short stories and essays-第27节

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visit　difference　of　opinion；　rather　they　are　accumulated　on　him。

Such　things　are　not　serious；　and　they　are　such　as　no　serious　man　need
shrink　from；　but　they　have　a　bearing　upon　what　I　am　trying　to　explain；
and　in　a　certain　measure　they　account　for　a　certain　attitude　in　our
literary　men。　　No　one　likes　to　have　stones；　not　to　say　mud；　thrown　at
him；　though　they　are　not　meant　to　hurt　him　badly　and　may　be　partly　thrown
in　joke。　　But　it　is　pretty　certain　that　if　a　man　not　in　politics　takes
them　seriously；　he　will　have　more　or　less　mud；　not　to　say　stones；　thrown
at　him。　　He　might　burlesque　or　caricature　them；　or　misrepresent　them；
with　safety；　but　if　he　spoke　of　public　questions　with　heart　and
conscience；　he　could　not　do　it　with　impunity；　unless　he　were　authorized
to　do　so　by　some　practical　relation　to　them。　　I　do　not　mean　that　then　he
would　escape；　but　in　this　country；　where　there　were　once　supposed　to　be
no　classes；　people　are　more　strictly　classified　than　in　any　other。
Business　to　the　business　man；　law　to　the　lawyer；　medicine　to　the
physician；　politics　to　the　politician；　and　letters　to　the　literary　man；
that　is　the　rule。　　One　is　not　expected　to　transcend　his　function；　and
commonly　one　does　not。　　We　keep　each　to　his　last；　as　if　there　were　not
human　interests；　civic　interests；　which　had　a　higher　claim　than　the　last
upon　our　thinking　and　feeling。　　The　tendency　has　grown　upon　us　severally
and　collectively　through　the　long　persistence　of　our　prosperity；　if
public　affairs　were　going　ill；　private　affairs　were　going　so　well　that　we
did　not　mind　the　others；　and　we　Americans　are；　I　think；　meridional　in　our
improvidence。　　We　are　so　essentially　of　to…day　that　we　behave　as　if　to…
morrow　no　more　concerned　us　than　yesterday。　　We　have　taught　ourselves　to
believe　that　it　will　all　come　out　right　in　the　end　so　long　that　we　have
come　to　act　upon　our　belief；　we　are　optimistic　fatalists。




III。

The　turn　which　our　politics　have　taken　towards　economics；　if　I　may　so
phrase　the　rise　of　the　questions　of　labor　and　capital；　has　not　largely
attracted　literary　men。　　It　is　doubtful　whether　Edward　Bellamy　himself；
whose　fancy　of　better　conditions　has　become　the　abiding　faith　of　vast
numbers　of　Americans；　supposed　that　he　was　entering　the　field　of
practical　politics；　or　dreamed　of　influencing　elections　by　his　hopes　of
economic　equality。　　But　he　virtually　founded　the　Populist　party；　which；
as　the　vital　principle　of　the　Democratic　party；　came　so　near　electing　its
candidate　for　the　Presidency　some　years　ago；　and　he　is　to　be　named　first
among　our　authors　who　have　dealt　with　politics　on　their　more　human　side
since　the　days　of　the　old　antislavery　agitation。　　Without　too　great
disregard　of　the　reticence　concerning　the　living　which　I　promised　myself；
I　may　mention　Dr。　Edward　Everett　Hale　and　Colonel　Thomas　Wentworth
Higginson　as　prominent　authors　who　encouraged　the　Nationalist　movement
eventuating　in　Populism；　though　they　were　never　Populists。　　It　may　be
interesting　to　note　that　Dr。　Hale　and　Colonel　Higginson；　who　later　came
together　in　their　sociological　sympathies；　were　divided　by　the　schism　of
1884；　when　the　first　remained　with　the　Republicans　and　the　last　went　off
to　the　Democrats。　　More　remotely；　Colonel　Higginson　was　anti　slavery
almost　to　the　point　of　Abolitionism；　and　he　led　a　negro　regiment　in　the
war。　　Dr。　Hale　was　of　those　who　were　less　radically　opposed　to　slavery
before　the　war；　but　hardly　so　after　it　came。　　Since　the　war　a　sort　of
refluence　of　the　old　anti…slavery　politics　carried　from　his　moorings　in
Southern　tradition　Mr。　George　W。　Cable；　who；　against　the　white　sentiment
of　his　section；　sided　with　the　former　slaves；　and　would；　if　the　indignant
renunciation　of　his　fellow…Southerners　could　avail；　have　consequently
ceased　to　be　the　first　of　Southern　authors；　though　he　would　still　have
continued　the　author　of　at　least　one　of　the　greatest　American　novels。

If　I　must　burn　my　ships　behind　me　in　alleging　these　modern　instances；　as
I　seem　really　to　be　doing；　I　may　mention　Mr。　R。　W。　Gilder；　the　poet；　as
an　author　who　has　taken　part　in　the　politics　of　municipal　reform；　Mr。
Hamlin　Garland　has　been　known　from　the　first　as　a　zealous　George　man；　or
single…taxer。　　Mr。　John　Hay；　Mr。　Theodore　Roosevelt；　and　Mr。　Henry　Cabot
Lodge　are　Republican　politicians；　as　well　as　recognized　literary　men。
Mr。　Joel　Chandler　Harris；　when　not　writing　Uncle　Remus；　writes　political
articles　in　a　leading　Southern　journal。　　Mark　Twain　is　a　leading　anti…
imperialist。




