north america-1-第43章

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ent；　but　not　more　listless　and　silent　than　they　usually　are　in　the　big　drawing…rooms　of　the　big　hotels。　　There　was　supper　there　precisely　at　six　o'clockbeef…steaks；　and　tea；　and　apple　jam；　and　hot　cakes；　and　light　fixings；　to　all　which　luxuries　an　American　deems　himself　entitled；　let　him　have　to　seek　his　meal　where　he　may。　　And　I　was　soon　informed；　with　considerable　energy；　that　let　the　boat　be　kept　there　as　long　as　it　might　by　stress　of　weather；　the　beef…steaks　and　apple　jam；　light　fixings　and　heavy　fixings；　must　be　supplied　at　the　cost　of　the　owners　of　the　ship。　〃Your　first　supper　you　pay　for；〃　my　informant　told　me；　〃because　you　eat　that　on　your　own　account。　　What　you　consume　after　that　comes　of　their　doing；　because　they　don't　start；　and　if　it's　three　meals　a　day　for　a　week；　it's　their　look　out。〃　　It　occurred　to　me　that；　under　such　circumstances；　a　captain　would　be　very　apt　to　sail　either　in　foul　weather　or　in　fair。　It　was　a　bright　moonlight　nightmoonlight　such　as　we　rarely　have　in　Englandand　I　started　off　by　myself　for　a　walk；　that　I　might　see　of　what　nature　were　the　environs　of　Grand　Haven。　　A　more　melancholy　place　I　never　beheld。　　The　town　of　Grand　Haven　itself　is　placed　on　the　opposite　side　of　a　creek；　and　was　to　be　reached　by　a　ferry。　　On　our　side；　to　which　the　railway　came　and　from　which　the　boat　was　to　sail；　there　was　nothing　to　be　seen　but　sand　hills；　which　stretched　away　for　miles　along　the　shore　of　the　lake。　　There　were　great　sand　mountains　and　sand　valleys；　on　the　surface　of　which　were　scattered　the　debris　of　dead　trees；　scattered　logs　white　with　age；　and　boughs　half　buried　beneath　the　sand。　　Grand　Haven　itself　is　but　a　poor　place；　not　having　succeeded　in　catching　much　of　the　commerce　which　comes　across　the　lake　from　Wisconsin；　and　which　takes　itself　on　Eastward　by　the　railway。　　Altogether；　it　is　a　dreary　place；　such　as　might　break　a　man's　heart　should　he　find　that　inexorable　fate　required　him　there　to　pitch　his　tent。　On　my　return　I　went　down　into　the　bar…room　of　the　steamer；　put　my　feet　upon　the　counter；　lit　my　cigar；　and　struck　into　the　debate　then　proceeding　on　the　subject　of　the　war。　　I　was　getting　West；　and　General　Fremont　was　the　hero　of　the　hour。　　〃He's　a　frontier　man；　and　that's　what　we　want。　　I　guess　he'll　about　go　through。　　Yes；　sir。〃　　〃As　for　relieving　General　Fre…mont；〃　（with　the　accent　always　strongly　on　the　〃mont；〃）　〃I　guess　you　may　as　well　talk　of　relieving　the　whole　West。　　They　won't　meddle　with　Fre…mont。　　They　are　beginning　to　know　in　Washington　what　stuff　he's　made　of。〃　　〃Why；　sir；　there　are　50；000　men　in　these　States　who　will　follow　Fre…mont；　who　would　not　stir　a　foot　after　any　other　man。〃　　From　which；　and　the　like　of　it　in　many　other　places；　I　began　to　understand　how　difficult　was　the　task　which　the　statesmen　in　Washington　had　in　hand。　I　received　no　pecuniary　advantage　whatever　from　that　law　as　to　the　steamboat　meals　which　my　new　friend　had　revealed　to　me。　　For　my　one　supper　of　course　I　paid；　looking　forward　to　any　amount　of　subsequent　gratuitous　provisions。　　But　in　the　course　of　the　night　the　ship　sailed；　and　we　found　ourselves　at　Milwaukee　in　time　for　breakfast　on　the　following　morning。　Milwaukee　is　a　pleasant　town；　a　very　pleasant　town；　containing　45；000　inhabitants。　　How　many　of　my　readers　can　boast　that　they　know　anything　of　Milwaukee；　or　even　have　heard　of　it？　　To　me　its　name　was　unknown　until　I　saw　it　on　huge　railway　placards　stuck　up　in　the　smoking…rooms　and　lounging　halls　of　all　American　hotels。　　It　is　the　big　town　of　Wisconsin；　whereas　Madison　is　the　capital。　　