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 lluiiMui. Eiiiimviiiii * IVmlinU.i 
 
LIFE AND UESOURGES 
 
 AMEBIC A. 
 
 PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION 
 
 <1'^ 
 
 ARINOra MORI. 
 
 For circulation in Japan. 
 
 WASHINGTON, D. C. ''^'^WAbH^ 
 
 1871. 
 

 8- 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 OlHcial and Political Life. 
 
 Life among the Farmers and Planters. 
 
 Commercial Life and Developments. 
 
 Life among the Mechanics. 
 
 Religious Life and Institutions. 
 
 Life in the Factories. 
 
 Educational Life and Institutions. 
 
 Literary, Artistic, and Scientific Life. 
 
 Life among the Miners. 
 
 Life in the Army and Navy. 
 
 Life in the Leading Cities. 
 
 Frontier Life and Developments. 
 
PART FIRST, 
 
A PRELIMINARY NOTE. 
 
 The knowledge furnished by all the bet- 
 ter qualified minds of the world, is a pow- 
 erful element, rendering great service in 
 the cause of humanity. It is often the 
 case that enmity and bloodshed, are the 
 consequence of storing up prejudices, re- 
 sulting from the want of mutual knowledge 
 of the parties engaged. The object of this 
 publicavtion, is not only to aid in removing 
 those prejudices, but also to invite all the 
 lovers of their race, in Japan, to join in 
 the noble march of progress and human 
 happiness. 
 
 In view of the fact that many dates are 
 
 mentioned in this volume, it has been found 
 
 necessary, for the sake of convenience, to 
 
 adopt the Western Calendar altogether, and 
 
 it is hoped that this course will not lead to 
 
 any embarrassment in the mind of the 
 
 reader. 
 
 Arinori Mori. 
 
 Wasldngton City, U. S., September, 1871. 
 
 Ur, according- to the Ja[)rtnese Calendar, the 
 
 Seveiil/i inotilh of ihc Fourth year of Meiili. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 By the term America which appears on 
 the title page of this book, we mean the 
 United States of America. As we are 
 writing for the information of a class of 
 readers wdio haye never visited this coun- 
 try, we propose to speak in as simple 
 and concise a manner as possible. What- 
 ever statements of fact, we may make, 
 shall be founded upon the public and other 
 authentic records ; and in submitting any 
 general observations, we shall endeavor to 
 steer a middle course, and give only such 
 opinions as are held in common by the 
 people of the country. Before proceeding 
 to the main object of this volume, however, 
 we think it necessary to take a brief survey 
 of the area and population of the United 
 
1 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 States, as follows. The total area of the 
 Hepublic, which extends from the Atlantic 
 Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and excepting 
 Alaska, lies wholly in the temperate zone, is 
 about three million, eight hundred and thir- 
 ty thousand square miles, an extent of sur- 
 face larger than the whole of Europe; it has 
 a coast line, including shores of bays, sounds 
 and lakes, of 30,000 miles, of which 2,800 
 are on the Atlantic, 1,800 on the Pacific, 
 and 2,000 on the gulf of Mexico; it is 
 traversed from North to South by two great 
 ranges of mountains called the Alleghany 
 and Rocky mountains; its rivers are numer- 
 ous, and among the largest in the world ; 
 its lakes contain more than one half of the 
 fresh water on the globe; and its population, 
 according to the census of 1870, is not 
 far from thirty-nine millions, which is a 
 considerable advance upon the population 
 hitherto claimed for the empire of Japan. 
 In the last 70 years, the increase has been 
 about 33,000,000. Of these inhabitants it 
 has been estimated that more than two- 
 
INTRODUCTION. 1 1 
 
 fifths of them are immigrants, or the 
 descendants of iinuiigraiits from foreign 
 countries. Great Britain and Irehind have 
 contributed most largely to this immigra- 
 tion, and the other countries which have 
 helped to swell the population, are as follows, 
 and we mention them in the order of their 
 contribution, viz : Germany, France, Prussia, 
 China, West Indies, Switzerland, Norway 
 and Sweden, Holland, Mexico, Spain, Italy, 
 Belgium, South-America, Denmark, Azores, 
 Portugal, Sardinia, Poland and Russia, 
 whose contribution was less than two thou- 
 sand. Of this great mass of immigrants 
 it has been ascertained that a very large 
 proportion, have changed their circumstan- 
 ces for the better. With reL>;ard to the 
 Black race, who, prior to the year I8G(), 
 were in a state of bondage, but are now 
 free, they number nearly four millions and 
 nine hundred thousand ; the half civilized 
 Indian tribes, about twenty-six thousand, 
 and the wild Indians have been estimated 
 at three hundred thousand. In 1870 there 
 
1 2 INTUODUCTIOX. 
 
 were of Chinese 03,254, with whom were 
 inchuled 53, Japjinese, but since tlien the 
 latter hiivc reached about 250 in number/== 
 Tlie ])ublic lands of the United States are 
 so abundant, that every man who settles 
 in the country, can aiFord, with careful 
 man;i!i;ement, to have a small farm for 
 his exclusive benefit, as the price of land 
 is generally so reasonable that it scarce- 
 ly exceeds, and seldom equals, the rent 
 payable in England. There is no descrip- 
 tion of produce, European or Tropical, 
 which may not be raised in the United 
 States, and aside from its inany other 
 advantages, there is no other country 
 which offers so many inducements to peo- 
 ple in search of permanent and comfortable 
 homes; and it is the present condition, 
 of the people who enjoy this inheritance, 
 with their manners and customs, that w6 
 propose to describe, in the following pages 
 of this volume. 
 
 * It must not be understood that all these foreigners 
 have bi'cu nnluvalized. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 13 
 
 But, before coiicludiiig this iatroduction, 
 it is important that two subjects should be 
 mentioned for the special consideration of 
 the Japanese people. While we entertain 
 an exalted opinion of what is called a Re- 
 publican form of Government, we confess 
 that it is not without its disadvantages and 
 dangers. For an}^ foreign nation^^fuliy to 
 understand them, must require time, and 
 much careful study. The Japanese people 
 have been somewhat fascinated by what 
 they have seen of the American government 
 and institutions, and it is of the utmost im- 
 portance, that they should well consider 
 the subject in all its bearings, before ndopt- 
 ing any of its features into their own form 
 of government. The evils resulting from 
 the misuse of freedom in America, are 
 among the most difiicult to correct or re- 
 form, and ought to be carefully avoided. 
 Another fact that should not be forgotten 
 has reference to the educational qualifica- 
 tions necessary to secure success in a Re- 
 publican form of Go^cl•l^ncnt. It is un- 
 
] 4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 doiibtedly true tliat the best thinkers in 
 America (le|ih)re the (act that tlie niacliina- 
 tions of the politicians, have resulted in 
 placing the United States in an unfortunate 
 condition in this respect. It has been so 
 profitable with designing and selfish men, 
 to increase the number of voters, that they 
 have secured the passage of laws which 
 allow all men to vote in view of the single 
 idea of personal freedom. This is undoubt- 
 edly all wrong, and the evil effects of this 
 state of things are being manifested every 
 day. A prosperous, happy, and permanent 
 HepLiblican government can only be secured, 
 when the people who live under it are vir- 
 tuous and well educated. 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 As preliminary to this chapter, it would 
 seem to be necessary that we should give 
 an outline of the machinery of the Ameri- 
 can Government. It is two-fold in its char- 
 acter; first Federal, because it is made up 
 of States, and second National, because it 
 acts directly from the people. According 
 to the Constitution, it is divided into three 
 branches, viz : Executive, Legislative, and 
 Judicial. The head of the Executive 
 branch, or ruler of the Nation, is called 
 the President, who is elected by the votes 
 of the people for the term of four years, 
 and is sometimes re-elected for an additional 
 term of four years. He is also the Com- 
 mander-in-Chief of the United States Navy 
 and Army. The average cost of each elec- 
 
16 OFFICIAL AND POMTICAL LIFE. 
 
 tion in inoiioy, has been cstiniated at two 
 millions of dollars. His office is styled the 
 Executive Mansion, and is identical with his 
 official residence, the White-House. He is 
 obliged to be a native and citizen of the 
 country, and thirty-five years of age, and 
 his annual compensation is twenty-five thou- 
 sand dollars. The second officer of the 
 Government is called the Vice President, 
 whose business is to preside over the Sen- 
 ate. He is elected in the same manner as 
 the President, and his salary is eight thou- 
 sand dollars per annum. The Executive 
 Departments of the Government are seven 
 in number, viz: the Departments of State 
 or Foreign Affairs, Treasury, Interior, Post 
 Office, War, Navy, and of Justice. The 
 heads of them are called Secretaries, and 
 they form the Cabinet of the President. 
 They each receive a salary of eight thou- 
 sand dollars, and their jurisdiction, under 
 the President, extends to all the subordinate 
 oflicers of the Government, whether located 
 in Washington or in the several States of 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 17 
 
 the Union, The Judiciary of the counby 
 is vested in a Supreme Court, District 
 Courts, and the Court of Ckims ; the sahi- 
 ries of the Judges ranging from sixty-five 
 hundr-ed down to thirty-five hundred dol- 
 lars per annum. The Legislative branch 
 of the Government, consists of a Senate 
 and House of Representatives, — the Sena- 
 tors, numbering seventy-four, elected for 
 six years, — and the Representatives, two 
 hundred and forty-three, — elected for tw^o 
 years, and their, compensation is five thou- 
 sand dollars per annum. The number of 
 States which form the Union is thirty-seven, 
 with ten Territories or incipient States, and 
 their form of government is precisely simi- 
 lar to that of the nation at large ; the lead- 
 ing olHcers of each State or Territory bear- 
 ing the titles of Governor and Lieutenant 
 Governor. To the above may be added the 
 municipal form of government for cities and 
 towns, where the local authority is allied to 
 that generally recognized in Europe, where 
 the chief ofiicers consist of Mayors and Al- 
 
18 OFFICIAL- AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 dermen and their subordinates, although 
 bearing different names, in different coun- 
 tries. With these particuhirs before him, 
 the reader will be able to comprehend the 
 following observations. Although the real 
 and official residence of the President is 
 in Washington, the fashionable season, so- 
 called, begins and ends with the sittings of 
 Congress, beginning in December and last- 
 ing from three to six months. The position 
 occupied by officials under the Constitution, 
 gives them necessarily a certain rank, ac- 
 cording to the importance and nature of the 
 office, the length of time, and the age, re- 
 quired by law, of the incumbent. The 
 house in which the President resides is the 
 property of the Government; and to a great 
 extent, his household expenses are paid by 
 public appropriations. The title by which 
 he is addressed in conversation is that of 
 3£r. President, and every citizen of the Re- 
 public, no matter how humble his position, 
 has a right to visit the Executive in per- 
 son. During the winter he holds public 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 19 
 
 receptions as often as once a week, and on 
 the Fourth of July, which is a National 
 Holiday, and the First of January, he re- 
 ceives, as a special mark of respect, the Di- 
 plomavtic Corps and the officers of the Army 
 and Navy in full uniform, himself always 
 appearing without any uniform. He ac- 
 cepts no invitations to dinners, and makes 
 no calls or visits of ceremony ; but is at 
 liberty to visit without ceremony at his 
 pleasure. State dinners are given by him 
 quite^frequently, and persons invited com- 
 mit a breach of etiquette when they decline 
 invitations. The rules of social intercourse 
 which govern the Cabinet Ministers, are 
 similar to those recognized by the President. 
 As their tenure of office is limited, they 
 have, in spite of themselves, a very busy 
 time during their whole term of service : 
 spending their days in dealing out patron- 
 age, and their nights in giving or attending 
 parties. Their families take the lead in 
 fashion, and all American citizens have an 
 undisputed right to attend their receptions, 
 
20 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 and after that public manner, to be Hislnon- 
 able ; and as exclusiveness in the President 
 or his ministers would be considered un- 
 democratic, and therefore would not be tol- 
 erated, tliere is no end to the so-called en- 
 joyments of life. If a minister is rich and 
 liberal, he becomes, for the time being, the 
 biggest man of the hour, in spite of his 
 politics ; if poor, and dependent only upon 
 his salary, the fact of his ha^ang to occupy 
 a large house, and to entertain the people, 
 invariably sends him into retirement a poor- 
 er man than he was before. With the 
 Judges of the Supreme Court, these matters 
 are somewhat different. They are the only 
 dignitaries who hold office for life, and they 
 can afford to do as they please, and gener- 
 ally please to lead the quiet lives of culti- 
 vated gentlemen. They go into society 
 when the spirit moves them, are not disin- 
 clined to partake of good dinners with their 
 friends, a Foreign Envoy, or a Cabinet Min- 
 ister, and perhaps the greatest of their 
 blessings is, that they are not compelled to 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 21 
 
 curry favor with the multitude. The next 
 layer of Washington society, to which we 
 would allude, is made up of the Heads of 
 Bureaus and the Officers of the Army and 
 Navy,' their pay ranging from ten to two 
 thousand dollars per annum. They are the 
 men who more immediately manage the 
 machinery of the Government, and upon 
 whom to a great extent depends the success 
 of all the public measures enacted by Con- 
 gress. Though commonly well paid, many 
 of them cannot afford to display much style 
 although they live comfortably, and gener- 
 ally, in their own houses, although many 
 officials reside in boarding houses or hotels. 
 The civil officers are but seldom appointed 
 on their merits, but usually through politi- 
 cal influence, and the party which happens 
 to be in power, commonly claims all the 
 patronage, and the most worthy and com- 
 petent men, are often dismissed from office 
 without a moment's w^arning. With the 
 Military and Naval officers the case is some- 
 what different, for though they may get 
 
