Identifier: peopleofdestinya00gibb (find matches)
Title: People of destiny; Americans as I saw them at home and abroad
Year: 1920 (1920s)
Authors: Gibbs, Philip, 1877-1962
Subjects: National characteristics, American United States -- Social life and customs
Publisher: New York, London, Harper & brothers
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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new hat? and laughs when, withgrave eyes, he expresses sympathy with herhusband. Twenty years ago he was servingbehind the counter in a dry-goods store.Now he has a million dollars to his credit.Everybody brightens at this story of suc-cess. The fact that a man starts as abutcher-boy or a bell-boy is all in his favorin social prestige. There is no snobbishness,contemptuous of humble origin, and I founda spirit of good-natured democracy amongthe people I watched in the local bank. Competing with the bank in architecturaldignity is the village post-office, generally ofwhite stone, or wood, with the local Roll ofHonor on the green outside, and, inside, anumber of picture-posters calling to thepatriotism of the American people to sup-port the Liberty Loan—the fifth when I wasthere. Small boys at the counter are buyingthrift stamps. Chauffeurs who have drivendown from country houses are collecting theletters of the family from lockers, with pri-vate keys. College girls are exchanging 72
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THE SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE OF AN AMERICAN POST-OFFICE

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