

 Regency manners. In some cases it is car- 

 ried to a point where it might be called the 

 gymnastics of social intercourse, where the 

 man insists on keeping his bald head un- 

 covered in a hot sun, or runs with hot haste to 

 convey a lap dog to a woman waiting, or 

 bows low with a grand swoop of the hat to 

 another man whom he sees two or three times 

 a day. There is an historical instance of a 

 well-known aged nobleman, who, descending 

 the stairway, meets a youth of twenty mount- 

 ing, the nobleman stops to let him go up and 

 the youth does the same, inviting the former 

 to pass down ; the nobleman stands firm and 

 requests the youth to continue, who responds, 

 Jamais ! with hand on heart ; he knows too 

 well what youth owes to age ; upon which the 

 elder commands him to mount, when the 

 young man, with a bow, says : "Youth owes 

 obedience to age," and passes, thus saving 

 the situation, as he believes. 



There is an elasticity and adaptability in 

 the Frenchman in the presence of the woman, 

 of which the Anglo-Saxon hits but a meagre 

 share. The former, before all classes of these, 

 cat-like, falls on his feet, be she countess or 

 grisette ; and to be brought unexpectedly in 

 contact with any of them never seems to dis- 



concert or even surprise him. The Anglo- 

 Saxon is taken at a disadvantage under .simi- 

 lar circumstances from which he does not 

 rally immediately. The su.sceptibility of the 

 newly arrived foreigner, for c.^jtmple, "is put to 

 a rude trial when ho buys a )iair of gloves. 

 Behind tlu' coiinli r nI.hhIs M-\ci-al smilins, 

 .s«lf-p().s.sessi(l yoiin- women, whose eyes turn 

 on liiin witli iliM'oiiri'iiini: steadiness. He 

 a|)i)roaehes the nearest of Uniu, and signifies 

 his (h'siiv to make a piinhase. Are the 

 gloves loi- monsieur V They are. Will nion- 

 siiMir give himself the trouble to set dowiv 



before tlie e iter? lie slips on to a high 



.stool which liriiigs his liead on a level with 

 hers. Slie iiiuiingly inquires his number, 

 wliich he ;_'ciici;illv docs not know, when she 

 dainth nicasmvs I he masculine hand, holding 

 It, allci- ll„. tape measurement, liglilly by 

 liii,;,'cr ti[)s, to e.-camiiie the form of (he glove 

 required. She in the same lone iiupiires his 

 color, to which a Frenehinan would probably 

 reply, "Whatever your laste may suggest;" 

 but to which the newly-arrived foreigner 

 gives an answer destitute f)r any kind of em- 

 broidery. When she soitly takes his hand in 

 hers again, and looks into his face with a 

 smile, Americns begins to think that this is 

 indeed a tender business. Before, however, 

 he has any time to make many rellections on 

 the situation, she is at work on his hand, and 

 slips on the i,'lo\e. caressingly introiluces tlie 

 fingers, tlie opi'ralion sandwiched with arch 

 glances and cliirnipy siicech, and then the 

 glove is buttoned, and the last fold is smoothed 

 out with a gentle pat. This incendiary per- 

 formance is followed with the question 

 whether monsieur will have his other hand 

 treated in the same way. The motii, of 

 course, will have another go at the candle, and 

 by the time he is througli he is naturally some- 

 what singed. Happily for family peace, tlu^ 

 betrothed Mary Jane or the espoused Mary 

 Ann cannot look into his heart at that mo- 

 ment. The eyes of the feminine Mei>histo- 

 pheles behind the counter follow out his re- 

 tiring figure with a sliglit elevation of tlie 

 eyebrows and a terrible mouo.syilable uttered 

 to one of her companions. " The modest 

 foreigner goes through another ordeal with the 

 flower girl. With a smile as bright and 

 attractive as her flowers, she asks him if lie 

 will not have one. He would prefer not to 

 encounter those winning eyes, and endeavors 

 to pass on, but he may not do so ; she holds 

 him as securely as the Ancient Mariner held 

 the wedding guest, and he signilies liis ac- 

 ceptance of the tendered opi'uing bud. He 

 mav not receive it with liis hands ; she with 

 her nimble liimrers will allacli it to his button- 

 hole, and ihe enil.ariasscl man stands while 

 the girl foniUes o\'er the rcLrion of Ids heart, 

 and looks into the whites of his half-averted 

 eyes. And the havoc thus committed in ten. 

 short minutes ni.ay not be repaired in six 

 months. Tliei-e is no fixed price for such a 

 favor, and he is told with an expression that 

 would have troubled the soul of St. Anthony, 

 that it is anything he may please to give. 

 His betrothed Bilinda, alas I would think it 

 dear at any price. 



The wide dissemination of art-feeling 

 among the French has a refining tendency on 

 the manners of all classes. Beautiful squares 

 and parks, with walks and shady forests, foun- 

 tains and lakes, are open to all. The eyes of 

 the people are made familiar with architec- 

 tural beauty, as exhibited in the boulevards, 

 bridges and public edifices of the great city. 

 The magnificent art galleries are free to all 

 w-ho wish to see them, and the working peo- 

 ple visit them fretiuently, especiiiUy on Sun- 

 day and fete days, when they are kept open 

 for their benefit. Thus the man in blouse is 

 often familiar with the great pictures of 

 French masters. In the houses of the poor 

 there are no rapid, keepsake heads, in glow- 

 ing colors, but copies of pictures exhibiting 

 more or less merit. The deep red and blue 

 Daniel in the Lion's Den, and the doll-faced 

 Mary Ann, surrounded witli an inch of bright 

 mahogany, are not seen on their walls. The 

 square, loud-striking and loud-ticking clock, 



