Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-16
SOCIAL LIFE In AMERICA.
It's Beautiful and A dmirnble Charac-
teristtcs the Country over.
Nauy VOrk Tribune

But whatever may be true of Soc
iety in New York, there is great,
wide, independent world which not
only receives no law from New York,
but never thinks of New York. does
not know that there is any New York.
1t is in the city, in the country. L has
all the convenience, all the refine
ments many of the luxuries of mods
ern material life. 1t has as much in
telligence as New York. 1t reads
more, it thinks more, it deals more
with real things. 1t speaks as gently,
it stands more firm. Perched on my
sunny hill-top survey the wide
wooded hills and the far stretching
fields, and l suppose there is not a
single dress coat within my great
circling horizon. Can civilization be
without dress coats2 see yonder in
the southwestern heavens the sky
light of a social club which gathers
every known flower and bird and bug
all Summer and classifes and analy-
res them all Winter Here is Presl-
dent of a bank who leaves his carri-
age TO pluck green knob, cut it open
with his pen knife and show you the
worm that nestles in its heart. A
tradesman points out the smooth rock
under your horses hoofs the track of
the glacier billion years ago-or is
it the swoop of Mr.. Donnelly's comet9
From yonder shoemaker's little,
graceless shop comes man, learned
in snakes, who will lay down his laps
stone and teach you as deftly how
snake walks as Ruskin teaches yos
the falsehood and ignorance of the
man to whom the light of heaven has
been darkeaed these thirty-eight
years, but before whom on that ac>
count ali the ways of the world seem
only the more clearly outlined and to
whose ardent patriotism the manifest
destiny of this country is strangely
blocked by the most hopeless blind
ness of all-the blindness of those
who, having eyes, see not. But fear
ing lest, in that new world to which
we are fastening, he shall find light
again only to learn that his beloved
classics have no circulation there, he
is having his dearest old Greek plays
and Latin epics and Hebrew songs
read over to him by every man and
maid whose mouth is fashioned to
frame those unaccustomed words
and they are not fewl Yonder is the
simple, sweet home of a woman whose
domestic virtues and gay private
benifcences make you forget that the
most chill snd wistry scenery of New
England will grow gorgeous, vivid,
sentiment under the glowing pen. On
that western slope gathering now the
amethystlne tint of the setting sun a
young girl breathed the breath of
Italy, drank the wine of Macenas,
distilled the honey of Hymettus, and
in this new, fresh world wrought
from the older worlds such sweetness
and light as dared shine out full and
free and bold even into Matthew Ar
nold's face. Time and type weuld
fail me to name the names of those
around me, poor and rich, who have
turned from the mere material pleas
ure of wealth, who have forged their
way out from the stern restrictions OF
poverty and by nome study, by for
eigu travel, from pure love, have
Joined force with thu simple great of
all ages and have added their own
clear candor and white radience TO the
sweetness snd light of the world,
1t may not be civilization, but 1t is
most endearlng and cxalting form
of 5arbarism.