the turmoil-第1章

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The　Turmoil



by　Booth　Tarkington






To　Laurel。







There　is　a　midland　city　in　the　heart　of　fair；　open　country；　a　dirty　and

wonderful　city　nesting　dingily　in　the　fog　of　its　own　smoke。　　The　stranger

must　feel　the　dirt　before　he　feels　the　wonder；　for　the　dirt　will　be　upon　him

instantly。　　It　will　be　upon　him　and　within　him；　since　he　must　breathe　it；　and

he　may　care　for　no　further　proof　that　wealth　is　here　better　loved　than

cleanliness；　but　whether　he　cares　or　not；　the　negligently　tended　streets

incessantly　press　home　the　point；　and　so　do　the　flecked　and　grimy　citizens。　At

a　breeze　he　must　smother　in　the　whirlpools　of　dust；　and　if　he　should　decline

at　any　time　to　inhale　the　smoke　he　has　the　meager　alternative　of　suicide。



The　smoke　is　like　the　bad　breath　of　a　giant　panting　for　more　and　more　riches。

He　gets　them　and　pants　the　fiercer；　smelling　and　swelling　prodigiously。　　He

has　a　voice；　a　hoarse　voice；　hot　and　rapacious　trained　to　one　tune：　　〃Wealth！

I　will　get　Wealth　I　will　make　Wealth！　　I　will　sell　Wealth　for　more　Wealth！　My

house　shall　be　dirty；　my　garment　shall　be　dirty；　and　I　will　foul　my　neighbor

so　that　he　cannot　be　cleanbut　I　will　get　Wealth！　　There　shall　be　no　clean

thing　about　me：　　my　wife　shall　be　dirty　and　my　child　shall　be　dirty；　but　I

will　get　Wealth！〃　　And　yet　it　is　not　wealth　that　he　is　so　greedy　for：　what　the

giant　really　wants　is　hasty　riches。　　To　get　these　he　squanders　wealth　upon　the

four　winds；　for　wealth　is　in　the　smoke。



Not　so　long　ago　as　a　generation；　there　was　no　panting　giant　here；　no　heaving；

grimy　city；　　there　was　but　a　pleasant　big　town　of　neighborly　people　who　had

understanding　of　one　another；　being；　on　the　whole；　much　of　the　same　type。　　It

was　a　leisurely　and　kindly　place〃homelike；〃　it　was　calledand　when　the

visitor　had　been　taken　through　the　State　Asylum　for　the　Insane　and　made　to

appreciate　the　view　of　the　cemetery　from　a　little　hill；　his　host's　duty　as

Baedeker　was　done。　　The　good　burghers　were　given　to　jogging　comfortably　about

in　phaetons　or　in　surreys　for　a　family　drive　on　Sunday。　　No　one　was　very　rich；

few　were　very　poor；　the　air　was　clean；　and　there　was　time　to　live。



But　there　was　a　spirit　abroad　in　the　land；　and　it　was　strong　here　as

elsewherea　spirit　that　had　moved　in　the　depths　of　the　American　soil　and

labored　there；　sweating；　till　it　stirred　the　surface；　rove　the　mountains；　and

emerged；　tangible　and　monstrous；　the　god　of　all　good　American　hearts

Bigness。　　And　that　god　wrought　the　panting　giant。



In　the　souls　of　the　burghers　there　had　always　been　the　profound　longing　for

size。　　Year　by　year　the　longing　increased　until　it　became　an　accumulated

force：　　We　must　Grow！　　We　must　be　Big！　　We　must　be　Bigger！　　Bigness　means

Money！　　And　the　thing　began　to　happen；　　their　longing　became　a　mighty　Will。　We

must　be　Bigger！　　Bigger！　　Bigger！　　Get　people　here！　　Coax　them　here！　Bribe

them！　　Swindle　them　into　coming；　if　you　must；　but　get　them！　　Shout　them　into

coming！　　Deafen　them　into　coming！　　Any　kind　of　people；　all　kinds　of　people！

We　must　be　Bigger！　　Blow！　　Boost！　　Brag！　　Kill　the　fault…finder！　Scream　and

bellow　to　the　Most　High：　　Bigness　is　patriotism　and　honor！　Bigness　is　love　and

life　and　happiness！　　Bigness　is　Money！　　We　want　Bigness！



They　got　it。　　From　all　the　states　the　people　came；　thinly　at　first；　and

slowly；　but　faster　and　faster　in　thicker　and　thicker　swarms　as　the　quick　years

went　by。　　White　people　came；　and　black　people　and　brown　people　and　yellow

people；　the　negroes　came　from　the　South　by　the　thousands　and　thousands；

multiplying　by　other　thousands　and　thousands　faster　than　they　could　die。　From

the　four　quarters　of　the　earth　the　people　came；　the　broken　and　the　unbroken；

the　tame　and　the　wildGermans；　Irish；　Italians；　Hungarians；　Scotch；　Welsh；

English；　French；　Swiss；　Swedes；　Norwegians；　Greeks；　Poles；　Russian　Jews；

Dalmatians；　Armenians；　Rumanians；　Servians；　Persians；　Syrians；　Japanese；

