north america-1-第75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！


ery　much　that　is　good。　It　is　not　without　a　purpose　that　I　have　given　this　somewhat　glowing　account　of　a　girls'　school　in　New　York　so　soon　after　my　little　picture　of　New　York　women；　as　they　behave　themselves　in　the　streets　and　street　cars。　　It　will；　of　course；　be　said　that　those　women　of　whom　I　have　spoken；　by　no　means　in　terms　of　admiration；　are　the　very　girls　whose　education　has　been　so　excellent。　　This　of　course　is　so；　but　I　beg　to　remark　that　I　have　by　no　means　said　that　an　excellent　school　education　will　produce　all　female　excellencies。　The　fact；　I　take　it；　is　this：　that　seeing　how　high　in　the　scale　these　girls　have　been　raised；　one　is　anxious　that　they　should　be　raised　higher。　　One　is　surprised　at　their　pert　vulgarity　and　hideous　airs；　not　because　they　are　so　low　in　our　general　estimation；　but　because　they　are　so　high。　　Women　of　the　same　class　in　London　are　humble　enough；　and　therefore　rarely　offend　us　who　are　squeamish。　　They　show　by　their　gestures　that　they　hardly　think　themselves　good　enough　to　sit　by　us；　they　apologize　for　their　presence；　they　conceive　it　to　be　their　duty　to　be　lowly　in　their　gesture。　　The　question　is　which　is　best；　the　crouching　and　crawling；　or　the　impudent；　unattractive　self…composure。　　Not；　my　reader；　which　action　on　her　part　may　the　better　conduce　to　my　comfort　or　to　yours。　　That　is　by　no　means　the　question。　　Which　is　the　better　for　the　woman　herself？　　That；　I　take　it；　is　the　point　to　be　decided。　　That　there　is　something　better　than　either；　we　shall　all　agreebut　to　my　thinking　the　crouching　and　crawling　is　the　lowest　type　of　all。　At　that　school　I　saw　some　five　or　six　hundred　girls　collected　in　one　room；　and　heard　them　sing。　　The　singing　was　very　pretty；　and　it　was　all　very　nice；　but　I　own　that　I　was　rather　startled；　and　to　tell　the　truth　somewhat　abashed；　when　I　was　invited　to　〃say　a　few　words　to　them。〃　　No　idea　of　such　a　suggestion　had　dawned　upon　me；　and　I　felt　myself　quite　at　a　loss。　　To　be　called　up　before　five　hundred　men　is　bad　enough；　but　how　much　worse　before　that　number　of　girls！　　What　could　I　say　but　that　they　were　all　very　pretty？　　As　far　as　I　can　remember；　I　did　say　that　and　nothing　else。　　Very　pretty　they　were；　and　neatly　dressed；　and　attractive；　but　among　them　all　there　was　not　a　pair　of　rosy　cheeks。　　How　should　there　be；　when　every　room　in　the　building　was　heated　up　to　the　condition　of　an　oven　by　those　damnable　hot…air　pipes。　In　England　a　taste　for　very　large　shops　has　come　up　during　the　last　twenty　years。　　A　firm　is　not　doing　a　good　business；　or　at　any　rate　a　distinguished　business；　unless　he　can　assert　in　his　trade　card　that　he　occupies　at　least　half　a　dozen　housesNos。　105；　106；　107；　108；　109　and　110。　　The　old　way　of　paying　for　what　you　want　over　the　counter　is　gone；　and　when　you　buy　a　yard　of　tape　or　a　new　carriage　for　either　of　which　articles　you　will　probably　visit　the　same　establishmentyou　go　through　about　the　same　amount　of　ceremony　as　when　you　sell　a　thousand　pounds　out　of　the　stocks　in　propria　persona。　　But　all　this　is　still　further　exaggerated　in　New　York。　Mr。　Stewart's　store　there　is　perhaps　the　handsomest　institution　in　the　city；　and　his　hall　of　audience　for　new　carpets　is　a　magnificent　saloon。　　〃You　have　nothing　like　that　in　England；〃　my　friend　said　to　me　as　he　walked　me　through　it　in　triumph。　　〃I　wish　we　had　nothing　approaching　to　it；〃　I　answered。　　For　I　confess　to　a　liking　for　the　old…fashioned　private　shops。　　Harper's　establishment　for　the　manufacture　and　sale　of　books　is　also　very　wonderful。　　Everything　is　done　on　the　premises；　down　to　the　very　coloring　of　the　paper　which　lines　the　covers；　and　places　the　gilding　on　their　backs。　　