north america-2-第97章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


untry　which　we　have　ridiculed。　　They　have　struggled　to　maintain　a　good　cause；　and　we　have　disbelieved　in　their　earnestness。　　They　have　been　anxious　to　abide　by　their　Constitution；　which　to　them　has　been　as　it　were　a　second　gospel；　and　we　have　spoken　of　that　Constitution　as　though　it　had　been　a　thing　of　mere　words　in　which　life　had　never　existed。　This　has　been　done　while　their　hands　are　very　full　and　their　back　heavily　laden。　　Such　words　coming　from　us；　or　from　parties　among　us；　cannot　justify　those　threats　of　war　which　we　hear　spoken；　but　that　they　should　make　the　hearts　of　men　sore　and　their　thoughts　bitter　against　us；　can　hardly　be　matter　of　surprise。　As　to　the　result　of　any　such　war　between　us　and　them；　it　would　depend　mainly；　I　think；　on　the　feelings　of　the　Canadians。　　Neither　could　they　annex　Canada　without　the　good…will　of　the　Canadians；　nor　could　we　keep　Canada　without　that　good…will。　　At　present　the　feeling　in　Canada　against　the　Northern　States　is　so　strong　and　so　universal　that　England　has　little　to　fear　on　that　head。　I　have　now　done　my　task；　and　may　take　leave　of　my　readers　on　either　side　of　the　water　with　a　hearty　hope　that　the　existing　war　between　the　North　and　the　South　may　soon　be　over；　and　that　none　other　may　follow　on　its　heels　to　exercise　that　new…fledged　military　skill　which　the　existing　quarrel　will　have　produced　on　the　other　side　of　the　Atlantic。　　I　have　written　my　book　in　obscure　language　if　I　have　not　shown　that　to　me　social　successes　and　commercial　prosperity　are　much　dearer　than　any　greatness　that　can　be　won　by　arms。　　The　Americans　had　fondly　thought　that　they　were　to　be　exempt　from　the　curse　of　warat　any　rate　from　the　bitterness　of　the　curse。　　But　the　days　for　such　exemption　have　not　come　as　yet。　　While　we　are　hurrying　on　to　make　twelve…inch　shield　plates　for　our　men…of…war；　we　can　hardly　dare　to　think　of　the　days　when　the　sword　shall　be　turned　into　the　plowshare。　　May　it　not　be　thought　well　for　us　if；　with　such　work　on　our　hands；　scraps　of　iron　shall　be　left　to　us　with　which　to　pursue　any　of　the　purposes　of　peace？　　But　at　least　let　us　not　have　war　with　these　children　of　our　own。　　If　we　must　fight；　let　us　fight　the　French　〃for　King　George　upon　the　throne。〃　　The　doing　so　will　be　disagreeable；　but　it　will　not　be　antipathetic　to　the　nature　of　an　Englishman。　　For　my　part；　when　an　American　tells　me　that　he　wants　to　fight　with　me；　I　regard　his　offense；　as　compared　with　that　of　a　Frenchman　under　the　same　circumstances；　as　I　would　compare　the　offense　of　a　parricide　or　a　fratricide　with　that　of　a　mere　commonplace　murderer。　　Such　a　war　would　be　plus　quam　civile　bellum。　Which　of　us　two　could　take　a　thrashing　from　the　other　and　afterward　go　about　our　business　with　contentment？　On　our　return　to　Liverpool；　we　stayed　for　a　few　hours　at　Queenstown；　taking　in　coal；　and　the　passengers　landed　that　they　might　stretch　their　legs　and　look　about　them。　　I　also　went　ashore　at　the　dear　old　place　which　I　had　known　well　in　other　days；　when　the　people　were　not　too　grand　to　call　it　Cove；　and　were　contented　to　run　down　from　Cork　in　river　steamers；　before　the　Passage　railway　was　built。　　I　spent　a　pleasant　summer　there　once　in　those　times：　God　be　with　the　good　old　days！　　And　now　I　went　ashore　at　Queenstown；　happy　to　feel　that　I　should　be　again　in　a　British　isle；　and　happy　also　to　know　that　I　was　once　more　in　Ireland。　　And　when　the　people　came　around　me　as　they　did；　I　seemed　to　know　every　face　and　to　be　familiar　with　every　voice。　　It　has　been　my　fate　to　have　so　close　an　intimacy　with　Ireland；　that　when　I　meet　an　Irishman　abroad　I　always　recognize　in　him　more　of　a　kinsman　than　I　do　in　your　Englishman。　　I　never　ask　an　Englishman　from　what　county　he　comes；　or　what　was　his　town。　　To　Irishmen　I　usually　put　such　questions；　and　I　am　generally　familiar　with　the　old　haunts　which　they　name。　　I　was　happy　therefore　to　feel　myself　again　in　Ireland；　and　to　walk　round；　from　Queenstown　to　the　river　at　Passage；　by　the　old　way　that　had　once　been　familiar　to　my　feet。　Or　rather　I　should　have　been　happy　if　I　had　not　found　myself　instantly　disgraced　by　the　importunities　of　my　friends。　　