the unseen world and other essays-第51章

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es　are　not　mere　places　for　eating　and　sleeping；　like　the　houses　of　the　ancients。　It　therefore　costs　us　a　large　amount　of　toil　to　get　what　is　called　shelter　for　our　heads。　The　sum　which　a　young　married　man；　in　〃good　society；〃　has　to　pay　for　his　house　and　the　furniture　contained　in　it；　would　have　enabled　an　Athenian　to　live　in　princely　leisure　from　youth　to　old　age。　The　sum　which　he　has　to　pay　out　each　year；　to　meet　the　complicated　expense　of　living　in　such　a　house；　would　have　more　than　sufficed　to　bring　up　an　Athenian　family。　If　worthy　Strepsiades　could　have　got　an　Asmodean　glimpse　of　Fifth　Avenue；　or　even　of　some　unpretending　street　in　Cambridge；　he　might　have　gone　back　to　his　aristocratic　wife　a　sadder　but　a　more　contented　man。

Wealthor　at　least　what　would　until　lately　have　been　called　wealthhas　become　essential　to　comfort；　while　the　opportunities　for　acquiring　it　have　in　recent　times　been　immensely　multiplied。　To　get　money　is；　therefore；　the　chief　end　of　life　in　our　time　and　country。　〃Success　in　life〃　has　become　synonymous　with　〃becoming　wealthy。〃　A　man　who　is　successful　in　what　he　undertakes　is　a　man　who　makes　his　employment　pay　him　in　money。　Our　normal　type　of　character　is　that　of　the　shrewd；　circumspect　business　man；　as　in　the　Middle　Ages　it　was　that　of　the　hardy　warrior。　And　as　in　those　days　when　fighting　was　a　constant　necessity；　and　when　the　only　honourable　way　for　a　gentleman　of　high　rank　to　make　money　was　by　freebooting；　fighting　came　to　be　regarded　as　an　end　desirable　in　itself；　so　in　these　days　the　mere　effort　to　accumulate　has　become　a　source　of　enjoyment　rather　than　a　means　to　it。　The　same　truth　is　to　be　witnessed　in　aberrant　types　of　character。　The　infatuated　speculator　and　the　close…fisted　millionaire　are　our　substitutes　for　the　mediaeval　berserkir；the　man　who　loved　the　pell…mell　of　a　contest　so　well　that　he　would　make　war　on　his　neighbour；　just　to　keep　his　hand　in。　In　like　manner；　while　such　crimes　as　murder　and　violent　robbery　have　diminished　in　frequency　during　the　past　century；　on　the　other　hand　such　crimes　as　embezzlement；　gambling　in　stocks；　adulteration　of　goods；　and　using　of　false　weights　and　measures；　have　probably　increased。　If　Dick　Turpin　were　now　to　be　brought　back　to　life；　he　would　find　the　New　York　Custom…House　a　more　congenial　and　profitable　working…place　than　the　king's　highway。

The　result　of　this　universal　quest　for　money　is　that　we　are　always　in　a　hurry。　Our　lives　pass　by　in　a　whirl。　It　is　all　labour　and　no　fruition。　We　work　till　we　are　weary；　we　carry　our　work　home　with　us；　it　haunts　our　evenings；　and　disturbs　our　sleep　as　well　as　our　digestion。　Our　minds　are　so　burdened　with　it　that　our　conversation；　when　serious；　can　dwell　upon　little　else。　If　we　step　into　a　railway…car；　or　the　smoking…room　of　a　hotel；　or　any　other　place　where　a　dozen　or　two　of　men　are　gathered　together；　we　shall　hear　them　talking　of　stocks；　of　investments；　of　commercial　paper；　as　if　there　were　really　nothing　in　this　universe　worth　thinking　of；　save　only　the　interchange　of　dollars　and　commodities。　So　constant　and　unremitted　is　our　forced　application；　that　our　minds　are　dwarfed　for　everything　except　the　prosecution　of　the　one　universal　pursuit。

