short stories and essays-第31章

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Ireland；　and　it　may　be　some　such　disposition　to　question　authority　that
keeps　me　from　yielding　to　this　impulse。　　The　law　of　demand　and　supply
alone　ought　to　have　settled　the　question　in　favor　of　the　presence　of　the
scholar　in　our　politics；　there　has　been　such　a　cry　for　him　among　us　for
almost　a　generation　past。　　Perhaps　the　response　has　not　been　very　direct；
but　I　imagine　that　our　politicians　have　never　been　quite　so　destitute　of
scholarship　as　they　would　sometimes　make　appear。　　I　do　not　think　so　many
of　them　now　write　a　good　style；　or　speak　a　good　style；　as　the　politicians
of　forty；　or　fifty；　or　sixty　years　ago；　but　this　may　be　merely　part　of
the　impression　of　the　general　worsening　of　things；　familiar　after　middle
life　to　every　one's　experience；　from　the　beginning　of　recorded　time。　　If
something　not　so　literary　is　meant　by　scholarship；　if　a　study　of　finance；
of　economics；　of　international　affairs　is　in　question；　it　seems　to　go　on
rather　more　to　their　own　satisfaction　than　that　of　their　critics。　　But
without　being　always　very　proud　of　the　result；　and　without　professing　to
know　the　facts　very　profoundly；　one　may　still　suspect　that　under　an
outside　by　no　means　academic　there　is　a　process　of　thinking　in　our
statesmen　which　is　not　so　loose；　not　so　unscientific；　and　not　even　so
unscholarly　as　it　might　be　supposed。　　It　is　not　the　effect　of　specific
training；　and　yet　it　is　the　effect　of　training。　　I　do　not　find　that　the
matters　dealt　with　are　anywhere　in　the　world　intrusted　to　experts；　and　in
this　sense　scholarship　has　not　been　called　to　the　aid　of　our　legislation
or　administration；　but　still　I　should　not　like　to　say　that　none　of　our
politicians　were　scholars。　　That　would　be　offensive；　and　it　might　not　be
true。　　In　fact；　I　can　think　of　several　whom　I　should　be　tempted　to　call
scholars　if　I　were　not　just　here　recalled　to　a　sense　of　my　purpose　not　to
deal　quite　frankly　with　this　inquiry。






STORAGE

It　has　been　the　belief　of　certain　kindly　philosophers　that　if　the　one
half　of　mankind　knew　how　the　other　half　lived；　the　two　halves　might　be
brought　together　in　a　family　affection　not　now　so　observable　in　human
relations。　　Probably　if　this　knowledge　were　perfect；　there　would　still　be
things；　to　bar　the　perfect　brotherhood；　and　yet　the　knowledge　itself　is
so　interesting；　if　not　so　salutary　as　it　has　been　imagined；　that　one　can
hardly　refuse　to　impart　it　if　one　has　it；　and　can　reasonably　hope；　in　the
advantage　of　the　ignorant；　to　find　one's　excuse　with　the　better　informed。




I。

City　and　country　are　still　so　widely　apart　in　every　civilization　that　one
can　safely　count　upon　a　reciprocal　strangeness　in　many　every…day　things。
For　instance；　in　the　country；　when　people　break　up　house…keeping；　they
sell　their　household　goods　and　gods；　as　they　did　in　cities　fifty　or　a
hundred　years　ago；　but　now　in　cities　they　simply　store　them；　and　vast
warehouses　in　all　the　principal　towns　have　been　devoted　to　their　storage。
The　warehouses　are　of　all　types；　from　dusty　lofts　over　stores；　and
ammoniacal　lofts　over　stables；　to　buildings　offering　acres　of　space；　and
carefully　planned　for　the　purpose。　　They　are　more　or　less　fire…proof；
slow…burning；　or　briskly　combustible；　like　the　dwellings　they　have
devastated。　　But　the　modern　tendency　is　to　a　type　where　flames　do　not
destroy；　nor　moth　corrupt；　nor　thieves　break　through　and　steal。　　Such　a
warehouse　is　a　city　in　itself；　laid　out　in　streets　and　avenues；　with　the
private　tenements　on　either　hand　duly　numbered；　and　accessible　only　to
the　tenants　or　their　order。　　The　aisles　are　concreted；　the　doors　are
iron；　and　the　roofs　are　ceiled　with　iron；　the　whole　place　is　heated　by
steam　and　lighted　by　electricity。　　Behind　the　iron　doors；　which　in　the
New　York　warehouses　must　number　hundreds　of　thousands；　and　throughout　all
our　other　cities；　millions；　the　furniture　of　a　myriad　households　is
storedthe　effects　of　people　who　have　gone　to　Europe；　or　broken　up
house…keeping　provisionally　or　definitively；　or　have　died；　or　been
divorced。　　They　are　the　dead　bones　of　homes；　or　their　ghosts；　or　their
yet　living　bodies　held　in　hypnotic　trances；　destined　again　in　some　future
time　to　animate　some　house　or　flat　anew。　　In　certain　cases　the　spell
lasts　for　many　years；　in　others　for　a　few；　and　in　others　yet　it　prolongs
itself　indefinitely。