22 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE, 
 
 into ofHce through pohtical influence, they 
 are usually appointed for life, and are not 
 removed without cause. After the above 
 come the Clerks or employees of the Gov- 
 ernment, which number several thousand in 
 Washington alone. They are in reality the 
 hardest working population of the Metrop- 
 olis. Among them may be found men from 
 every State in the Union, and from many 
 foreign countries ; men of no particular, 
 mark, who have lost fortunes ; ripe scholars, 
 Avho have been rudely buffetted by the 
 Avorld ; men of capacity, who can teach 
 their superiors in office ; rare penmen and 
 common-place accountants ; and a sister- 
 hood, composed chiefly of respectable wid- 
 ows and orphans who have fled to the Gov- 
 ernment for support. The custom of em- 
 ploying women as clerks originated out of 
 the disasters which followed the late war, 
 and the number now employed by the Gov- 
 ernment has already reached several thou- 
 sand, and they have been found to be quite 
 as useful as men clerks. Their compensa- 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 23 
 
 tion ranges from nine hundred to twenty- 
 five hundred dollars per annum, and while 
 it is true that many receive more than they 
 earn, because of their idle or inattentive 
 habits, others find it difficult to secure a 
 comfortable support. Occasionally, a man 
 may be found who has grown gray in the 
 public service and is an oracle, but the great 
 majority are, in reality, a floating popula- 
 tion. The comparative ease with which 
 these Clerks earn their money, tends to 
 make them improvident; many instances 
 might be mentioned, however, where Clerks 
 have left the Government service, and be- 
 come distinguished as merchants or in some 
 of the professions. For a totally different 
 phase of Washington life, and the most in- 
 fluential for evil or for good, we must turn 
 to the brotherhood of Congressmen. Com- 
 ing as they do from all parts of the country, 
 and representing every variety of popuhi- 
 tion, it is quite as impossible to speak of 
 them collectively, as of their individual 
 characteristics. Among them are to be 
 
24 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 found honest and able statesmen, but that 
 a large proportion of them are mere time- 
 serving politicians, is a fact that cannot be 
 questioned. It is frequently the case that 
 after a Congressman has ended his career 
 as a legislator, he turns office-seeker, and 
 many of them, without a knowledge of any 
 lan^uaore but their own are sent abroad as 
 Diplomatic Ministers. Of these Congress- 
 men, there have been not less than five 
 thousand of them elected since the founda- 
 tion of the Government; and the several 
 political parties to which they have be- 
 longed may be summed up as Federalists, 
 Democrats, Whigs, Locofocos, Freesoilers, 
 Abolitionists, Fire-eaters, Republicans, Cop- 
 perheads, Native Americans, Secessionists 
 and Radicals, forming in the aggregate a 
 conglomeration of political ideas quite in 
 keeping with the energetic and free spirit 
 of the American people. Prior to the late 
 civil war, colored men were not admitted 
 to seats in Congress, but at the present 
 time a few of them hold positions in both 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 25 
 
 Houses of Congress, — there being now no 
 distinction recognized on account of color, 
 so far as political rights nre concerned. 
 With regard to the permanent population 
 of Washington little can be said of special 
 interest. Occupying, as this city does, a 
 position on the River Potomac, at the head 
 of navigation, about midway between the 
 Atlantic Ocean and the Alleghany Moun- 
 tains, it was calculated to become a place 
 of commercial importance. But this idea 
 was not realized,- and it became a metropol- 
 itan city, chiefly dependent for its support 
 upon the General Government. The local 
 trade is measured by the wants of the pop- 
 ulation, and there is nothing exported ex- 
 cepting a limited amount of flour, and a 
 considerable quantity of bituminous coal. 
 The only particular, perhaps, in which the 
 inhabitants differ from those of other Amer- 
 ican cities, is in their free and easy manners, 
 growing out of their intercourse and famil- 
 iarity with people from all quarters of the 
 globe, drawn hither by business or pleasure. 
 
26 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 With them, the dignitaries of the land, as 
 well as ambassadors from abroad, are ap- 
 preciated at their real value ; and a man, 
 who towers as a giant in the rural districts, 
 is very sure to be measured accuratelj^ in 
 the Metropolis. But the most peculiar fea- 
 ture of Washington society at the present 
 time (1871) is, the position to which the 
 colored or Negro population has attained. 
 Before the late civil war, these unhappy 
 people were in a state of bondage, and only 
 enough of them were congregated in the 
 Metropolis to supply the demand for house- 
 hold servants. While the war wms pro- 
 gressing, wdiich resulted in their emancipa- 
 tion, large numbers fled to this city, as to 
 a place of refuge, and here, a Inrge propor- 
 tion of them have continued to remain to 
 the present time. They have been admit- 
 ted to all the rights and privileges of citi- 
 zenship ; but, while the more intelligent 
 have profited by their advantages, large 
 numbers of them are content to idle away 
 their time, or depend upon the autliorities 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 27 
 
 for sniDport, and they constitute about one- 
 third of the present popuhition. They have 
 not as yet been sufficiently educated to be 
 received in society on the same footing with 
 the white race, and the repugnance to re- 
 ceiving them at the same table, or to inter- 
 marrying with them, is as strong as in other 
 times, quite universal, and will probably so 
 • continue. 
 
 In the further prosecution of our plan, 
 we must direct attention to that large mass 
 of the community engaged in carrying on 
 the business of the nation in the diverse 
 regions of the United States. We begin 
 with the Postmasters, one of whom is loca- 
 ted in every city, town and village through- 
 out the land, and the aggregate number of 
 whom is about twenty-six thousand, exclu- 
 sive of their numerous assistants. Their 
 duties are, to receive and deliver all letters 
 sent to their several Offices, and to look af- 
 ter the prompt dispatch of the mails, by 
 ships and railroads, by coaches and Avagons, 
 and on horseback, and their compensation 
 
28 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 ranges from six thousand dollars to a few 
 dollars per annum. They arc all ait})ointed 
 directly by the President, and hold office 
 during his pleasure. Next to these come 
 the custom-house officers, who, including 
 all grades, number not less than five thou- 
 sand employees ; after these, comes another 
 Lirge body whose business is to collect the 
 Internal Revenue of the country ; and also 
 a very extensive force engaged in carrying 
 on the interests connected with the Public 
 Lands, the Indian Tribes, and the Judicial 
 business in the various States and Territo- 
 ries, as well as those interests prosecuted 
 under the authority of the Patent Office, 
 the Pension Office and the Agricultur.-il 
 Department. Now, as the people here men- 
 tioned, numbering in the gross not far from 
 sixty thousand persons, obtain their posi- 
 tions through political influence, it is natural 
 that they should take a special interest in 
 politics, and do their utmost for the success 
 of the particular party to which they belong. 
 Hence the great excitement which invaria- 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 29 
 
 bly prevails at all the elections. As before 
 intimated the President and Vice President 
 are voted for once in every four 3^ears ; and 
 the Representatives in Congress once in 
 two years ; — the Senators being chosen by 
 the State Legislatures. It would appear 
 therefore that as the people are intelligent 
 and honest, so must be the office-holders ; 
 but this is not always the case, because of 
 the existence of what are called mere poli- 
 ticians or demaiiogues. This class of citi- 
 zens has greatly multiplied of late years, 
 and it is safe to say that nearly all the 
 troubles which befall the country are the 
 res^ilt of their petty schemes and selfish 
 intrigues. There is not a village in the 
 land where they do not congregate or pur- 
 sue in secret their unpatriotic designs. Of 
 course there are many exceptions to this 
 state of things, but the rule is as we have 
 stated it : and the evils resulting from the 
 power thus obtained and prostituted, have 
 come to be universally recognized and de- 
 plored by the honest people of the land. 
 
;>0 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 The loss of dignity, and the decline in pub- 
 lic morals on account of politics is, to-day, 
 a source of mortification and alarm among 
 tlie A'irtuous and patriotic citizens of the 
 country. The philosophy of Government, 
 is a subject to which the people of America 
 have devoted but little attention, and very 
 few books have been published on the sub- 
 ject, and yet it is claimed that they are in 
 advance of all other nations, in the practice 
 of self-government. To what extent this is 
 true, the present writer is not called upon 
 to decide. It is too true, however, that 
 the opinion is frequently expressed by for- 
 eigners that the unbridled system of a Re- 
 publican government leads to many political 
 troubles. The two or three crowning fea- 
 tures of the American Government would 
 seem to be as follows : That the nation is a 
 peculiar organism, having a life and destiny 
 of its own, founded on the idea of humanity, 
 and like the individual person, but in a 
 more continuous degree ; that its authority 
 to govern the people, is derived from their 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 31 
 
 actual or implied assent; and that in assert- 
 ing its prerogatives, it looks to the least 
 possible interference with the free action 
 of the individuals composing the community. 
 This form of government involves the idea 
 of contract, tacit or expressed, and no mat- 
 ter how it may be carried out, must rest 
 upon the understanding of the people, not 
 only as to the end to be pursued, but also 
 as to the methods. As one circle within 
 another, so does the government of each 
 State and Territory revolve within the cir- 
 cle of the Union, and the State, county and 
 town elections, for offices which are subject 
 to State patronnge, are precisel}^ similar in 
 character and results to the National elec- 
 tions. While deprecating the abuses to 
 which the American people are subject, on 
 account of what is called universal suffrage, 
 there are many social features which are to 
 be highly commended, and are peculiar to 
 the country ; among these is the absence of 
 pauperism, and the universal respectability 
 iiii personal appearance among all classes. 
 
32 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 This fact is apparent to all observers, and 
 has been fnlly conceded by the best Eng- 
 lish writers on this country. There is no 
 beggary here except such as arises from 
 profligacy or causes beyond the control of 
 human nature. Another peculiar feature 
 of American life is, the equal distribution 
 of wealth, acknowledged as remarkably 
 characteristic of the nation. In all the 
 large cities and occasionally in the countr}^ 
 may be found a man possessing enormous 
 wealth, but among the millions of our pop- 
 ulation wealth is diffused, and there is a 
 wonderful equality in the material condition 
 of the population. Another phase of Amer- 
 ican life, to which we have already alluded, 
 and which has astonished the Governments 
 of the Old World, is, the doctrine of Univer- 
 sal Sulfrage. It is this which lies at the 
 basis of all her institutions, and it is this, 
 more than anything else, taken in connec- 
 tion with the super-abundant resources of 
 the country, that tends to an equal distri- 
 bution of wealth. It is not, as a noted 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 33 
 
 English Statesman has said, so much a 
 man's wealth, which the American people 
 recognize, and to which they pay homage, 
 as the energy and ability which may turn 
 wealth to account. In theory, as well as 
 in reality, they regard equality and broth- 
 erhood as of the Essence of the Constitution 
 under which they live, and of their social 
 well-being and existence. As the official 
 and political classes heretofore touched 
 upon are either the law-makers of the land, 
 or engaged in carrying out the laws, it may 
 be well enough to notice their rights and 
 privileges under those laws. While it is 
 true that members of Congress, and some 
 few dignitaries besides, are exempt from 
 arrest for civil misdemeanors, when engaged 
 in their public duties, all persons of every 
 position are amenable to the criminal laws. 
 A leading dignitary, when he violates the 
 law, is as promptly brought to trial, as the 
 humblest man in the community, but the 
 misfortune is, that the influence possessed 
 by the former is too apt to keep him from 
 
34 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 deserved pnnisbment, while the latter is 
 compelled to meet a less happy fate. The 
 titles which accompany the possession of 
 office, are of no special value, and, except 
 in the Army and Navy, terminate w'ith the 
 office. At the same time it must not be 
 supposed that the Americans are without 
 the sentiments which grow out of associa- 
 tion with old and honored f^imilies. In 
 some parts of the country there is a very 
 decided feeling of aristocracy, but it is pecu- 
 liar to the regions which have been the 
 longest settled. The privilege of receiving 
 and sending letters free of postage, and 
 without limit, is enjoyed only by the Pres- 
 ident, his Cabinet, the heads of Bureaus 
 and Congressmen ; under certain official re- 
 strictions, the postmasters may frank their 
 letters, but beyond that, all men in office 
 have to pay postage like ordinary people. 
 When a young man has determined to lead 
 a political life, his first desire is, to be elec- 
 ted to the State Legislature, then to become 
 Governor of the State, and from that posi- 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 35 
 
 tion he thinks himself entitled to go into 
 the United States Senate, but there is no 
 uniformity in these promotions. Generally 
 speaking, the career of public men in this 
 country, is measured more by their cunning 
 or success in managing the people who have 
 votes, rather than by their abilities. Nor 
 does their political success depend upon 
 their antecedents — upon wealth or family 
 position. Ten years before he became 
 President, Ulysses S. Grant was a leather 
 merchant ; it was the boast of Andrew 
 Johnson, the late President, that he had 
 been bred a tailor ; and of Abraham Lin- 
 coln, that he had earned his living in early 
 life as a common chopper of wood, or rail- 
 splitter. The present Minister to England 
 was once a tutor in. an academy ; and the 
 Ministers to France and Spain were both 
 printers ; but at the same time it does occa- 
 sionally happen in these latter days, as it fre- 
 quently did in fortner times, that the diplo- 
 matic representatives abroad have attained 
 high positions notwithstanding the fact that 
 
