north america-2-第76节

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g　to　a　degree。　　But　I　believe　that　they　keep　their　hands　from　picking　and　stealing。　I　never　yet　made　a　single　comfortable　meal　at　an　American　hotel；　or　rose　from　my　breakfast　or　dinner　with　that　feeling　of　satisfaction　which　should；　I　think；　be　felt　at　such　moments　in　a　civilized　land　in　which　cookery　prevails　as　an　art。　　I　have　had　enough；　and　have　been　healthy；　and　am　thankful。　　But　that　thankfulness　is　altogether　a　matter　apart；　and　does　not　bear　upon　the　question。　　If　need　be；　I　can　eat　food　that　is　disagreeable　to　my　palate　and　make　no　complaint。　　But　I　hold　it　to　be　compatible　with　the　principles　of　an　advanced　Christianity　to　prefer　food　that　is　palatable。　　I　never　could　get　any　of　that　kind　at　an　American　hotel。　　All　meal…times　at　such　houses　were　to　me　periods　of　disagreeable　duty；　and　at　this　moment；　as　I　write　these　lines　at　the　hotel　in　which　I　am　still　staying；　I　pine　for　an　English　leg　of　mutton。　　But　I　do　not　wish　it　to　be　supposed　that　the　fault　of　which　I　complainfor　it　is　a　grievous　faultis　incidental　to　America　as　a　nation。　　I　have　stayed　in　private　houses；　and　have　daily　sat　down　to　dinners　quite　as　good　as　any　my　own　kitchen　could　afford　me。　　Their　dinner　parties　are　generally　well　done；　and　as　a　people　they　are　by　no　means　indifferent　to　the　nature　of　their　comestibles。　　It　is　of　the　hotels　that　I　speak；　and　of　them　I　again　say　that　eating　in　them　is　a　disagreeable　taska　painful　labor。　　It　is　as　a　schoolboy's　lesson；　or　the　six　hours'　confinement　of　a　clerk　at　his　desk。　The　mode　of　eating　is　as　follows：　Certain　feeding　hours　are　named；　which　generally　include　nearly　all　the　day。　　Breakfast　from　six　till　ten。　　Dinner　from　one　till　five。　　Tea　from　six　till　nine。　　Supper　from　nine　till　twelve。　　When　the　guest　presents　himself　at　any　of　these　hours；　he　is　marshaled　to　a　seat；　and　a　bill　is　put　into　his　hand　containing　the　names　of　all　the　eatables　then　offered　for　his　choice。　　The　list　is　incredibly　and　most　unnecessarily　long。　　Then　it　is　that　you　will　see　care　written　on　the　face　of　the　American　hotel　liver；　as　he　studies　the　programme　of　the　coming　performance。　With　men　this　passes　off　unnoticed；　but　with　young　girls　the　appearance　of　the　thing　is　not　attractive。　　The　anxious　study；　the　elaborate　reading　of　the　daily　book；　and　then　the　choice　proclaimed　with　clear　articulation：　〃Boiled　mutton　and　caper　sauce；　roast　duck；　hashed　venison；　mashed　potatoes；　poached　eggs　and　spinach；　stewed　tomatoes。　　Yesand；　waiter；　some　squash！〃　　There　is　no　false　delicacy　in　the　voice　by　which　this　order　is　given；　no　desire　for　a　gentle　whisper。　　The　dinner　is　ordered　with　the　firm　determination　of　an　American　heroine；　and　in　some　five　minutes'　time　all　the　little　dishes　appear　at　once；　and　the　lady　is　surrounded　by　her　banquet。　How　I　did　learn　to　hate　those　little　dishes　and　their　greasy　contents！　　At　a　London　eating…house　things　are　often　not　very　nice；　but　your　meat　is　put　on　a　plate　and　comes　before　you　in　an　edible　shape。　　At　these　hotels　it　is　brought　to　you　in　horrid　little　oval　dishes；　and　swims　in　grease；　gravy　is　not　an　institution　in　American　hotels；　but　grease　has　taken　its　place。　　It　is　palpable；　undisguised　grease；　floating　in　riversnot　grease　caused　by　accidental　bad　cookery；　but　grease　on　purpose。　　A　beef…steak　is　not　a　beef…steak　unless　a　quarter　of　a　pound　of　butter　be　added　to　it。　　Those　horrid　little　dishes！　　If　one　thinks　of　it；　how　could　they　have　been　made　to　contain　Christian　food？　　Every　article　in　that　long　list　is　liable　to　the　call　of　any　number　of　guests　for　four　hours。　　Under　such　circumstances　how　can　food　be　made　eatable？　　Your　roast　mutton　is　brought　to　you　raw；　if　you　object　to　that；　you　are　supplied　with　meat　that　has　been　four　times　brought　before　the　public。　　At　hotels　on　the　Continent　of　Europe　different　dinners　are　cooked　at　different　hours；　but　here　the　same　dinner　is　kept　always　going。　　The　house　breakfast　is　maintained　on　a　similar　footing。　　Huge　boilers　of　tea　and　coffee　are　stewed　down　and　kept　hot。　　To　me　those　meals　were　odious。　　It　is　of　course　open　to　any　one　to　have　separate　dinners　and　separate　breakfasts　in　his　own　rooms；　but　by　this　little　is　gained　and　much　is　lost。　　He　or　she　who　is　so　exclusive　pays　twice　over　for　such　mealsas　they　are　charged　as　extras　on　the　billand；　after　all；　receives　the　advantage　of　no　exclusive　cooking。　Particles　from　the　public　dinners　are　brought　to　the　private　room；　and　the　same　odious　little　dishes　make　their　appearance。　But　the　most　striking　peculiarity　of　the　American　hotels　is　in　their　public　rooms。　　Of　the　ladies'　drawing…room　I　have　spoken。　　There　are　two；　and　sometimes　three；　in　one　hotel；　and　they　are　generally　furnished　at　any　rate　expensively。　　It　seems　to　me　that　the　space　and　the　furniture　are　almost　thrown　away。　　At　watering…places　and　sea…side　summer　hotels　they　are；　I　presume；　used；　but　at　ordinary　hotels　they　are　empty　deserts。　　The　intention　is　good；　for　they　are　established　with　the　view　of　giving　to　ladies　at　hotels　the　comforts　of　ordinary　domestic　life；　but　they　fail　in　their　effect。　　Ladies　will　not　make　themselves　happy　in　any　room；　or　with　ever　so　much　gilded　furniture；　unless　some　means　of　happiness　are　provided　for　them。　　Into　these　rooms　no　book　is　ever　brought；　no　needle…work　is　introduced；　from　them　no　clatter　of　many　tongues　is　ever　heard。　　On　a　marble　table　in　the　middle　of　the　room　always　stands　a　large　pitcher　of　iced　water；　and　from　this　a　cold；　damp；　uninviting　air　is　spread　through　the　atmosphere　of　the　ladies'　drawing…room。　Below；　on　the　ground　floor；　there　is；　in　the　first　place；　the　huge　entrance　hall；　at　the　back　of　which；　behind　a　bar；　the　great　man　of　the　place　keeps　the　keys　and　holds　his　court。　　There　are　generally　seats　around　it；　in　which　smokers　sitor　men　not　smoking　but　ruminating。　　Opening　off　from　this　are　reading…rooms；　smoking…rooms；　shaving…rooms；　drinking…rooms；　parlors　for　gentlemen　in　which　smoking　is　prohibited　and　which　are　generally　as　desolate　as　ladies'　sitting…rooms　above。　　In　those　other　more　congenial　chambers　is　always　gathered　together　a　crowd　apparently　belonging　in　no　way　to　the　hotel。　　It　would　seem　that　a　great　portion　of　an　American　Inn　is　as　open　to　the　public　as　an　Exchange　or　as　the　wayside　of　the　street。　　In　the　West；　during　the　early　months　of　this　war；　the　traveler　would　always　see　many　soldiers　among　the　crowdnot　only　officers；　but　privates。　　They　sit　in　public　seats；　silent　but　apparently　contented；　sometimes　for　an　hour　together。　　All　Americans　are　given　to　gatherings　such　as　these。　　It　is　the　much…loved　institution　to　which　the　name　of　〃loafing〃　has　been　given。　I　do　not　like　the　mode　of　life　which　prevails　in　the　American　hotels。　　I　have　come　across　exceptions；　and　know　one　or　two　that　are　very　comfortablealways　excepting　that　matter　of　eating　and　drinking。　　Taking　them　as　a　whole；　I　do　not　like　their　mode　of　life；　but　I　feel　bound　to　add　that　the　hotels　of　Canada；　which　are　kept　I　think　always　after　the　same　fashion；　are　infinitely　worse　than　those　of　the　United　States。　　I　do　not　like　the　American　hotels；　but　I　must　say　in　their　favor　that　they　afford　an　immense　amount　of　accommodation。　　The　traveler　is　rarely　told　that　a　hotel　is　full；　so　that　traveling　in　America　is　without　one　of　those　great　perils　to　which　it　is　subject　in　Europe。

