north america-2-第71章

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y　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