lled; they would hardly be so considered by us--were imported
from England or elsewhere. The leading occupations were farming,
fishing, making New England rum, importing rum, sugar, and molasses
from the West Indies, and dry goods from England. The common people were
poor enough, in comparison with the condition of the same class at the
present time, when they make as good an appearance as the wealthy did a
hundred years ago. It would be safe to say that they have more comforts
and conveniences in their homes to-day than the more prosperous had at
the time of the Revolution. The humorist, John Phenix, said that "Gen'l
Washington never saw a steamboat, nor rode in a railroad car;" and
possibly his house was not heated by steam, or furnished with pipes for
hot and cold water. Nor did he ever use gas, or the telegraph or
telephone. Whether the people who lived then would have shown the
extravagance which characterizes our time if they had possessed the
means, is a question not easily to be answered; but it is certain they
were more frugal than we are, if not more industrious. The Revolution
left the masses of the people in rather a destitute condition, and they
were forced to be economical. Their habits were so entirely different
from modern habits that it would exceed our limits to undertake to draw
a careful comparison. It is said that the people of those days bewailed
the degeneracy of the times, and spoke of the industry and frugality of
earlier periods.

NORWICH, May 6, 1784.

A correspondent observes, that the extravagances of the
present day are fully demonstrated in the broadcloth coats
and silk gowns,--the powder and feathers, the ruffles and
cardinals, the silk stockings and feet trappings--In the
feasts, the dancing parties and select companies--and what
is the more melancholy, all orders and degrees help form the
circle.--Where is the simplicity in dress and manners;
temperance in meats and drinks, which formed the virtuous
characters of our illustrious ancestors?--O! the degeneracy
of the times!

_Salem Gazette._

Just as our ancestors did, as Macaulay says, in the days of Charles the
First; they thought they were not as good as their ancestors had been.
This habit of looking back to a time so remote that "distance lends
enchantment to the view," seems to be almost universal. It is this