A　legion　of　women　surrounded　me；　imploring　alms；　begging　my　honor　to　bestow　my　charity　on　them　for　the　love　of　the　Virgin；　using　the　most　holy　names　in　their　adjurations　for　half…pence；　clinging　to　me　with　that　half…joking；　half…lachrymose　air　of　importunity　which　an　Irish　beggar　has　assumed　as　peculiarly　her　own。　　There　were　men；　too；　who　begged　as　well　as　women。　　And　the　women　were　sturdy　and　fat；　and；　not　knowing　me　as　well　as　I　knew　them；　seemed　resolved　that　their　importunities　should　be　successful。　　After　all；　I　had　an　old　world　liking　for　them　in　their　rags。　　They　were　endeared　to　me　by　certain　memories　and　associations　which　I　cannot　define。　　But　then　what　would　those　Americans　think　of　themof　them　and　of　the　country　which　produced　them？　　That　was　the　reflection　which　troubled　me。　　A　legion　of　women　in　rags　clamorous　for　bread；　protesting　to　heaven　that　they　are　starving；　importunate　with　voices　and　with　hands；　surrounding　the　stranger　when　he　puts　his　foot　on　the　soil；　so　that　he　cannot　escape；　does　not　afford　to　the　cynical　American　who　then　first　visits　usand　they　all　are　cynical　when　they　visit　usa　bad　opportunity　for　his　sarcasm。　　He　can　at　any　rate　boast　that　he　sees　nothing　of　that　at　home。　　I　myself　am　fond　of　Irish　beggars。　　It　is　an　acquired　taste；　which　comes　upon　one　as　does　that　for　smoked　whisky　or　Limerick　tobacco。　　But　I　certainly　did　wish　that　there　were　not　so　many　of　them　at　Queenstown。　I　tell　all　this　here　not　to　the　disgrace　of　Irelandnot　for　the　triumph　of　America。　　The　Irishman　or　American　who　thinks　rightly　on　the　subject　will　know　that　the　state　of　each　country　has　arisen　from　its　opportunities。　　Beggary　does　not　prevail　in　new　countries；　and　but　few　old　countries　have　managed　to　exist　without　it。　　As　to　Ireland；　we　may　rejoice　to　say　that　there　is　less　of　it　now　than　there　was　twenty　years　since。　　Things　are　mending　there。　　But　though　such　excuses　may　be　truly　madealthough　an　Englishman；　when　he　sees　this　squalor　and　poverty　on　the　quays　at　Queenstown；　consoles　himself　with　reflecting　that　the　evil　has　been　unavoidable；　but　will　perhaps　soon　be　avoidednevertheless　he　cannot　but　remember　that　there　is　no　such　squalor　and　no　such　poverty　in　the　land　from　which　he　has　returned。　　I　claim　no　credit　for　the　new　country。　　I　impute　no　blame　to　the　old　country。　　But　there　is　the　fact。　　The　Irishman　when　he　expatriates　himself　to　one　of　those　American　States　loses　much　of　that　affectionate；　confiding；　master…worshiping　nature　which　makes　him　so　good　a　fellow　when　at　home。　　But　he　becomes　more　of　a　man。　　He　assumes　a　dignity　which　he　never　has　known　before。　　He　learns　to　regard　his　labor　as　his　own　property。　　That　which　he　earns　he　takes　without　thanks；　but　he　desires　to　take　no　more　than　he　earns。　　To　me　personally；　he　has；　perhaps；　become　less　pleasant　than　he　was；but　to　himself！　　It　seems　to　me　that　such　a　man　must　feel　himself　half　a　god；　if　he　has　the　power　of　comparing　what　he　is　with　what　he　was。　It　is　right　that　all　this　should　be　acknowledged　by　us。　　When　we　speak　of　America　and　of　her　institutions；　we　should　remember　that　she　has　given　to　our　increasing　population　rights　and　privileges　which　we　could　not　givewhich　as　an　old　country　we　probably　can　never　give。　　That　self…asserting；　obtrusive　independence　which　so　often　wounds　us　is；　if　viewed　aright；　but　an　outward　sign　of　those　good　things　which　a　new　country　has　produced　for　its　people。　　Men　and　women　do　not　beg　in　the　States；　they　do　not　offend　you　with　tattered　rags；　they　do　not　complain　to　heaven　of　starvation；　they　do　not　crouch　to　the　ground　for　half…pence。　　If　poor；　they　are　not　abject　in　their　poverty。　　They　read　and　write。　　They　walk　like　human　beings　made　in　God's　form。　　They　know　that　they　are　men　and　women；　owing　it　to　themselves　and　to　the　world　that　they　should　earn　their　bread　by　their　labor；　but　feeling　that　when　earned　it　is　their　own。　If　this　be　so；　if　it　be　acknowledged　that　it　is　so；　should　not　such　knowledge　in　itself　be　sufficient　testimony　of　the　success　of　the　country　and　of　her　institutions？

END　OF　VOL。　II。


End