A FRENCHMAN IN AMERICA.

A FRENCHMAN IN AMERICA

Recollections of Men and Things

BY

MAX O’RELL

AUTHOR OF “JONATHAN AND HIS CONTINENT,” “JOHN BULL, JUNIOR,” “JACQUES BONHOMME,” “JOHN BULL AND HIS ISLAND,” ETC.

WITH OVER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ILLUSTRATIONS BY E. W. KEMBLE

NEW YORK CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY 104 & 106 Fourth Avenue

Copyright, 1891, by CASSELL PUBLISHING COMPANY. All rights reserved.

THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS,

RAHWAY, N. J.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER. PAGE.

I.—Departure—The Atlantic—Demoralization of the “Boarders”—Betting—The Auctioneer—An Inquisitive Yankee, 1

II.—Arrival of the Pilot—First Look at American Newspapers, 11

III.—Arrival—The Custom House—Things Look Bad—The Interviewers—First Visits—Things Look Brighter—“O Vanity of Vanities,” 14

IV.—Impressions of American Hotels, 25

V.—My Opening Lecture—Reflections on Audiences I Have Had—The Man who Won’t Smile—The One who Laughs too Soon, and Many Others, 37

VI.—A Connecticut Audience—Merry Meriden—A Hard Pull, 48

VII—A Tempting Offer—The Thursday Club—Bill Nye—Visit to Young Ladies’ Schools—The Players’ Club, 52

VIII.—The Flourishing of Coats-of-Arms in America—Reflections Thereon—Forefathers Made to Order—The Phonograph at Home—The Wealth of New York—Departure for Buffalo, 60

IX.—Different Ways of Advertising a Lecture—American Impressarios and Their Methods, 66

X.—Buffalo—The Niagara Falls—A Frost—Rochester to the Rescue of Buffalo—Cleveland—I Meet Jonathan—Phantasmagoria, 74

XI.—A Great Admirer—Notes on Railway Traveling—Is America a Free Nation?—A Pleasant Evening in New York, 81

XII.—Notes on American Women—Comparisons—How Men Treat Women and Vice Versa—Scenes and Illustrations, 90

XIII.—More about Journalism in America—A Dinner at Delmonico’s—My First Appearance in an American Church, 110

XIV.—Marcus Aurelius in America—Chairmen I Have Had—American, English, and Scotch Chairmen—One who had Been to Boulogne—Talkative and Silent Chairmen—A Trying Occasion—The Lord is Asked to Allow the Audience to See my Points, 124

XV.—Reflections on the Typical American, 137

XVI.—I am Asked to Express Myself Freely on America—I Meet Mrs. Blank and for the First Time Hear of Mr. Blank—Beacon Street Society—The Boston Clubs, 149

XVII.—A Lively Sunday in Boston—Lecture in the Boston Theater—Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes—The Booth-Modjeska Combination, 156

XVIII—St. Johnsbury—The State of Maine—New England Self-control—Cold Climates and Frigid Audiences—Where is the Audience?—All Drunk!—A Reminiscence of a Scotch Audience on a Saturday Night, 163

XIX.—A Lovely Ride to Canada—Quebec, a Corner of Old France Strayed up and Lost in the Snow—The French Canadians—The Parties in Canada—Will the Canadians become Yankees? 172

XX.—Montreal—The City—Mount Royal—Canadian Sports—Ottawa—The Government—Rideau Hall, 182

XXI.—Toronto—The City—The Ladies—The Sports—Strange Contrasts—The Canadian Schools, 191

XXII.—West Canada—Relations between British and Indians—Return to the United States—Difficulties in the Way—Encounter with an American Custom-House Officer, 196

XXIII.—Chicago (First Visit)—The “Neighborhood” of Chicago—The History of Chicago—Public Servants—A Very Deaf Man, 203

XXIV.—St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Sister Cities—Rivalries and Jealousies between Large American Cities—Minnehaha Falls—Wonderful Interviewers—My Hat gets into Trouble Again—Electricity in the Air—Forest Advertisements—Railway Speed in America, 214

XXV.—Detroit—The Town—The Detroit “Free Press”—A Lady Interviewer—The “Unco Guid” in Detroit—Reflections on the Anglo-Saxon “Unco Guid,” 222

XXVI.—Milwaukee—A Well-filled Day—Reflections on the Scotch in America—Chicago Criticisms, 236

XXVII.—The Monotony of Traveling in the States—“Manon Lescaut” in America, 244

XXVIII.—For the First Time I See an American Paper Abuse Me—Albany to New York—A Lecture at Daly’s Theater—Afternoon Audiences, 248

XXIX.—Wanderings Through New York—Lecture at the Harmonie Club—Visit to the Century Club, 255

XXX.—Visit to the Brooklyn Academy of Music—Rev. Dr. Talmage, 257

XXXI.—Virginia—The Hotels—The South—I will Kill a Railway Conductor before I Leave America—Philadelphia—Impressions of the Old City, 263

XXXII.—My Ideas of the State of Texas—Why I will not Go There—The Story of a Frontier Man, 274

XXXIII.—Cincinnati—The Town—The Suburbs—A German City—“Over the Rhine”—What is a Good Patriot?—An Impressive Funeral—A Great Fire—How It Appeared to Me, and How It Appeared to the Newspaper Reporters, 279

XXXIV.—A Journey if you Like—Terrible Encounter with an American Interviewer, 296

XXXV.—The University of Indiana—Indianapolis—The Veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic on the Spree—A Marvelous Equilibrist, 306

XXXVI.—Chicago (Second Visit)—Vassili Verestchagin’s Exhibition—The “Angelus”—Wagner and Wagnerites—Wanderings About the Big City—I Sit on the Tribunal, 311

XXXVII.—Ann Arbor—The University of Michigan—Detroit Again—The French Out of France—Oberlin College, Ohio—Black and White—Are All American Citizens Equal? 322

XXXVIII.—Mr. and Mrs. Kendal in New York—Joseph Jefferson—Julian Hawthorne—Miss Ada Rehan—“As You Like It” at Daly’s Theater, 330

XXXIX.—Washington—The City—Willard’s Hotel—The Politicians—General Benjamin Harrison, U. S. President—Washington Society—Baltimore—Philadelphia, 332

XL.—Easter Sunday in New York, 342

XLI.—I Mount the Pulpit and Preach on the Sabbath, in the State of Wisconsin—The Audience is Large and Appreciative; but I Probably Fail to Please One of the Congregation, 347

XLII.—The Origin of American Humor and Its Characteristics—The Sacred and the Profane—The Germans and American Humor—My Corpse Would “Draw,” in my Impressario’s Opinion, 353

XLIII.—Good-by to America—Not “Adieu,” but “Au Revoir”—On Board the Teutonic—Home Again, 361

A Frenchman in America.