Are　we　now　prepared　for　the　completing　of　the　contrast？　Must　we　say　that；　as　Athens　was　the　most　leisurely　and　the　United　States　is　the　most　hurried　community　known　in　history；　so　the　Americans　are；　as　a　consequence　of　their　hurry；　lacking　in　thoroughness　of　culture？　Or；　since　it　is　difficult　to　bring　our　modern　culture　directly　into　contrast　with　that　of　an　ancient　community；　let　me　state　the　case　after　a　different　but　equivalent　fashion。　Since　the　United　States　present　only　an　exaggerated　type　of　the　modern　industrial　community；　since　the　turmoil　of　incessant　money…getting；　which　affects　all　modern　communities　in　large　measure；　affects　us　most　seriously　of　all；　shall　it　be　said　that　we　are；　on　the　whole；　less　highly　cultivated　than　our　contemporaries　in　Western　Europe？　To　a　certain　extent　we　must　confess　that　this　is　the　case。　In　the　higher　culturein　the　culture　of　the　whole　man；　according　to　the　antique　ideawe　are　undoubtedly　behind　all　other　nations　with　which　it　would　be　fair　to　compare　ourselves。　It　will　not　do　to　decide　a　question　like　this　merely　by　counting　literary　celebrities；　although　even　thus　we　should　by　no　means　get　a　verdict　in　our　favour。　Since　the　beginning　of　this　century；　England　has　produced　as　many　great　writers　and　thinkers　as　France　or　Germany；　yet　the　general　status　of　culture　in　England　is　saidperhaps　with　truthto　be　lower　than　it　is　in　these　countries。　It　is　said　that　the　average　Englishman　is　less　ready　than　the　average　German　or　Frenchman　to　sympathize　with　ideas　which　have　no　obvious　market…value。　Yet　in　England　there　is　an　amount　of　high　culture　among　those　not　professionally　scholars；　which　it　would　be　vain　to　seek　among　ourselves。　The　purposes　of　my　argument；　however；　require　that　the　comparison　should　be　made　between　our　own　country　and　Western　Europe　in　general。　Compare；　then；　our　best　magazinesnot　solely　with　regard　to　their　intrinsic　excellence；　but　also　with　regard　to　the　way　in　which　they　are　sustainedwith　the　Revue　des　Deux　Mondes　or　the　Journal　des　Debats。　Or　compare　our　leading　politicians　with　men　like　Gladstone；　Disraeli；　or　Sir　G。　C。　Lewis；　or　even　with　such　men　as　Brougham　or　Thiers。　Or　compare　the　slovenly　style　of　our　newspaper　articles；　I　will　not　say　with　the　exquisite　prose　of　the　lamented　Prevost…Paradol；　but　with　the　ordinary　prose　of　the　French　or　English　newspaper。　But　a　far　better　illustrationfor　it　goes　down　to　the　root　of　thingsis　suggested　by　the　recent　work　of　Matthew　Arnold　on　the　schools　of　the　continent　of　Europe。　The　country　of　our　time　where　the　general　culture　is　unquestionably　the　highest　is　Prussia。　Now；　in　Prussia；　they　are　able　to　have　a　Minister　of　Education；　who　is　a　member　of　the　Cabinet。　They　are　sure　that　this　minister　will　not　appoint　or　remove　even　an　assistant　professor　for　political　reasons。　Only　once；　as　Arnold　tells　us；　has　such　a　thing　been　done；　and　then　public　opinion　expressed　itself　in　such　an　emphatic　tone　of　disapproval　that　the　displaced　teacher　was　instantly　appointed　to　another　position。　Nothing　of　this　sort；　says　Arnold；　could　have　occurred　in　England；　but　still　less　could　it　occur　in　America。　Had　we　such　an　educational　system；　there　would　presently　be　an　〃Education　Ring〃　to　control　it。　Nor　can　this　difference　be　ascribed　to　the　less　eager　political　activity　of　Germany。　The　Prussian　state　of　things　would　have　been　possible　in　ancient　Athens；　where　political　life　was　as　absorbing　and　nearly　as　turbulent　as　in　the　United　States。　The　difference　is　due　to　our　lack　of　faith　in　culture；　a　lack　of　faith　in　that　of　which　we　have　not　had　adequate　experience。

We　lack　culture　because　we　live　in　a　hurry；　and　because　our　attention　is　given　up　to　pursuits　which　call　into　activity　and　develop　but　one　side　of　us。　On　the　one　hand　contemplate　Sokrates　quietly　entertaining　a　crowd　in　the　Athenian　market…place；　and　on　the　other　hand　consider　Broadway　with　its　eternal　clatter；　and　its　throngs　of　hurrying　people　elbowing　and　treading　on　each　other's　heels；　and　you　will　get　a　lively　notion　of　the　difference　between　the　extreme　phases　of　ancient　and　modern　life。　By　the　time　we　have　thus　rushed　through　our　day；　we　have　no　strength　left　to　devote　to　things　spiritual。　To…day　finds　us　no　nearer　fruition　than　yesterday。　And　if　perhaps　the　time　at　last　arrives　when　fruition　is　practicable；　our　minds　have　run　so　long　in　the　ruts　that　they　cannot　be　twisted　out。