36 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 they have been men of culture and quiet 
 scholarship, as in the case of Motley and 
 Bancroft the historians, and Marsh the dis- 
 tinguished scholar and author. The pres- 
 ent Secretary of the Treasury, was, for 
 many years, a merchant's clerk ; and among 
 the Senators and Representatives, are men 
 who once sold dry goods for a living, or 
 were engaged in various mechanical employ- 
 ments, but who are not on those accounts, 
 less esteemed than they would otherwise 
 have been. But when a notorious gambler 
 or profligate is elected to Congress, as has 
 sometimes been the case, it must not be 
 supposed that the American people are in- 
 dilTerent to his antecedents. The most 
 striking fact, perhaps, which can be men- 
 tioned by way of illustrating the wonderful 
 elasticity of the American Government is 
 this, that among the Representatives now 
 sitting in Congress and engaged in mould- 
 ing the laws, are several persons, members 
 of the Negro race, who were once slaves, 
 employed upon plantations, both of which 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 37 
 
 could alike, at one time, have been sold for 
 a specific sum of money. Although there 
 are many instances among the State Gov- 
 ernors, where men have risen to eminence 
 from obscurity, the people have generally 
 been more careful in selecting their State 
 executives, than in selecting their Congress- 
 men ; and what we have said in regard to 
 the changes effected by politics in the case 
 of prominent officials, is equally true, in a 
 less degree, of all the subordinate office- 
 holders. And now the question arises, how 
 about the servants of the public after they 
 have been superseded in their official posi- 
 tion ? It cannot be said that any of the 
 Presidents have ever gone into any unbe- 
 coming employment after leaving the Exec- 
 utive Chair; but it is not uncommon for 
 Ex-Congressmen and other ex-officials of 
 the so-called higher grades, to go into all 
 sorts of inappropriate employments, from a 
 Government Clerkship to a Claim agency. 
 The only one of the Presidents who con- 
 sented to enter Congress after leaving the 
 
38 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 Executive Chair was John Qiiincy Adams, 
 but his character stood so high as a man and 
 a statesman, he could afford to do as he 
 pleased, and to die, as he did, in the har- 
 ness of public life. As before stated, the 
 total number of men, who have served the 
 country as law-makers, is about five thou- 
 sand ; of these, the legal profession has 
 sent the largest proportion ; the men of let- 
 ters have numbered only one in every fifty : 
 the eloquent speakers or orators of special 
 note, have not been more than two hundred ; 
 less than one-half graduated at learned in- 
 stitutions: while the balance have been 
 farmers and planters, merchants, and mem- 
 bers of various professions. The total num- 
 ber of men who have held Cabinet appoint- 
 ments is one hundred and eighty-two, of 
 whom one hundred and thirty-three have 
 been Congressmen : of the forty-four Su- 
 preme Court Judges, one half of them served 
 in the Senate or House of Representatives : 
 out of five hundred and twenty-seven for- 
 eign Ministers, one hundred and seventy 
 
- OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 39 
 
 were members of Congress ; and of the 
 seven hundred and sixty-eight State and 
 Territorial Governors, three hundred and 
 forty-nine were Congressmen. The Treaty 
 which has recently been made between the 
 American and English Governments, con- 
 summates a long-wished for condition of 
 affairs, viz : a cordial good-will with all the 
 great Powers of Europe — Great Britain, 
 France, Germany, Italy, Russia and Spain. 
 It is claimed, indeed, by the best thinkers, 
 that the American Government was never 
 more powerful and influential for good than 
 it is at the present time. Intercourse and 
 trade between the two continents, over 
 the Pacific Ocean, are growing rapidly. 
 The friendship of Japan for the United 
 States, and its thorough reciprocation on 
 their part, are universally acknowledged. 
 The latter seem to watch attentively the 
 movements of England and other European 
 Powers in the far East. And while the 
 British Government may deem it wise to 
 use force in its dealings with the Eastern 
 
40 OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 nations, the American policy appears to 
 adhere resolutely to the principles of peace, 
 justice, and equal rights to all, notwith- 
 standing the late unwarrantable operations 
 of the American Navy on the coast of Corea. 
 The changes for good that have taken place 
 in Japan during the last few years, are a 
 matter of wonder and satisfaction to the 
 whole civilized w^orld. The American peo- 
 ple have been, since the memorable visit 
 of Commodore Perry, taking great and spe- 
 cial interest in the affairs of Japan. The 
 President of the United States has justly 
 echoed the prevailing sentiment among the 
 Americans, when he said to the Prince 
 Fushimi, member of one of the Imperial 
 families of the Micado, that he had seen 
 with pride, the young men of Japan com- 
 ing over to receive their education, and 
 that he would take the greatest pleasure in 
 contriving to make their residence in this 
 country, both agreeable and useful to them. 
 There rests upon Japan a great hope, as 
 well as high responsibility, for the success 
 
OFFICIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE. 41 
 
 of bringing about a healthy and exemplary 
 civilization, which must take the lead among 
 all the Asiatic nations. 
 
 P. S., In view of the changes which are 
 constantly taking place among the officials 
 of the American Government, to which al- 
 lusion has been made in the foregoing pages, 
 the writer must express an opinion. They 
 are, beyond 9II question, a great disadvan- 
 tage to the Republic. They naturally in- 
 terfere with the proper and regular working 
 of the machinery of the Government, and 
 are the primary cause of the bitter political 
 dissensions, which have long prevailed, and 
 continue to prevail, among the American 
 people. And what is more, they lead to all 
 kinds of corruption ; and at the very time 
 of our writing these lines, the people of 
 New York are greatly convulsed over the 
 discovery that the Treasury of the City and 
 State has been robbed to the extent of 
 many millions of dollars, growing directly 
 out of the evils of office seeking, and rota- 
 
42 OFFICIAL AND rOLITICAL LIFE. 
 
 tion in office from party considerations. 
 On the other hand, it must be confessed 
 that where the people have it in their power, 
 as in America, to regulate the conduct of 
 the men they elect to office, so long as they 
 are truly honest, they can always prevent 
 a long continuance of the evils brought 
 upon them by unscrupulous demagogues. 
 Hence the great importance of their being 
 both virtuous and truly patriotic. 
 
PART SECOND 
 
LIFE AMONG THE FARMERS AND 
 PLANTERS. 
 
 In the present paper, we propose to give 
 ii comprehensive account of the Agricultural 
 population of the United States, and shall 
 speak of Farm Life in New England, (the 
 Eastern,) the Middle, and Western States ; 
 and of Plantation Life in the Southern 
 States. It is now generally acknowledged 
 that the prosperity of America depends 
 chiefly upon its Agriculture, and that it has 
 come to be considered the granary of Eu- 
 rope. The area of land susceptible of cul- 
 tivation has been estimated to be about 
 two thousand, two hundred and fifty mil- 
 lions (2,250,000,000) of acres, more than 
 half of which is owned by the Government, 
 
46 LIFE AMOXG FARMERS AND PLANTEP^. 
 
 fire hundred millions (500.000.000) having 
 been surveyed and is now ready for occu- 
 pation ; while the lands under cultivation 
 amount to more than two "hundred millions 
 (200,000,000) of acres. It has also been 
 estimated that seven-eighths of the entire 
 population of the country are engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits, or in the various pro- 
 fessions and trades naturally dependent 
 thereupon. The largest wheat crop ever 
 produced in the States, was in 1S69 when 
 the ^-ield amounted to two hundred and 
 sixty-four millions (264,000,000) of bush- 
 els, and a^ the average price was one dollar 
 and forty cents (i^l.iO) the total cash value 
 was not less than §369.600,000. The 
 quantity of corn was 1,100,000,000 bush- 
 els; Rye 22,000.000 ; Birley 28.000,000 ; 
 Buckwheat 17,000.000 ; Oats 275.000,000, 
 and Potatoes 111,000,00 J: Hay 22,000,- 
 000 ton? ; Tobacco 310,000,000 pounds ; 
 Cane Sugar 120,000,000 pounds and Cot- 
 ton 1,767,000,000 pounds, valued at $147,- 
 380,000. And as to domestic animals, io- 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 47 
 
 eluding youn^ cattle, horses, sheep and 
 swine, their value was $978,872,785. 
 
 With these few leading facts before him, 
 the reader may obtain an approximate idea 
 of the agricultural wealth of the country : 
 and he must remember, that the very 
 numerous unmentioned articles would swell 
 the agricultural supplies to the extent of 
 many additional millions. It is claimed 
 by English farmers, that in some particu- 
 lars, their method of farming is superior to 
 that practised in this country, and that is 
 undoubtedly true, but on the other hand it 
 has been demonstrated, that the leading 
 grains can be produced at a much lower cost 
 in the United States than in England. As 
 this is pre-eminently an agricultural coun- 
 try, it follows that here the most numerous 
 attempts to produce labor-saving implements 
 have been directed to facilitate the labors 
 of the farm. The extent to which new 
 agricultural inventions have been patented, 
 is so great, that in 1869, they reached the 
 number of nineteen hundred (1900) and all 
 
48 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 of them for saving mnscular power on tlie 
 farm, and in the househohl. A particular 
 account of them is as follows : Churns and 
 churning, 130 ; Corn-shellers and huskers, 
 40; Cultivators, 150 ; Diggers and spaders, 
 30 ; Fertilizers, 6 ; Forks (hay, manure, 
 &c.,) 100 ; Harrows, drays and pulverizers, 
 80; Harvesters and attachments, 195; 
 Hay-spreaders, 25; Hoes, 25; Mowing 
 and reaping machines, 30; Planters, 150; 
 Plows and attachments, 255 ; Pruning, 15 ; 
 Rakes, 90; Seeding and sowing, 80 ; Sep- 
 arators and smut-machines, 50 ; Straw, hay 
 and fodder-cutters, 30; Threshing-machines, 
 35; and Yokes, 15. In the more settled parts 
 of the country, the old-fashioned varieties 
 of the hoe, the sj^ade, and even the plough- 
 share, are now looked upon as barbarous 
 contrivances, and in their place the farmers 
 use what are called Steam ploughs, the 
 Rotary Spade, the Sulky plough, Horse 
 Cultivators, Shovel-ploughs, as well as 
 Reaping, Mowing and Threshing machines 
 of many varieties. The improvements that 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 49 
 
 have been made in such tools as the shovel, 
 spade, hoe and forks, are so great that they 
 may almost be considered entirely new in- 
 ventions. With regard to these and many 
 other implements of husbandry in America, 
 lightness, simplicity and comparative cheap- 
 ness are absolutely essential to their per- 
 fection. One of the effects, if not the most 
 important, of these labor-saving machines 
 has been, that, while one man has been 
 kept in the field, three have been sent to 
 the great towns to prosecute other enter- 
 prises of profit, or have entered upon the 
 cultivation of other farms. The organiza- 
 tion of Agricultural Societies, which have 
 done much to perfect the science of tilling 
 the soil, was commenced shortly after the 
 establishment of the Government in 1775, 
 and their influence, in connection with an- 
 nual fairs, has been wide-spread, and of the 
 greatest advantage. There is not a State 
 in the Union, which does not boast of one 
 of them, organized for the benefit of all the 
 inhabitants at large. Nor ought the fact 
 
50 LIFE AMOXG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 to be forgotten, that there arc already many 
 Agricultural Colleges in the country, and 
 that they are annually increasing in num- 
 bers and influence. And then again, the 
 agricultural periodicals are numerous and 
 of high repute. 
 
 But notwithstanding all these facts, ex- 
 perienced men have expressed the opinion, 
 that the condition of Agriculture in this 
 country is not what might be desired. The 
 great trouble is, the want of proper method. 
 The art is as yet imperfectly known and 
 practised, and the American system is full 
 of deficiencies. The domain of the United 
 States, embraces soil capable of yielding 
 the richest and most varied productions, in 
 the greatest abundance ; and it is a pecu- 
 liar feature of the country, that all the lands 
 ■which have been sold by the Government, 
 or are still owned by the same, are surveyed 
 upon a system of squares and divided into 
 townships of six miles square, sub-divided 
 into sections and quarter sections, whereby 
 the farms are generally regular in shape. 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 51 
 
 and disputes are avoided in regard to boun- 
 dar}^ lines. The lands belonging to the 
 Government are sold at the uniform price 
 of one dollar and a quarter ($1.25) per acre, 
 so that for one hundred dollars, a new set- 
 ler can receive a farm of eighty acres; but 
 under existing laws, a foreigner, if of age, 
 and intending to become a citizen, obtains 
 a homestead substantially as a free gift. 
 The total quantity of land owned by the 
 Government was 1,834,968,400 acres ; of 
 which 447,266,190 acres have been sold ; 
 and the amount now for sale is 1,387,732,- 
 209 acres. That the National Government 
 takes a deep interest in the welfare of the 
 Agricultural population is proven by the 
 fact, that a Department of Agriculture exists 
 in Washington, which annually publishes a 
 very valuable volume of miscellaneous in- 
 formation, and supplies seeds and cuttings 
 for all who may apply for them, while the 
 Postal laws of the country allow their trans- 
 portation through the mails free of expense ; 
 the same laws making ordy a small charge 
 
r)2 LIFE AMOT^Cr FARMERS AXD FLANTEKS. 
 
 for the cxcliaiig-e of seeds, cuttings and 
 plants between private })arties ; but more 
 than all that, the National Government has 
 recently made a grant of seven millions 
 (7,000,000) of acres of land for the benefit 
 of Agricultural Colleges, and propositions 
 are now pending for giving away nearly 
 twenty million (20,000,000) acres of bind 
 for objects directly or indirectly connected 
 Avith the farming population of the Eepub- 
 lic. The total number of farms in the Uni- 
 ted States is about three millions, Avhich 
 gives a tarm for every thirteen of the en- 
 tire population ; and the largest proportion 
 of these farms range from twenty to one 
 hundred acres. 
 
