north america-1-第69章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ous　also　to　spend。　　He　is　energetic　to　the　last；　and　has　no　comfort　with　his　stock　unless　it　breeds　with　Transatlantic　rapidity　of　procreation。　So　much　I　say；　being　anxious　to　scrape　off　some　of　that　daub　of　black　paint　with　which　I　have　smeared　the　face　of　my　New　Yorker；　but　not　desiring　to　scrape　it　all　off。　　For　myself；　I　do　not　love　to　live　amid　the　clink　of　gold；　and　never　have　〃a　good　time；〃　as　the　Americans　say；　when　the　price　of　shares　and　percentages　come　up　in　conversation。　　That　state　of　men's　minds　here　which　I　have　endeavored　to　explain　tends；　I　think；　to　make　New　York　disagreeable。　　A　stranger　there　who　has　no　great　interest　in　percentages　soon　finds　himself　anxious　to　escape。　　By　degrees　he　perceives　that　he　is　out　of　his　element；　and　had　better　go　away。　He　calls　at　the　bank；　and　when　he　shows　himself　ignorant　as　to　the　price　at　which　his　sovereigns　should　be　done；　he　is　conscious　that　he　is　ridiculous。　　He　is　like　a　man　who　goes　out　hunting　for　the　first　time　at　forty　years　of　age。　　He　feels　himself　to　be　in　the　wrong　place；　and　is　anxious　to　get　out　of　it。　　Such　was　my　experience　of　New　York；　at　each　of　the　visits　that　I　paid　to　it。　But　yet；　I　say　again；　no　other　American　city　is　so　intensely　American　as　New　York。　　It　is　generally　considered　that　the　inhabitants　of　New　England；　the　Yankees　properly　so　called；　have　the　American　characteristics　of　physiognomy　in　the　fullest　degree。　The　lantern　jaws；　the　thin　and　lithe　body；　the　dry　face　on　which　there　has　been　no　tint　of　the　rose　since　the　baby's　long…clothes　were　first　abandoned；　the　harsh；　thick　hair；　the　thin　lips；　the　intelligent　eyes；　the　sharp　voice　with　the　nasal　twangnot　altogether　harsh；　though　sharp　and　nasalall　these　traits　are　supposed　to　belong　especially　to　the　Yankee。　　Perhaps　it　was　so　once；　but　at　present　they　are；　I　think；　more　universally　common　in　New　York　than　in　any　other　part　of　the　States。　　Go　to　Wall　Street；　the　front　of　the　Astor　House；　and　the　regions　about　Trinity　Church；　and　you　will　find　them　in　their　fullest　perfection。　What　circumstances　of　blood　or　food；　of　early　habit　or　subsequent　education；　have　created　for　the　latter…day　American　his　present　physiognomy？　　It　is　as　completely　marked；　as　much　his　own；　as　is　that　of　any　race　under　the　sun　that　has　bred　in　and　in　for　centuries。　　But　the　American　owns　a　more　mixed　blood　than　any　other　race　known。　　The　chief　stock　is　English；　which　is　itself　so　mixed　that　no　man　can　trace　its　ramifications。　　With　this　are　mingled　the　bloods　of　Ireland；　Holland；　France；　Sweden；　and　Germany。　　All　this　has　been　done　within　but　a　few　years；　so　that　the　American　may　be　said　to　have　no　claim　to　any　national　type　of　face。　　Nevertheless；　no　man　has　a　type　of　face　so　clearly　national　as　the　American。　　He　is　acknowledged　by　it　all　over　the　continent　of　Europe；　and　on　his　own　side　of　the　water　is　gratified　by　knowing　that　he　is　never　mistaken　for　his　English　visitor。　　I　think　it　comes　from　the　hot…　air　pipes　and　from　dollar　worship。　　In　the　Jesuit　his　mode　of　dealing　with　things　divine　has　given　a　peculiar　cast　of　countenance；　and　why　should　not　the　American　be　similarly　moulded　by　his　special　aspirations？　　As　to　the　hot…air　pipes；　there　can；　I　think；　be　no　doubt　that　to　them　is　to　be　charged　the　murder　of　all　rosy　cheeks　throughout　the　States。　　If　the　effect　was　to　be　noticed　simply　in　the　dry　faces　of　the　men　about　Wall　Street；　I　should　be　very　indifferent　to　the　matter。　　But　the　young　ladies　of　Fifth　Avenue　are　in　the　same　category。　　The　very　pith　and　marrow　of　life　is　baked　out　of　their　young　bones　by　the　hot…air　chambers　to　which　they　are　accustomed。　　