north america-1-第1章

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North　America…Volume　1
by　Anthony　Trollope


CONTENTS　OF　VOL。　I。

CHAPTER　I。
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER　II。
NewportRhode　Island
CHAPTER　III。
Maine；　New　Hampshire；　and　Vermont
CHAPTER　IV。
Lower　Canada
CHAPTER　V。
Upper　Canada
CHAPTER　VI。
The　Connection　of　the　Canadas　with　Great　Britain
CHAPTER　VII。
Niagara
CHAPTER　VIII。
North　and　West
CHAPTER　IX。
From　Niagara　to　the　Mississippi
CHAPTER　X。
The　Upper　Mississippi
CHAPTER　XI。
Ceres　Americana
CHAPTER　XII。
Buffalo　to　New　York
CHAPTER　XIII。
An　Apology　for　the　War
CHAPTER　XIV。
New　York
CHAPTER　XV。
The　Constitution　of　the　State　of　New　York
CHAPTER　XVI。
Boston
CHAPTER　XVII。
Cambridge　and　Lowell
CHAPTER　XVIII。
The　Rights　of　Women
CHAPTER　XIX。
Education
CHAPTER　XX。
From　Boston　to　Washington


NORTH　AMERICA。

CHAPTER　I。　INTRODUCTION。

It　has　been　the　ambition　of　my　literary　life　to　write　a　book　about　the　United　States；　and　I　had　made　up　my　mind　to　visit　the　country　with　this　object　before　the　intestine　troubles　of　the　United　States　government　had　commenced。　　I　have　not　allowed　the　division　among　the　States　and　the　breaking　out　of　civil　war　to　interfere　with　my　intention；　but　I　should　not　purposely　have　chosen　this　period　either　for　my　book　or　for　my　visit。　　I　say　so　much；　in　order　that　it　may　not　be　supposed　that　it　is　my　special　purpose　to　write　an　account　of　the　struggle　as　far　as　it　has　yet　been　carried。　　My　wish　is　to　describe；　as　well　as　I　can；　the　present　social　and　political　state　of　the　country。　　This　I　should　have　attempted；　with　more　personal　satisfaction　in　the　work；　had　there　been　no　disruption　between　the　North　and　South；　but　I　have　not　allowed　that　disruption　to　deter　me　from　an　object　which；　if　it　were　delayed；　might　probably　never　be　carried　out。　　I　am　therefore　forced　to　take　the　subject　in　its　present　condition；　and　being　so　forced　I　must　write　of　the　war；　of　the　causes　which　have　led　to　it；　and　of　its　probable　termination。　　But　I　wish　it　to　be　understood　that　it　was　not　my　selected　task　to　do　so；　and　is　not　now　my　primary　object。　Thirty　years　ago　my　mother　wrote　a　book　about　the　Americans；　to　which　I　believe　I　may　allude　as　a　well…known　and　successful　work　without　being　guilty　of　any　undue　family　conceit。　　That　was　essentially　a　woman's　book。　　She　saw　with　a　woman's　keen　eye；　and　described　with　a　woman's　light　but　graphic　pen；　the　social　defects　and　absurdities　which　our　near　relatives　had　adopted　into　their　domestic　life。　　All　that　she　told　was　worth　the　telling；　and　the　telling；　if　done　successfully；　was　sure　to　produce　a　good　result。　I　am　satisfied　that　it　did　so。　　But　she　did　not　regard　it　as　a　part　of　her　work　to　dilate　on　the　nature　and　operation　of　those　political　arrangements　which　had　produced　the　social　absurdities　which　she　saw；　or　to　explain　that　though　such　absurdities　were　the　natural　result　of　those　arrangements　in　their　newness；　the　defects　would　certainly　pass　away；　while　the　political　arrangements；　if　good；　would　remain。　　Such　a　work　is　fitter　for　a　man　than　for　a　woman；　I　am　very　far　from　thinking　that　it　is　a　task　which　I　can　perform　with　satisfaction　either　to　myself　or　to　others。　　It　is　a　work　which　some　man　will　do　who　has　earned　a　right　by　education；　study；　and　success　to　rank　himself　among　the　political　sages　of　his　age。　　But　I　may　perhaps　be　able　to　add　something　to　the　familiarity　of　Englishmen　with　Americans。　　The　writings　which　have　been　most　popular　in　England　on　the　subject　of　the　United　States　have　hitherto　dealt　chiefly　with　social　details；　and　though　in　most　cases　true　and　useful；　have　created　laughter　on　one　side　of　the　Atlantic；　and　soreness　on　the　other。　　if　I　could　do　anything　to　mitigate　the　soreness；　if　I　could　in　any　small　degree　add　to　the　good　feeling　which　should　exist　between　two　nations　which　ought　to　love　each　other　so　well；　and　which　do　hang　upon　each　other　so　constantly；　I　should　think　that　I　had　cause　to　be　proud　of　my　work。　But　it　is　very　hard　to　write　about　any　country　a　book　that　does　not　represent　the　country　described　in　a　more　or　less　ridiculous　point　of　view。　　