north america-1-第38章

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nter；　lit　my　cigar；　and　struck　into　the　debate　then　proceeding　on　the　subject　of　the　war。　　I　was　getting　West；　and　General　Fremont　was　the　hero　of　the　hour。　　〃He's　a　frontier　man；　and　that's　what　we　want。　　I　guess　he'll　about　go　through。　　Yes；　sir。〃　　〃As　for　relieving　General　Fre…mont；〃　（with　the　accent　always　strongly　on　the　〃mont；〃）　〃I　guess　you　may　as　well　talk　of　relieving　the　whole　West。　　They　won't　meddle　with　Fre…mont。　　They　are　beginning　to　know　in　Washington　what　stuff　he's　made　of。〃　　〃Why；　sir；　there　are　50；000　men　in　these　States　who　will　follow　Fre…mont；　who　would　not　stir　a　foot　after　any　other　man。〃　　From　which；　and　the　like　of　it　in　many　other　places；　I　began　to　understand　how　difficult　was　the　task　which　the　statesmen　in　Washington　had　in　hand。　I　received　no　pecuniary　advantage　whatever　from　that　law　as　to　the　steamboat　meals　which　my　new　friend　had　revealed　to　me。　　For　my　one　supper　of　course　I　paid；　looking　forward　to　any　amount　of　subsequent　gratuitous　provisions。　　But　in　the　course　of　the　night　the　ship　sailed；　and　we　found　ourselves　at　Milwaukee　in　time　for　breakfast　on　the　following　morning。　Milwaukee　is　a　pleasant　town；　a　very　pleasant　town；　containing　45；000　inhabitants。　　How　many　of　my　readers　can　boast　that　they　know　anything　of　Milwaukee；　or　even　have　heard　of　it？　　To　me　its　name　was　unknown　until　I　saw　it　on　huge　railway　placards　stuck　up　in　the　smoking…rooms　and　lounging　halls　of　all　American　hotels。　　It　is　the　big　town　of　Wisconsin；　whereas　Madison　is　the　capital。　　It　stands　immediately　on　the　western　shore　of　Lake　Michigan；　and　is　very　pleasant。　　Why　it　should　be　so；　and　why　Detroit　should　be　the　contrary；　I　can　hardly　tell；　only　I　think　that　the　same　verdict　would　be　given　by　any　English　tourist。　　It　must　be　always　borne　in　mind　that　10；000　or　40；000　inhabitants　in　an　American　town；　and　especially　in　any　new　Western　town；　is　a　number　which　means　much　more　than　would　be　implied　by　any　similar　number　as　to　an　old　town　in　Europe。　　Such　a　population　in　America　consumes　double　the　amount　of　beef　which　it　would　in　England；　wears　double　the　amount　of　clothes；　and　demands　double　as　much　of　the　comforts　of　life。　　If　a　census　could　be　taken　of　the　watches；　it　would　be　found；　I　take　it；　that　the　American　population　possessed　among　them　nearly　double　as　many　as　would　the　English；　and　I　fear　also　that　it　would　be　found　that　many　more　of　the　Americans　were　readers　and　writers　by　habit。　In　any　large　town　in　England　it　is　probable　that　a　higher　excellence　of　education　would　be　found　than　in　Milwaukee；　and　also　a　style　of　life　into　which　more　of　refinement　and　more　of　luxury　had　found　its　way。　　But　the　general　level　of　these　things；　of　material　and　intellectual　well…beingof　beef；　that　is；　and　book　learningis　no　doubt　infinitely　higher　in　a　new　American　than　in　an　old　European　town。　　Such　an　animal　as　a　beggar　is　as　much　unknown　as　a　mastodon。　　Men　out　of　work　and　in　want　are　almost　unknown。　　I　do　not　say　that　there　are　none　of　the　hardships　of　lifeand　to　them　I　will　come　by…and…bybut　want　is　not　known　as　a　hardship　in　these　towns；　nor　is　that　dense　ignorance　in　which　so　large　a　proportion　of　our　town　populations　is　still　steeped。　　And　then　the　town　of　40；000　inhabitants　is　spread　over　a　surface　which　would　suffice　in　England　for　a　city　of　four　times　the　size。　　Our　towns　in　Englandand　the　towns；　indeed；　of　Europe　generallyhave　been　built　as　they　have　been　wanted。　　No　aspiring　ambition　as　to　hundreds　of　thousands　of　people　warmed　the　bosoms　of　their　first　founders。　　Two　or　three　dozen　men　required　habitations　in　the　same　locality；　and　clustered　them　together　closely。　　Many　such　have　failed　and　died　out　of　the　world's　notice。　　Others　have　thriven；　and　houses　have　been　packed　on　to　houses；　till　London　and　Manchester；　Dublin　and　Glasgow　have　been　produced。　　Poor　men　have　built；　or　have　had　built　for　them；　wretched　lanes；　and　rich　men　have　erected　grand　palaces。　　From　the　nature　of　their　beginnings　such　has；　of　necessity；　been　the　manner　of　their　creation。　　But　in　America；　and　especially　in　Western　America；　there　has　been　no　such　necessity　and　there　is　no　such　result。　　