short stories and essays-第17章

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of　〃drawing　their　inspiration〃　from　alien　scenes；　or　taking　their　own
where　they　find　it；　are　not　they　simply　transporting　to　Europe　〃the
struggle　for　material　prosperity　〃　which　Sir　Lepel　supposes　to　be　fatal
to　them　here？

There　is　a　question；　however；　which　comes　before　this；　and　that　is　the
question　whether　they　have　quitted　us　in　such　numbers　as　justly　to　alarm
our　patriotism。　　Qualitatively；　in　the　authors　named　and　in　the　late　Mr。
Bret　Harte；　Mr。　Harry　Harland；　and　the　late　Mr。　Harold　Frederic；　as　well
as　in　Mark　Twain；　once　temporarily　resident　abroad；　the　defection　is　very
great；　but　quantitatively　it　is　not　such　as　to　leave　us　without　a　fair
measure　of　home…keeping　authorship。　　Our　destitution　is　not　nearly　so
great　now　in　the　absence　of　Mr。　James　and　Mr。　Crawford　as　it　was　in　the
times　before　the　〃struggle　for　material　prosperity〃　when　Washington
Irving　went　and　lived　in　England　and　on　the　European　continent　well…nigh
half　his　life。

Sir　Lepel　Griffinor　Sir　Lepel　Griffin's　reporterseems　to　forget　the
fact　of　Irving's　long　absenteeism　when　he　classes　him　with　〃the　old　race〃
of　eminent　American　authors　who　stayed　at　home。　　But　really　none　of　those
he　names　were　so　constant　to　our　air　as　he　seemsor　his　reporter　seems
to　think。　　Longfellow　sojourned　three　or　four　years　in　Germany；　Spain；
and　Italy；　Holmes　spent　as　great　time　in　Paris；　Bryant　was　a　frequent
traveller；　and　each　of　them　〃drew　his　inspiration〃　now　and　then　from
alien　sources。　　Lowell　was　many　years　in　Italy；　Spain；　and　England；
Motley　spent　more　than　half　his　life　abroad；　Hawthorne　was　away　from　us
nearly　a　decade。




II。

If　I　seem　to　be　proving　too　much　in　one　way；　I　do　not　feel　that　I　am
proving　too　much　in　another。　　My　facts　go　to　show　that　the　literary
spirit　is　the　true　world…citizen；　and　is　at　home　everywhere。　　If　any　good
American　were　distressed　by　the　absenteeism　of　our　authors；　I　should
first　advise　him　that　American　literature　was　not　derived　from　the　folk…
lore　of　the　red　Indians；　but　was；　as　I　have　said　once　before；　a　condition
of　English　literature；　and　was　independent　even　of　our　independence。
Then　I　should　entreat　him　to　consider　the　case　of　foreign　authors　who　had
found　it　more　comfortable　or　more　profitable　to　live　out　of　their
respective　countries　than　in　them。　　I　should　allege　for　his　consolation
the　case　of　Byron；　Shelley；　and　Leigh　Hunt；　and　more　latterly　that　of　the
Brownings　and　Walter　Savage　Landor；　who　preferred　an　Italian　to　an
English　sojourn；　and　yet　more　recently　that　of　Mr。　Rudyard　Kipling；　who
voluntarily　lived　several　years　in　Vermont；　and　has　〃drawn　his
inspiration〃　in　notable　instances　from　the　life　of　these　States。　　It　will
serve　him　also　to　consider　that　the　two　greatest　Norwegian　authors；
Bjornsen　and　Ibsen；　have　both　lived　long　in　France　and　Italy。　　Heinrich
Heine　loved　to　live　in　Paris　much　better　than　in　Dusseldorf；　or　even　in
Hamburg；　and　Tourguenief　himself；　who　said　that　any　man's　country　could
get　on　without　him；　but　no　man　could　get　on　without　his　country；　managed
to　dispense　with　his　own　in　the　French　capital；　and　died　there　after　he
was　quite　free　to　go　back　to　St。　Petersburg。　　In　the　last　century
Rousseau　lived　in　France　rather　than　Switzerland；　Voltaire　at　least　tried
to　live　in　Prussia；　and　was　obliged　to　a　long　exile　elsewhere；　Goldoni
left　fame　and　friends　in　Venice　for　the　favor　of　princes　in　Paris。

Literary　absenteeism；　it　seems　to　me；　is　not　peculiarly　an　American　vice
or　an　American　virtue。　　It　is　an　expression　and　a　proof　of　the　modern
sense　which　enlarges　one's　country　to　the　bounds　of　civilization。
I　cannot　think　it　justly　a　reproach　in　the　eyes　of　the　world；　and　if　any
American　feels　it　a　grievance；　I　suggest　that　he　do　what　he　can　to　have
embodied　in　the　platform　of　his　party　a　plank　affirming　the　right　of
American　authors　to　a　public　provision　that　will　enable　them　to　live　as
agreeably　at　home　as　they　can　abroad　on　the　same　money。　　In　the　mean
time；　their　absenteeism　is　not　a　consequence　of　〃the　struggle　for
material　prosperity；〃　not　a　high　disdain　of　the　strife　which　goes　on　not
less　in　Europe　than　in　America；　and　must；　of　course；　go　on　everywhere　as
long　as　competitive　conditions　endure；　but　is　the　result　of　chances　and
preferences　which　mean　nothing　nationally　calamitous　or　discreditable。






