Educational institutions and schools. - Dearth of religion instruction. - Frolics. - Dances. - Public sales. -Target shooting. - Fights. - About the morality and immorality of the Americans.

What many an author praises about the educational institutions of the Americans and also the praiseworthy things he says about upbringing at home is in part basically false, in part exaggerated and one has to think of the Germans there as almost totally excluded from it. Where good upbringing exists the results of it show in life and conduct in a decent, moral bearing and behavior; and where that is lacking no rational person could indeed come to the conclusion that the people had received a good upbringing. This is lacking, however, in the United States generally more or less. The states of New England, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire are distinguished by an outward moral behavior, especially by a quiet, mild disposition, but also by tit for tat, for everywhere one hears of sly, crafty deception and of Yankee tricks. In my opinion, however, the city of Philadelphia has the edge in the whole United States, especially in what pertains to outward, decent disposition.

Upbringing and education in the respectable as well as in the least and in the middle class has to be based on religion. If this is not the case, it does not deserve the name. But just let one read all the bulletins of educational institutions in the United States. They state about the female educational institution in New York, Boston or whereever else it might be: "The courses of instruction are: grammatically correct reading and writing, mathematics, drawing, map sketching, geography and astronomy, oil and velvet painting, world and American history, French and Italian language, singing, pianoforte, harp playing and fine, feminine work." - Praise for the college and schools for the male sex has no end and one is supposed to believe that America with its universities and academies surpasses the whole world and yet in them mostly only half-educated persons are trained; nothing at all can be said about thorough knowledge. In like manner one boasts about the newly introduced free schools (elementary schools): "Nowhere is the humane public mind of the American expressed so clearly as in these schools," it is said of them. "Also reading, writing, arithmetic and others are taught there and that with the greatest patience and by respectable men, jurists," etc. That all sounds splendid. But one misses unfortunately! unfortunately! in all the printed and oral reports about that which is taught in all schools the chief course, namely religion; in all the schools it is totally forgotten. One can travel through the United States hither and yon and on such travels visit all the schools and one will not find even one in which a religion period is given. High and low, educated and uneducated, rich and poor in all regions of the United States consider religion instruction in the schools as unnecessary and irrelevant. This is the reason that people there have the most miserable concepts of religion; and this is again the reason that more and more new sects are being formed so that they become innumerable and also that the group of those who profess no religion at all becomes all the bigger. Several years ago a sect was formed which, as the Jews, worship on Saturday. They said "God commanded worship on the seventh day of the week and not the first; the Bible says nowhere that we should worship on the first day," etc. These people read the Bible at times and in addition learn to contemplate it somewhat; but because it was never explained to them in their youth, they often read the greatest nonsense into their heads.

Only there where in the schools religion is presented to the child early with warmth and is constantly accompanied with good examples of the teacher, which is the chief thing, where the child is truly spoken to from the heart; where the teacher is not satisfied that the pupil can answer his questions and has the right conceptions of what is being taught to him, but rather quite specially makes the heart receptive to all that is true and good and nothing lies closer to his heart than that his pupils be educated into truly religious and devout people, - only there where this is the case can the preacher work much good through his religious talks and further the morality of men, because they are then prepared for his teachings. But where this is lacking; where one believes he can do without religion instruction in the schools and is of the opinion that this is just a matter for the preacher in the pulpit as unfortunately! is the case in all of the United States; where people are still centuries behind in that which pertains to religion and morality and keep on going back even further; there the collapse of morals also becomes constantly greater, leads to irreligion and finally plunges men into endless decay.

Practical religion instruction in the schools, according to my complete conviction, is to the welfare of a people what the foundation is to the house. Just as foolish as it would be to build a big and tall building on the sandy bank of a big river without laying a strong, sturdy foundation through masonry, just that foolish it also is if one does not lay religion as the foundation of the welfare of an entire people. Indeed, experience teaches this too; the histories of all time point it out. With difficulty will the United States of North America whose constitution now exists for something longer than fifty years still have this constitution after fifty more years because they misuse the freedom which is the greatest earthly fortune for the comprehending, but for the uncomprehending, the immoral, the heretic and the fool it is a vain fancy and a sad gift which makes him still more unfortunate than slavery.

