north america-1-第5章

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rawing…room　I　have　always　had　my　own　arm…chair；　and　have　been　regaled　with　large　breakfast…cups　of　tea；　quite　as　though　I　were　at　home。　　But　of　a　sudden　Jones　and　his　wife　have　fallen　out；　and　there　is　for　awhile　in　Jones　Hall　a　cat…and…dog　life　that　may　endin　one　hardly　dare　to　surmise　what　calamity。　　Mrs。　Jones　begs　that　I　will　interfere　with　her　husband；　and　Jones　entreats　the　good　offices　of　my　wife　in　moderating　the　hot　temper　of　his　own。　　But　we　know　better　than　that。　　If　we　interfere；　the　chances　are　that　my　dear　friends　will　make　it　up　and　turn　upon　us。　　I　grieve　beyond　measure　in　a　general　way　at　the　temporary　break　up　of　the　Jones…Hall　happiness。　　I　express　general　wishes　that　it　may　be　temporary。　　But　as　for　saying　which　is　right　or　which　is　wrongas　to　expressing　special　sympathy　on　either　side　in　such　a　quarrelit　is　out　of　the　question。　　〃My　dear　Jones；　you　must　excuse　me。　　Any　news　in　the　city　to…day？　　Sugars　have　fallen；　how　are　teas？〃　　Of　course　Jones　thinks　that　I'm　a　brute；　but　what　can　I　do？　I　have　been　somewhat　surprised　to　find　the　trouble　that　has　been　taken　by　American　orators；　statesmen；　and　logicians　to　prove　that　this　secession　on　the　part　of　the　South　has　been　revolutionary　that　is　to　say；　that　it　has　been　undertaken　and　carried　on　not　in　compliance　with　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States；　but　in　defiance　of　it。　　This　has　been　done　over　and　over　again　by　some　of　the　greatest　men　of　the　North；　and　has　been　done　most　successfully。　But　what　then？　　Of　course　the　movement　has　been　revolutionary　and　anti…constitutional。　　Nobody；　no　single　Southerner；　can　really　believe　that　the　Constitution　of　the　United　States　as　framed　in　1787；　or　altered　since；　intended　to　give　to　the　separate　States　the　power　of　seceding　as　they　pleased。　　It　is　surely　useless　going　through　long　arguments　to　prove　this；　seeing　that　it　is　absolutely　proved　by　the　absence　of　any　clause　giving　such　license　to　the　separate　States。　　Such　license　would　have　been　destructive　to　the　very　idea　of　a　great　nationality。　　Where　would　New　England　have　been；　as　a　part　of　the　United　States；　if　New　York；　which　stretches　from　the　Atlantic　to　the　borders　of　Canada；　had　been　endowed　with　the　power　of　cutting　off　the　six　Northern　States　from　the　rest　of　the　Union？　　No　one　will　for　a　moment　doubt　that　the　movement　was　revolutionary；　and　yet　infinite　pains　are　taken　to　prove　a　fact　that　is　patent　to　every　one。　It　is　revolutionary；　but　what　then？　　Have　the　Northern　States　of　the　American　Union　taken　upon　themselves；　in　1861；　to　proclaim　their　opinion　that　revolution　is　a　sin？　　Are　they　going　back　to　the　divine　right　of　any　sovereignty？　　Are　they　going　to　tell　the　world　that　a　nation　or　a　people　is　bound　to　remain　in　any　political　status　because　that　status　is　the　recognized　form　of　government　under　which　such　a　people　have　lived？　　Is　this　to　be　the　doctrine　of　United　States　citizensof　all　people？　　And　is　this　the　doctrine　preached　now；　of　all　times；　when　the　King　of　Naples　and　the　Italian　dukes　have　just　been　dismissed　from　their　thrones　with　such　enchanting　nonchalance　because　their　people　have　not　chosen　to　keep　them？　　Of　course　the　movement　is　revolutionary；　and　why　not？　　It　is　agreed　now　among　all　men　and　all　nations　that　any　people　may　change　its　form　of　government　to　any　other；　if　it　wills　to　do　soand　if　it　can　do　so。　There　are　two　other　points　on　which　these　Northern　statesmen　and　logicians　also　insist；　and　these　two　other　points　are　at　any　rate　better　worth　an　argument　than　that　which　touches　the　question　of　revolution。　　