From: Subject: St.Mery Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2007 04:36:17 -0800 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="utf-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://web.archive.org/web/20040703041637/http://members.garbersoft.net/spartacus/st_mery.htm X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 =EF=BB=BF St.Mery
MOREAU DE ST. MERY'S=20
AMERICAN=20 JOURNEY
 [1793-1798]

(excerpts)


    I = was=20 forgetting to say that when there are women in the
[travelling] = stages, they=20 are not obliged to share in the expense
incurred for wine, liquors = or other=20 spirituous drinks served with
a meal.  Politeness requires this = expense=20 to be borne entirely
by the men.  I will whisper this: that this = courtesy is some-
times extended to courtesans who figure that a = stage can=20 be
made to serve purposes quite foreign to modesty, a virtue
which = is=20 neither their charm nor their companion.      =20             =    =20             =    =20           =  p.122

   =20 One would hardly think that in a city like New York, so
recently = sprung into=20 being, morals would already show one
mark of the vilest = corruption.  In=20 many parts of the city
whole sections of streets are given over to=20 street-walkers for
the plying of their profession; there are many = houses of=20 de-
bauchery in a locality which for some reason unknown to me
is = called=20 "Holy Ground" by the irreligious; and in addition
women of every = color can be=20 found in the streets, particu-
larly after ten o'clock at night, = soliciting=20 men and proudly
flaunting their licentiousness in the most shameless=20 manner.           =20             =    =20        p. 156

    American = men,=20 generally speaking, are tall and thin, espe-
cially the Quakers, but = they=20 seem to have no strength.  They
are listless, those in the towns = even=20 more than the others.
Neither sex can boast a complexion. They are = brave,=20 but
they lack drive.  Indifferent toward almost everything,=20 they
sometimes behave in a manner that suggests real energy;
then = follow=20 it with a "Oh-to-hell-with-it" attitude which
shows that they seldom = feel=20 genuine enthusiasm.
    Their manner of living is = always the=20 same. They breakfast
at nine o'clock on ham or salt fish, herring, = for=20 example,
which is accompanied by coffee or tea, and slices of = toasted
or=20 untoasted bread spread with butter.        =             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20          p. 265

    = 2. White=20 Women.--We will begin our observations con-
cerning this beautiful = sex with a=20 flattering and happy state-
ment.  An American woman, no matter = what her=20 rank or
where she was born, never--except as a result of an=20 accident
--displays one of those faces so common among the = lower
orders of=20 Europe and even of France: repulsive faces with
bloodshot or bleary = eyes and=20 offensively deformed features.
If one encounters such a face in = America, he=20 can safely jump
to the conclusion that it was imported from another=20 land:
never the product of a soil so favorable to=20 womankind.
    American women are pretty, and those of = Philadelphia are
prettiest of all, and generally acknowledged to be=20 superior
to any others on the continent.  Philadelphia has=20 thousands
of them between the ages of fourteen and eighteen; = and
proof of=20 this can be had on any fine winter day on the north
sidewalk of = Market Street=20 between Third and Fifth streets.
There one can see four hundred young = persons, each of
whom would certainly be followed on any Paris=20 promenade.
This tempting state of affairs is one which no other city=20 in
the world could offer in like degree.
    But = they soon=20 grow pale, and suffer almost universally     =    =20             =    =20              p.=20 281

from an inconvenience which is known to be highly = destruc-
tive to=20 the preservation of a woman's freshness and youth.
Their hair is = scanty,=20 their teeth bad; and all the little details
which adorn beauty, or = rather=20 which join to create it, soon
fail most of them.  In short, = while=20 charming and adorable at
fifteen, they are faded at twenty-three, old = at=20 thirty-five,
decrepit at forty or forty-five.  They are subject = to=20 nervous
illnesses and to those which the English call [four=20 illegible
English words] which is extremely = frequent.
   =20 Few people live to be a hundred in the United States, and
among the=20 gravestones of Philadelphia cemeteries there is
only one of a person = who=20 lived to be ninety.  Most people die
between thirty-five and=20 forty-five....
    Girls ordinarily mature in = Philadelphia at=20 the age of four-
teen, and reach that period without unusual = symptoms. =20 The            =    =20             =    =20  p. 282