The level of the moral culture of the Americans shows especially at their entertainments and primarily at balls which in the country there are called frolics or at other gatherings as auctions which are called vendues there. To both everyone goes, old and young. At a frolic the music consists of one or two fiddles which often set into motion fifteen to twenty dancers at once. These fiddlers play about three, at the most four pieces the whole night through. The dance, however, is only a miserable tripping, a wild running together without any rules. Youths as well as girls go to the ball well-dressed with the burning cigar and they dance that way too. The old ones shoot at the target in which the youths also take part before the dance begins; they shoot either for a deer, a fat ox or for something else whereby I wondered at the extraordinary skill of the Americans in shooting. Before such a frolic or vendue begins there is especially much talk about who wants to fight at the same, for that is their chief pleasure, when two men of equal strength physically wrestle, scuffle, push, step on, press out each other's eyes, etc. This the German-American calls a fight, as he also always calls the battle of animals a fight. There one always hears the people say: "You, John, Pitt, Sam, haven't you heard who's going to fight at the frolic?" Or: "You, Jonathan, Pensch, Abraham, who's going to fight in the ring at the vendue?" "Ei, I don't know, Bill Merkel and Joe Teischer? - That's a couple of strong guys, they've often fought already, etc."

At a vendue so much whiskey is given at no cost as the people want to drink, also often rum which they call dramm and cider. The vendues are announced in the newspapers and there a great lot of people from near and far usually gather at it, the least to buy something, the most, however, to guzzle or, what is even worse, to carry on lasciviousness. Indecency is almost boundless there and the vice of whoring commonplace; one is ashamed to describe it precisely. A percentage, however, go to the frolic or the vendue for this reason, in order to avenge himself to someone there who at some time insulted him and with whom he stands in animosity; they carry on considerably in order to, as they say, make it up, namely through a single match. They attack each other, after they have first gotten courage through a good portion of fiery drinks, at first with words as though they were joking, and out of that comes a little scuffle, but always still to be viewed as joking until some rough boxes on the ear or kicks with the feet follow; in this consists the attack. Then first one challenges the other, usually with the words: "would you like to fight?" "Ei, I think so," says the other. "Do we want to try?" says the first. "Ei, I think so too," replies the other. Then each one still drinks quietly a good glass of rum and, according to American custom, a glass of water afterwards. Then both of them take their coats off, remove their hats, untie their heavy scarves and go into the open; the entire big company follows them there and forms a circle. Then the two first attack each other again as before, grab each other at the chest to check first who stands the surest. This gives the farmers standing around an occasion to bet on whether John or Jake will be the winner. Boxes on the ear or kicks with the feet which one or the other of the two fighters first gives embitter the other and then both become properly furious and scuffle, hit, kick, scratch and bite each other so that often, by the time one of them is down, he no longer looks like himself, for his face and hands are often totally colored with blood and his articles of clothing and shirt torn into vain shreds. At times they bite off each other's fingers and ears, give each other bumps and bruises, not seldom ruin their reproductive organs in that they grab ahold of them and turn them like ropes; and a few years ago they also started pressing out their eyes after the fashion of the Virginians and the Kentuckians. Even if the one fighter in the match is down, he still gets blows and kicks from his victor and is otherwise mistreated until he shouts; enough! enough! Up to that point the ones standing around view the whole show completely quietly. But as soon as the call Enough! is heard the loser is given protection in case his superior does not leave him on his own which, however, takes place immediately in the majority of cases. Often, if both parties come away from it without major injury and the conquered has again drunk new courage, he regards it as chance that he was put down and addresses his conquerer anew with the words: "do we want to try it once again?" "That's all right by me," (it's all the same to me or one and the same) says the other and fight goes on again in the way described. Often at a frolic two or three parties fight. If one is thereby injured so very much that he has need of the doctor, which is not seldom the case, then usually the perpetrator willingly pays the costs of healing and seldom lets the charge come to the justice of the peace; I also do not remember that one such charge ever came before the court, because a trial before the court costs much money. For making a decision for someone with several words the lawyer often takes four to five dollars. Every person who wants to have a trial in court has to show the justice of the peace that he has sufficient means or establish a certain surety or take an oath of his case right on the spot. Before the court the first case for a party comes to twenty to forty dollars and often still higher. A single trial can cost the richest farmer his whole estate which is not seldom the case.

The thirst for revenge I have found nowhere as boundless as in Pennsylvania among the country people. Whoever has an enemy will in time take care where he stays and get out of his way even into another circle, otherwise that person will sooner or later avenge himself on him terribly. No thought at all is given to reconciliation. The enemy or the one insulted avenges himself still after many years if he does not find opportunity for it earlier. Should two come together in a trial, one would hear from both the words: "One of us two has to be squelched, I or you." Examples became known to me that the neighbors poisoned the cattle in the meadow or also in many other ways inflicted the greatest damage. Those who think better of it remain quiet out of human fear about the most vile disgraceful acts so that the base persons do not exercise their vengeance on them.