IV。

I　am　not　sure　whether　I　have　made　out　a　case　for　our　authors　or　against
them；　perhaps　I　have　not　done　so　badly；　but　I　have　certainly　not　tried　to
be　exhaustive；　the　exhaustion　is　so　apt　to　extend　from　the　subject　to　the
reader；　and　I　wish　to　leave　him　in　a　condition　to　judge　for　himself
whether　American　literary　men　take　part　in　American　politics　or　not。
I　think　they　bear　their　share；　in　the　quieter　sort　of　way　which　we　hope
（it　may　be　too　fondly）　is　the　American　way。　　They　are　none　of　them
politicians　in　the　Latin　sort。　　Few；　if　any；　of　our　statesmen　have　come
forward　with　small　volumes　of　verse　in　their　hands　as　they　used　to　do　in
Spain；　none　of　our　poets　or　historians　have　been　chosen　Presidents　of　the
republic　as　has　happened　to　their　French　confreres；　no　great　novelist　of
ours　has　been　exiled　as　Victor　Hugo　was；　or　atrociously　mishandled　as
Zola　has　been；　though　I　have　no　doubt　that　if；　for　instance；　one　had　once
said　the　Spanish　war　wrong　he　would　be　pretty　generally　'conspue'。
They　have　none　of　them　reached　the　heights　of　political　power；　as　several
English　authors　have　done；　but　they　have　often　been　ambassadors；
ministers；　and　consuls；　though　they　may　not　often　have　been　appointed　for
political　reasons。　　I　fancy　they　discharge　their　duties　in　voting　rather
faithfully；　though　they　do　not　often　take　part　in　caucuses　or
conventions。

As　for　the　other　half　of　the　questionhow　far　American　politicians　are
scholarsone's　first　impulse　would　be　to　say　that　they　never　were　so。
But　I　have　always　had　an　heretical　belief　that　there　were　snakes　in
Ireland；　and　it　may　be　some　such　disposition　to　question　authority　that
keeps　me　from　yielding　to　this　impulse。　　The　law　of　demand　and　supply
alone　ought　to　have　settled　the　question　in　favor　of　the　presence　of　the
scholar　in　our　politics；　there　has　been　such　a　cry　for　him　among　us　for
almost　a　generation　past。　　Perhaps　the　response　has　not　been　very　direct；
but　I　imagine　that　our　politicians　have　never　been　quite　so　destitute　of
scholarship　as　they　would　sometimes　make　appear。　　I　do　not　think　so　many
of　them　now　write　a　good　style；　or　speak　a　good　style；　as　the　politicians
of　forty；　or　fifty；　or　sixty　years　ago；　but　this　may　be　merely　part　of
the　impression　of　the　general　worsening　of　things；　familiar　after　middle
life　to　every　one's　experience；　from　the　beginning　of　recorded　time。　　If
something　not　so　literary　is　meant　by　scholarship；　if　a　study　of　finance；
of　economics；　of　international　affairs　is　in　question；　it　seems　to　go　on
rather　more　to　their　own　satisfaction　than　that　of　their　critics。　　But
without　being　always　very　proud　of　the　result；　and　without　professing　to
know　the　facts　very　profoundly；　one　may　still　suspect　that　under　an
outside　by　no　means　academic　there　is　a　process　of　thinking　in　our
statesmen　which　is　not　so　loose；　not　so　unscientific；　and　not　even　so
unscholarly　as　it　might　be　supposed。　　It　is　not　the　effect　of　specific
training；　and　yet　it　is　the　effect　of　training。　　I　do　not　find　that　the
matters　dealt　with　are　anywhere　in　the　world　intrusted　to　experts；　and　in
this　sense　scholarship　has　not　been　called　to　the　aid　of　our　legislation
or　administration；　but　still　I　should　not　like　to　say　that　none　of　our
politicians　were　scholars。　　That　would　be　offensive；　and　it　might　not　be
true。　　In　fact；　I　can　think　of　several　whom　I　should　be　tempted　to　call
scholars　if　I　were　not　just　here　recalled　to　a　sense　of　my　purpose　not　to
deal　quite　frankly　with　this　inquiry。






STORAGE

It　has　been　the　belief　of　certain　kindly　philosophers　that　if　the　one
half　of　mankind　knew　how　the　other　half　lived；　the　two　halves　might　be
brought　together　in　a　family　affection　not　now　so　observable　in　human
relations。　　Probably　if　this　knowledge　were　perfect；　there　would　still　be
things；　to　bar　the　perfect　brotherhood；　and　yet　the　knowledge　itself　is
so　interesting；　if　not　so　salutary　as　it　has　been　imagined；　that　one　can
hardly　refuse　to　impart　it　if　one　has　it；　and　can　reasonably　hope；　in　the
advantage　of　the　ignorant；　to　find　one's　excuse　with　the　better　informed。




I。

City　and　country　are　still　so　widely　apart　in　every　civilization　that　one
can　safely　count　upon　a　reciprocal　strangeness　in　many　every…day　things。
For　instance；　in　the　country；　when　people　break　up　house…keeping；　they
sell　their　household　goods　and　gods；　as　they　did　in　cities　fifty　or　a
hundred　years　ago；　but　now　in　cities　they　simply　store　them；　and　vast
warehouses　in　all　the　principal　towns　have　been　devoted　to　their　storage。
The　warehouses　are　of　all　types；　from　dusty　lofts　over　stores；　and
ammoniacal　lofts　over　stables；　to　buildings　offering　acres　of　space；　and
carefully