reproductive faculty usually ceases between forty=20 and
forty-five; and this period, so dangerous in our climates, = has
no=20 dangerous consequences in America.
    Young girls = never=20 appear at social gatherings until they
have reached=20 puberty.
    As they are usually large for their age, = one is=20 struck by the
tall and pretty young girls one sees in the streets, = going=20 and
coming from school.  They wear their hair long, and = skirts
with=20 closed seams.  But when nubility has arrived they put up
their = hair with=20 a comb, and the back of the skirt has a
placket.  At this time = they meet=20 everybody at tea, become
their own mistresses, and can go walking = alone and=20 have
suitors.
    They invariably make their own = choice of=20 a suitor, and the
parents raise no objection because that's the = custom of=20 the
country.  The suitor comes into the house when he = wishes;
goes on=20 walks with his loved one whenever he desires.  On
Sunday he = often takes=20 her out in a cabriolet, and brings her
back in the evening without = anyone=20 wanting to know where
they went.
    Philadelphia = women are=20 markedly extravagant in their
purchase of ribbons, shoes and = negligees of=20 lawn and muslin.
However, they still have no gauze or lace, and = almost=20 no
artificial flowers.  They have a habit, which they think=20 is
stylish, of letting the men pay for what they buy in the
shops, = and of=20 forgetting to pay them back.
    They are greatly = addicted to=20 finery and have a strong de-
sire to display themselves--a desire = resulting=20 from and in-
flamed by their love of adornment.  They cannot,=20 however,
imitate that elegance of style possessed by = Frenchwomen.
All=20 except those of the highest position go to market Tues-
day and = Friday=20 evenings (the evenings before market days)
dressed for=20 dancing.
    After eighteen years old they lose their = charms,=20 and fade.
Their breasts, never large, already have vanished.  It = is=20 true            =    =20             =    =20   p. 283

that many of them, because of a notion as harmful = as it=20 is
ridiculous, flatten and compress those female charms with
which = the sex=20 has been endowed by Nature....
    Although in general = one is=20 conscious of widespread mod-
esty in Philadelphia, the customs are = not=20 particularly pure,
and the disregard on the part of some parents for = the=20 man-
ner in which their daughters form relationships to = which
they, the=20 parents, have not given their approval is an en-
couragement of = indiscretions=20 which, however, are not the
result of love, since American women are = not=20 affectionate.
    But they are very ridiculous in = their=20 aversion to hearing
certain words pronounced; and this scruple is = frequently=20 a
confession of too much knowledge, rather than of ignorance.
A = woman made=20 her brother leave the room while she
changed the diaper of her own = son, aged=20 five weeks, although
women and young girls were=20 present.
    The adoption in this city of French = styles in=20 dress and
manner does not, however, indicate that it has any=20 marked
affection for the French nation, and its residents have=20 no
hesitation in charging the French higher prices and = higher
rents than=20 anyone else.
    The young ladies commonly stick to = their=20 first suitor un-
less circumstances more or less unavoidable = necessitate=20 the
absence of the first, which may then result in their making
a = second=20 choice.  The same situation may arise several times,
always with = the=20 same result.
     If the suitor continues to = reside in=20 the same place, he is
always bound by the same chains unless he is = criminally=20 in-
constant and, having drained the delights of happiness, = flees
and=20 laughs at the tears of the loved one he has = betrayed.
    But=20 if the dastardly deceiver should seduce a married
woman, he is = universally=20 execrated and watched wherever       =20             =    =20            p. 284