Deceptions and false oaths are the order of the day; and trust and faith have come almost completely into disuse. I have experienced and seen the most atrocious examples of this, at which dread and horror came over me. The oath has lost its holy aspect there of which the way of swearing naturally has something to do with the reason too. For to him who is supposed to swear no warning against perjury is read in advance, as with us, but rather only briefly that which he is supposed to swear; then one places the New Testament in his hands and says: "kiss the book!" The kissing of the book therefore is the complete formula of the oath. Several times I have been an eyewitness to this and myself once had to take an oath there before court. How then can the oath be holy to a man and how can it instill reverence in such a man who indeed in his whole life never once heard what the oath is and what it means because in his childhood he was not instructed in religion? Should these people get into the circumstance where they can gain earthly advantages through a false oath or deceive those who believe them, then they do it without thinking. The many examples that became known to me there testify terribly to this.

In buying and selling in business and trade one constantly has to employ the greatest caution and especially there where agreements are made to draw up everything in writing and with great consideration and caution so that the smallest evasion is no longer possible and not even the smallest thing be taken on trust and faith, otherwise one will be deceived, for a simple word means nothing to most of them; what a person swears in one hour he disavows again in the next when he regrets having sworn it. I myself have had the most unfortunate experiences of this kind. This causes the sly American a gratifying joy, indeed he even attaches honor to it if he succeeds in taking advantage of others through cunning and craftiness; whoever understands this correctly is called a clever fellow there! If this were true cleverness, then the question once brought up in Congress: "whether the citizens of the United States are not the most enlightened nation of the whole earth?" could perhaps be answered with yes.

With the monstrous rampant spirit, the craving to take advantage of others prevailing everywhere there, and with the innumerable instances of fraud and deception one must highly wonder that thefts of other kinds occur far more seldom than among us. Never did I hear anything there of a theft by breaking into a house. Field and garden thefts occur only extremely seldom. The farmer leaves wagons and plows with their complete gear and also other equipment without second thought in his fields overnight, often very far from his dwelling; barn, house and garden equipment one leaves standing, lying and hanging outside the house day and night; for example shovels, rakes, scythes, axes, hatchets, chains and the like. All tradespeople that work outside the house leave all their equipment and tools lying where they work, even overnight without thinking twice. Even at busy streets I found that carpenters and masons when they quit work and went home left all the tools of their trade lying there overnight where they worked. One even often leaves the wash hung up in the open to dry outside of the house hanging the night through without guarding it. Also I never heard anything of a band of thieves and just as Iittle of a street robbery. Of horse thievery taking place, however, I read many times in the newspapers as also of wood thefts; namely that beautiful trees to be used as finished wood were stolen out of the farmer's woods.

Wanton cursing and swearing I found worse nowhere as in many regions of Pennsylvania among the German country folk; they excel in it by far more than even the German sailors. They have so accustomed themselves to the same that many among them, without any instigation, are unable to say ten words without injecting a curse or oath, without being aware of it. Not only grown-ups but also small children as soon as they can speak also curse and swear. "Look here, I'll be damned; look here, I'll get the plague; by God or as true as God lives; look here, may the devil take me; I never want to leave here; or may you get a thousand plagues, you damned bitch, boar," etc. Thus one already hears small children at play curse, swear and scold and no one is surprised by it, one is used to it and believes it belongs to life as eating and drinking. Unfortunately in most cases one does not know how to properly distinguish the decent from the indecent, the bad from the good because these people in their youth were not properly educated in the schools and completely did without religion instruction. Upbringing at home cannot take place and where it does, there it is even worse than none at all. Whoever himself grew up without upbringing and instruction can also not reasonably train his children. The greatest indecencies and revulsion-causing behavior one see almost in every home of the German and native Americans. Belching, for example, during and after eating is one of the most disgusting habits of these sluggish people and it must induce the most repugnant feelings in one when one hears a physically attractive and pretty young lady belch as though a big turtle were bellowing, alternating with an unpleasant swishing sound caused by forcing the food out through the teeth and soon thereafter following yawning with wide gaping mouth so that one could throw a ball into it, joined with wide outstretched and high upheld arms and a cry that makes one's ears ring. Similar indecencies and laxities I could still tell in great supply, but from those named one can get enough of an idea and withhold others. It is really a shame for these physically superior, well-built people that they are so far behind in spiritual education.