 And now we propose to give a descrip- 
 tion in general terms of Farm Life in the 
 New England States, (the six Eastern 
 States.) viz : Maine, Massachusetts, New^ 
 Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut and 
 Rhode Island. In this region the farms 
 are almost universally small, ranging from 
 ten to one hundred acres, and stone fences 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 53 
 
 predominate above all other kinds. The 
 Agricultural season is short, winter lasting 
 through half the year. No verdure but 
 that of evergreens resists the annual cold, 
 and an 'unnielted mass of snow covers the 
 ground for months. The soils, excepting 
 in the more extensive valleys are poor and 
 rocky, and aside from those farms which 
 are given up chiefly to the grazing of cattle 
 or the production of hay, the products of 
 the earth are only obtained by the severest 
 kind of labor. Along the sea shore, kelp 
 and fish are popular manures, but in the in- 
 terior, guano, calcareous manures, and the 
 yield of the barn yards are employed. The 
 owner is, himself, the foremost workman, 
 and his sons, his principal assistants : and 
 all household matters are performed by the 
 females of the family. The farmers live in. 
 comfortable frame houses, very frequently 
 surrounded with flowers, use both coal and 
 wood for fuel, and are noted for their fru- 
 gality and neatness. Their barns are spa- 
 cious and substantial. They produce noth- 
 
54 LIFE AMONG FARMEES AND PLANTEES. 
 
 ing for exportation, but a greater variety 
 of crops than the more extensive farmers, 
 and are quite content if they can obtain a 
 plain, comfortable support. In Vermont, 
 the raising of superior breeds of horses has 
 been a specialty, but for farm work, oxen 
 are more popular than horses. If the far- 
 mers happen to have a small surplus of any 
 commodity, they dispose of it in a neigh- 
 boring town 'y and thus provide themselves 
 with luxuries, or put aside a little money 
 for a rainy day. In some localities Agri- 
 culture is often joined to other employments 
 such as fishing and shoemaking. The far- 
 mers in New England, as well as through- 
 out the country, are generally a reading 
 people, and profit somewhat by the published 
 theories on the science of Agriculture. 
 Their children have access to the country 
 schools, but the sons are often obliged to 
 help their parents in the field during the 
 vernal months, so that their principal time 
 for study is in the winter. They are a 
 church-going people, and to the extent of 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 55 
 
 their means, liberal in furthering the cause 
 to which the J may be attached. They take 
 an interest in. politics, and are decided in 
 their opinions. . They are social in their 
 dispositions, fond of visiting their friends, 
 and on Avinter evenings, have what they call 
 apple-paring, and bed-quilting frolics, when 
 their homes are cheered by such refresh- 
 ments as mince and pumpkin pies, as well 
 as cider, walnuts and apples. Their amuse- 
 ments are as various as their tastes, but the 
 perpetual struggle with mother earth, for 
 the means of living, makes them careful of 
 their time, and is apt to induce and keep 
 alive the most serious views of life. On 
 farms lying in the vicinity of villages, it is 
 often the case, that certain members of the 
 family obtain positions in the fictories or 
 other manufacturing establishments, where- 
 by they are enabled to increase their means 
 of support. As soon as the boys attain the 
 age of manhood, they find their fields of 
 operation circumscribed, and leaving the 
 paternal roof, wander forth into the world 
 
50 LIFE AMOXG FARMERS A^D PLANTERS. 
 
 to make their own fortunes : — some of them 
 to the turmoil and strife of the large cities, 
 and others to the more inviting regions of 
 the great, and not yet fully developed West. 
 In New England, farm life is to-day, very 
 much what it was a generation ago ; and 
 from the ver}' nature of the cold and bar- 
 ren soil, will so continue without any marked 
 progress. The farmers have done their 
 best, in fact all that could be done ; every- 
 thing is finished and they are contented. 
 It is not that the spirit of competition has 
 died out there. That the Agricultural in- 
 terests of New England have reached and 
 passed the period of culmination is undoubt- 
 edly true. The fi^rmers of this region are 
 more truly the yeomanry of the land, than 
 any other class, and a large proportion of 
 them are natives of the soil they now culti- 
 vate, and like the venerable oaks and elms, 
 which adorn many of their farms, they are 
 content to live in the present as in the past, 
 hoping that any f;\mily olfshoots that may 
 have been planted in more congenial and 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 57 
 
 productive soils will be, as they have been 
 in unnumbered instances, a blessinii; to 
 their descendents. 
 
 We now pass over into what are called 
 the foui' Middle States of the Union, viz : 
 New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and 
 Delaware, where we shall find a somewhat 
 different condition of affairs, but with the 
 stamp of New England manners and cus- 
 toms everywhere visible. There the aver- 
 age size of farms is between one hundred 
 and one hundred and fifty acres, and gener- 
 ally speaking, the soil is productive. The 
 fences are usually made of rails, and every 
 variety of manure is employed. If not rich, 
 the farmers are in easy circumstances, and 
 count upon annually lajnng up something- 
 handsome in the way of profits. Though 
 well posted in their business, by years of 
 practical experience, they employ a needed 
 supply of hands, who do most of the hard 
 work, while their own time is occupied 
 with the lighter duties of the farm and a 
 general supervision of affairs. Their houses 
 
58 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 .'iro comfortable and often elegant, and alTord 
 ample accommodation for the proprietor, his 
 family and his assistants. While those of 
 New York, where the native American ele- 
 ment prevails, fare sumptuously on the food 
 of their own raising, and have become cele- 
 brated for their superior butter and cheese, 
 the farmers of Dutch descent, located in 
 Pennsylvania are charged with never eat- 
 ing what might be readily sold ;it the near- 
 est market. It is to the credit of these 
 farmers, that their barns are unequalled in 
 this country, oftentimes better than the 
 houses they live in, and that with them, 
 the profits of their style of farming are 
 always satisfactory. With regard to the 
 cheese business, it has come to be so ex- 
 tensive, that we may allude to it more par- 
 ticularly. The entire produce of last year 
 was about one hundred millions of pounds, 
 three-fourtlis of which was made in the 
 Middle States, but the largest amount in 
 New York. 
 
 From time immemorial the Dutch have 
 
LIFE AMOKG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 59 
 
 had control of this business, but the exports 
 from this country are now about double of 
 the exports from Holland. Formerly it was 
 the custom of the farmers to make cheese 
 upon th'eir respective Airms, but it is now 
 made in regularly established factories, 
 which are supported by the farmers located 
 in their vicinity. The total number of these 
 factories now flourishing in this country is 
 thirteen hundred, and they are supplied 
 with milk from not less than three hundred 
 thousand cows. In New Jersey and Dela- 
 w^are and on Long Island, where the chief 
 attention is devoted to fruits and vegetables 
 and where are to be found the most beau- 
 tiful gardens in the country, the hired hands 
 are more numerous than elsewhere, in pro- 
 portion to the size of the f^irms or gardens, 
 but their positions are not so permanent. 
 Various kinds of berries are here raised in 
 the greatest abundance, and the surplus 
 hands left unemployed after the annual 
 gatherings have to seek other employment. 
 In the great majority of cases, the pro- 
 
60 LIFE AMOX(} FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 prietor joins his hired men in the work to 
 be done, ^vhether in casting the seed, driv- 
 ing the machinery employed, or gathering 
 in the harvests ; they all occupy the same 
 platform as citizens, whether naturalized, or 
 natives of the country ; free access to schools 
 and churches is enjoyed by all without re- 
 gard to family or fortune ; and the man who 
 is working to-day as a hired hand, knows 
 full well, that if he continues to be true to 
 himself and his opportunities, he will yet be 
 respected as a proprietor. By means of 
 newspapers and books, they keep up with 
 the spirit of the ago ; and, though generally 
 disinclined to participate in the partizan 
 squabbles of the day, they are by no means 
 indifferent to the welfare of the country, 
 and are frequently called upon to fill offices 
 of trust and honor. They rise early, eat 
 a frugal meal at noon, and retire at the 
 coming on of darkness, excepting in the 
 winter, which is their time for visitinii- and 
 home enjoyments, and this is true of the 
 farming classes generally throughout the 
 
LIFE AMONa FARMEKS AND TLANTEES. (31 
 
 country. What are called fancy-farmers 
 are probabl}^ more numerous in the JMiddle 
 States than in any other region, but these 
 men are apt to spend more money than they 
 make ;' and an idea of the wealth which 
 some of them attain, may be gathered from 
 the fact that there is one family in the val- 
 ley of the Genessee in New York, who own 
 not less than thirty thousand acres of land, 
 and all of it in the highest state of cultiva- 
 tion. It is this class of the more wealthy 
 farmers residing in all the States, who great- 
 ly benefit the country by introducing the 
 best kinds of stock from foreign countries, 
 who have been known to pay twenty thou- 
 sand dollars for a single stallion (horse.) 
 two or three thousand for a heifer, a ram, 
 or a bull, or one hundred dollars for a tiio 
 of fowls, consisting of one male and two fe- 
 males. It was one of these extensive far- 
 mers who inaugurated the plan of issuing 
 printed cards with the following regulations 
 for the guidance of his men. " Regularity 
 in hours. — Punctuality in cleaning and put- 
 
62 LIFE AMONG FAEMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 ting away implements. — Humanit}^ to all 
 the animals. — Neatness and cleanliness in 
 personal appearance. — Decency in deport- 
 ment and conversation. — Obedience to the 
 proprietor, and ambition to excel in farm- 
 ing." Extensive and various as are the 
 farming interests of the Middle States, and 
 so great are the temptations to go farther 
 west, the demand for farm hands and female 
 servants is always equfil to the suppl}^, and 
 while the men receive from fifteen to thirty 
 dollars per month with board, the women 
 receive from eight to fifteen dollars per 
 month for home work, and of these, by far 
 the largest proportion are from England, 
 Ireland and Germany. The secret of the 
 unparalleled growth, and the daily increas- 
 ing power of the United States, is, that the 
 Government in its practical working, is con- 
 fined to the narrowest limits, that it is the 
 Agent, not the Master of the people, and 
 that the latter initiate all changes in its 
 political and social life. It is therefore the 
 condition of the success of a settlement that 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. G3 
 
 the immigrant relies on his own strength, 
 acts on his 3wn responsibility, and seeks 
 by his own efforts the prosperity which he 
 is sure to find if undisturbed. In spite of 
 obstaclt3S and disappointments, he will make 
 his way and ultimately attain his objects. 
 In the States now under consideration, as 
 well as in all the States of the Union, ex- 
 cepting New York and a few others, a mar- 
 ried woman may not convey her separate 
 real estate, except in a joint deed with her 
 husband, and yet in most of the States, the 
 separate property of the wife is recognized. 
 There is no imprisonment for debt in any 
 part of the Republic; and, when a farmer 
 has become involved, (in more than half 
 the States,) his homestead is exempt from 
 execution ; and in all of them household 
 furniture to the extent of five hundred dol- 
 lars, "wearing apparel, tools and books neces- 
 sary to carry on business, one to five cows, 
 one yoke of oxen, ten sheep, carts and farm- 
 ing implements ; and the uniform and arms 
 of any man who is or has been in the pub- 
 
64 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 ]ic service, are also exempt from the grasp 
 of the creditor. When the head of a family 
 dies, without making a will, his property is 
 equally divided among his children or their 
 offspring, and when there are no lineal de- 
 scendants, the estate goes to the next of 
 kin. 
 
 The next division of farm life we have 
 to consider, is that of the Western States. 
 Of these there are sixteen in all, thirteen 
 in the valley of the Mississippi river, and 
 three on the Pacific Ocean. Their extent 
 is so immense, and their products so numer- 
 ous, that it is difficult for the mind to com- 
 prehend their importance and influence. 
 Four of them were, until recently, classed 
 among the Slave States, and because the 
 S3^stem of slave labor therein has become 
 greatly modified by free labor, they can 
 hardly be, with propriety, embraced in our 
 present review. x\s a wheat-producing re- 
 gion, the Western States have progressed 
 in a manner perfectly amazing, until they 
 now stand unsurpassed by any other region 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 65 
 
 of like extent in the world. Although the 
 population has increased about fifty per 
 cent, in the last twenty years, the increase 
 of produce has greatly exceeded that of 
 population. But the relative value of all 
 the other cereals, and other farm produc- 
 tions in these States is quite as extensive 
 and remarkable as that of wheat. That 
 the people who are annually bringing out 
 of the soil such immense wealth, are wide- 
 awake and industrious is self-evident. Gen- 
 erally speaking the farms are much larger 
 than those in the Middle States, and the 
 farm hands very much more numerous. 
 Very many of the farmers with whom we 
 come in contact, seem to have settled in the 
 country with limited means. Some bought 
 land, with no more money than would pay 
 the first instalment on it, and had to work 
 for others to make mone}'^ to pay the other 
 instalments as they came due. They are 
 able, in this way, in a few years to settle 
 down and cultivate their own soil : and this 
 method of operating is in progress to-day. 
 