he may go in = the=20 United States; and never, never will he ever
be able to obtain in = this vast=20 country any situation, any posi-
tion, not even that of watchman or = patroller=20 of the streets.
    It is true that virtue is the = result of=20 habit or of disposi-
tion.  A young woman trusts in her suitor's = delicacy and
charges him with maintaining for her a respect which she = is
not always able to command.  Each day both of them = are
entrusted=20 to no one but each other.  Since the young lady
must wait for = her=20 servant, who leaves the house as soon as
night has arrived and cannot = be=20 persuaded to return until
eleven-thirty or midnight, her only = protection is=20 her suitor.
Her father, her mother, her entire family have gone to=20 bed.
The suitor and his mistress remain alone; and sometimes,
when = the=20 servant returns, she finds them asleep and the
candle out, such is = the=20 frigidity of love in this country.
    When a young = lady=20 notices that her chosen one is growing
cold, she reproaches him most=20 outrageously in public; and if
another young lady, either through = ignorance=20 or by desire,
seeks to supplant her, she tells the latter that she = has=20 rights
which she has no intention of giving up.
    = They=20 are cold and without passion, however, and--a thing
that is = unpermissible=20 except in an uncontrollable delirium--
they endure the company of = their=20 lovers for whole hours
without being sufficiently moved to change = their=20 expression.
They always act as though everything they do is done for=20 a
purpose.
    When one considers the unlimited = liberty=20 which young
ladies enjoy, one is astonished by their universal = eagerness=20 to
be married, to become wives who will for the most part = be
nothing but=20 housekeepers of their husbands' homes.  But this
eagerness is = just=20 another exhibition of self-love, inspired by
the fear that she who = does not=20 marry will be thought to
have some fault that disgusted her=20 suitors.
    They think, too, that French women have = some=20 peculiar
talent because of the way in which men of their own=20 nation           =20               =20         p. 285

make efforts to please = them,=20 especially by their politeness.
    Marriages are all = the more=20 easy as sometimes they are made
in a hurry, and many of them are=20 secret.
    I am going to say something that is almost = unbelievable.
These women, without real love and without passions,=20 give
themselves up at an early age to the enjoyment of = them-
selves; and=20 they are not at all strangers to being willing to
seek unnatural = pleasures=20 with persons of their own sex.
    Among common = people, at a=20 tavern-keeper's, for exam-
ple, or at a small shopkeeper's, the = daughter of=20 the house,
when no longer a child, sleeps with the servant. =  That is=20 to
say, from her eighth to her tenth year she may have shared
the = bed of=20 fifty or sixty creatures of whom nothing is known
except their names. =  They may be dirty, unhealthy, subject
to a communicable disease = of more=20 or less seriousness, and
possessors of habits that could be = disastrous to=20 young per-
sons.
    When a young woman marries, = she enters=20 a wholly differ-
ent existence.  She is no longer a giddy young = person,=20 a but-
terfly who denies herself nothing and whose only laws = are
her whims=20 and her suitor's wish.  She now lives only for her
husband, and = to=20 devote herself without surcease to the care
of her household and her=20 home.  In short, she is no more than
a housekeeper.  To put = it more=20 correctly, she is often the one
and only = servant.
   =20 American women carve meat with a great deal of ele-
gance, and = carving skill=20 that would seem astounding in a
French woman is commonplace to them.=20  They also prepare
pastries with great = success.
    At=20 Philadelphia, starting the day after their marriage, a
bride serves = punch and=20 cold meats for three successive morn-
ings to all her friends and all = those=20 who wish to give them-
selves that title.  Then, on the three = following=20 days, the bride
serves tea in the evening, and her friends and=20 acquaintances
attend, each one trying to outdo the other in the=20 elegance           =20               =20            p. 286

