north america-2-第53章

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　engines　is　continual；　for　at　such　places　freight　trains　are　always　kept　waiting　for　passenger　trains；　and　the　slower　freight　trains　for　those　which　are　called　fast。　　This　is　the　life　of　the　town；　and　indeed　as　the　whole　place　is　dependent　on　the　railway；　so　is　the　railway　held　in　favor　and　beloved。　　The　noise　of　the　engines　is　not　disliked；　nor　are　its　puffings　and　groanings　held　to　be　unmusical。　　With　us　a　locomotive　steam…engine　is　still；　as　it　were；　a　beast　of　prey；　against　which　one　has　to　be　on　one's　guardin　respect　to　which　one　specially　warns　the　children。　　But　there；　in　the　Western　States；　it　has　been　taken　to　the　bosoms　of　them　all　as　a　domestic　animal；　no　one　fears　it；　and　the　little　children　run　about　almost　among　its　wheels。　　It　is　petted　and　made　much　of　on　all　sidesand；　as　far　as　I　know；　it　seldom　bites　or　tears。　　I　have　not　heard　of　children　being　destroyed　wholesale　in　the　streets；　or　of　drunken　men　becoming　frequent　sacrifices。　　But　had　I　been　consulted　beforehand　as　to　the　natural　effects　of　such　an　arrangement；　I　should　have　said　that　no　child　could　have　been　reared　in　such　a　town；　and　that　any　continuance　of　population　under　such　circumstances　must　have　been　impracticable。　Such　places；　however；　do　thrive　and　prosper　with　a　prosperity　especially　their　own；　and　the　boys　and　girls　increase　and　multiply　in　spite　of　all　dangers。　　With　us　in　England　it　is　difficult　to　realize　the　importance　which　is　attached　to　a　railway　in　the　States；　and　the　results　which　a　railway　creates。　　We　have　roads　everywhere；　and　our　country　had　been　cultivated　throughout　with　more　or　less　care　before　our　system　of　railways　had　been　commenced；　but　in　America；　especially　in　the　North；　the　railways　have　been　the　precursors　of　cultivation。　　They　have　been　carried　hither　and　thither；　through　primeval　forests　and　over　prairies；　with　small　hope　of　other　traffic　than　that　which　they　themselves　would　make　by　their　own　influences。　　The　people　settling　on　their　edges　have　had　the　very　best　of　all　roads　at　their　service；　but　they　have　had　no　other　roads。　　The　face　of　the　country　between　one　settlement　and　another　is　still　in　many　cases　utterly　unknown；　but　there　is　the　connecting　road　by　which　produce　is　carried　away；　and　new…comers　are　brought　in。　　The　town　that　is　distant　a　hundred　miles　by　the　rail　is　so　near　that　its　inhabitants　are　neighbors；　but　a　settlement　twenty　miles　distant　across　the　uncleared　country　is　unknown；　unvisited；　and　probably　unheard　of　by　the　women　and　children。　　Under　such　circumstances　the　railway　is　everything。　　It　is　the　first　necessity　of　life；　and　gives　the　only　hope　of　wealth。　　It　is　the　backbone　of　existence　from　whence　spring；　and　by　which　are　protected；　all　the　vital　organs　and　functions　of　the　community。　　It　is　the　right　arm　of　civilization　for　the　people；　and　the　discoverer　of　the　fertility　of　the　land。　　It　is　all　in　all　to　those　people；　and　to　those　regions。　It　has　supplied　the　wants　of　frontier　life　with　all　the　substantial　comfort　of　the　cities；　and　carried　education；　progress；　and　social　habits　into　the　wilderness。　　To　the　eye　of　the　stranger　such　places　as　Seymour　and　Crestline　are　desolate　and　dreary。　　There　is　nothing　of　beauty　in　themgiven　either　by　nature　or　by　art。　　The　railway　itself　is　ugly；　and　its　numerous　sidings　and　branches　form　a　mass　of　iron　road　which　is　bewildering；　and；　according　to　my　ideas；　in　itself　disagreeable。　　The　wooden　houses　open　down　upon　the　line；　and　have　no　gardens　to　relieve　them。　　A　foreigner；　when　first　surveying　such　a　spot；　will　certainly　record　within　himself　a　verdict　against　it；　but　in　doing　so　he　probably　commits　the　error　of　judging　it　by　a　wrong　standard。　　