Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1884-02-28
TIE ENGLISH TOURIST.
A oncsSided Picture Of American
Life and Manners.

Life and Manners.
The lord chief Justices American
lrip suggests 70 those who know some
thing of America by actual residence,
raihrr than by mere passing tourist
experience, some critical doubts rs 10
the value Of the Kind Of knowledge
which can be picked up in the course
OF such circular journeys as are most
affected By English visitors across the
Atlantic. One cannot read the pro-
grammc Of Lord Colerdgc's almost
triumphal progress or, for that mat
ter. talk with any English traveller who
has spent three months in touring
through the States without bong
struea by the extent to which the aver
age Englishman 'seXpcricnces are ncces-
snrlY confined TO n few great cities and
fashionable watering places. 1t is hard
to see how things could possibly be
managed Otherwise; the actual rural
heart Of country is always very dill
cult for the trauger TO penetrate; and
vet the bic IRE of America brought
back 10 Europe by any casual summer
visitors must surely needs be very one
sided, and In some respects positively
III 'nithillllLs " = uoNf 0'Aii A'NN a ~ ~
Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Chi
ago, { ncinnati, ST. Louis, san Fran
cisco, Niagara, Newport, Saratoga.
White Mountain House; what else,
thcr ask, have we left to see? The
simple answer is, America. Not, of
course, the mere broad cNpanse Of
American land, anybody who has gone
one days Journey OF twcnty-iour NOR
tai hours through the great monoionouS
Mississippi valley has seen as much of
that mpasureeSs commodity as human
heart Is over likely TO desire; but tho
true underlying working America Of
the genuine American people. We IN
ENGLAND almost always forget that the
rr,i cities of the States, big and
thriving rs th,y are, arc but patch
90 use the expressive native phrase)
upon the vast scattered population OF
tn rural districts. There is no coun-
try on cath (eNccp', perhaps, Russia
and Mdib SO essentially aud over
wbelmng y rural rs America; its great
towns are mere turning nuclei Sprinkled
about at enormous distances over vast
areas OF agricultural land. Even in
EnXluud, townemcn are apt to forgot
that worry largo proportion OF oW
Foundation SIN lives in the village and
hamjc.s our broad shires; we need
tome reminded every ROW and again,
vita due peers stcncc, OF the elusive
fat tl.t reulturc remains 10 this
da5 lue ,ttcst and Wpsl important
siug.e industry OF the British Isles.
Sill. it is fair enough. on the whole, To
ia Ice Of England by It's largo towns.
H. who has seen London. Liverpool,
Mug cstcr. Leeds, Bjrmny cham, New
cast and half u dozen other great
,rntcrs, has seen all that Is most
vigorous and active and vital in En-
gush nfr Tho universities, the Cathe-
dral cities, the rural villages all con-
tribute their due share to the vast
whole; hut they sink, numerically, into
comparative in>iguiiiCaucc beside tie
bigucss of the big towns, and especially
Of wnat Cobbctt, in his Straightfor-
ward dcnunciatory fashion, used &c
describe 20, ''ldc a.l-dcyourlng wen
IN America. however it lis tar other
wise. E,on Americans themselves
that j, 10 say, tuwn-ahiding and tour
ing Americans seldom adequately
realize the fact that the vast mass u
their fellow citizens are the most pure
Is rural aud even rustic people on tn,
face of th' entire earth. II Is in th,
endless succession Ot white Tram,
famhou>cs, standing i'm naked plots o
~crag.N yard. and surrounded BY
Ueuivss meadows with bare suakt
irucc, on open gornicld,, Jhat the rca
American people OF today lives am,
NrH1tHrs ui hats ITS htluw. This Wjdl