As　it　is　impossible　for　any　person　living　in　a　given　state　of　society　to　keep　himself　exempt　from　its　influences；　detrimental　as　well　as　beneficial；　we　find　that　even　those　who　strive　to　make　a　literary　occupation　subservient　to　purposes　of　culture　are　not；　save　in　rare　cases；　spared　by　the　general　turmoil。　Those　who　have　at　once　the　ability；　the　taste；　and　the　wealth　needful　for　training　themselves　to　the　accomplishment　of　some　many…sided　and　permanent　work　are　of　course　very　few。　Nor　have　our　universities　yet　provided　themselves　with　the　means　for　securing　to　literary　talent　the　leisure　which　is　essential　to　complete　mental　development；　or　to　a　high　order　of　productiveness。　Although　in　most　industrial　enterprises　we　know　how　to　work　together　so　successfully；　in　literature　we　have　as　yet　no　co…operation。　We　have　not　only　no　Paris；　but　we　have　not　even　a　Tubingen；　a　Leipsic；　or　a　Jena；　or　anything　corresponding　to　the　fellowships　in　the　English　universities。　Our　literary　workers　have　no　choice　but　to　fall　into　the　ranks；　and　make　merchandise　of　their　half…formed　ideas。　They　must　work　without　co…operation；　they　must　write　in　a　hurry；　and　they　must　write　for　those　who　have　no　leisure　for　aught　but　hasty　and　superficial　reading。

Bursting　boilers　and　custom…house　frauds　may　have　at　first　sight　nothing　to　do　with　each　other　or　with　my　subject。　It　is　indisputable；　however；　that　the　horrible　massacres　perpetrated　every　few　weeks　or　mouths　by　our　common　carriers；　and　the　disgraceful　peculation　in　which　we　allow　our　public　servants　to　indulge　with　hardly　ever　an　effective　word　of　protest；　are　alike　to　be　ascribed　to　the　same　causes　which　interfere　with　our　higher　culture。　It　is　by　no　means　a　mere　accidental　coincidence　that　for　every　dollar　stolen　by　government　officials　in　Prussia；　at　least　fifty　or　a　hundred　are　stolen　in　the　United　States。　This　does　not　show　that　the　Germans　are　our　superiors　in　average　honesty；　but　it　shows　that　they　are　our　superiors　in　thoroughness。　It　is　with　them　an　imperative　demand　that　any　official　whatever　shall　be　qualified　for　his　post；　a　principle　of　public　economy　which　in　our　country　is　not　simply　ignored　in　practice；　but　often　openly　laughed　at。　But　in　a　country　where　high　intelligence　and　thorough　training　are　imperatively　demanded；　it　follows　of　necessity　that　these　qualifications　must　insure　for　their　possessors　a　permanent　career　in　which　the　temptations　to　malfeasance　or　dishonesty　are　reduced　to　the　minimum。　On　the　other　hand；　in　a　country　where　intelligence　and　training　have　no　surety　that　they　are　to　carry　the　day　against　stupidity　and　inefficiency；　the　incentives　to　dishonourable　conduct　are　overpowering。　The　result　in　our　own　political　life　is　that　the　best　men　are　driven　in　disgust　from　politics；　and　thus　one　of　the　noblest　fields　for　the　culture　of　the　whole　man　is　given　over　to　be　worked　by　swindlers　and　charlatans。　To　an　Athenian　such　a　severance　of　the　highest　culture　from　political　life　would　have　been　utterly　inconceivable。　Obviously　the　deepest　explanation　of　all　this　lies　in　our　lack　of　belief　in　the　necessity　for　high　and　thorough　training。　We　do　not　value　culture　enough　to　keep　it　in　our　employ　or　to　pay　it　for　its　services；　and　what　is　this　short…sighted　negligence　but　the　outcome　of　the　universal　shiftlessness　begotten　of　the　habit　of　doing　everything　in　a　hurry？　On　every　hand　we　may　see　the　fruits　of　this　shiftlessness；　from　buildings　that　tumble　in；　switches　that　are　misplaced；　furnaces　that　are　ill…protected；　fire…brigades　that　are　without　discipline；　up　to　unauthorized　meddlings　with　the　currency；　and　revenue　laws　which　defeat　their　own　purpose。

I　said　above　that　the　attributes　of　American　life　which　we　should　fin