CHAPTER　XV。　LITERATURE。

In　speaking　of　the　literature　of　any　country　we　are；　I　think；　too　much　inclined　to　regard　the　question　as　one　appertaining　exclusively　to　the　writers　of　booksnot　acknowledging　as　we　should　do　that　the　literary　character　of　a　people　will　depend　much　more　upon　what　it　reads　than　upon　what　it　writes。　　If　we　can　suppose　any　people　to　have　an　intimate　acquaintance　with　the　best　literary　efforts　of　other　countries；　we　should　hardly　be　correct　in　saying　that　such　a　people　had　no　literary　history　of　their　own　because　it　had　itself　produced　nothing　in　literature。　　And；　with　reference　to　those　countries　which　have　been　most　fertile　in　the　production　of　good　books；　I　doubt　whether　their　literary　histories　should　not　have　more　to　tell　of　those　ages　in　which　much　has　been　read　than　of　those　in　which　much　has　been　written。　The　United　States　have　been　by　no　means　barren　in　the　production　of　literature。　　The　truth　is　so　far　from　this　that　their　literary　triumphs　are　perhaps　those　which　of　all　their　triumphs　are　the　most　honorable　to　them；　and　which；　considering　their　position　as　a　young　nation；　are　the　most　permanently　satisfactory。　　But　though　they　have　done　much　in　writing；　they　have　done　much　more　in　reading。　　As　producers　they　are　more　than　respectable；　but　as　consumers　they　are　the　most　conspicuous　people　on　the　earth。　　It　is　impossible　to　speak　of　the　subject　of　literature　in　America　without　thinking　of　the　readers　rather　than　of　the　writers。　　In　this　matter　their　position　is　different　from　that　of　any　other　great　people；　seeing　that　they　share　the　advantages　of　our　language。　　An　American　will　perhaps　consider　himself　to　be　as　little　like　an　Englishman　as　he　is　like　a　Frenchman。　　But　he　reads　Shakspeare　through　the　medium　of　his　own　vernacular；　and　has　to　undergo　the　penance　of　a　foreign　tongue　before　he　can　understand　Moliere。　　He　separates　himself　from　England　in　politics　and　perhaps　in　affection；　but　he　cannot　separate　him