66 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AXD PLAXTERS. 
 
 When farms are rented, which is often done, 
 the system adopted is ns follows. If the 
 tenant is not able to provide stock, imple- 
 ments and seed, the proprietor supplies him 
 with all these and then allows him one-third 
 of the grain crops. In this way many a 
 man works himself into a farm of his own. 
 The ordinary rate of interest on borrowed 
 money is ten per cent., but even at this 
 high rate it usually pays a farmer well, and 
 there is every facility given to respectable 
 and industrious men. There are often cul- 
 tivated farms in the market for sale, but 
 persons desiring to purchase cannot always 
 be present; and in buying second hand 
 farms, it is well to be certain, that it has 
 not been previously morts;a<iTd. As is the 
 case in all other branches of business, the 
 man who has the best capacity is likely to 
 be the most successful, and the operations 
 of some of the more famous farmers in the 
 West sound more like romance than reality. 
 For example, there was lately one farm in 
 Illinois which contained about forty thou- 
 
 *. 
 
07 
 
 sand acres, with one pasture field of eight 
 thousand acres : its chief production was 
 corn, all of which was consumed upon the 
 farm itself; but in one year the proprietor 
 sent to New York City, cattle enough to bring 
 seventy thousand dollars, while his home 
 stock was valued at one million of dollars ; 
 and yet the man lived in a small house, in 
 the most simple and unpretending style, 
 and habitually sat down at the same table 
 with his hired men. But the farming ex- 
 ploits of this man, were eclipsed subse- 
 quently, by those of another who is now 
 carrying on a farm of fifty thousand acres. 
 With regard to another of the model farms 
 of Illinois, w^e may state, that it contains 
 thirty-six thousand acres, and last year 
 had one corn field of five thousand five 
 hundred acres yielding two hundred and 
 twenty thousand bushels, three thousand 
 tons of hay, four thousand head of cattle, 
 and gave employment to eighty-five plow's, 
 fifteen planting machines and fifteen mow- 
 ing machines. The he I^e fencing on this 
 
68 LIFE AMONG FARMEKS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 farm measures about one hundred and thirty 
 miles, and contains also about eighty miles 
 of board fencing. There is however still 
 another farm, located in Illinois, which 
 ought to be mentioned in this place, as it is 
 reputed to be one of the most extensive 
 and successful in the world. It is called 
 the Burr Oak Farm and is owned by a man 
 named Sullivant. It embraces sixty-five 
 square miles ; and although the owner com- 
 menced work upon it only four years ago, 
 he has at the present time, growing upon it 
 not less than eleven thousand acres of corn, 
 and five thousand acres besides, planted in 
 miscellaneous crops. The hedges which 
 cross, re-cross and surround the farm, meas- 
 ure three hundred miles, the board fences 
 six miles and the ditches one hundred and 
 fifty miles. The working men employed 
 on this farm are mostly Swedes and Ger- 
 mans, number two hundred and fifty, and 
 are constantly employed from the first of 
 April to the first of January. They work 
 ten hours per day, report to the proprietor 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 69 
 
 every evening, and are not allowed the use 
 of any intoxicating drinks. The working 
 animals of the farm consist of three hundred 
 and fifty mules,. fifty horses and fifty yoke of 
 oxen, and it is amply supplied with the ordi- 
 nary stock of an extensive farm ; and the 
 leading machinery employed consists of one 
 hundred and fifty steel plows, seventy-five 
 breaking plows ; one hundred and forty-two 
 cultivators ; forty-five corn planters, and 
 twenty-five harrows ; and it has one ditch- 
 ing plow which is drawn by sixty-eight oxen 
 and managed by eight men. The house in 
 which the proprietor resides is a common 
 wooden structure, comfortable, but without 
 the least pretention. It will be understood 
 of course, that farms of this extent are not 
 found in every county or State ; but they 
 give us an idea of the spirit that animates the 
 farming fraternity generally. Let us now on 
 the other hand, look at the operations of 
 one or two small farmers in Illinois. One 
 man, for example purchased eighty acres 
 of prau'ie land for $360. Spent $500 on 
 
70 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND TLANTERS. 
 
 improvements, his crops for the first year 
 brought him over $1,500, and at the close 
 of the third year, his fiirm was sold for 
 $2,000. Another man v^ith a capital of 
 only $700, bought one hundred and sixty 
 acres : his annual produce for six years 
 was $2,000, at the end of which time he was 
 worth about ten thousand dollars. And 
 such instances as the above have occurred 
 by the thousand in the great West. As 
 we glance over the immense number of 
 farmers who are toiling throughout the 
 Western States, it is quite impossible to 
 tlepict their manners and customs with any- 
 thing like accuracy. So many are the nat- 
 ionalities which compose the great mass of 
 inhabitants, the mere mention of these is 
 indeed a kind of description. In Illinois 
 and Ohio, the Germans, Irish and English 
 are about equally divided ; in Wisconsin 
 the English and Germans predominate ; and 
 ISJissonri is most extensively settled by the 
 Germans. In the States bordering on the 
 Great Lakes and the Upper Mississippi 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 71 
 
 several Scnndinavian colonies have been 
 established ; and there has been a consider- 
 able immigration of Chinese into California, 
 but this latter class has not manifested any 
 strong predisposition for Agricultural pur- 
 suits. The great variety of nationalities 
 which sometimes congregate in one region 
 was strickingly exemplified a few years ago 
 when the State of Wisconsin was obliged 
 to publish its Governor's message in not 
 less than eight languages. The amount of 
 money sent across the ocean by immigrants, 
 to friends left behind, principally to pay 
 their passage to America, is surprising. 
 From the official returns of Emigration Com- 
 missioners of England, it appears that in 
 1870 there were sent from this country to 
 Ireland, principally, $3,630,040 in gold, of 
 which $1,663,190, was for pre-paid passage. 
 In the twenty-three years from 1848 to 1870 
 the amount of money sent was $81,670,000 
 in gold, being an average of about $3,889,- 
 047 yearly. But this amount is probably 
 somewhat below the actual amount, as 
 
I 2 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND FLAXTERS. 
 
 it only inihules what has been sent through 
 banks and commercial houses. And these 
 sums, Lirge as they are. are made ii[) by 
 careful savinus from the waires of servant 
 girls and farm laborers. In California, 
 Missouri and Ohio, the grape has been so 
 extensively cultivated as to give them the 
 reputation of being the Wine producing 
 regions of the United States ; and among 
 their vineyards ^Ye find many of the habits 
 f)revailing which are common to the wine 
 districts of Europe. In California a farm 
 is called a Ranch, and one of the most noted 
 ones in that State may be described as fol- 
 lows. It contains eighteen thousand (IS,- 
 000) acres ; and last year sixteen hun- 
 dred (1600) acres were devoted to wheat, 
 eight hundred (800) to barley, two hundred 
 (200) to oats, two hundred (200) to meadow, 
 and about fifteen thousand (15.000) acres 
 to orchards, vineyards and pasturage. The 
 fruit trees number eight thousand (8000,) 
 the grape-vines fifty thousand (50,000) ; 
 and the live stock consists of two hundred 
 
\ 
 
 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 73 
 
 (2i30) horses, one thousand (1000) head of 
 cattle, three thousand (3000) sheep and two 
 thousand (2000) swhio; and the entire 
 domain is surrounded with good fences. 
 From the above and other facts nh'eady 
 narrated, it will be seen that the United 
 States are supplied wdth all kinds of farm- 
 ers ; some cultivating their thousands of 
 acres, and others their half dozen ; and yet 
 they all seem to live comfortably, and the 
 great mnjorit}^ are independent. And there 
 are numerous instances of xVmerican women 
 who have been, and are to-day, quite suc- 
 cessful in the management of farms ; and 
 what will be the result of the extensive 
 emigration from China to this country now 
 going on, is a problem, which can only be 
 settled by the future. 
 
 Our next subject for consideration is the 
 Plantation Life of the Southern States. 
 Only about sixX years have now passed away, 
 since the close of the civil war, which re- 
 sulted in the emancipation of more than 
 four millions of slaves, and a glance at the 
 
74 LIFE AMONG FAKMERS AXD PLANTERS. 
 
 conditioa of the South, before that great 
 event, would seem to be necessarv. In 
 1S60 there were lifreen State? in which 
 Slavery existed, and all of them, excepting 
 five, made war upon the General Govera- 
 ment — four of them having already been 
 mentioned, as among the Western States. 
 They contained a population of 4.334.250, 
 of whom only 383.637 were Slave owners. 
 The number of Plantations under cultiva- 
 tion was estimated at seven hundred and 
 sixt^'-five thousand, comprehending about 
 seventy-five millions of acres : and as to the 
 cotton and sugar, rice, wheat, corn, and 
 live-stock, which were jjroduced upon them, 
 they can only be appreciated by consulting 
 the publications of the Census Office. The 
 planter was the owner, not only of broad 
 acreS; almost without number, but also of, 
 from ten to one thousand menials or slaves, 
 whom he fed and clothed for his own exclu- 
 sive profit, and who, for the most part, did 
 his bidding without a murmur or thought 
 beyond the passing hour. He livetl at his 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 75 
 
 ease among books anrl in the dispensation 
 of a liberal hospitality, leaving all the labor 
 on his plantation to the direction of an over- 
 seer, who spent most of his time on horse- 
 back, issuing orders to the working men 
 and Avomen, and watching the regular pro- 
 gress of affairs. According to his wealth, 
 the planter lived in a house, or an elegant 
 mansion, while his slaves were domiciled 
 in rude but comfortable cabins. They re- 
 ceived a supply of provisions, but no com- 
 pensation in money ; although it was cus- 
 tomary to allow them the use of a patch of 
 ground for their own benefit, and a fragment 
 of time out of each da}^ or week to cultivate 
 it. But all this is now changed : Slave 
 labor has no existence on the soil of the 
 United States : and the opinion is universal 
 that the suppression of slave labor will ulti- 
 mately add greatly to the national advance- 
 ment of all the States in which it formerly 
 existed. Among the results follow^ing the 
 late rebellion, was the fact, that much of 
 the property in the Southern States passed 
 
76 LIFE AMONG FARMERS A>7D PLANTERS. 
 
 into new hands. Many old plantations 
 were abandoned by their owners and have 
 never been reclaimed, others have been con- 
 fiscated, and others sold at a ruinous sacri- 
 fice. Many of the soldiers, who went 
 South, who had been raised among the 
 rocky hills of the North, became in love 
 with the rich and beautiful fields and val- 
 leys of the South, and thousands resolved 
 to settle in the new country. '1 hey married 
 Southern women, formed new alliances and 
 associations, and have opened up a new ca- 
 reer for the South which is rapidly becom- 
 ing more and more salutary in its influences. 
 The great landed estates which have been 
 cut up, may be purchased by all new com- 
 ers, at a very small cost, while the black 
 race to a great extent have settled upon 
 small patches of land, where they can main- 
 tain themselves in comfort and enjoy an in- 
 dependence of thought and feeling which 
 they did not know under the old order of 
 things. Whole plantations have been set- 
 tled by families of owners, who were form- 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 77 
 
 erly slaves upon the snine estates. Men 
 who were formerly overseers or superin- 
 tendents, are themselves settling down upon 
 their own newly acquired farms. Although 
 attempts to obtain laborers from China and 
 Sweden have been made, the principal cul- 
 tivators of the Southern States are the 
 Freedmen : who, indolent by nature, do as 
 little work as possible, will not hire out for 
 more than a single year, and one of the re- 
 sults of their free<loni is, that they will not 
 let their wives work as in the olden times. 
 To retain their services, the planter is 
 obliged to praise and humor them in many 
 ways. The terms upon which the negroes 
 are hired is generally to let them have one- 
 half of what they produce, but when sup- 
 ported by tlie planter they receive but one 
 quarter of wdiat they produce. When the 
 planters are attentive to their business they 
 almost invariably succeed, and when un- 
 successful as farmers, they are apt to help 
 their pockets by keeping small country 
 stores, and in all the towns are located men 
 
78 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 who are called warehouse-men, whose busi- 
 ness is to receive, store and sell all the cot- 
 ton or other produce which may be con- 
 signed to their c;ire. What the people of 
 the South now need is help — not lands ; 
 and in many of the most fertile regions, 
 evei'y inducement is thrown out to invite 
 emigration from the North. But, after all, 
 it is idle to suppose, that the griefs, the 
 passions and animosities engendered by the 
 late rebellion, will die out while the present 
 generation survives. Too many brave men 
 have perished, too many homes made deso- 
 late, too many families broken up and re- 
 duced to beggaiy, to expect anything of 
 that sort. Men whom it has impoverished 
 will live and die poor, remembering con- 
 stantly, the cause of their poverty. Widows 
 will long mourn over husbands, children 
 over fathers, slain in battle. A new^ and 
 happier era is in store for the rising genera- 
 tion ; but its advance will be slow. The 
 people of the North and of the South, it is 
 fondly hoped and believed, will again be- 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 79 
 
 come M, happy, a united, and prosperous 
 people ! united in interests, in pursuits, in 
 intelligence, and in patriotic devotion to 
 their united country. 
 