THE　HORSE　SHOW

〃As　good　as　the　circusnot　so　good　as　the　circusbetter　than　the
circus。〃　　These　were　my　varying　impressions；　as　I　sat　looking　down　upon
the　tanbark；　the　other　day；　at　the　Horse　Show　in　Madison　Square　Garden；
and　I　came　away　with　their　blend　for　my　final　opinion。




I。

I　might　think　that　the　Horse　Show　（which　is　so　largely　a　Man　Show　and　a
Woman　Show）　was　better　or　worse　than　the　circus；　or　about　as　good；　but　I
could　not　get　away　from　the　circus；　in　my　impression　of　it。　　Perhaps　the
circus　is　the　norm　of　all　splendors　where　the　horse　and　his　master　are
joined　for　an　effect　upon　the　imagination　of　the　spectator。　　I　am　sure
that　I　have　never　been　able　quite　to　dissociate　from　it　the
picturesqueness　of　chivalry；　and　that　it　will　hereafter　always　suggest　to
me　the　last　correctness　of　fashion。　　It　is　through　the　horse　that　these
far　extremes　meet；　in　all　times　the　horse　has　been　the　supreme　expression
of　aristocracy；　and　it　may　very　well　be　that　a　dream　of　the　elder　world
prophesied　the　ultimate　type　of　the　future；　when　the　Swell　shall　have
evolved　into　the　Centaur。

Some　such　teasing　notion　of　their　mystical　affinity　is　what　haunts　you　as
you　make　your　round　of　the　vast　ellipse；　with　the　well…groomed　men　about
you　and　the　well…groomed　horses　beyond　the　barrier。

In　this　first　affair　of　the　newcomer；　the　horses　are　not　so　much　on
show　as　the　swells；　you　get　only　glimpses　of　shining　coats　and　tossing
manes；　with　a　glint　here　and　there　of　a　flying　hoof　through　the　lines　of
people　coming　and　going；　and　the　ranks　of　people；　three　or　four　feet
deep；　against　the　rails　of　the　ellipse；　but　the　swells　are　there　in
perfect　relief；　and　it　is　they　who　finally　embody　the　Horse　Show　to　you。
The　fact　is　that　they　are　there　to　see；　of　course；　but　the　effect　is　that
they　are　there　to　be　seen。

The　whole　spectacle　had　an　historical　quality；　which　I　tasted　with
pleasure。　　It　was　the　thing　that　had　eventuated　in　every　civilization；
and　the　American　might　feel　a　characteristic　pride　that　what　came　to　Rome
in　five　hundred　years　had　come　to　America　in　a　single　century。　　There　was
something　fine　in　the　absolutely　fatal　nature　of　the　result；　and　I
perceived　that　nowhere　else　in　our　life；　which　is　apt　to　be　reclusive　in
its　exclusiveness；　is　the　prime　motive　at　work　in　it　so　dramatically
apparent。　　〃Yes；〃　I　found　myself　thinking；　〃this　is　what　it　all　comes　to：
the　'subiti　guadagni'　of　the　new　rich；　made　in　large　masses　and　seeking　a
swift　and　eager　exploitation；　and　the　slowly　accumulated　fortunes；　put
together　from　sparing　and　scrimping；　from　slaving　and　enslaving；　in
former　times；　and　now　in　the　stainless　white　hands　of　the　second　or　third
generation；　they　both　meet　here　to　the　purpose　of　a　common　ostentation；
and　create　a　Horse　Show。〃

I　cannot　say　that　its　creators　looked　much　as　if　they　liked　it；　now　they
had　got　it；　and；　so　far　as　I　have　been　able　to　observe　them；　people　of
wealth　and　fashion　always　dissemble　their　joy；　and　have　the　air　of　being
bored　in　the　midst　of　their　amusements。　　This　reserve　of　rapture　may　be
their　delicacy；　their　unwillingness　to　awaken　envy　in　the　less　prospered；
and　I　should　not　have　objected　to　the　swells　at　the　Horse　Show　looking
dreary　if　they　had　looked　more　like　swells；　except　for　a　certain　hardness
of　the　countenance　（which　I　found　my　own　sympathetically　taking　on）　I
should　not　have　thought　them　very　patrician；　and　this　hardness　may　have
been　merely　the　consequence　of　being　so　much　stared　at。　　Perhaps；　indeed；
they　were　not　swells　whom　I　saw　in　the　boxes；　but　only　companies　of
ordinary　people　who　had　clubbed　together　and　hired　their　boxes；
I　understand　that　this　can　be　done；　and　the　student　of　civilization　so
far　misled。　　But　certainly　if　they　were　swells　they　did　not　look　quite　up
to　themselves；　though；　for　that　matter；　neither　do　the　nobil