G
T1IE WEST SnORE.
August.
INTRODUCTIONS.
i i 1 here is one subject concerning
! J which the American people labor un-
, . dcr a most grievous error. I allude to
1 the .ganeral and indiscriminate passion
fr introductions. Not introductions to
hooks, which are very good things in
( ; I ' their way, provided they be not too
1 long, uui jiiirodiiLiioiis lu persons
l I forcible abductions, so to sjicak, of a
! ' 1 human bicng out from the jurisdiction
of hj'r- or her rational inclinations with-
out fhc preliminary form of an extra
dural treaty.
j '' If there he one inherent right of a
j man which should he respected under
j ' f, any and all forms of government im-
. ' perial, constiitioiial monarchic, pa-
' t. triarchal, or clcctivo it is the un
doubted perogative of each individual
to have a voice ill the selection of his
acquaintances. An old Spanish pro
: verb says, "Tell me who your asso-
p ' ciutes are, and I will tell you what you
are;" and yet, in the face of the uni
. . versal credence attached to this saying,
a man's character and reputation are,
In our great republic, entirely at the
mercy of every ruthless monomaniac of
whom he may have the slightest possi
ble knowledge.
, The worst feature of this great social
' v evil is that it increases in a geomatrieal
' j progression with for n ratio. The
common hut surprising problem rcl.it-
i ing to a barter, founded on the num-
t ber of nails in a horse's shoe, is a trivial
impertinence compared with the stu
pendous proportions soon assumed by
one's rangeofaciiuaiiitenances in a large
city under the hideout system that
i prevails. For instance you have the
. ' ill luck to meet one John Smith some
day at one of your usial resorts. Smith
was, perhaps, iLcollcgu classmate, or a
fellow-clerk ill a counting-house (before
, you rose to your present commercial
r. eminence); or, pieadvcnture, he is a
I client, or a patient (if a learned profes-
j won claim you). At all events, Smith
is a fact ; a disagreeable one, it may be,
but none the less a fact. Smith is, of
( course, delighted to see you, and, after
('j o few anxious inquiries touching vour
health and "your folk's," avails him
self of the opportunity to " make you
( acquainted" with Messrs. Ilrown, Jones
(and Robinson, three friends of his, who
happen to lie with him on that occasion.
If you should be residents of the same
city, the chances are that you will meet
I i Smith nearly every day. and that, at
, j! each meeting, he will present you to a
) fresh batch of "friends;" for such fcl-
l"w as he arc popular men, and seldom
go abroad without picking up n few
I desultory companions. This is bad
enough; but it is only a beginning to
, vmir catalogue of nndcsired introduet
, ions, i.ai h ot Smith's friends has as
( ""'? '"'cle ol acq ntenances as the
original poisoner ot your social exist
ence; and, go where vou will to a
j '"''li '" a reading room,' in cars, stcam-
f lioals, banking houses, restaurants in
,1 lmv" county you ale sine to meet
, ,.i i.Miwn, joncs, Kolmison
nun ionipanv,aml as sure to be nr-
sented to some half dozen moreofMcV
inenits until vour imnd reels, and
, l'"vy position, social and physical,
ot St. Simon Styliles as one precluding
introductions except through
ing-trumpct, ll you lie
Kpcilk-
nervnus
temperament, you arc forced to shu
public promenades and other "busy
haunts of nu n" bv themomcntarv fcar
that some " veste'rdated" acquaintance
may grappel with you, ami para.lc his
arm-in-arm vulgarity horrible ideal
even thrust upon you still others of his
cognizance anil kidney.
This is the most apalling phase of!
..... ime.uic in question; but there
are other forms of the disease less grave
as to their ellect. HH.n the reputation
orthesutlerrr, but involving an even
more acute pang at the timeot infliction.
I nimmrnt among these is what mav
be termed llalbniom Morgianism" a
sacrificial ecrrmnnv wherein the lady
ot the house ollici'atcs as high-priestes's,
ami immolates defenseless male youth
upon the altars of unresponsive Wall
Horns. ou find afan vollr ulir,lrv
table a crested missive, through whose
cper-plaicd medium Mrs. ll .ulevolec
request, the pleasure of vour company
on Monday tlie-lh instant, .1 q o'clock.