Chinese；　Turks；　and　every　hybrid　that　these　could　propagate。　　And　if　there

were　no　Eskimos　nor　Patagonians；　what　other　human　strain　that　earth　might

furnish　failed　to　swim　and　bubble　in　this　crucible？



With　Bigness　came　the　new　machinery　and　the　rush；　the　streets　began　to　roar

and　rattle；　the　houses　to　tremble；　the　pavements　were　worn　under　the　tread　of

hurrying　multitudes。　　The　old；　leisurely；　quizzical　look　of　the　faces　was　lost

in　something　harder　and　warier；　and　a　cockney　type　began　to　emerge

discerniblya　cynical　young　mongrel；　barbaric　of　feature；　muscular　and

cunning；　dressed　in　good　fabrics　fashioned　apparently　in　imitation　of　the

sketches　drawn　by　newspaper　comedians。　　The　female　of　his　kind　came　with　him

a　pale　girl；　shoddy　and　a　little　rouged；　and　they　communicated　in　a　nasal

argot；　mainly　insolences　and　elisions。　　Nay；　the　common　speech　of　the　people

showed　change：　　in　place　of　the　old　midland　vernacular；　irregular　but　clean；

and　not　unwholesomely　drawling；　a　jerky　dialect　of　coined　metaphors　began　to

be　heard；　held　together　by　GUNNAS　and　GOTTAS　and　much　fostered　by　the　public

journals。



The　city　piled　itself　high　in　the　center；　tower　on　tower　for　a　nucleus；　and

spread　itself　out　over　the　plain；　mile　after　mile；　and　in　its　vitals；　like

benevolent　bacilli　contending　with　malevolent　in　the　body　of　a　man；　missions

and　refuges　offered　what　resistance　they　might　to　the　saloons　and　all　the

hells　that　cities　house　and　shelter。　　Temptation　and　ruin　were　ready

commodities　on　the　market　for　purchase　by　the　venturesome；　highwaymen　walked

the　streets　at　night　and　sometimes　killed；　snatching　thieves　were　busy

everywhere　in　the　dusk；　while　house…breakers　were　a　common　apprehension　and

frequent　reality。　　Life　itself　was　somewhat　safer　from　intentional　destruction

than　it　was　in　medieval　Rome　during　a　faction　warthough　the　Roman　murderer

was　more　like　to　pay　for　his　deedbut　death　or　mutilation　beneath　the　wheels

lay　in　ambush　at　every　crossing。



The　politicians　let　the　people　make　all　the　laws　they　liked；　it　did　not　matter

much；　and　the　taxes　went　up；　which　is　good　for　politicians。　Law…making　was　a

pastime　of　the　people；　nothing　pleased　them　more。　　Singular　fermentation　of

their　humor；　they　even　had　laws　forbidding　dangerous　speed。　More　marvelous

still；　they　had　a　law　forbidding　smoke！　　They　forbade　chimneys　to　smoke　and

they　forbade　cigarettes　to　smoke。　　They　made　laws　for　all　things　and　forgot

them　immediately；　though　sometimes　they　would　remember　after　a　while；　and

hurry　to　make　new　laws　that　the　old　laws　should　be　enforcedand　then　forget

both　new　and　old。　　Wherever　enforcement　threatened　Money　or　Votes　or

wherever　it　was　too　much　to　botherit　became　a　joke。　　Influence　was　the　law。



So　the　place　grew。　　And　it　grew　strong。　　Straightway　when　he　came；　each　man

fell　to　the　same　worship：



　　　　　　　　Give　me　of　thyself；　O　Bigness：

　　　　　　　　Power　to　get　more　power！

　　　　　　　　Riches　to　get　more　riches！

　　　　　　　　Give　me　of　thy　sweat　that　I　may　sweat　more！

　　　　　　　　Give　me　Bigness　to　get　more　Bigness　to　myself；

　　　　　　　　O　Bigness；　for　Thine　is　the　Power　and　the　Glory！

　　　　　　　　And　there　is　no　end　but　Bigness；　ever　and　for　ever！



The　Sheridan　Building　was　the　biggest　skyscraper；　the　Sheridan　Trust　Company

was　the　biggest　of　its　kind；　and　Sheridan　himself　had　been　the　biggest　builder

and　breaker　and　truster　and　buster　under　the　smoke。　　He　had　come　from　a

country　cross…roads；　at　the　beginning　of　the　growth；　and　he　had　gone　up　and

down　in　the　booms　and　relapses　of　that　period；　but　each　time　he　went　down　he

rebounded　a　little　higher；　until　finally；　after　a　year　of　overwork　and

anxietythe　latter　not　decreased　by　a　chance；　remote　but　possible；　of

recuperation　from　the　former　in　the　penitentiaryhe　found　himself　on　top；

with　solid　substance　under　his　feet；　and　thereafter　〃played　it　safe。〃　　But　his

hunger　to　get　was　unabated；　for　it　was　in　the　very　bones　of　him　and　grew

fiercer。



He　was　the　city　incarnate。　　He　loved　it；　calling　it　God's　country；　as　he

ca