The　firm　prints；　engraves；　electroplates；　sews；　binds；　publishes；　and　sells　wholesale　and　retail。　　I　have　no　doubt　that　the　authors　have　rooms　in　the　attics　where　the　other　slight　initiatory　step　is　taken　toward　the　production　of　literature。　New　York　is　built　upon　an　island；　which　is　I　believe　about　ten　miles　long；　counting　from　the　southern　point　at　the　Battery　up　to　Carmansville；　to　which　place　the　city　is　presumed　to　extend　northward。　　This　island　is　called　Manhattan；　a　name　which　I　have　always　thought　would　have　been　more　graceful　for　the　city　than　that　of　New　York。　　It　is　formed　by　the　Sound　or　East　River；　which　divides　the　continent　from　Long　Island　by　the　Hudson　River；　which　runs　into　the　Sound；　or　rather　joins　it　at　the　city　foot；　and　by　a　small　stream　called　the　Harlem　River；　which　runs　out　of　the　Hudson　and　meanders　away　into　the　Sound　at　the　north　of　the　city；　thus　cutting　the　city　off　from　the　main…land。　　The　breadth　of　the　island　does　not　much　exceed　two　miles；　and　therefore　the　city　is　long；　and　not　capable　of　extension　in　point　of　breadth。　　In　its　old　days　it　clustered　itself　round　about　the　Point；　and　stretched　itself　up　from　there　along　the　quays　of　the　two　waters。　　The　streets　down　in　this　part　of　the　town　are　devious　enough；　twisting　themselves　about　with　delightful　irregularity；　but　as　the　city　grew　there　came　the　taste　for　parallelograms；　and　the　upper　streets　are　rectangular　and　numbered。　　Broadway；　the　street　of　New　York　with　which　the　world　is　generally　best　acquainted；　begins　at　the　southern　point　of　the　town　and　goes　northward　through　it。　　For　some　two　miles　and　a　half　it　walks　away　in　a　straight　line；　and　then　it　turns　to　the　left　toward　the　Hudson。　　From　that　time　Broadway　never　again　takes　a　straight　course；　but　crosses　the　various　avenues　in　an　oblique　direction　till　it　becomes　the　Bloomingdale　Road；　and　under　that　name　takes　itself　out　of　town。　　There　are　eleven　so…called　avenues；　which　descend　in　absolutely　straight　lines　from　the　northern；　and　at　present　unsettled；　extremity　of　the　new　town；　making　their　way　southward　till　they　lose　themselves　among　the　old　streets。　　These　are　called　First　Avenue；　Second　Avenue；　and　so　on。　　The　town　had　already　progressed　two　miles　up　northward　from　the　Battery　before　it　had　caught　the　parallelogramic　fever　from　Philadelphia；　for　at　about　that　distance　we　find　〃First　Street〃。　　First　Street　runs　across　the　avenues　from　water　to　water；　and　then　Second　Street。　　I　will　not　name　them　all；　seeing　that　they　go　up　to　154th　Street！　They　do　so　at　least　on　the　map　and　I　believe　on　the　lamp…posts。　But　the　houses　are　not　yet　built　in　order　beyond　50th　or　60th　Street。　　The　other　hundred　streets；　each　of　two　miles　long；　with　the　avenues；　which　are　mostly　unoccupied　for　four　or　five　miles；　is　the　ground　over　which　the　young　New　Yorkers　are　to　spread　themselves。　　I　do　not　in　the　least　doubt　that　they　will　occupy　it　all；　and　that　154th　Street　will　find　itself　too　narrow　a　boundary　for　the　population。　I　have　said　that　there　was　some　good　architectural　effect　in　New　York；　and　I　alluded　chiefly　to　that　of　the　Fifth　Avenue。　　The　Fifth　Avenue　is　the　Belgrave　Square；　the　Park　Lane；　and　the　Pall　Mall　of　New　York。　　It　is　certainly　a　very　fine　street。　　The　houses　in　it　are　magnificentnot　having　that　aristocratic　look　which　some　of　our　detached　London　residences　enjoy；　or　the　palatial　appearance　of　an　old…fashioned　hotel　in　Paris；　but　an　air　of　comfortable　luxury　and　commercial　wealth　which　is　not　excelled　by　the　best　houses　of　any　other　town　that　I　know。　　They　are　houses；　not　hotels　or　palaces；　but　they　a