Dancing, R. S. V. I'. Kwin)t
that the adorable Euphrasia will be
there, you have, veniciously and con
ventionallv, "great pleasure in accept
ing Mn Ilautcvolees polite invitation
for Monday evening next, and Bridget
receives particular attention about "do
ing up" your white cravat with the em
broiderered ends, and the elaborate
shirt-bosom you brought from Paris. A
week passes, filled with entrancing vis
ions of Euphrasia and Fairyland; mur
mured rapture in the mazy waltz; de
licious intercourse of souls in the con
servatory's leafiest nook sweet sounds
and floating perfumes; and at last Mon
day evening comes. Who that sees
you enter those resplendent rooms can
realize the anxious care bestowed up
on that dctrape costume the ars cehre
artem adroitly manifested in the easy
tie of the white cravat with the em
broidered ends? Who among that
throng of worldly votaries can know
that beneath the elaborate shirt-bosom
swelling heart crinkles the superjacent
starch with palpable tremor? The
saloons swarm with lovely girls; a van
ishing perspective of gauzy robes and
flashing j'ewels is indefinitely reflected
in opposing mirrors ; soft, languid music
steals through the air, rising and fall
ing in the hum of conversation; the
"world" is there with its 'hopes and
tears, its intrigues and enmities; but
what are all these to you? Your
eyes, your ears, your thoughts are cen
tred m Euphrasia; Euphrasia, who
sits yonder, more bewitchingly than
ever, being terribly bored (you feel
sure) by that stupid, conceited puppy,
Hliftins, whom you remember when
his father kept a small shop in the
"thread-needle" line of business, and
whose intelligence, education, and for
tune you are confident are very much
overrated. Heing a man of the world,
vou arc, of course, too diplomatic to
address the obj'ect of your devotion at
once; your policy (worldly schemer
that you are) is to wait until the ear
lier crowd shall have dispersed ; to he
dutifully polite to ladies present who
have invited you to their parties, and
ingratiatingly attentive to those who
may invite you hereafter; and then,
when supper-time arrives, to offer her
your arm; minister to her wants; to
struggle fiercely for her refection; and
atterwaril to thrill through three bliss
ful hours of "German" with her as part
ner. Vou pass her, therefore, with a
bow and an expressive glance, and en
ter upon your routine of "business,"
arttuiiy contriving, as midnight draws
near, to remain unencumbered by con
fining your civilities to such fair beings
as are certain to be claimed by other
admiring swains.
Finally, the suppcr-room doors
swing open, and the reward of -all your
toil seems close at hand; you are hast
ening to where buphrasia's delicate
kill glove awaits your protecting broad
cloth, when the hostess arrests your
progress, and like a civil highwav-
woiuan, robs you of your birth-right of
nee agency, ami remorselessly suitchcs
from your grasp the prize for which
you have waited and served so long.
.mic "wants to introduce you to a very
sweet gin wno oocsn t know many
gentlemen, and who has no partner for
the 'German.' Would you kindly see
that she gets some supper?" Resist
ance is lutile. ou know that there ii
no eseaiw; so, with a gulp of rcsigna-
tion, you sutler yourself to I handed
over to the custody of an immature
seraph with pronounced collar-bones
and a freckled complexion, whose vo
cabulary consists mainly of monosyl
lables, and whose comprehension has
never soared higher than the level of a
school history. She feeds voraciously
at supper (how different from the deli
cate daintiness of Euphrasia !), and when
the 'German' commences you discover
that she dances execrably, and nuts
water on her hair. To add' to your an
guish, Euphrasia (doubtless reserving
herself for you) it for sometime without
a partner, but finally dances with the
brutal Hlillins, whom you watch, eight
couples away, grinning and basking in
the light of her smile, while you, the
legitimate heir to that happiness, are
mini io me anil promontories and
sterile plains or the seraph's mind and
liodv.