He　should　compare　it　with　the　new　settlements　which　men　have　opened　up　in　spots　where　no　railway　has　assisted　them；　and　not　with　old　towns　in　which　wealth　has　long　been　congregated。　　The　traveler　may　see　what　is　the　place　with　the　railway；　then　let　him　consider　how　it　might　have　thriven　without　the　railway。　I　confess　that　I　became　tired　of　my　sojourn　at　both　the　places　I　have　named。　　At　each　I　think　that　I　saw　every　house　in　the　place；　although　my　visit　to　Seymour　was　made　in　the　night；　and　at　both　I　was　lamentably　at　a　loss　for　something　to　do。　　At　Crestline　I　was　all　alone；　and　began　to　feel　that　the　hours　which　I　knew　must　pass　before　the　missing　train　could　come　would　never　make　away　with　themselves。　　There　were　many　others　stationed　there　as　I　was；　but　to　them　had　been　given　a　capability　for　loafing　which　niggardly　Nature　has　denied　to　me。　　An　American　has　the　power　of　seating　himself　in　the　close　vicinity　of　a　hot　stove　and　feeding　in　silence　on　his　own　thoughts　by　the　hour　together。　　It　may　be　that　he　will　smoke；　but　after　awhile　his　cigar　will　come　to　an　end。　　He　sits　on；　however；　certainly　patient；　and　apparently　contented。　　It　may　be　that　he　chews；　but　if　so；　he　does　it　with　motionless　jaws；　and　so　slow　a　mastication　of　the　pabulum　upon　which　he　feeds；　that　his　employment　in　this　respect　only　disturbs　the　absolute　quiet　of　the　circle　when；　at　certain　long；　distant　intervals；　he　deposits　the　secretion　of　his　tobacco　in　an　ornamental　utensil　which　may　probably　be　placed　in　the　farthest　corner　of　the　hall。　　But　during　all　this　time　he　is　happy。　It　does　not　fret　him　to　sit　there　and　think　and　do　nothing。　　He　is　by　no　means　an　idle　manprobably　one　much　given　to　commercial　enterprise。　　Idle　men　out　there　in　the　West　we　may　say　there　are　none。　　How　should　any　idle　man　live　in　such　a　country？　　All　who　were　sitting　hour　after　hour　in　that　circle　round　the　stove　of　the　Crestline　Hotel　hallsitting　there　hour　after　hour　in　silence；　as　I　could　not　sitwere　men　who　earned　their　bread　by　labor。　　They　were　farmers；　mechanics；　storekeepers；　there　was　a　lawyer　or　two；　and　one　clergyman。　　Sufficient　conversation　took　place　at　first　to　indicate　the　professions　of　many　of　them。　　One　may　conclude　that　there　could　not　be　place　there　for　an　idle　man。　　But　they　all　of　them　had　a　capacity　for　a　prolonged　state　of　doing　nothing　which　is　to　me　unintelligible；　and　which　is　by　me　very　much　to　be　envied。　　They　are　patient　as　cows　which　from　hour　to　hour　lie　on　the　grass　chewing　their　cud。　　An　Englishman；　if　he　be　kept　waiting　by　a　train　in　some　forlorn　station　in　which　he　can　find　no　employment；　curses　his　fate　and　all　that　has　led　to　his　present　misfortune　with　an　energy　which　tells　the　story　of　his　deep　and　thorough　misery。　　Such；　I　confess；　is　my　state　of　existence　under　such　circumstances。　　But　a　Western　American　gives　himself　up　to　〃loafing；〃　and　is　quite　happy。　　He　balances　himself　on　the　back　legs　of　an　arm…chair；　and　remains　so；　without　speaking；　drinking　or　smoking　for　an　hour　at　a　stretch；　and　while　he　is　doing　so　he　looks　as　though　he　had　all　that　he　desired。　I　believe　that　he　is　happy；　and　that　he　has　all　that　he　wants　for　such　an　occasionan　arm…chair　in　which　to　sit；　and　a　stove　on　which　he　can　put　his　feet　and　by　which　he　can　make　himself　warm。　Such　was　not　the　phase　of　character　which　I　had　expected　to　find　among　the　people　of　the　West。　　Of　all　virtues　patience　would　have　been　the　last　which　I　should　have　thought　of　attributing　to　them。　　I　should　have　expected　to　see　them　angry　when　robbed　of　their　time；　and　irritable　under