 Of all the products grown in the Southern 
 States the most important and universal is 
 Cotton, and it has been asserted that it was 
 this single commodity which prevented that 
 portion of the Union from relapsing into 
 abject poverty. Everything was sacrificed 
 to Slavery, and Slavery sacrificed every- 
 thing to itself; and as there were not slaves 
 enough to cultivate the soil as it needed, 
 cotton raising was all that saved the coun- 
 try. The principal States where cotton is 
 now grown are Mississippi, Alabama, Lou- 
 isiana, Georgia, Texas, and Arkansas, and 
 in all of them, efforts are being made for 
 - the introduction of Chinese labor. The 
 cultivation of rice is limited to three States, 
 South Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana: 
 Sugar cane and its products, — in the way 
 of Sugar and Molasses, — to Louisiana : In 
 Florida considerable attention is paid to the 
 
80 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLAXTER*. 
 
 cultivation of oranges, lemons, and other 
 tropical iruits : Wheat and tobacco have 
 occupied the chief attention of farmers in 
 Virginia and the neighboring States of 
 Tennessee and Kentucky : North Carolina 
 has acquired a reputation for its sweet po- 
 tatoes and ground nuts. Indian Corn is 
 an important product in all the Southern 
 States : while the mountain lands, which 
 in all directions are covered with grass as 
 well as extensive forests, are devoted to the 
 grazing of cattle in great numbers, where 
 they llourish throughout the year without 
 shelter or any special care. In all the 
 States lying directly on the gulf of Mexico 
 the climate is mild, the winters short, open, 
 and delightful, and farm work can be done 
 every month in the year. They begin there 
 to make their gardens in December, ami 
 until the following December there is a 
 continuous succession of crops. The peo- 
 ple live easily and produce more for the 
 same amount of labor than in any of the 
 Northern States. Lands are cheap and 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 81 
 
 may often be paid for by a single crop. 
 The timber is everywhere magnificent, and 
 the lands are irrigated by numerous streams, 
 and adapted to an unlimited variety of pro- 
 ducts. 'And for the raising of cattle there 
 is not a region probably, in the world, bet- 
 ter suited for that purpose than the exten- 
 sive State of Texas. In some localities, 
 the cattle maybe counted by the thousand, 
 and it is an amazing fact that droves of 
 them are annually sent by the Stock-raisers 
 as ffir off as California; and Texas cattle 
 have even been butchered in the city of 
 New York, and even cargoes of Texas beef 
 have been shipped in ice to Philadelphia. 
 From ten to twelve men are required for a 
 herd of a thousand cattle, with two horses 
 or mules to each man, for day and night 
 duty, the cattle needing to be herded at 
 night to prevent stampedes. For those who 
 have never witnessed its operations, it is 
 difficult to realize the extent of this cattle 
 traffic, and it is sometimes the case that the 
 whole earth seems to be covered with the 
 
82 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND TLANTERS. 
 
 herds, ns f;ir as the eye can reach over the 
 vast prairies. The chiss of people common- 
 ly known as the ''Texas Cow-boys" are 
 indeed a power in the hind, whose exploits 
 and lives of adventure are more like romance 
 than reality. And here, in passing, we may 
 with propriety devote a paragraph to the 
 various modes employed by farmers in Fenc- 
 ing. Tn those regions where loose rocks are 
 abundant, stone walls are almost universal: 
 where both stone and wood are scarce, they 
 have a fashion of planting trees and shrub- 
 bery : as a matter of taste, wire fences are 
 occasionall}" employed. In all localities 
 where wood is abundant, they make what 
 are called post and rail and worm fences. 
 It is said that the fences of New York have 
 cost $144,000,000, those of Pennsylvania 
 $120,000,000, Ohio $115,000,000, and 
 South Carolina $20,000,000, while the 
 fences of the whole Union are estimated 
 at $1,300,000,000. These figures are enor- 
 mous, but the}^ tend to exhibit the extent 
 of the farming interests of America. 
 
LIFE AMOXG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 83 
 
 Having now taken a general survey of 
 the Agricultural population of America, 
 we shall conclude what we have to say, 
 with a few remarks on their manners and 
 customs, as exemplified by certain amuse- 
 ments, which are for the most, peculiar 
 to this country. And first, as to the 
 Sugar-Making Frolics. In various parts of 
 the Union, large quantities of sugar are an- 
 nually made from the sap of the Maple tree. 
 The moment winter breaks, and the sap 
 begins to ascend in the spring, the trees are 
 tapped, and the liquid thus obtained is boiled 
 down until it becomes a rich syrup or gran- 
 ulated sugar. All this takes place in the 
 dense woods, and most of the work is per- 
 formed at night. At the close of the sea- 
 son the farmers invite their friends and 
 neighbors to a kind of jubilee which is held 
 in the sugar camps, and where, with sump- 
 tuous fare, followed by music and dancing, 
 the entire night is given to enjoyment ; and 
 when the last cauldron of sugar has been 
 made, and daylight has appeared, the com- 
 
84 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 pany is dispersed, and the sugar utensils 
 are packed away until the coming of another 
 season. Corresponding to the above, in 
 most of the corn-growing regions they have 
 what are called " Corn HusJiingsr This 
 entertainment occurs when a farmer is anx- 
 ious to prepare for market an unusual quan- 
 tity of the yellow maize ; and in the North 
 or West, when the young men and country 
 lasses have met, they are piloted to the 
 spacious and sweet-smelling barn, and for 
 a stated time all work without ceasing, un- 
 til the allotted task is performed ; an ad- 
 journment then takes place to the farm 
 house, where feasting and dancing continue 
 all the night long. When this frolic occurs 
 in the South, the colored people there do 
 the work, and enjoy themselves in their 
 own rude, but amusing ways, while the 
 white people for whom they may happen 
 to be working, act as the hosts, content to 
 enjoy the laughable scenes brought to view. 
 In the New England States, especially those 
 regions bordering on the Sea, they have 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 85 
 
 what are called " Clam Bakes." These are 
 usually attended by men only, who con- 
 gregate from various quarters ; for the pur- 
 pose of exchanging political opinions, and 
 having a systematic good time, when 
 speeches are delivered, and large quantities 
 of cheering beverages are imbibed, as well 
 as Clams eaten, after a primitive fashion. 
 The shell fish are roasted in an open field 
 and duly prepared with the desired condi- 
 ments. These affairs take place in the sum- 
 mer after the leading harvests have been 
 gathered in. In the Southern States, cer- 
 tain festivals are common, but more so be- 
 fore the late war than now, which are 
 known as " BarbecuesT They are political, 
 and sometimes bring together very large 
 numbers of the planters and their families, 
 and the time is generally devoted to speech- 
 making, happily varied by eating and drink- 
 ing the good things of the land. The prin- 
 cipal food on these occasions, consists of 
 beef or mutton, and the oxen or sheep are 
 roasted entire, over a pit duly prepared and 
 
86 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 filled with burning coals. The cooks and 
 caterers are generally negro men and wo- 
 men, and as they have the privilege of in- 
 viting their own friends, the groves where 
 they assemble present a varied and fantastic 
 scene. The young people have it all their 
 own way. and there is no end to the variety 
 of their amusements. Another rural cus- 
 tom is known as a " Hoiise-Raismgr This 
 occurs after some farmer has prepared his 
 timber for a new house or barn, when he 
 invites his friends and neighbors to come 
 and help him to lift the timbers and cross 
 pieces into their proper places. This invi- 
 tation is always cheerfully accepted, and 
 most of the time is devoted to downright 
 hard work. But after the task has been 
 accomplished the men have a substantial 
 feast and a good long talk about their farms, 
 their crops and cattle, and commonly sepa- 
 rate with a warm brotherly feeling for each 
 other and for their fellow-men everywhere. 
 In some of the fruit-groAving regions, large 
 quantities of apples are stripped of their 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 87 
 
 skins, cut into quarter pieces, and hung up 
 to dry for winter use, and in that condition 
 become a source of revenue. Out of this 
 variety of business has grown an Autum- 
 nal festival called an '^'- Apple-Paring T This 
 takes place in the evening, the guests are 
 invited as to an ordinary party, and after 
 a few hours attention to business, the night 
 is given up to feasting and dancing, or the 
 playing of innocent games b}^ the young 
 people who compose the majority. Ball- 
 playing and Sleigh-riding, are two other pas- 
 times in which the Americans indulge with 
 rare gusto. By the rural population Satur- 
 day afternoon is usually assigned to the 
 former, on which occasions the young men 
 are as active and expert in throwing and 
 catching, or striking the ball, as if they 
 had been idle all the previous week instead 
 of having had to work in the fields with the 
 utmost energy. Sleigh-riding of course 
 takes place in the winter only, when the 
 ground is covered with snow, and then it is 
 that the young farmers bring out their best 
 
88 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 horses, fill their Sleighs with laily friends, 
 enveloped in gaily trimmed furs, and to the 
 exhilirating music of the bells, start off on 
 all sorts of expeditions over the neighbor- 
 ing country. From time immemorial it has 
 been the custom among the negroes of the 
 South to devote the last ^yeek of the year 
 commonly called Christmas IloUdai/s to 
 every variety of amusement. When slav- 
 ery existed, those prolonged festivities 
 were freely accorded to the slaves, and were 
 full of romantic interest ; but now that they 
 are free, the colored people claim their old 
 privilege as a right, but do not find the 
 same unalloyed enjoyment as of old in their 
 annual frolic. They have not as yet ar- 
 rived at that stage, when they can enjoy 
 the blessing of supporting themselves. 
 About the close of the year they have in 
 various parts of the country what they call 
 ^'^ Shooiing MatcJiesT These are of two 
 kinds, one where turkeys and other birds 
 are tied to a stake, and made a target for 
 men who like to shoot the rifle, and exper- 
 
LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 89 
 
 ienced shots sometimes win a sufficient 
 quantity of large poultry to supply all their 
 fi'iends. Another kind of match is, when 
 two parties pit themselves against each 
 other, and go upon a hunt for a day or a 
 week, for squirrels or birds of game, when 
 the victors are rewarded with a prize of 
 some kind, paid for by the losing party. 
 And then they have throughout the country 
 such rural jollifications as Sheep-Sheaying, 
 Ploughinc/ Matches, and, to the discredit 
 of the participants, Cock-Fightings, which 
 need not be described. But of all rural 
 assemblages none are so generally popular as 
 Country Fairs. They occur in the Autumn 
 in numerous localities, and bring together 
 thousands of the Agricultural population. 
 The first Agricultural fair ever organized 
 in this country by any of the colored popu- 
 lation, Avas recently carried through with 
 success in the State of Kentucky. Farm 
 products, animals and country fabrics are 
 exhibited to a marvellous extent, in many 
 of these fairs. All sorts of friendly compe- 
 
90 LIFE AMONG FARMERS AND PLANTERS. 
 
 titions are entered into, and Ilorse-racing, 
 has become an important adjunct to all these 
 Fairs, whether patronized by the State at 
 large, or confined to the counties where they 
 are held. But the crowning custom, and 
 the one most universally recognized by the 
 American people, is, the celebration of what 
 is known as ThanJcsgiving Day. It is an 
 annual festival honored by proclamations 
 from the President, and the local Governors, 
 who specify the particular day ; and of all 
 places to enjoy it, none can be compared to 
 the house of a successful farmer. The prim- 
 ary object of this festival is to recognize the 
 goodness of the Almighty in crowning the 
 labors of the field with prosperity, and the 
 occasion is made especially joyous by the 
 gathering together, under one roof, all the 
 scattered members of the fiimily in the old 
 home. There are some other rural customs, 
 which might be mentioned in this place, but 
 as they are of a religious character we shall 
 defer them for a subsequent chapter of this 
 volume. 
 
PART THIRD. 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVEL- 
 OPMENTS. 
 