The　founders　of　cities　have　had　the　experience　of　the　world　before　them。　　They　have　known　of　sanitary　laws　as　they　began。　　That　sewerage；　and　water；　and　gas；　and　good　air　would　be　needed　for　a　thriving　community　has　been　to　them　as　much　a　matter　of　fact　as　are　the　well…understood　combinations　between　timber　and　nails；　and　bricks　and　mortar。　　They　have　known　that　water　carriage　is　almost　a　necessity　for　commercial　success；　and　have　chosen　their　sites　accordingly。　　Broad　streets　cost　as　little；　while　land　by　the　foot　is　not　as　yet　of　value　to　be　regarded；　as　those　which　are　narrow；　and　therefore　the　sites　of　towns　have　been　prepared　with　noble　avenues　and　imposing　streets。　A　city　at　its　commencement　is　laid　out　with　an　intention　that　it　shall　be　populous。　　The　houses　are　not　all　built　at　once；　but　there　are　the　places　allocated　for　them。　　The　streets　are　not　made；　but　there　are　the　spaces。　　Many　an　abortive　attempt　at　municipal　greatness　has　so　been　made　and　then　all　but　abandoned。　　There　are　wretched　villages；　with　huge；　straggling　parallel　ways；　which　will　never　grow　into　towns。　　They　are　the　failuresfailures　in　which　the　pioneers　of　civilization；　frontier　men　as　they　call　themselves；　have　lost　their　tens　of　thousands　of　dollars。　　But　when　the　success　comes；　when　the　happy　hit　has　been　made；　and　the　ways　of　commerce　have　been　truly　foreseen　with　a　cunning　eye；　then　a　great　and　prosperous　city　springs　up；　ready　made　as　it　were；　from　the　earth。　Such　a　town　is　Milwaukee；　now　containing　45；000　inhabitants；　but　with　room　apparently　for　double　that　number；　with　room　for　four　times　that　number；　were　men　packed　as　closely　there　as　they　are　with　us。　In　the　principal　business　streets　of　all　these　towns　one　sees　vast　buildings。　　They　are　usually　called　blocks；　and　are　often　so　denominated　in　large　letters　on　their　front；　as　Portland　Block；　Devereux　Block；　Buel's　Block。　　Such　a　block　may　face　to　two；　three；　or　even　four　streets；　and；　as　I　presume；　has　generally　been　a　matter　of　one　special　speculation。　　It　may　be　divided　into　separate　houses；　or　kept　for　a　single　purpose；　such　as　that　of　a　hotel；　or　grouped　into　shops　below；　and　into　various　sets　of　chambers　above。　I　have　had　occasion　in　various　towns　to　mount　the　stairs　within　these　blocks；　and　have　generally　found　some　portion　of　them　vacant　have　sometimes　found　the　greater　portion　of　them　vacant。　　Men　build　on　an　enormous　scale；　three　times；　ten　times　as　much　as　is　wanted。　　The　only　measure　of　size　is　an　increase　on　what　men　have　built　before。　　Monroe　P。　Jones；　the　speculator；　is　very　probably　ruined；　and　then　begins　the　world　again　nothing　daunted。　　But　Jones's　block　remains；　and　gives　to　the　city　in　its　aggregate　a　certain　amount　of　wealth。　　Or　the　block　becomes　at　once　of　service　and　finds　tenants。　　In　which　case　Jones　probably　sells　it；　and　immediately　builds　two　others　twice　as　big。　　That　Monroe　P。　Jones　will　encounter　ruin　is　almost　a　matter　of　course；　but　then　he　is　none　the　worse　for　being　ruined。　　It　hardly　makes　him　unhappy。　　He　is　greedy　of　dollars　with　a　terrible　covetousness；　but　he　is　greedy　in　order　that　he　may　speculate　more　widely。　　He　would　sooner　have　built　Jones's　tenth　block；　with　a　prospect　of　completing　a　twentieth；　than　settle　himself　down　at　rest　for　life　as　the　owner　of　a　Chatsworth　or　a　Woburn。　　As　for　his　children；　he　has　no　desire　of　leaving　them　money。　　Let　the　girls　marry。　　And　for　the　boysfor　them　it　will　be　good　to　begin　as　he　begun。　　If　they　cannot　build　blocks　for　themselves；　let　them　earn　their　bread　in　the　blocks　of　other　men。　　So　Monroe　P。　Jones；　with　his　million　of　dollars　accomplished；　advances　on　to　a　new　frontier；　goes　to　work　again　on　a　new　city；　and　loses　it　all。　　As　an　individual　I　differ　very　much　from　Monroe　P。　Jones。　　The　first　block　accomplished；　with　an　adequate　rent　accruing　to　me　as　the　builder；　I　fancy　that　I　should　never　try　a　second。　　But　Jones　is　undoubtedly　the　man　for　the　West。　It　is　that　love　of　money　to　come；　joined　to　a　strong　disregard　for　money　made；　which　constitutes　the　vigorous　frontier　mind；　the　true　pioneering　organization。　　Monroe　P。　Jones　would　be　a　g