I　may　mention　the　case　of　one　owner　whom　I　saw　visiting　the　warehouse　to
take　out　the　household　stuff　that　had　lain　there　a　long　fifteen　years。
He　had　been　all　that　while　in　Europe；　expecting　any　day　to　come　home　and
begin　life　again；　in　his　own　land。　　That　dream　had　passed；　and　now　he　was
taking　his　stuff　out　of　storage　and　shipping　it　to　Italy。　　I　did　not　envy
him　his　feelings　as　the　parts　of　his　long…dead　past　rose　round　him　in
formless　resurrection。　　It　was　not　that　they　were　all　broken　or　defaced。
On　the　contrary；　they　were　in　a　state　of　preservation　far　more
heartbreaking　than　any　decay。　　In　well…managed　storage　warehouses　the
things　are　handled　with　scrupulous　care；　and　they　are　so　packed　into　the
appointed　rooms　that　if　not　disturbed　they　could　suffer　little　harm　in
fifteen　or　fifty　years。　　The　places　are　wonderfully　well　kept；　and　if　you
will　visit　them；　say　in　midwinter；　after　the　fall　influx　of　furniture　has
all　been　hidden　away　behind　the　iron　doors　of　the　several　cells；　you
shall　find　their　far…branching　corridors　scrupulously　swept　and　dusted；
and　shall　walk　up　and　down　their　concrete　length　with　some　such　sense　of
secure　finality　as　you　would　experience　in　pacing　the　aisle　of　your
family　vault。

That　is　what　it　comes　to。　　One　may　feign　that　these　storage　warehouses
are　cities；　but　they　are　really　cemeteries：　sad　columbaria　on　whose
shelves　are　stowed　exanimate　things　once　so　intimately　of　their　owners'
lives　that　it　is　with　the　sense　of　looking　at　pieces　and　bits　of　one's
dead　self　that　one　revisits　them。　　If　one　takes　the　fragments　out　to　fit
them　to　new　circumstance；　one　finds　them　not　only　uncomformable　and
incapable；　but　so　volubly　confidential　of　the　associations　in　which　they
are　steeped；　that　one　wishes　to　hurry　them　back　to　their　cell　and　lock　it
upon　them　forever。　　One　feels　then　that　the　old　way　was　far　better；　and
that　if　the　things　had　been　auctioned　off；　and　scattered　up　and　down；　as
chance　willed；　to　serve　new　uses　with　people　who　wanted　them　enough　to
pay　for　them　even　a　tithe　of　their　cost；　it　would　have　been　wiser。
Failing　this；　a　fire　seems　the　only　thing　for　them；　and　their　removal　to
the　cheaper　custody　of　a　combustible　or　slow…burning　warehouse　the　best
recourse。　　Desperate　people；　aging　husbands　and　wives；　who　have　attempted
the　reconstruction　of　their　homes　with　these

　　　　　　　　　　〃Portions　and　parcels　of　the　dreadful　past　〃

have　been　known　to　wish　for　an　earthquake；　even；　that　would　involve　their
belongings　in　an　indiscriminate　ruin。




II。

In　fact；　each　new　start　in　life　should　be　made　with　material　new　to　you；
if　comfort　is　to　attend　the　enterprise。　　It　is　not　only　sorrowful　but　it
is　futile　to　store　your　possessions；　if　you　hope　to　find　the　old
happiness　in　taking　them　out　and　using　them　again。　　It　is　not　that　they
will　not　go　into　place；　after　a　fashion；　and　perform　their　old　office；
but　that　the　pang　they　will　inflict　through　the　suggestion　of　the　other
places　where　they　served　their　purpose　in　other　years　will　be　only　the
keener　for　the　perfection　with　which　they　do　it　now。　　If　they　cannot　be
sold；　and　if　no　fire　comes　down　from　heaven　to　consume　them；　then　they
had　better　be　stored　with　no　thought　of　ever　taking　them　out　again。

That　will　be　expensive；　or　it　will　be　inexpensive；　according　to　the　sort
of　storage　they　are　put　into。　　The　inexperienced　in　such　matters　may　be
surprised；　and　if　they　have　hearts　they　may　be　grieved；　to　learn　that　the
fire…proof　storage　of　the　furniture　of　the　average　house　would　equal　the
rent　of　a　very　comfortable　domicile　in　a　small　town；　or　a　farm　by　which　a
family's　living　can　be　earned；　with　a　decent　dwelling　in　which　it　can　be
sheltered。　　Yet　the　space　required　is　not　very　great；　three　fair…sized
rooms　will　hold　everything；　and　there　is　sometimes　a　fierce　satisfaction
in　seeing　how　closely　the　thing