Hut if an "arbitrary arrest," such as
ine loregotng, be reprehensible, even
w hen made hv the hiirh nrhVi.l ....
thoritv of the hostess, what language
sn wirquumy anatncmatise the still
more aggravated instances of kidnan.
ping constantly perpetrated in "society"
by brothers, cousins, uncles, and guar
dians of an unprotected debutantes?
I he hand that traces these lines has
scores of timet been clasped with hypo
critical fetvor by felonious men who
ought a victim to whom they might
transfer the iucubus of some forlorn fe
male relative, and whom, once lodged
within her desperate clutch, they would
leave to his fate throughout the weary
night, pursuing the pleasures of then
own emancipation in heartless indif
ference to the languishing captive.
Can no species of social habeas cor
pus be devised for the relief of such
cases of distress? Is there no law to
prevent such flagrant breaches of the
peace of mind? The minor miscreant
restricts your personal liberty in the
outer world is condignly punished by
the laws of the land; but what are
their crimes compared with the offence
against the nobler inner man, involved
in these fashionable garrotings?
Many people consider it a point of
good breeding to present cacti ot their
visitors to ail the rest; and, consequent
ly, every new-comer on their "recep
tion days" is formally retailed out to
some dozen or fifteen previous arrivals.
This may occasionally produce some
awkward complications. Cardovan
and I fell out some ten years or more
ago. (Oh, Sophronial there are scars
which never, never fade.) From that
time to this a mortal enmity has been
between us. We glare defiance at
each other in the streets, and each is to
the other gall and worm-wood; and
yet scarcely a month passes wherein
we are not introduced by some-well
meaning person at whose house we
chance to meet. To me the oft-re
peated form has lost its bitterness; but
1 can see his coarser nature wince un
der the chilling courtesy with which I
recognized his presence. By continued
practice I have succeeded in imparting
to my " delighted to make vour ac-
quaintence, Sir," a barb which I can
see rankle in his plcbian soul; and my
adolescent anguish is amply revenged.
A trustful mind, unlearned in the
world's vile ways, might innocently
imagine that by refraining from the
outer intercourse of society, and adopt
ing an eremitical course ot lite, these
persecutions could be avoided. .Vain
delusion 1 You may forego the privi
lege of breathing the free air of heaven;
you may shun your fellow-men, and
resign the sphere of lovely woman's in
spiring influence; you may forget old
acquaintances, Dut you can not escape
new ones. Popular solicitude will be
aroused by your absence from your
wonted resorts, and objectionable inter
lopers will "just drop in to see how you
are," each one "taking the liberty to
present a friend who happened to be
passing with him." Should you lie so
utterly unfortunate as to possess a taste
fully furnished house, a valuable picture.
a fine group of statuary, a cabinet of
coins or concnoiogy, or any other at
traction to public curiosity, your fate is
sealed. "Not at home" is an entirely
ineffective barrier against inroads.
Every one who has ever had the most
distant intercourse with you will bring
scores of country connections to examine
the interesting features of your domicile,
and they troop from garret to cellar,
hunting you down in any place of con
cealment you may have resorted to, and
forcing upon your hospitality a crowd
ol prying inquisitors, each of whom
will probably within the week presume
upon this formality to act as cicerone to
a party of his own selection.
At your club you are pursued by the
same relentless ill-fortune. A visitor
from another city, perhaps, brings a
letter of introduction to you, and as the
simplest mode of disposing of him, you
inscribe his name upon the list of club
guests. Now, one would suppose that
to the most ordinary cnmnnhi.ninn it
would be self-evident that the fact of
jour neglecting to avail yourself of the
facilities oflered by club life to form the
acquaintance of some of your fellow
members of long standing, must neces
sarily arise from disinclination on one
side or the other; but the very first
demonstration of gratitude on the part
of your invited guest is to introduce you
to the man whom, of all others, you
nave most sedulously striven not to
know.
Illustrations of the nuisance ,,,!.,
consideration could be multiplied ad
"ui i trust that enough has
already been said to imprest upon my
kind readers the importance of speedy
and thorough reform; not precluding
the inauguration of an intercourse be
tween persons likelv in nmv . u
agreeable, but branding the want of
n.i imagines it necessary to in
flict an abominable formality upon even
the worst assorted members of the
human family.