of their apparel. =  The honors are done by her young relatives,
or by friends of = the bride,=20 who are called bridesmaids.  So
go the outward rejoicings of the = marriage feast.  The mistress
of the house busies herself with = all the=20 details, carving and
serving at table.
    If she = has had=20 the misfortune to lose her chastity, her
already altered health finds = new=20 dangers in the very pleasures
of matrimony.  The more her = husband is=20 capable of multiply-
ing them, the more her health may suffer, most = of all=20 when
she has a child; for sometimes while still nursing it, or = as
soon as=20 it is weaned, she has already conceived another.
    = The women=20 don't dress warmly, their food is bad, and
they make too much use of = over-hot=20 tea.  On the other hand,
false modesty prevents them from = admitting=20 infirmities of
which the husband has never been told and which=20 become
serious.
    They also have bad teeth, weak=20 stomachs, minor illnesses
which wither or at least tarnish their = beauty;=20 sometimes a
neglected fault results in skin = eruptions.
   =20 Women wash their feet with cold water during menstru-
ation, and = mothers do=20 not like to teach children why this
imprudence is dangerous, because = they do=20 not wish, they say,
to discuss such things with = them.
   =20 They take no precaution against changes of climate, not
even those = which=20 cleanliness seems to require.  They wear
only one colored skirt = which=20 they put on during menstrua-
tion, and which serves always in the = same=20 capacity until it
must be thrown away.  Men have given them a=20 disgusting
name.  They consider French women most reprehensible=20 for
having a different custom, and washing the linen thus=20 used.
    The American women divide their whole body = in=20 two
parts; from the top to the waist is stomach; from there to
the = foot is=20 ankles.
    Let us imagine the embarrassment of the = doctor who=20 must
guess from such a description the nature and especially=20 the            =    =20             =    =20    p. 287

location of an illness!  He is forbidden = the=20 slightest touch;
his patient, even at the risk of her life, leaves = him in=20 the
vaguest doubt.
    Here is an example: A young = woman=20 was nursing her first
child.  One of her breasts had a crack. =  She=20 was suffering
dreadfully from it, but only complained to her doctor=20 that
she had pains in her stomach, and her trouble continued=20 to
grow.
    A woman neighbor, seeing this woman = fading=20 away, ques-
tioned her.  She told her the truth, and even went = so far as=20 to
show her the ailing breast.  But when her friend urged her = to
let=20 the doctor see it, she was refused.
    Frightened by = the=20 danger, she spoke to me about it.  I de-
termined to speak to = this woman=20 about her condition, using
all the discretion demanded by the most = violent=20 prejudice,
and tell her of the risk she was running, and of the = death
with=20 which her condition threatened her much-loved little
boy.  I = argued that=20 she was failing in the most sacred duties
of nature and religion; and = finally=20 I told her that her ob-
stinacy was truly = suicide.
   =20 Speaking as a husband and father, I used such eloquence
that the = patient was=20 convinced, and promised to entrust her-
self to the enlightened care = of the=20 doctor.
    She did it and, after long treatment, = recovered=20 her health;
but with this result: although she knew that she owed = me
the=20 saving of her life and that of her child, this young mother
never = spoke to me=20 again and didn't even wish to acknowl-
edge my=20 existence.
    In their opinion French women are not = clean=20 because they
dress in such a way that their chemises can be=20 seen.
    I am ashamed to say that it is exactly = because=20 American
women are so sensitive about these garments, and = because
they=20 have so few of them and change them so seldom, that
they are guilty = of not=20 keeping them clean, and of dirtying        =             =    =20                p.=20 288