The greeting consists generally in the words: "How are you?" and at departure it is: "Farewell!" To "How are you?" is answered: "so, so;" and to "Farewell!" again "Farewell." Our way of greeting and expressing oneself is completely unknown there. Whoever makes use of it is given no reply. Neighbors, relatives, good friends and acquaintances greet each other seldom or not at all. I have seen that grown and married children visited their parents and siblings from a distance, whom they had not seen for some time; they came into the room without saying a word, went to the stove and lit their cigar, took a chair and sat down on it as they do there and often first after the lapse of several minutes the father or the mother asked: "Well, did you finally come over?" Answer: "Yes, I thought I finally wanted to walk over." After a good while the mother asks: "The walking went fairly well?" Answer: "Yes, the way is nice, I ran quite a bit part way."

Such a cold reticence and laxity comes across in the beginning to every better cultivated German as altogether disgusting and I cannot say how I felt every time when many persons came into the room to me without greeting and often conducted themselves so impolitely, especially if they were people of whom I expected more. Once a number of people gathered in my living room on a Sunday before the service. A young preacher who was to conduct the service and who first conversed with the people with a burning cigar, sat down on my table and after a short while lay down on the same with boot and spurs, as long as he was grown. It angered me that even he could do something like that, but I controlled myself because it was a native American who didn't know any better. This was often done already by farm boys, also I had sometimes seen it in farmhouses and very often in inns, but I never thought such a thing possible of a preacher.

The vice of drunkenness I found nowhere as terrible and to such a degree as there, especially among the lower class of people. The more they earn, the more they squander again. They work one, at the most two days and then three or four days long they indulge again in hotels until everything again is through the gullet. There were people known to me whose earnings one could calculate very well and which brought them 500 dollars annually, but with it all they had nothing left, but rather everything was drunk up and squandered. Often one runs into fifteen to twenty such people together in hotels who are all drunk and within three days have not become sober at all until the moneybag is empty; only then do they start to work again. In the country one sees the terrible inclination to drink very clearly too in communal work, for example at harvest where a farmer often has fifty to sixty workers in the field at the same time; for towards noon a third of the male sex is already lying around unconscious in the field, and in the afternoon at 3 or 4 o'clock scarcely a third is still capable of work. These often have to quit earlier to take the unconscious ones to shelter. The whole day brandy and water is drunk because beer brewing is done only very little and for this reason the farmer gives his people as much brandy as each one wants to drink.

Nothing is more ludicrous about the American than his pitiful pride and his more than childish vanity. No one stands out more in this than the well-to-do and rich farmer; at each opportunity he lets his pride show. Often I wished I could paint, in order to portray the Americans accurately as they look over their shoulder at a German who is not yet a citizen of the United States when such a one does not praise what is not to be praised. "How do you like it in this country?" everyone to whom one comes asks, and expects that one should highly extol, acclaim and praise everything that is American-republican but by contrast disdain Germany. Whoever then does this (most do), such a one is pleasant and is accepted in a friendly way. The American asks further; "from which kingdom are you?" and when he has heard, then he asks: "will there soon be a war in Germany again?" If the German emigrant then says, indeed, he believes almost with certainty that war will soon break out, then the American fetches dram (rum), whisky and cider to the table, for nothing brings the American farmer more joy than when he hears that there will be war in Germany because that lets him hope that grain prices will go up again. Then he starts in: "you Germans are all slaves, you all have to work only for your king, but here is freedom! here we have no king, here we work for ourselves! Do you have pigs over there too? I thought ten farmers butcher one pig!" If the German always agrees with him, then he stays in a good mood, but if he just once disagrees with him then he grows silent and looks proudly and stealthily over his shoulder at the German so that he is supposed to be frightened. In the former case he continues his conversation and asks further: "And in Germany do you have good horses too?" Oh yes! says the German; but because he now knows with whom he is dealing, he adds: "but here they are far better." "Yes" says the American, "you have to give the best ones to your king for war. Do you have chickens and turkeys too?" Yes, says the German then, but by far not as many as here. Answer: "That's just what I thought, for the king takes the best and the next best the gentlemen" (the nobility in general, the distinguished).

Thus the American goes through everything with the German emigrant and if he always only agrees with him and constantly criticizes his fatherland but by contrast praises and extols America, then he will also show him his horses and the rest of the livestock and his implements too. The German, however, has to praise everything and call everything splendid, beautiful and admirable, which means in many cases to acclaim the American way against hill own conviction and disdain the German. Whoever does not want to and cannot do this is not loved there. I could not and for that reason I was also not able as an individual to become rightly happy among that people.Source: Edited by Bryan Wright