It　is　hard　at　least　to　do　so　in　such　a　book　as　I　must　write。　　A　de　Tocqueville　may　do　it。　　It　may　be　done　by　any　philosophico…political　or　politico…statistical；　or　statistico…　scientific　writer；　but　it　can　hardly　be　done　by　a　man　who　professes　to　use　a　light　pen；　and　to　manufacture　his　article　for　the　use　of　general　readers。　　Such　a　writer　may　tell　all　that　he　sees　of　the　beautiful；　but　he　must　also　tell；　if　not　all　that　he　sees　of　the　ludicrous；　at　any　rate　the　most　piquant　part　of　it。　　How　to　do　this　without　being　offensive　is　the　problem　which　a　man　with　such　a　task　before　him　has　to　solve。　　His　first　duty　is　owed　to　his　readers；　and　consists　mainly　in　this：　that　he　shall　tell　the　truth；　and　shall　so　tell　that　truth　that　what　he　has　written　may　be　readable。　But　a　second　duty　is　due　to　those　of　whom　he　writes；　and　he　does　not　perform　that　duty　well　if　he　gives　offense　to　those　as　to　whom；　on　the　summing　up　of　the　whole　evidence　for　and　against　them　in　his　own　mind；　he　intends　to　give　a　favorable　verdict。　　There　are　of　course　those　against　whom　a　writer　does　not　intend　to　give　a　favorable　verdict；　people　and　places　whom　he　desires　to　describe；　on　the　peril　of　his　own　judgment；　as　bad；　ill　educated；　ugly；　and　odious。　　In　such　cases　his　course　is　straightforward　enough。　　His　judgment　may　be　in　great　peril；　but　his　volume　or　chapter　will　be　easily　written。　　Ridicule　and　censure　run　glibly　from　the　pen；　and　form　themselves　into　sharp　paragraphs　which　are　pleasant　to　the　reader。　　Whereas　eulogy　is　commonly　dull；　and　too　frequently　sounds　as　though　it　were　false。　　There　is　much　difficulty　in　expressing　a　verdict　which　is　intended　to　be　favorable；　but　which；　though　favorable；　shall　not　be　falsely　eulogistic；　and　though　true；　not　offensive。　Who　has　ever　traveled　in　foreign　countries　without　meeting　excellent　stories　against　the　citizens　of　such　countries？　　And　how　few　can　travel　without　hearing　such　stories　against　themselves！　　It　is　impossible　for　me　to　avoid　telling　of　a　very　excellent　gentleman　whom　I　met　before　I　had　been　in　the　United　States　a　week；　and　who　asked　me　whether　lords　in　England　ever　spoke　to　men　who　were　not　lords。　　Nor　can　I　omit　the　opening　address　of　another　gentleman　to　my　wife。　　〃You　like　our　institutions；　ma'am？〃　　〃Yes；　indeed；〃　said　my　wife；　not　with　all　that　eagerness　of　assent　which　the　occasion　perhaps　required。　　〃Ah；〃　said　he；　〃I　never　yet　met　the　down…trodden　subject　of　a　despot　who　did　not　hug　his　chains。〃　　The　first　gentleman　was　certainly　somewhat　ignorant　of　our　customs；　and　the　second　was　rather　abrupt　in　his　condemnation　of　the　political　principles　of　a　person　whom　he　only　first　saw　at　that　moment。　　It　comes　to　me　in　the　way　of　my　trade　to　repeat　such　incidents；　but　I　can　tell　stories　which　are　quite　as　good　against　Englishmen。　　As；　for　instance；　when　I　was　tapped　on　the　back　in　one　of　the　galleries　of　Florence　by　a　countryman　of　mine；　and　asked　to　show　him　where　stood　the　medical　Venus。　　Nor　is　anything　that　one　can　say　of　the　inconveniences　attendant　upon　travel　in　the　United　States　to　be　beaten　by　what　foreigners　might　truly　say　of　us。　　I　shall　never　forget　the　look　of　a　Frenchman　whom　I　found　on　a　wet　afternoon　in　the　best　inn　of　a　provincial　town　in　the　west　of　England。　　He　was　seated　on　a　horsehair…covered　chair　in　the　middle　of　a　small；　dingy；　ill…furnished　private　sitting…room。　　No　eloquence　of　mine　could　make　intelligible　to　a　Frenchman　or　an　American　the　utter　desolation　of　such　an　apartment。　　The　world　as　then　seen　by　that　Frenchman　offered　him　solace　of　no　description。　　The　air　without　was　heavy；　dull；　and　thick。　　The　street　beyond　the　window　was　dark　and　narrow。　　The　room　contained　mahogany　chairs　covered　with　horse…　hair；　a　mahogany　table；　rickety　in　its　legs；　and　a　mahogany　sideboard　ornamented　with　inverted　glasses　and　old　cruet…stands。　The　Frenchman　had　come　to　the　house　for　shelter　and　food；　and　had　been　asked　whether　he　was　commercial。　　Whereupon　he　shook　his　head。　〃Did　he　want　a　sitting…room？〃　　Yes；　he　did。　　〃He　was　a　leetle　tired　and　vanted　to　seet。〃　　Whereupon　he　was　presumed　to　have　ordered　a　private　room；　and　was　shown　up　to　the　Eden　I　have　described。　　I　found　him　there