208 THE GREAT NORTH-WEST 



It should be distinctly understood that there was 

 no person present at this scene that did not occupy 

 a more than ordinary good position in life. For the 

 most part they were rich farmers, or their sons and 

 daughters — persons with, as a rule, a far better education 

 than their compeers in the old country. The married 

 people were those responsible for throwing the cobs over 

 the young couples. I did not perceive that any married 

 lady or gentleman was subjected to this very remarkable 

 — I will not say questionable — proceeding ; but certainly 

 nobody present was shocked at it. All was merriment 

 and good-humour, and, coarse as were the proceedings, 

 there was nothing offensive in the language of the parties 

 engaged in them. There was not a person of inferior 

 position present. I dwell on this point, because often as 

 " the Britisher " is charged with snobbery, his ill-breeding 

 in this respect fades into nothingness when compared 

 with that of his Yankee cousin. A gentleman in England 

 never hesitates to plainly say that he cannot afford a 

 thing if he is too poor to indulge in it, be it a mere day's 

 excursion, or the shooting over twenty thousand acres, 

 or any other luxury ; but the person in the States who 

 should say he cannot afford this or that, would practically 

 ruin himself from a social stand-point. The American 

 is the most thoroughly purse-proud man that I have 

 ever met ; and hospitable and free as he is with his friends, 

 he is a thorough snob to his inferiors. 



There is no doubt a change, of a sort, in the manners 

 of the States in recent years ; but it is not sufficiently 

 marked to make the above charge an unjust one. When 

 I first set foot on American soil there was scarcely a man 

 in the land who would wear a livery for love or gold, and 

 the few who condescended to do so were scouted as dogs 

 by all classes, even by their employers ; for it was con- 

 sidered that the man had sunk himself to the level of a 

 " nigger," the blacks usually furnishing the whole class 

 of domestic servants, liveried or otherwise. There was 