A HINT ON CARPETS.
Of all the expensive things in a mod.
cm house of the ordinary class, perhaps,
carpets are the dearest. In case of re
moval, they become almost useless, and
have to be sacrificed at any price that
can be got for them, because, having
occu i.ui Him iiictiauicu iui one room,
perhaps of a peculiar shape, they are
useless in any other; for if the patern
could be matched, which it often can
not, a bit of bran new carpet sown on
to a bit not so new, would be out of
harmony, and tell a story which the
pride of poverty would rather wear
conccilcd. The Persian and Turkish
system of carpeting rooms is infinitely
L' 1 ill .1 . rw,.
oeucr unu picuici mail ours, The
Persian carpet, cspcially those from
Besht, are exquisitely beautiful. Their
colors arc brighter, the designs prettier,
anu nicy are lar more ournDie tnan Our
carpets. They are made in strips usu
ally between two and three yards long,
and about one yard in breadth, to go
around the sides of the room, with a
square carpet, of any size, preferred for
the center.
They do not require to be nailed or
fitted, and a sufficient number of them
will of course carpet any room, how
ever large or small. They have a very
rich and grand appearance, too. In
Summer they are easily taken up,
beaten, rolled, and put aside by a sin
gle servant man ; and in the hot weather
why should we not more generally im
itate Continental custom, by painting
or polishing floors! Floors painted or
polished look far prettier in July sun
shine than any carpets, which are then
mere fustry traps to catch dust, harbor
insects and retain bad smells. Every
thing has its use and its seasons. The
use and season of carpets are not in the
Summer time. Where it is impossible
to paint or polish the floors of a house
the employment of oil cloth will be
found good economy in Summer, and
far cleaner. Oil cloth, too, of charming
patters, may now be bought very
cheap, and it keeps a room delightful
ly cool and fresh.
An Inverted Glass of Watkh.
Wipe a wine-glass perfectly dry;
....... j...... nuibl IlliU 11 UI1L11 II 1 quIlC
full. Now take a card, carefully place
it on the top of the water, and press it
on the rim of the glass. If this be
cleverly done, there will be no air bub.
hie between the card and the water;
and if the glass be very full, this can
he certainly accomplished. Now dex
terously turn the glass upside down,
keeping the finger on the card the
while. This being done, the finger can
be removed from the card, and yet the
water will not run out, nor will the
card fall away, owing to the nressurn
of the air upwards on the card, and
mere Being no air within the glass. If
the glass still inverted be placed on n
dish, the card can with care sometimes
be slipped away, and yet no water will
run out. in tnis way you may hand a
glass of water to a friend, but he can
not remove it without spilling the
whole.
GaTHKUINO MiUVl A .a....
pondent sends the following: "The
children of Israel, when journeying
toward the Promised Land, gathered
manna each morning that fell each
night, during a portion of their wan
derings in the wilderness. What that
manna was, we have no meansof know
ing, as no explanation has ever been
given. We were remind nf Ua r..
cumstance by witnessing the gathering
. iKj new oy me noongincs. livery
morning, for a long time, the Indian
females were seen busily picking up
some substance beneath the huge oaks
in front of our residence. Curiosity led
US to investigation, and
they were picking up the honey dew
...- im, laucii ana canuiea, some ol
them having large rolls of the Indian
manna. The query in our mind was,
"ie cniioren ot Israel did not
gather honey dew and call it manna.
Mexican Alabaster. Large de
posits 'of verv fin- n1aKa- I 1
i ... i , j iinvc uccii
discovered in Mexico, which resembles
mc very nnest onyx of Algiers. It is
extensively uted in France for tablet,
docks, mantels. mnA mh .!
, , man, wiiimociiiai
purposes. It was supposed to be chiefly
r..y , gvpsum, Dut recent analy
sis made by Damour show it to be a
carbonate and nm ...ii. ... ... .
carbonate of lime, magneasia,' iron and
......giuicw:. cine specimens of this
stone arc on Exhibition in Philadelphia.
ii