them with marks of that need to which Nature has = subjected
every=20 animal.
    American women carefully wash their faces = and=20 hands, but
not their mouths, seldom their feet and even more = seldom
their=20 bodies.
    When a Philadelphia woman bears a child, = her=20 husband is
never present.  He cannot enter the room until an = hour=20 after
the birth.
    During the first week the = mother=20 receives only near rela-
tions, intimate friends, old women, but = never men or=20 young
girls.
    The second week she receives the = rest of=20 her family and
acquaintances, but no man.
    The = third=20 week is for the receiving of ceremonious visits;
and occasionally a = man who=20 has asked and obtained permis-
sion comes in with his=20 wife.
    The fourth week everybody is admitted = without=20 distinc-
tion, and after that the woman takes up her = accustomed
work.=20  I repeat that in Philadelphia a husband resumes con-
jugal = relations=20 with his nursing wife a month after the
birth.
    = A=20 gentleman gives his arm to young ladies but not to
mothers, who, even = if he=20 offers, relegate him to the young
ladies.
    A = husband=20 will offer his arm to his wife, but does not
bother about other=20 women.
    There are no casual runnings in and out, in = American
homes.  Never does one walk into a woman's=20 bedroom.
    One frequently sees in the newspapers = notices of=20 hus-
bands requesting that no further credit be given to = their
wives, who=20 have left their bed and board.
    One very remarkable = and=20 very important thing is the re-
spect in which married women are = held, and=20 the virtuous
conduct of almost all.
    This = respect is=20 demonstrated in one particularly praise-    =    =20             =    =20             p. = 289

worthy=20 manner.  I have spoken of the unrestrained life of
the young = girls.=20  Before their marriage several suitors may
possibly have enjoyed = a=20 dangerous freedom in their company.
But once they have pledged their = faith to=20 a husband, no mat-
ter how many times they may meet one or all of = their=20 for-
mer suitors, never will a word which might wound the ears
of = the wife=20 or make her blush escape from the mouth of
one of them.  This is = perhaps=20 a unique state of affairs: a coun-
try in which love is silent where = marriage=20 exists.
    In spite of conjugal customs which would = seem to=20 indicate
a state of happiness, they do not produce the = happiness
which=20 would be expected to result, nor tenderness for chil-
dren, nor love = on the=20 children's part.
    This is evidenced by the = multiplicity of=20 second marriages,
and the manner in which children of different beds = live=20 in
the same house.  The men in particular remarry = oftenest;
and a=20 delay of six weeks between the loss of a wife and the
choice of = another is=20 the limit of their outward expression
of = regret.
    The=20 children live with each other with neither affection
nor jealousy. =  They=20 never have to complain about favoritism
because none of them ever get = it.
    Divorce is obtained with scandalous = ease.  From=20 this alone
one can judge the extent of loose habits.  The = conjugal=20 union
is the fountainhead of all family relations; and since it is = one
of=20 the strongest ties in the social order, it is impossible that
these = ties and=20 relationships shouldn't be weakened or de-
stroyed by easy=20 divorce.
    All American girls or women are fond of = dancing,=20 which
is one of their greatest pleasures.  The men like it = almost=20 as
much.  They indulge in this pleasure, either in the = morning,
from=20 eight to eleven, or the evening from the end of the
day far into the=20 night.
    I believe I have already said elsewhere = that=20 dancing, for
the inhabitants of the United States, is less a matter = of=20 self-            =    =20                =20    p. 290

display than it is of true enjoyment. =  At the=20 same dance you
will see a grandfather, his son and his grandson, but=20 more
often still the grandmother, her daughter and her = grand-
daughter.=20  If a Frenchman comments upon this with surprise,
he is told = that each=20 one dances for his own amusement, and
not because it's the thing to=20 do.            =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             p.=20 291

    Bastards are extremely common in = Philadelphia.=20  There are
two principal reasons for this.  In the first = place, the=20 city is
full of religious sects, but none of them give their = clergy-
men=20 any authority to enforce obedience.  Consequently
there is no = way of=20 inspiring shame in women who become
mothers for no reason except the = pleasure=20 they get out of
it.  In the second place, once an illegitimate = child is=20 twelve
months old, a mother can disembarrass herself of him = by
farming him=20 out for twenty-one years.  This makes it pos-
sible for her to = commit=20 the same sin for a second time.  It
never occurs to her that her = child=20 can never know her, and
that the whole business is shameful. =  Needless=20 to say, when
mothers have such ideas and are so heartless, abortion = is=20 sel-
dom resorted to.        =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20      p. 293

