New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-14
ENGLAND AND AMERICA.

I snppose this may serve as "A specimen of the
Anglicism which is so cxasperating to Mr. Lowell.
| do not share it. Mr.. llusSey Vivian has a keen
eye for the geological and mining facts of America.
bnt as to the political facts of that country. the
reol tendencies of It's life and its future he does
not seem To me 10 be AT ali at the centre of the
situation. FaI from d" not wishing we'll to demOc-
racy" far from thinking n king and House Of
Lords OF English pattern. a panacea for social
ills have freely said that our system heie, IN my
opinion, has too much thrown the middle classes III
upon themselves. that the lower classes likewise
are thus too much thrown IN upon themselves, and
that we suffer from the want of equality Nothing
would please me bet or than to find the difficulty
solved IN America, to ilnd democracy success
there with type of equality, producing such good
results, that. when one breaches equality one
should illustrate its advantages not from the OK
ample OF the Lehcn pnt Is N.i iHss'nHoh recon-
mends from the example OF tho people OF the
United States.
our Boston informant writes so crsply and
snartly that is unwilling to part with him. |
can truly say that ! wOud rather read him and
quote him than JON issue with him. He has seen
America, and have not. Perhaps things in
America are az he says. | AIN sure hope they are
for as have Just said. have been long convinced
that English society has to transform itself. and
long looking III VAIN for model by which we might
he guided and inspired IN the bringing forth of our
new civilization and here is the model ready to
hand. Eut | own that hitherto | have Thought
that. as i'll England have To transform our civ
ilizaton. America has hers still to make; and
that. though her example and cooperation might,
and probably would. be of the greatest value 10 us
III the future, yet they were not Of much use to
civilization now. / remember that when first
read the Boston newspaper from which ] have
been quoting, ] was Just fresh from the perusal
of one of tn est of Mr. James's novels ROdcrlck
Hudson That work carries TO of the
I" smaller cities OF the interior city OF which |
own, had never heard--the American NOrthamp-
ton. Those who have read R0derck Hudson
will recollect that in that rart OF tho story where
the scene is laid at Northampton, there occurs a
parsonage called Striker, an auctiOneer. And when
! came upon the Boston newspapers assurances
hat in, ain nt lp nj
should find an elegant and simple social ORDER
the comment which rose to my lips was this:
suspect what should lind there in great force. is
Striker" Now Striker was Philistine.
have said somewhere or other that, whereas our
society in England distributes itself into Barba-
rams. Philistines and Populace America il Just
ourselves. with the Barbarlans quite left ont and
the Populace nearly. This would leave the Phis-
tines for the great bulk of the nation n lvelier
sort of Philistines than cur Phlistne middle class
which made and peOpled the United States--a
velier sort of Philistine than ours. and with the
pressure and the false ideal Of our Barbarans taken
away hut LETT all the more to himself, and to have
his full swing. That this should he the seemed
to me natural, aud that II actually was the
everything which 4 could hear and read about
America tended TO convince me. And when my
Boston friend talks OF the elegant and simple
social order established in almost every small town
in America, and of the group, IN each. OF people OF
good taste good manners good education and self
respect, peers of any people In the world" cannot
help thinking that things are not qnite 80 bright a.
he paints them, and 40 superior To anything of
which we have experience elsewhere; that he Ia
mixing two impressions together the impression of
individuals scattered over the country, real lovers
OF the humane life but not yet numerous enough
united enough to produce much effect, and the
impression Of groups of worthy respectable people
10 bo found In almost every small town or the
Union. people with many merits, but not yet
arrived Mt that true and happy goal of civilization
an elegant and simple social order.D
We TOO have groups OF this kind everywhere and
we know what they can do ior US and what they can
not do.
THE WESLEY MODEL.
That which In I'm gland Wa rall tLo n,ldlio rfa no