Page:Co-operative housekeeping.djvu/8

v Many will be surprised at the undertone of conservative feeling which she exhibits; and we in this country, at least, must feel gratified at the decided leaning manifested toward that which is highest and best amongst ourselves, in preference to the more attractive but less real graces of French Society. Those English ladies who are agitating for political rights will be surprised at the view she takes of that aspect of the question.

As Society here need not be expected to develop in all its issues in the same direction as that of America, such differences may be expected, and their value should be none the less to us that they run counter to our anticipations. The reason of our being at fault here is, that our expectations are based upon insufficient data; not that the laws of development operate differently, and hence the necessity of sometimes taking an internal standpoint for our observations—for from an outside view some of the modifying principles are either overlooked by us altogether or their influence is underrated. We shall best see this illustrated by looking at the mistakes made by Americans in their estimate of European Society, and our authoress has said a few things on this head, which form no exception to the general rule. M. de Tocqueville's words are the best exposition of this tendency, and they form the most graceful excuse for those who unconsciously manifest it. He says: "I have lived a great deal with the people of the United States, and I cannot express how much I admire their experience and good sense. An American should never be led to speak of Europe, for he will then display a vast deal of presumption and very foolish pride. He will take up with those crude and vague notions upon which the ignorant all over the world love to dwell. But if you question him about his own country, the cloud which dimmed his intelligence