    Before the = Revolution,=20 because of the great numbers of
scalawags and prostitutes who were = coming=20 from London,
Franklin put an open letter to the King of England in=20 his
Philadelphia Gazette, January 13, 1763, saying that in=20 return
he was sending the King an equivalent present of=20 several
rattlesnakes with which to stock his gardens.  And after = the
peace of 1783 a whole shipload of condemned criminals = were
sent over=20 by the English, and promptly sent back to = England....
   =20 Bondwomen or bond girls have the right to charge their
masters with = seduction=20 if the occasion arises.
    The only proof they need, = as in=20 the case of any other
woman, is their own legal statement.  If = the case=20 is proved, the
master is liable for the support of the child and has = to=20 pay
a fine for fornication or adultery--unless the servant = yielded
to him=20 of her own free will, in which case she has no more
claim against him = than=20 any other woman.            =             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20   p. 295

    Women, those of color = especially, seduce=20 young white
girls and sell them to houses used for corrupt practices. =  The
price for such a transaction is ordinarily thirty dollars=20 (one
hundred and eighty francs), of which the purveyor keeps
the = better=20 part.            =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20        p. 302

French colored women live = in the=20 most obnoxious luxury in
Philadelphia, and since this luxury can = only be=20 provided by the
French and by former French colonials, the contrast = of their=20
condition with the misery of the mass of their compatriots is=20 revolting....
In Philadelphia I knew a rich man's widow in whose = home
a=20 Frenchman lodged.  This woman, who had a most modest
demeanor = and was=20 highly regarded in the city, was thirty-two
years old.  She gave = every=20 privilege to this Frenchman, who
knew her weakness for = porcelains.  Her=20 eldest daughter, thir-
teen years old, gave herself to the same man = for a=20 quarter of
a dollar.  A girl of eight years allowed every sort = of=20 indecency
for twelve and a half cents.       =             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20            p.=20 311

    In the "Back Countries" and more remote = sections,=20 young
girls accede almost without hesitation to all caresses of = men
whom=20 they have seen that day for the first time, and whom
they will never = see=20 again.  When Vaustable's squadron was
in Hampton Roads (at which = time I=20 was also in Virginia)
Frenchmen found that in outlying country = districts=20 young
girls allowed and conceded everything except the final = fa-
vor for=20 thirty sous (quarter of a dollar).
    On the evening = of=20 October 16, 1793, a mob formed in St.
Paul Place in New York. =  The house=20 of Mother Carey, public
procuress, was wrecked and torn down, and the = furniture
broken.  Another house of the same sort, run by Mother = Giles,
suffered the same fate.  People who were stationed in the = first
to defend it fired on the assailants and wounded three,=20 one
dangerously.  The Mayor was insulted and threatened = when
he=20 attempted to make the mob disperse.
    At Portsmouth, = Virginia, there are prostitutes gifted with
all the allurements which = men=20 find attractive, but they want
only to drink liquor.  They only = wash=20 themselves in very hot
water.
    Sailors' wives = sold=20 themselves, preferably to Frenchmen.
    Such customs = go hand=20 in hand with peculiarly supersti-
tious ideas.  Philadelphia=20 hairdressers united and petitioned
the Mayor to forbid hairdressing = on=20 Sunday.  This was in
1793.  The French and American = hairdressers=20 signed, but
three Spanish barbers of soldiers at the port failed to = give=20 the
unanimity which the Mayor had demanded and one contin-
ued to=20 hairdress on Sunday.
    When a Quakeress feels = lecherous=20 impulses, she notifies
her husband of it, and does her best to make = him share=20 her
torment.
    The daughters of Quakers are = extremely=20 imprudent, and
frequently get into trouble.
    = Quaker=20 youths are frequent visitors in the houses of ill
fame, which have = multiplied=20 in Philadelphia and are fre-
quented at all hours.  There is = even a=20 certain well-known        =    =20             =    =20           p. 312