It　stands　immediately　on　the　western　shore　of　Lake　Michigan；　and　is　very　pleasant。　　Why　it　should　be　so；　and　why　Detroit　should　be　the　contrary；　I　can　hardly　tell；　only　I　think　that　the　same　verdict　would　be　given　by　any　English　tourist。　　It　must　be　always　borne　in　mind　that　10；000　or　40；000　inhabitants　in　an　American　town；　and　especially　in　any　new　Western　town；　is　a　number　which　means　much　more　than　would　be　implied　by　any　similar　number　as　to　an　old　town　in　Europe。　　Such　a　population　in　America　consumes　double　the　amount　of　beef　which　it　would　in　England；　wears　double　the　amount　of　clothes；　and　demands　double　as　much　of　the　comforts　of　life。　　If　a　census　could　be　taken　of　the　watches；　it　would　be　found；　I　take　it；　that　the　American　population　possessed　among　them　nearly　double　as　many　as　would　the　English；　and　I　fear　also　that　it　would　be　found　that　many　more　of　the　Americans　were　readers　and　writers　by　habit。　In　any　large　town　in　England　it　is　probable　that　a　higher　excellence　of　education　would　be　found　than　in　Milwaukee；　and　also　a　style　of　life　into　which　more　of　refinement　and　more　of　luxury　had　found　its　way。　　But　the　general　level　of　these　things；　of　material　and　intellectual　well…beingof　beef；　that　is；　and　book　learningis　no　doubt　infinitely　higher　in　a　new　American　than　in　an　old　European　town。　　Such　an　animal　as　a　beggar　is　as　much　unknown　as　a　mastodon。　　Men　out　of　work　and　in　want　are　almost　unknown。　　I　do　not　say　that　there　are　none　of　the　hardships　of　lifeand　to　them　I　will　come　by…and…bybut　want　is　not　known　as　a　hardship　in　these　towns；　nor　is　that　dense　ignorance　in　which　so　large　a　proportion　of　our　town　populations　is　still　steeped。　　And　then　the　town　of　40；000　inhabitants　is　spread　over　a　surface　which　would　suffice　in　England　for　a　city　of　four　times　the　size。　　Our　towns　in　Englandand　the　towns；　indeed；　of　Europe　generallyhave　been　built　as　they　have　been　wanted。　　No　aspiring　ambition　as　to　hundreds　of　thousands　of　people　warmed　the　bosoms　of　their　first　founders。　　Two　or　three　dozen　men　required　habitations　in　the　same　locality；　and　clustered　them　together　closely。　　Many　such　have　failed　and　died　out　of　the　world's　notice。　　Others　have　thriven；　and　houses　have　been　packed　on　to　houses；　till　London　and　Manchester；　Dublin　and　Glasgow　have　been　produced。　　Poor　men　have　built；　or　have　had　built　for　them；　wretched　lanes；　and　rich　men　have　erected　grand　palaces。　　From　the　nature　of　their　beginnings　such　has；　of　necessity；　been　the　manner　of　their　creation。　　But　in　America；　and　especially　in　Western　America；　there　has　been　no　such　necessity　and　there　is　no　such　result。　　The　founders　of　cities　have　had　the　experience　of　the　world　before　them。　　They　have　known　of　sanitary　laws　as　they　began。　　That　sewerage；　and　water；　and　gas；　and　good　air　would　be　needed　for　a　thriving　community　has　been　to　them　as　much　a　matter　of　fact　as　are　the　well…understood　combinations　between　timber　and　nails；　and　bricks　and　mortar。　　They　have　known　that　water　carriage　is　almost　a　necessity　for　commercial　success；　and　have　chosen　their　sites　accordingly。　　Broad　streets　cost　as　little；　while　land　by　the　foot　is　not　as　yet　of　value　to　be　regarded；　as　those　which　are　narrow；　and　therefore　the　sites　of　towns　have　been　prepared　with　noble　avenues　and　imposing　streets。　A　city　at　its　commencement　is　laid　out　with　an　intention　that　it　shall　be　populous。　　The　houses　are　not　all　built　at　once；　but　there　are　the　places　allocated　for　them。　　The　streets　are　not　made；　but　there　are　the　spaces。　　Many　an　abortive　attempt　at　municipal　greatness　has　so　been　made　and　then　all　but　abandoned。　　There　are　wretched　villages；　with　huge；　straggling　parallel　ways；　whi