It　being　settled　that　secession　on　the　part　of　the　Southerners　is　revolution；　it　is　argued；　firstly；　that　no　occasion　for　revolution　had　been　given　by　the　North　to　the　South；　and；　secondly；　that　the　South　has　been　dishonest　in　its　revolutionary　tactics。　　Men　certainly　should　not　raise　a　revolution　for　nothing；　and　it　may　certainly　be　declared　that　whatever　men　do　they　should　do　honestly。　But　in　that　matter　of　the　cause　and　ground　for　revolution；　it　is　so　very　easy　for　either　party　to　put　in　a　plea　that　shall　be　satisfactory　to　itself！　　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Jones　each　had　a　separate　story。　　Mr。　Jones　was　sure　that　the　right　lay　with　him；　but　Mrs。　Jones　was　no　less　sure。　　No　doubt　the　North　had　done　much　for　the　South；　had　earned　money　for　it；　had　fed　it；　and　had；　moreover；　in　a　great　measure　fostered　all　its　bad　habits。　　It　had　not　only　been　generous　to　the　South；　but　over…indulgent。　　But　also　it　had　continually　irritated　the　South　by　meddling　with　that　which　the　Southerners　believed　to　be　a　question　absolutely　private　to　themselves。　　The　matter　was　illustrated　to　me　by　a　New　Hampshire　man　who　was　conversant　with　black　bears。　　At　the　hotels　in　the　New　Hampshire　mountains　it　is　customary　to　find　black　bears　chained　to　poles。　　These　bears　are　caught　among　the　hills；　and　are　thus　imprisoned　for　the　amusement　of　the　hotel　guests。　　〃Them　Southerners；〃　said　my　friend；　〃are　jist　as　one　as　that　'ere　bear。　We　feeds　him　and　gives　him　a　house；　and　his　belly　is　ollers　full。　But　then；　jist　becase　he's　a　black　bear；　we're　ollers　a　poking　him　with　sticks；　and　a'　course　the　beast　is　a　kinder　riled。　　He　wants　to　be　back　to　the　mountains。　　He　wouldn't　have　his　belly　filled；　but　he'd　have　his　own　way。　　It's　jist　so　with　them　Southerners。〃　It　is　of　no　use　proving　to　any　man　or　to　any　nation　that　they　have　got　all　they　should　want；　if　they　have　not　got　all　that　they　do　want。　　If　a　servant　desires　to　go；　it　is　of　no　avail　to　show　him　that　he　has　all　he　can　desire　in　his　present　place。　　The　Northerners　say　that　they　have　given　no　offense　to　the　Southerners；　and　that　therefore　the　South　is　wrong　to　raise　a　revolution。　　The　very　fact　that　the　North　is　the　North；　is　an　offence　to　the　South。　As　long　as　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Jones　were　one　in　heart　and　one　in　feeling；　having　the　same　hopes　and　the　same　joys；　it　was　well　that　they　should　remain　together。　　But　when　it　is　proved　that　they　cannot　so　live　without　tearing　out　each　other's　eyes；　Sir　Cresswell　Cresswell；　the　revolutionary　institution　of　domestic　life；　interferes　and　separates　them。　　This　is　the　age　of　such　separations。　　I　do　not　wonder　that　the　North　should　use　its　logic　to　show　that　it　has　received　cause　of　offense　but　given　none；　but　I　do　think　that　such　logic　is　thrown　away。　　The　matter　is　not　one　for　argument。　　The　South　has　thought　that　it　can　do　better　without　the　North　than　with　it；　and　if　it　has　the　power　to　separate　itself；　it　must　be　conceded　that　it　has　the　right。　And　then　as　to　that　question　of　honesty。　　Whatever　men　do　they　certainly　should　do　honestly。　　Speaking　broadly；　one　may　say　that　the　rule　applies　to　nations　as　strongly　as　to　individuals；　and　should　be　observed　in　politics　as　accurately　as　in　other　matters。　We　must；　however；　confess　that　men　who　are　scrupulous　in　their　private　dealings　do　too　constantly　drop　those　scruples　when　they　handle　public　affairs；　and　especially　when　they　handle　them　at　stirring　moments　of　great　national　changes。　　The　name　of　Napoleon　III。　stands　fair　now　before　Europe；　and　yet　he　filched　the　French　empire　with　a　falsehood。　　The　union　of　England　and　Ireland　is　a　successful　fact；　but　nevertheless　it　can　hardly　be　said　that　it　was　honestly　achieved。　　I　heartily　believe　that　the　wh