north america-1-第76节

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　porter's　hand　on　a　railway　station；　as　he　tossed　it　from　him　seven　yards　off　on　to　the　hard　pavement。　　I　heard　its　poor；　weak　intestines　rattle　in　their　death　struggle；　and　knowing　that　it　was　smashed；　I　forgot　my　position　on　American　soil　and　remonstrated。　　〃It's　my　desk；　and　you　have　utterly　destroyed　it；〃　I　said。　　〃Ha！　ha！　ha！〃　laughed　the　porter。　　〃You've　destroyed　my　property；〃　I　rejoined；　〃and　it's　no　laughing　matter。〃　　And　then　all　the　crowd　laughed。　　〃Guess　you'd　better　get　it　glued；〃　said　one。　So　I　gathered　up　the　broken　article　and　retired　mournfully　and　crestfallen　into　a　coach。　　This　was　very　sad；　and　for　the　moment　I　deplored　the　ill　luck　which　had　brought　me　to　so　savage　a　country。　Such　and　such　like　are　the　incidents　which　make　an　Englishman　in　the　States　unhappy；　and　rouse　his　gall　against　the　institutions　of　the　country；　these　things　and　the　continued　appliance　of　the　irritating　ointment　of　American　braggadocio　with　which　his　sores　are　kept　open。　　But　though　I　was　badly　off　on　that　railway　platform；　worse　off　than　I　should　have　been　in　England；　all　that　crowd　of　porters　round　me　were　better　off　than　our　English　porters。　They　had　a　〃good　time〃　of　it。　　And　this；　O　my　English　brother　who　has　traveled　through　the　States　and　returned　disgusted；　is　the　fact　throughout。　　Those　men　whose　familiarity　was　so　disgusting　to　you　are　having　a　good　time　of　it。　　〃They　might　be　a　little　more　civil；〃　you　say；　〃and　yet　read　and　write　just　as　well。〃　　True；　but　they　are　arguing　in　their　minds　that　civility　to　you　will　be　taken　by　you　for　subservience；　or　for　an　acknowledgment　of　superiority；　and　looking　at　your　habits　of　lifeyours　and　mine　togetherI　am　not　quite　sure　that　they　are　altogether　wrong。　　Have　you　ever　realized　to　yourself　as　a　fact　that　the　porter　who　carries　your　box　has　not　made　himself　inferior　to　you　by　the　very　act　of　carrying　that　box？　If　not；　that　is　the　very　lesson　which　the　man　wishes　to　teach　you。　If　a　man　can　forget　his　own　miseries　in　his　journeyings；　and　think　of　the　people　he　comes　to　see　rather　than　of　himself；　I　think　he　will　find　himself　driven　to　admit　that　education　has　made　life　for　the　million　in　the　Northern　States　better　than　life　for　the　million　is　with　us。　　They　have　begun　at　the　beginning；　and　have　so　managed　that　every　one　may　learn　to　read　and　writehave　so　managed　that　almost　every　one　does　learn　to　read　and　write。　　With　us　this　cannot　now　be　done。　　Population　had　come　upon　us　in　masses　too　thick　for　management；　before　we　had　as　yet　acknowledged　that　it　would　be　a　good　thing　that　these　masses　should　be　educated。　　Prejudices；　too；　had　sprung　up；　and　habits；　and　strong　sectional　feelings；　all　antagonistic　to　a　great　national　system　of　education。　　We　are；　I　suppose；　now　doing　all　that　we　can　do；　but　comparatively　it　is　little。　　I　think　I　saw　some　time　since　that　the　cost　for　gratuitous　education；　or　education　in　part　gratuitous；　which　had　fallen　upon　the　nation　had　already　amounted　to　the　sum　of　800；000l。；　and　I　think　also　that　I　read　in　the　document　which　revealed　to　me　this　fact　a　very　strong　opinion　that　government　could　not　at　present　go　much　further。　　But　if　this　matter　were　regarded　in　England　as　it　is　regarded　in　Massachusetts；　or　rather；　had　it　from　some　prosperous　beginning　been　put　upon　a　similar　footing；　800；000l。　would　not　have　been　esteemed　a　great　expenditure　for　free　education　simply　in　the　City　of　London。　　In　1857　the　public　schools　of　Boston　cost　70；000l。；　and　these　schools　were　devoted　to　a　population　of　about　180；000　souls。　　Taking　the　population　of　London　at　two　and　a　half　millions；　the　whole　sum　now　devoted　to　England　would；　if　expended　in　the　metropolis；　make　education　there　even　cheaper　than　it　is　in　Boston。　　In　Boston；　during　1857；　there　were　above　24；000　pupils　at　these　public　schools；　giving　more　than　one…eighth　of　the　whole　population。　　But　I　fear　it　would　not　be　practicable　for　us　to　spend　800；000l。　on　the　gratuitous　education　of　London。　　Rich　as　we　are；　we　should　not　know　where　to　raise　the　money。　　In　Boston　it　is　raised　by　a　separate　tax。　　It　is　a　thing　understood；　acknowledged；　and　made　easy　by　being　habitualas　is　our　national　debt。　　I　do　not　know　that　Boston　is　peculiarly　blessed；　but　I　quote　the　instance；　as　I　have　a　record　of　its　schools　before　me。　　At　the　three　high　schools　in　Boston；　at　which　the　average　of　pupils　is　526；　about　13l。　per　head　is　paid　for　free　education。　　The　average　price　per　annum　of　a　child's　schooling　throughout　these　schools　in　Boston　is　about　3l。　for　each。　　To　the　higher　schools　any　boy　or　girl　may　attain　without　any　expense；　and　the　education　is　probably　as　good　as　can　be　given；　and　as　far　advanced。　　The　only　question　is；　whether　it　is　not　advanced　further　than　may　be　necessary。　　Here；　as　at　New　York；　I　was　almost　startled　by　the　amount　of　knowledge　around　me；　and　listened；　as　I　might　have　done　to　an　examination　in　theology　among　young　Brahmins。　　When　a　young　lad　explained　in　my　hearing　all　the　properties　of　the　different　levers　as　exemplified　by　the　bones　of　the　human　body；　I　bowed　my　head　before　him　in　unaffected　humility。　　We；　at　our　English　schools；　never　got　beyond　the　use　of　those　bones　which　he　described　with　such　accurate　scientific　knowledge。　　In　one　of　the　girls'　schools　they　were　reading　Milton；　and　when　we　entered　were　discussing　the　nature　of　the　pool　in　which　the　devil　is　described　as　wallowing。　　The　question　had　been　raised　by　one　of　the　girls。　　A　pool；　so　called；　was　supposed　to　contain　but　a　small　amount　of　water；　and　how　could　the　devil；　being　so　large；　get　into　it？　　Then　came　the　origin　of　the　word　poolfrom　〃palus；〃　a　marsh；　as　we　were　told；　some　dictionary　attesting　to　the　fact；　and　such　a　marsh　might　cover　a　large　expanse。　　The　〃Palus　Maeotis〃　was　then　quoted。　　And　so　we　went　on　till　Satan's　theory　of　political　liberty；