 The inland and coast line navisration of 
 the United States, is not surpassed, in ex- 
 tent and character, by any country on the 
 globe ; and the industry and enterprise of 
 the Americans in developing their commer- 
 cial and shipping interests, has been, until 
 within the last few years, equal to their 
 superior advantages. Passing by all statis- 
 tics in regard to the tonnage of the country, 
 let us take a brief survey of the vessels 
 and navigators which have given the coun- 
 try its reputation. By far the largest pro- 
 portion of American vessels are run upon 
 inland waters, and are called small craft, 
 but the sea-going vessels, if less numerous, 
 are generally as large as those of any 
 
94 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 other nation, and have been constructed 
 on unsurpassed models. The ships called 
 " Liners," which, a few years ago, ran be- 
 tween New York and Liverpool acquired 
 wide celebrity, and have never been sur- 
 passed for beauty and speed. But they 
 have been superceded by steamers, and 
 ships of that class now transact the same 
 business. The burthen of those sailins;- 
 vessels was about two thousand tons ; they 
 were splendidly equipped, swift, were com- 
 manded and manned by the best metal, and 
 did an immense business in brino-ino; mer- 
 
 '& 
 
 chandize and immigrants to America. But 
 with the calamities that have befallen the 
 mercantile marine of this country, they have 
 nearly all passed away. During the fiscal 
 year of 1870, there were less than one hun- 
 dred thousand tons of sea-going vessels 
 built in the United States, and less than 
 three hundred thousand tons of all descrip- 
 tions of vessels, which amount. was about 
 equalled by the vessels built on the Clyde 
 alone, while the tonnage of steam vessels 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 95 
 
 built all in England, was sixty times greater 
 than that of America. One result of this 
 falling off in American ship-building has 
 been that large numbers of men, who were 
 brought up on the ocean, are seen turning 
 their attention to a variety of pursuits con- 
 nected wholly with the land. The inland 
 waters of the country are most abundantly 
 supplied with steamboats, and all the varie- 
 ties of the smaller sailing vessels ; the coast- 
 ing trade, and fishing interests, are quite as 
 important and extensive as heretofore, but 
 new vessels are by no means now turned 
 out with the rapidity that they were a few 
 years ago. It was the late war, also, which 
 helped to put back the carrying trade of 
 America, but with the return of peace and 
 the final restoration of the Union, the old 
 order of things began to be restored. When 
 the Great Rebellion, or rather the British 
 cruisers, sailing under its flag, drove Ameri- 
 can shipping from the seas, and thus trans- 
 ferred the carrying trade to foreign bottoms, 
 the commerce of Philadelphia suffered in 
 
9G COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 common with that of other cities. The 
 substitution of iron for wood, at about the 
 same time, as the material for first-class 
 steamships, left the country not only with- 
 out ships, but behind other nations in facili- 
 ties for making them. Boston, New York 
 and Baltimore soon recovered in good part 
 their former commerce through the help of 
 foreign subsidized steamship lines. But 
 Philadelphia, more thoroughly imbued with 
 American ideas, made little effort to secure 
 such foreign lines, but waited to build a 
 line of her own, which will soon be estab- 
 lished between that city and Liverpool. 
 In 1860 the tonnage of the United States 
 amounted to 5,353,808 tons, and in 1870, 
 to 4,246,507 tons. Notwithstanding the 
 above facts, however, the commerce of the 
 country is very large and flourishing, since 
 it appears that the American imports for 
 1870, amounted to about six hundred mil- 
 lions of dollars and the exports about four 
 hundred millions. The great variety of na- 
 tive productions exported from America 
 
COMMERCIAL, LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 97 
 
 gives assurance of the impossibility of fail- 
 ure in the resources of the nation. For ex- 
 ample, from the Sea, they have such pro- 
 ducts as oil, whalebone, spermiciti, and 
 many kinds, in great abundance, of fish ; 
 from the Forest, timber, shingles, staves, 
 lumber, naval stores and furs ; from Agri- 
 culture, every description of corn and vege- 
 table food, and the products of animals, in 
 the way of beef, pork, tallow, hides, bacon, 
 cheese, butter, w^ool, lard and hams, with 
 horned cattle, horses, and other animals. 
 From the Southern States they have cot- 
 ton, tobacco, rice, and sugar; from the fac- 
 tories, every variety of useful goods ; w^hile 
 their exports of specie and bullion, have 
 never been exceeded by any other nation. 
 And as to their imports, they are simply 
 enormous — silks and furniture being the 
 most important, and for which there has 
 always been a demand. But the crowning 
 element of American Commerce is its inter- 
 nal trade ; and in this connection, we can- 
 not, perhaps, mention a more remarkable 
 
98 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 fact than this, that the production of spirit- 
 uous liqitors in 1870 amounted to $600,- 
 000,000, — the persons engaged in selling it 
 by retail, numbering not less than one hun- 
 dred and fifty thousand ; while the impor- 
 tation of opium from China amounted to 
 nearly $2,000,000. The distances in Amer- 
 ica are so great that the internal trade and 
 traffic of the country has been, and must 
 always be, a business of vast importance. 
 And the extent of territory implies great 
 diversity of productions. The growths of 
 tropical regions are exchanged for the field 
 crops and forest produce of cooler latitudes; 
 and in another direction, the products of 
 the coast and of extensive interior districts 
 are exchanged. The tide of emigration sets 
 from east to west, while the tide of com- 
 merce flows from west to east; and we can 
 only obtain an adequate idea of the inland 
 commerce by considering the enormous ex- 
 tent of the inland shipping and. the railway 
 facilities of the country. 
 
 But it is with the social aspect of Amer- 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 99 
 
 icaii Commerce that we have to do at the 
 present time. The grand business centre 
 of the nation is New York City. Having 
 direct and constant intercourse with ail 
 parts of the world, the nationality of its 
 merchants is as varied, as the countries 
 which they represent. Of the native-born 
 merchants the most numerous and success- 
 ful originated in the New England States, 
 and are distinguished for their intelligence, 
 ability and elevated personal characteristics. 
 They live in elegant houses, and while sur- 
 rounded by all the appliances of prosperity 
 and wealth, are not prone to making a great- 
 er display than their less fortunate neigh- 
 bors ; they are plain in their manners, and 
 hospitable ; and if many of them happen to 
 indulge in keeping up fancy residences in the 
 country, the largest proportion are quite 
 content to spend their summer vacations, 
 by the sea-side, or among the green hills of 
 their native States. They devote them- 
 selves to business with ceaseless activity, 
 and are the men who generally take pleas- 
 
100 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 ure in expending their surplus capital upon 
 all sorts of benevolent, religious and educa- 
 tional institutions. A type of merchants, 
 allied to these, is also found in all the other 
 cities of the country. Next to them come 
 the English, French and German merchants, 
 who generally deal in the kind of merchan- 
 dize sent out from their several countries. 
 In their modes of transacting business, and 
 of living, they adhere as closely as possible 
 to the customs of their native lands, but 
 with many modifications. The particular 
 men who laid the commercial foundation of 
 New York, were from Holland, but their 
 characteristics have been amalgamated, with 
 those of the various nationalities which 
 have, latterly, made that city the most cos- 
 mopolitan in the country. While a very 
 large trade is carried on between New York 
 and the Oriental nations, the merchants of 
 Boston have long considered themselves the 
 special patrons and friends of the far East, 
 and that city has always been a noted mart 
 for the commodities of India, China, and 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 101 
 
 Japan, in which particular it is now finding 
 a rival in San Francisco. Its coasting trade 
 is also very extensive, and it is the port 
 whence various manufactures are shipped 
 in immense quantities. The whaling busi- 
 ness, which was formerly divided between 
 several cities, is now almost entirely con- 
 fined to New Bedford ; the merchants of 
 which city, like those of Boston, are proud 
 of their descent from what is called the Puri- 
 tan stock. In Philadelphia, where the coast- 
 ing trade is almost unparalleled, they have, 
 what is called a Quaker element of popula- 
 tion, which has always been noted for its 
 integrity in matters of business — but this 
 city is now vieing with New York in the 
 cosmopolitan character of its merchants, — 
 and in the person of Stephen Girard pro- 
 duced one of the wealthiest and most emi- 
 nent merchants in America. With regard 
 to Baltimore and Charleston, Mobile, and 
 New Orleans, — all these places are the 
 natural outlets of the entire Southern half 
 of the United States, and in all of them 
 
102 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 may be found an abundant supply of mer- 
 chants from the four quarters of the globe. 
 And corresponding with the cities just 
 named, there are throughout the interior of 
 the country, very many cities which have 
 grown into centres of trade and commerce, 
 with marvellous rapidity ; among them may 
 be mentioned Chicago, (whose merchants, 
 are now building up a large tea trade with 
 China, by way of San Francisco,) Detroit, 
 Cleveland, St. Louis, and Cincinnati, Louis- 
 ville, Buffalo and Pittsburg, in all of which 
 may be found the principal nationalities of 
 the globe. Looking at the commercial 
 classes, in the aggregate, it is quite impos- 
 sible to give prominence to any nationality ; 
 and it would seem as if, after a brief resi- 
 dence in America, the whole mercantile 
 population, with one exception, becomes 
 permeated with the characteristics of the 
 native-born inhabitants. The exception al- 
 luded to is the Jewish race. They are 
 found in every city, and almost in every 
 hamlet, — always engaged in bartering and 
 
 I 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 103 
 
 selling, and never in producing, and they 
 are pre-eminently a wandering people. With 
 them, the one great end of life, would seem 
 to be, to make money, but where they set- 
 tle down to enjoy it has always been a 
 mystery. 
 
 In America as elsewhere, permanent suc- 
 cess in business is chiefly dependent upon 
 character; honest and upright men are sure 
 to command the respect of their neighbors, 
 and when unfortunate, always find their 
 fellow merchants ready to assist them ; and 
 when men of bad repute happen to make 
 fortunes, they generally find it convenient 
 to settle down among strangers, to enjoy 
 their ill-gotten gains. One of the efi'ects of 
 the late war in this country, was to enrich 
 a large number of adventurers and unscru- 
 pulous men who made money by imposing 
 upon the General Government, through po- 
 litical intrigues, and it was because of their 
 foolishness in spending their money and 
 putting on airs, to which they were not ac- 
 customed, that they came to be known by 
 
104 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMEKTS. 
 
 the opprobrious title of shoddi/, in remem- 
 brance of a spurious cloth which some of 
 them palmed off for the use of the army. 
 But the average American merchant of to- 
 day is a man who deserves and receives uni- 
 versal respect. He is intelligent, but not 
 addicted to the profits and pleasures of lit- 
 erature. Engaged all day in the excite- 
 ment of commercial speculation, he has but 
 little time to devote to reading, and improv- 
 ing his mind. He works so hard and so 
 constantly, that work becomes a second na- 
 ture to him, prostrating his energies and 
 making him indifferent to proper recrea- 
 tions ; he considers his word as good as his 
 bond, and, to protect his credit, will make 
 the greatest sacrifice of property; he is 
 liberal in his feelings and gives freely to all 
 objects which have the sanction of his good 
 opinion ; he is hospitable, but would prefer 
 to have his wife and daughters, attend to 
 the honors of his house and table ; and when 
 overcome by reverses, he takes a new start, 
 changes the character of his business, per- 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 105 
 
 haps, and will not acknowledge himself as 
 overwhelmed, and proves his metal by at- 
 taining final success. Perhaps there is no 
 feature in the character of the Americans 
 which is so remarkable as their spirit of 
 enterprise. It is indeed wonderful and is 
 the cause of their success. But it does not 
 follow that this enterprise is all native born ; 
 a portion of it is undoubtedly brought into 
 the country by intelligent men from the 
 leading countries of Europe. 
 
 But let us now take a glance at some of 
 the phases of their commercial life, or rather 
 at the classes of men who transact the mer- 
 cantile business of the country, and first as 
 to the shipping merchants. To carry on 
 their business a large capital is required, 
 and as individuals or organized companies, 
 they are generally the leading patrons of 
 the great ship yards. They have vessels 
 built to order, and also buy them in open 
 market ; they establish lines of communi- 
 cation between home ports, by way of lakes 
 and rivers, and between the United States 
 
106 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOrMENTS. 
 
 and foreign countries ; and they are the 
 men who so frequently obtain valuable con- 
 tracts from the Government for carrying 
 the mails, as in the case of the Pacific 
 Steamship Company, which receives not 
 less than five hundred thousand dollars for 
 conveying a semi-monthl}^ mail from San 
 Francisco to China and Japan. One of the 
 most famous of these men is named Corne- 
 lius Vanderbilt. Another class of shipping 
 merchants are those who simply direct or 
 superintend the business for other parties. 
 They are indeed what might be called, more 
 properly, Brokers. The wealthiest man 
 who ever lived in the country, John Jacob 
 Astor, and who left about $25,000,000, was 
 at one time engaged in the shipping busi- 
 ness, and made a great deal of money by 
 sending his ships to China, but he was pre- 
 eminently a trader in furs. Ihen come the 
 Importing Merchants. They have their 
 agents located in foreign countries, purchase 
 and sell their merchandize only in the bulk, 
 and are the men who give the greatest im- 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 107 
 
 petiis to the home trade. Some merchants 
 of this class, engaged in trade with the Ori- 
 ental nations, have followed the same busi- 
 ness for nearly a century ; many of them 
 located in New York and Boston, have ac- 
 quired immense fortunes, and it was the 
 son of one of these, James Lenox, who lately 
 made a donation of a million of dollars for 
 the establishment of a Library and Gallery 
 of Art in New York. With some few of 
 these imjDorters the custom prevails of sel- 
 ling their goods by auction, soon after their 
 arrival, and in this manner whole cargoes 
 of tea from China or sugar from the West 
 Indies were sold within the space of half 
 an hour. But this business has well nigh 
 been absorbed by the class known as Bro- 
 kers. Another important class of merchants 
 are the wholesale dealers or Jobbers. They 
 receive their goods in the bulk from the 
 importers and sell them by the piece or in 
 broken packages. They sell on credit and 
 usually confine themselves to a particular 
 class, or a few classes of goods. One house, 
 