Hot　air　is　the　great　destroyer　of　American　beauty。　In　saying　that　there　is　very　little　to　be　seen　in　New　York　I　have　also　said　that　there　is　no　way　of　seeing　that　little。　　My　assertion　amounts　to　this；　that　there　are　no　cabs。　　To　the　reading　world　at　large　this　may　not　seem　to　be　much；　but　let　the　reading　world　go　to　New　York；　and　it　will　find　out　how　much　the　deficiency　means。　　In　London；　in　Paris；　in　Florence；　in　Rome；　in　the　Havana；　or　at　Grand　Cairo；　the　cab…driver　or　attendant　does　not　merely　drive　the　cab　or　belabor　the　donkey；　but　he　is　the　visitor's　easiest　and　cheapest　guide。　　In　London；　the　Tower；　Westminster　Abbey；　and　Madame　Tussaud　are　found　by　the　stranger　without　difficulty；　and　almost　without　a　thought；　because　the　cab…driver　knows　the　whereabouts　and　the　way。　Space　is　moreover　annihilated；　and　the　huge　distances　of　the　English　metropolis　are　brought　within　the　scope　of　mortal　power。　But　in　New　York　there　is　no　such　institution。　In　New　York　there　are　street　omnibuses　as　we　havethere　are　street　cars　such　as　last　year　we　declined　to　have；　and　there　are　very　excellent　public　carriages；　but　none　of　these　give　you　the　accommodation　of　a　cab；　nor　can　all　of　them　combined　do　so。　　The　omnibuses；　though　clean　and　excellent；　were　to　me　very　unintelligible。　　They　have　no　conductor　to　them。　　To　know　their　different　lines　and　usages　a　man　should　have　made　a　scientific　study　of　the　city。　　To　those　going　up　and　down　Broadway　I　became　accustomed；　but　in　them　I　was　never　quite　at　my　ease。　　The　money　has　to　be　paid　through　a　little　hole　behind　the　driver's　back；　and　should；　as　I　learned　at　last；　be　paid　immediately　on　entrance。　　But　in　getting　up　to　do　this　I　always　stumbled　about；　and　it　would　happen　that　when　with　considerable　difficulty　I　had　settled　my　own　account；　two　or　three　ladies　would　enter；　and　would　hand　me；　without　a　word；　some　coins　with　which　I　had　no　life…long　familiarity；　in　order　that　I　might　go　through　the　same　ceremony　on　their　account。　　The　change　I　would　usually　drop　into　the　straw；　and　then　there　would　arise　trouble　and　unhappiness。　　Before　I　became　aware　of　that　law　as　to　instant　payment；　bells　used　to　be　rung　at　me；　which　made　me　uneasy。　　I　knew　I　was　not　behaving　as　a　citizen　should　behave；　but　could　not　compass　the　exact　points　of　my　delinquency。　　And　then；　when　I　desired　to　escape；　the　door　being　strapped　up　tight；　I　would　halloo　vainly　at　the　driver　through　the　little　hole；　whereas；　had　I　known　my　duty；　I　should　have　rung　a　bell；　or　pulled　a　strap；　according　to　the　nature　of　the　omnibus　in　question。　　In　a　month　or　two　all　these　things　may　possibly　be　learned；　but　the　visitor　requires　his　facilities　for　locomotion　at　the　first　moment　of　his　entrance　into　the　city。　　I　heard　it　asserted　by　a　lecturer　in　Boston；　Mr。　Wendell　Phillips；　whose　name　is　there　a　household　word；　that　citizens　of　the　United　States　carried　brains　in　their　fingers　as　well　as　in　their　heads；　whereas　〃common　people；〃　by　which　Mr。　Phillips　intended　to　designate　the　remnant　of　mankind　beyond　the　United　States；　were　blessed　with　no　such　extended　cerebral　development。　　Having　once　learned　this　fact　from　Mr。　Phillips；　I　understood　why　it　was　that　a　New　York　omnibus　should　be　so　disagreeable　to　me；　and　at　the　same　time　so　suitable　to　the　wants　of　the　New　Yorkers。　And　then　there　are　street　carsvery　long　omnibuseswhich　run　on　rails　but　are　dragged　by　horses。　　They　are　capable　of　holding　forty　passengers　each；　and　as　far　as　my　experience　goes　carry　an　average　load　of　sixty。　　The　fare　of　the　omnibus　is　six　cents；　or　three　pence。　　That　of　the　street　car　five　cents；　or　two　pence