　　　　　〃Better　to　reign　in　hell　than　serve　in　heaven；〃

was　thoroughly　discussed　and　understood。　　These　girls　of　sixteen　and　seventeen　got　up　one　after　another　and　gave　their　opinions　on　the　subjecthow　far　the　devil　was　right；　and　how　far　he　was　manifestly　wrong。　　I　was　attended　by　one　of　the　directors　or　guardians　of　the　schools；　and　the　teacher；　I　thought；　was　a　little　embarrassed　by　her　position。　　But　the　girls　themselves　were　as　easy　in　their　demeanor　as　though　they　were　stitching　handkerchiefs　at　home。　It　is　impossible　to　refrain　from　telling　all　this；　and　from　making　a　little　innocent　fun　out　of　the　superexcellencies　of　these　schools；　but　the　total　result　on　my　mind　was　very　greatly　in　their　favor。　　And　indeed　the　testimony　came　in　both　ways。　　Not　only　was　I　called　on　to　form　an　opinion　of　what　the　men　and　women　would　become　from　the　education　which　was　given　to　the　boys　and　girls；　but　also　to　say　what　must　have　been　the　education　of　the　boys　and　girls　from　what　I　saw　of　the　men　and　women。　　Of　course　it　will　be　understood　that　I　am　not　here　speaking　of　those　I　met　in　society　or　of　their　children；　but　of　the　working　peopleof　that　class　who　find　that　a　gratuitous　education　for　their　children　is　needful；　if　any　considerable　amount　of　education　is　to　be　given。　　The　result　is　to　be　seen　daily　in　the　whole　intercourse　of　life。　　The　coachman　who　drives　you；　the　man　who　mends　your　window；　the　boy　who　brings　home　your　purchases；　the　girl　who　stitches　your　wife's　dress；they　all　carry　with　them　sure　signs　of　education；　and　show　it　in　every　word　they　utter。　It　will　of　course　be　understood　that　this　is；　in　the　separate　States；　a　matter　of　State　law；　indeed；　I　may　go　further；　and　say　that　it　is；　in　most　of　the　States；　a　matter　of　State　constitution。　It　is　by　no　means　a　matter　of　Federal　constitution。　　The　United　States　as　a　nation　takes　no　heed　of　the　education　of　its　people。　All　that　is　left　to　the　judgment　of　the　separate　States。　　In　most　of　the　thirteen　original　States　provision　is　made　in　the　written　constitution　for　the　general　education　of　the　people；　but　this　is　not　done　in　all。　　I　find　that　it　was　more　frequently　done　in　the　Northern　or　free…soil　States　than　in　those　which　admitted　slavery；　as　might　have　been　expected。　　In　the　constitutions　of　South　Carolina　and　Virginia　I　find　no　allusion　to　the　public　provision　for　education；　but　in　those　of　North　Carolina　and　Georgia　it　is　enjoined。　　The　forty…first　section　of　the　constitution　for　North　Carolina　enjoins　that　〃schools　shall　be　established　by　the　legislature　for　the　convenient　instruction　of　youth；　with　such　salaries　to　the　masters；　paid　by　the　public；　as　may　enable　them　to　instruct　at　LOW　PRICES〃showing　that　the　intention　here　was　to　assist　education；　and　not　provide　it　altogether　gratuitously。　　I　think　that　provision　for　public　education　is　enjoined　in　the　constitutions　of　all　the　States　admitted　into　the　Union　since　the　first　Federal　knot　was　tied　except　in　that　of　Illinois。　　Vermont　was　the　first　so　admitted；　in　1791；　and　Vermont　declares　that　〃a　competent　number　of　schools　ought　to　be　maintained　in　each　town　for　the　convenient　instruction　of　youth。〃　　Ohio　was　the　second；　in　1802；　and　Ohio　enjoins　that　〃the　General　Assembly　shall　make　such　provisions　by　taxation　or　otherwise　as；　with　the　income　arising　from　the　school　trust　fund；　will　secure　a　thorough　and　efficient　system　of　common　schools　throughout　the　State；　but　no　religions　or　other　sect　or　sects　sh