108 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 for example, will sell only silk goods, 
 another, all sorts of cotton fabrics, another 
 the several varieties of woolen goods, 
 another hardware, and others wooden or 
 fancy goods and groceries of every descrip- 
 tion. And then there are what are called 
 the Retail merchants. They constitute the 
 most numerous class, and are to be found 
 in every city and village of the land. In 
 the larger towns there is no mingling of 
 dry goods and groceries, but in the hamlets, 
 the merchants find it necessary and to their 
 advantage, to keep for sale everything that 
 the people can possibly require— from a 
 yard of callico or a piece of ribbon, a paper 
 of buttons or needles, to a pound of tea or 
 coffee or sugar or shot, or a cake of soap. 
 It is sometimes the case, however, that the 
 importing, jobbing and retail trades are 
 carried on by the same firm, and there is 
 one man located in New York City, Alex- 
 ander T. Stewart, who is reputed to be the 
 wealthiest and most influential merchant of 
 this sort, in the world. His establishments 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 109 
 
 are on the most stupendous scale ; he era- 
 ploys agents and clerks by the hundred ; 
 and his passion for business is so strong 
 that he is among the first, as well as the 
 last, in his daily attendance at his enor- 
 mous warehouses. This man began his 
 career a poor and friendless boy, and besides 
 building a palace for himself, giving away 
 millions (or the comfort of the poor, he is 
 now engaged, at an immense outlay, in 
 founding a model town in the vicinity of 
 New York. The Commission Merchants 
 form another very extensive class of the 
 business men. To carry on their business, 
 less capital is required than for those already 
 named, but it is important that their credit 
 should be unimpeachable. They receive 
 goods or produce, from the manufacturers 
 or farmers, and sell them to the best ad- 
 vantage, receiving for themselves merely a 
 certain per cent, on the amount of sales, in 
 the way of commission, for trouble and ex- 
 penses. With regard to the subordinates, 
 who are employed by the more important 
 
110 COMMERCEAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 merchants, they consist of Drumniers, who 
 devote their time to hunting up customers ; 
 of Clerks who sell goods and keep the books ; 
 of Porters, who pack the goods and do the 
 manual labor ; and of Draymen, who carry 
 the merchandize to the vessels, of every 
 description, and to the railway stations. 
 But there are certain other classes of busi- 
 ness men in all the commercial marts, whose 
 duties are important and whose influence is 
 extensive. First among these are the auc- 
 tioneers, who sell to the highest bidders, 
 real estate, furniture, books, works of art, 
 and everything in fact, which the owners 
 desire to turn rapidly into money ; then 
 come the Brokers, who usually devote them- 
 selves to one commodity, such as cotton or 
 money, tea and coffee, sugar or grain, wdio 
 have come to be a numerous and useful 
 class, and who sell only by samples, receiv- 
 ing their pay like the commission merchants. 
 They transact the business which was for- 
 merly performed by one class of auctioneers. 
 The class of men known as Bankers are 
 
COMMEPX'IAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. Ill 
 
 those who conduct the moneyed institutions 
 of the country, albeit large numbers fol- 
 low the business on private account, man}^ 
 of whom, in all the leading cities, have ac- 
 quired immense fortunes. Of these, per- 
 haps the most successful and celebrated is 
 now a retired citizen of Washington, and 
 who, within the last few years has given 
 away, for purposes of charity and culture 
 many millions of dollars. And still another 
 class of the business men who are very nu- 
 merous and constantly increasing, are known 
 as Insurance men. They are the managers 
 of extensive corporations, who insure in 
 stated sums of money, all kinds of property 
 from fire and marine disasters, as well as the 
 lives of men, who desire to secure a compe- 
 tence for their families in the event of death. 
 From the foregoing statements it will be seen 
 that the machinery of commerce in this 
 country is fully organized and very complete. 
 But, fully to comprehend the extent and 
 range of the commercial interests, we must 
 now turn our attention to the System of 
 
112 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 Railways as it exists in the United States. 
 This is a subject which increases in inter- 
 est and importance every year. In 1860 
 this system had already reached a develop- 
 ment which was justly regarded as amazing. 
 It was the product of but a short time ; 
 every mile of road had been built within 
 the recollection of men who had not yet 
 passed middle life, and three-fourths of it 
 all within ten years. Yet there were in 
 operation more than thirty-one thousand 
 miles of road, wdiich, with their equipment, 
 had absorbed of the capital of the country 
 not less than twelve hundred and fifty mil- 
 lions of dollars, or ten per cent, of the en- 
 tire assessed value of property in the United 
 States. There were men, however, who 
 protested that this interest had outgrown 
 the needs of the country, and was the result 
 of speculative and artificial influences ; that 
 it diverted capital from more useful em- 
 ployments and tended to retard the pros- 
 perity of the country. Nor have these men 
 changed their opinion. But what a change 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 113 
 
 has taken place in this business? From 
 the official reports we learn that at the 
 commencement of the present year there 
 were railroad lines in operation to the ex- 
 tent of i,iiore than fifty-three thousand miles 
 which, with their equipment, cost nearly 
 twenty-seven hundred millions of dollars, or 
 twenty-two per cent, of the entire assessed 
 value of property in the country. Of these 
 more than eleven thousand miles have been 
 built within two years, and at an expendi- 
 ture of four hundred millions of dollars. In 
 other words, the people of America have 
 contributed during the last ten years more 
 than half as much to build railroads as they 
 have paid in taxes for the support of the Gov- 
 ernment, including the conduct of the war, 
 and are now contributing yearly for the same 
 purpose two-thirds as much as the whole 
 revenue of the national treasury. The to- 
 tal earnings of these railroads in 1870 were 
 four hundred and fifty millions of dollars ; 
 and the gross tonnage transported equalled 
 one hundred and twenty-five millions oi' 
 
114 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOrMENTS. 
 
 tons, having a value of more than ten thou- 
 sand millions of dollars. 
 
 Prior to the late war, the American rail- 
 roads were regarded almost exclusively in 
 their relations to trade, and the comprehen- 
 sive study of them was the concern only of 
 the economist. But they have now become 
 the centres of many forms of power in the 
 hands of corporations whose management is 
 concentrated, secret, and largely irresponsi- 
 ble ; they hold vast accumulations of wealth ; 
 employ a large proportion of the scientific 
 and practical ability of the nation ; they 
 exert an immense influence on all the mar- 
 kets, and on the social and material w^elfare 
 of the whole people. They are also the 
 favorite instruments of speculation, and 
 sources of sudden profit; they wield politi- 
 cal agencies and parties, in many places, 
 and even dictate to the State Legislatures. 
 They thus connect themselves with society, 
 in so many relations, that their growth and 
 influence are becoming an anxious study, 
 not only for the economist and the trader, but 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 115 
 
 for the politician, the statesman, and the 
 moralist. Hitherto, a large part of the 
 capital thus consumed has been borrowed 
 from foreign nations, and the want is not 
 felt in the United States. But it makes 
 part of the debt on which the productive 
 industry of the country must pay the inter- 
 est. The subject, as it has been well said, 
 thus presents important and difficult ques- 
 tions for discussion. But all men must ac- 
 knowledge that the rapid progress of this 
 enormous interest is as wonderful as its 
 present magnitude ; and it is plain that the 
 ultimate extent to which the construction 
 of railroads in America will be carried, no 
 estimate can be formed. 
 
 Before leaving this subject we must sub- 
 mit a few additional particulars. The av- 
 erage rate of speed, with the passenger trains 
 in America, is thirty miles per hour, and 
 the number of cars in each train, varies 
 from five to fifteen ; while the freight trains, 
 frequently number not less than one hun- 
 dred cars. The locomotives are far more 
 
116 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 powerful, and much larger than those on 
 English roads, and wood is the common fuel. 
 In front of the engine is generally placed a 
 massive iron grating called a " cow catcher" 
 intended to throw off any animal that may 
 be upon the track ; and in winter they are 
 supplied with immense plows for the pur- 
 pose of cutting through the banks of snow. 
 They are supplied with bells as well as 
 steam whistles, to be sounded when start- 
 ing, or used to give note of coming danger. 
 They are generally managed by three men, 
 one engineer and his assistant, and one fire- 
 man. The passenger cars are large and 
 have from eight to sixteen wheels ; — some 
 of them plain and open to all, and others 
 called Palace Cars, are very elegantly fitted 
 up, and occupied only by those persons who 
 are willing to pay an extra fare. On all the 
 trains, are also to be found such conveniences 
 as " Sleeping" and " Smoking Cars." The 
 men who manage the trains while running, 
 are the " Conductors," who collect the tick- 
 ets ; at the end of each car is stationed a 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 117 
 
 brakeman, who helps to regulate the speed ; 
 there are also baggage men ; while boys 
 with books or papers or fruit are permitted 
 to pass through the trains; and upon those 
 which carry the United States mail, there is 
 always an officer of the General Post Office 
 Department. Tickets are purchased before 
 entering the cars, and for every piece of 
 baggage a metal check is given, so that a 
 man may travel a thousand miles or more 
 without casting a thought upon his baggage. 
 The rails are made of iron and steel and 
 single or double tracks are in vogue accord- 
 ing to the necessities of the route ; and the 
 longest continuous line of railway in Amer- 
 ica, running from New York City to San 
 Francisco, is three thousand and two hun- 
 dred miles. 
 
 As the primary object of commerce is to 
 accumulate money, it is proper that we 
 should conclude this paper with a general 
 Survey of the Finances of the United States, 
 and of the people to whom their management 
 is intrusted. At the close of the last fiscal 
 
118 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 year the debt of the United States amounted 
 to $2,480,672,427 ; the reduction, since 
 1866, when it reached the highest amount, 
 having been $292,563,746. The total Re- 
 ceipts of the Government were $566,935,- 
 818, while the expenditures amounted to 
 $417,433,346, leaving a balance in the 
 Treasury of $149,502,471. The money 
 spent for the civil service was $19,031,283 ; 
 Foreign Intercourse, $1,490,776 ; Military 
 Establishment, $57,655,675; Naval Estab- 
 lishment, $21,780,229; collecting Customs 
 Revenue, $6,237,137 ; assessing and col- 
 lecting Internal Revenue, $7,234,531 ; 
 Light House Establishment, $2,588,300; 
 Mint Estabhshment, $1,067,097; Indians, 
 $3,407,938; and Pensions, $28,340,202; 
 while the balance was devoted to miscella- 
 neous expenditures. Turning from the 
 operations of the National Treasury to the 
 Banking Institutions, we find the following 
 information : The National Batiks, which 
 are conducted by private enterprise but 
 made perfectly secure by the General Gov- 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 119 
 
 ernment, number 1627, and have a capital 
 of $436,478,311; the Chartered Banks, 
 which are disconnected from the Govern- 
 ment, number 18^2, and have a capital of 
 1503,578,000 ; the Private Bankers repre- 
 sent about $400,000,000 of capital; and 
 the Savings Banks are estimated to hold 
 about $195,000,000. The system upon 
 which all these institutions is managed, is 
 quite uniform — each one having a President 
 and Cashier, a Board of Directors, and as 
 many Clerks as may be required. Taken 
 in the aggregate, the bankers of America 
 are as upright and intelligent as any in ex- 
 istence, but no class, from Presidents down 
 to common Clerks, are so liable to go astray, 
 and therefore it is that the papers have oc- 
 casionally to chronicle acts of dishonesty 
 among banking men. On the score of suc- 
 cess, it is also worth mentioning that the 
 Private Bankers have at all times led the 
 way in the more important financial nego- 
 tiations between the United States and 
 foreign countries ; and the late Rebellion, 
 
120 COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 
 
 as well as the preceding War with Mexico 
 were both greatly indebted to the skill of 
 two men, whose names as bankers hnA^e 
 passed into history, viz : William W. Cor- 
 coran and Jay Cooke. Of the various 
 financial institutions, perhaps the most use- 
 ful and truly American in its character is 
 that known as the Savings Bank, the pri- 
 mary object of which is to keep in safety 
 the savings of the poorer classes, for the 
 use of which the bank pays a regular inter- 
 est. Other banks make it their business 
 to lend money for commercial purposes, but 
 not so with the Savings Banks, which have 
 more to do with real estate in making use 
 of their funds. With regard to the circu- 
 lating medium of the United States, we 
 may remark that it is divided into paper 
 money and specie. The former, which is 
 also called currency is all issued directly 
 from the National Treasury, in denomina- 
 tions ranging from ten cents to one thou- 
 sand dollars, and is a legal tender through- 
 out the length and breadth of the land ; 
 
COMMERCIAL LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTS. 121 
 
 while all the issues under one dollar are 
 called fractional currency. The specie of 
 the country is coined at a national mint, 
 located in Philadelphia, and of course under 
 the direction of the Treasury, and is com- 
 posed of copper, silver and gold ; the copper, 
 forming one and two cent pieces ; the sil- 
 ver, five, ten, twenty-five and fifty cent 
 pieces ; and the gold, one, three, five, ten, 
 twenty, and fifty dollar pieces ; to all of 
 which may be added, what is called gold 
 and silver bullion. While it is true that in 
 all parts of the world money is considered 
 a great power, there is probably no country 
 where the people are so universally imbued 
 with the love of gain, or place so high an 
 estimate on the possession of wealth, as is 
 the case in the United States of America. 
 
LIFE AND RESOURCES 
 
 IN 
 
 AMERICA. 
 
 PREPARED UNDER THE DIRECTION 
 
 (jtA^<rt: ARINORl) MORI. 
 
 For circulation in Japan. 
 
 COMPLETE IN TWELVE PARTS. 
 
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 1871. 
 
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