gentleman who = leaves his=20 horse tied to the post outside one of
these houses, so that everyone = knows=20 when he is there and
exactly how long he stays.
    = There=20 are streetwalkers of every color.
    When a Quakeress = violates the conjugal bond--which is
only in rare cases--it is, she = says, the=20 evil spirit which is act-
ing; and if she adds that she repents, the = fault is=20 supposed
to be effaced.  American women would not perhaps be=20 very
badly represented by the portrait that Jean Jacques drew = of
Mme. de=20 Varens.14
    In Virginia = women=20 visit each other in their homes for long
periods, even when they live = only=20 short distances apart--
sometimes in the same = town.
   =20 Since 1806 there are streetwalkers of a new sort in = Phila-
delphia. =20 These are very young and very pretty girls, elegantly
dressed, who = promenade=20 two by two, arm in arm and walking
very rapidly, at an hour which = indicates=20 that they aren't just
out for a stroll.  They are found most = commonly on=20 the
south side of Market Street beginning at Fourth Street = and
coming up=20 this street.  Anyone who accosts them is taken to
their home. =  They=20 pretend to be small dressmakers.  They ful-
fill every desire = for two=20 dollars, half of which is supposed to
pay for the use of the=20 room.
    Another sort is also becoming quite = common. =20 Women,
usually well along in age, are known to be procuresses.=20  Any-
one taken to their houses by a reliable friend asks=20 permission
to visit them sometime.  If these duennas are alone, = they=20 are
asked to use their influence to obtain a friend who is = free,
and the=20 girl is chosen by them.  Sometimes the duennas them-
selves = suggest a=20 desirable companion.

    14 Jean = Jacques=20 Rousseau was the acknowledged lover of Mme.=20 de
Varens.  The portrait that = Rousseau=20 drew of her is in the Confessions, = and
pictures=20 a good-natured, sentimental, fairly intelligent woman given=20 to
taking her pleasures wherever she = found=20 them.  Saintsbury calls her = "nomi-
nally a=20 converted protestant ... in reality, as many women of her=20 time
were, a kind of deist, with a = theory of=20 noble sentiment and a practice = of
libertinism=20 tempered by good nature."       =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =     p.=20 313


    The duennas contact the desired person = and=20 report as to
whether or not there is any hope.  They arrange for = women
or young girls whom they debauch in this manner to come
to = their=20 house for the meeting, and such meetings can be re-
peated as often = as=20 desired.  If the patron wants a different
woman, the duenna = provides her=20 with equal complaisance.
    On each occasion of this = sort,=20 the lady who dispenses the
favors is paid three dollars, and she in = turn=20 gives the pro-
curess a dollar for her trouble.
    = If=20 one's desires run to a beautiful person of high rank,
or one more = difficult=20 to persuade, or one supposed to be a
novice at love, higher prices = must be=20 paid, either in money
or in gifts.
    During the = entire=20 diversion, the innocent young thing per-
petually and in cold blood = demands a=20 larger gift, on the
ground that the duenna will require from her a = much=20 heavier
reward for keeping silent.  This is the only language = her=20 ten-
derness speaks.
    But never during your = voluptuous=20 ecstasy should you al-
low yourself to enthuse over the treasures you = are=20 receiving,
because you will get a reply you don't expect--that = she
never=20 dreamed when she yielded to your desires that she
would be treated = like an=20 unchaste person; and your pocket-
book would again have to be used to = dry the=20 flood of tears
brought on by such truly virginal=20 modesty.
    You would encounter a greater and more = dangerous=20 peril
if you should meet your sweet friend anywhere except at
the = place of=20 assignation, and give any signs of knowing her.
She would maintain an = imperturbable sang-froid, and if you
insisted on molesting her, = especially on=20 the street, every-
body would rush to her assistance and only flight = would=20 save
you from being assaulted.
    It is in a = country such=20 as this that syringes, when first im-
ported by French colonists, = seemed a=20 hideous object.  Later
they were put on sale by American=20 apothecaries.  The        =    =20             =    =20              p.=20 314


Quakers were responsible for this change, and were the=20 first
adopters of this custom.
    There is a house = in New=20 York where a woman had found
the detestable secret of attracting = young=20 persons of the fair
sex.  She diligently avoided letting = Frenchmen be=20 admitted,
One of the latter, having learned from a wealthy = merchant
all=20 the details of this house of corruption, presented himself
there, = posing as a=20 foreigner from a country whose language
he spoke=20 marvelously.15
    So well = did he=20 play his role that he was promised a tender
beauty, provided he would = swear=20 eternal silence.  Everything
was discussed and agreed upon. =  The=20 young innocent arrived.
Imagine the amazement of the young man when = he=20 recog-
nized the daughter of the home to which he had brought = a
letter of=20 introduction, the celestial Venus with whom he=20 had
dined!
    What was he to do?  Already the = matter=20 had gone too
far to retreat, and so the final step was taken and=20 happi-
ness put a seal upon his lips.
    To = conclude from=20 what I have reported that there are
not, in the United States, any=20 individuals who are in every
respect virtuous and worthy of the = veneration of=20 all would
be to understand me badly and would be a false=20 interpre-
tation.
    But I say that the customs = which=20 prevail there are not
the most estimable, and here is proof of=20 it:
    When Europeans first came to live in the = United=20 States,
their customs were so respectable that lovers were = per-
mitted a=20 wrapping-up or engagement.16  A young=20 suitor,
whose conduct had been carefully observed, received = from
the=20 parents of his loved one occasional permission over a
period of as = long as=20 ten years to share the bed of her whom he
cherished.  In spite = of this=20 long trial, no virtue was lost, and

   =20 15 I.e., he pretended he wasn't a=20 Frenchman.
    = 16=20 Bundling.         =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20            p. 315


the = suitor=20 was rewarded for his devotion and delicacy by re-
ceiving in marriage = the one=20 he had so religiously respected.
The loving fianc=C3=A9e became the = honored and=20 faithful wife of
a husband whom she had thus nursed along to a=20 condition
of complete happiness.  But this custom, which is not=20 exactly
suited to our French ways, has grown more and more = rare,
and is no=20 longer encountered except in the uttermost con-
fines of Northern = states,=20 where it only exists as a freak.
Forty years ago some Frenchmen who = traveled=20 through
these Northern provinces during the war were permitted
as = a matter=20 of course to share beds where innocence alone
reposed, and I have = heard some=20 of them say that it was
not for their cold bedfellow that the ordeal = had been=20 so diffi-
cult.  But one word of accusation from a young girl, = if=20 they
had ventured on any indiscretion, could have endangered
their = lives.           =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20                p. = 316

    But to the mind of Americans, that which = without=20 excep-
tion denotes the greatest superiority is the possession of=20 a
carriage. Women especially desire them to a degree that = ap-
proaches=20 delirium; and a woman who owns one is very certain
that no other = woman who=20 lacks a carriage will ever be con-
sidered, or ever become, her=20 equal.           =20             =    =20             =    =20             =    =20          p. 334



Source:

Moreau De St. Mery's American Journey=20 [1793-1798], translated and edited by Kenneth and Anna Roberts,=20
Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, = 1947.

Use of=20 this material is being done in accordance with the "Fair use" doctrine = of U.S.=20 copyright law.

This page prepared by Thomas Pollock, aka = Spartacus,=20 Editor of The = Men's=20 Tribune .