The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-04-25
America and England.

In his article on American Civiliza-
tion,n in the Nineteenth Century, Mat
thew Arnold says: " People use the
term civilization in the loosest posi-
BILE way, for the most part attaching to
it, however, in their own mind some
meaning connected with their own
preferences and experiences. The
most common meaning thus attached
to it is perhaps that of a satisfaction,
not of all the main demands of human
nature, but of the demand for the COM
forts and conveniences of life, and of
this demand as made by the sort of
person who uses the term. Now we
should always attend to the common
and prevalent use of an important term.
Probably Sir Lepel Griffin had this
notion of the comforts and conveniences
of life much in his thoughts when he
reproached American civilization with
its shortcomings. For men of his kind,
and for all that large number of men
so prominent in this country and who
make their voices so much heard-men
who have been at the public schools
and universities, men of the profess
sional and official class, men who do
the most part of our literature and our
ournalism-America is not a comfort
able place of abode. A man of this
sort has in England everything in his
favor; society appears organized eX-
pressly for his advantage. A Roths-
child or a Vanderbilt can buy his way
anywhere and can have what comforts
and luxuries he likes whether in
America or in England. But it is in
England that an income of from three
or four to fourteen or fifteen hundred a
year does so much for its possessor,
enables him to live with so many of the
conveniences of far richer people. For
his benefit, his benefit above all, clubs
are organized and Hansom-cabs ply;
service is abundant, porters stand wait
ing at the railway stations. In America
all luXuries are dear except oysters and
ice; service is in general scarce and
bad; club is most expensive luxury;
the cabrates are prohibitive-more
than half of the people who in England
would use cabs must in America use
the horse-cars, the tram. The charges
of tailors and MERGERS are about
third higher than they are with
us. | mention only a few striking
/ pOllllS dS " W illCll luclC Cdll NC ~ ulo-
pute, and in which man of Sir Lepel
Grif1in's class would feel the great
difference between America and En-
! gland in the conveniences at his COM
mand. There are hundred other
| points one might mention where he
would feel the same thing. When a
man is passing judgment on a country's
civilization, points of this kind crowd
to his memory and determine his
sentence. On the other hand, for that
immense class of people, the great bulk
of the communicable class of people
whose income is less than three or four
hundred year-things in America are
favorable. 1t is easier for them there
than in the Old World to rise and to
make their fortune: but | am not now
speaking of that. Even without max
ing their fortune, even with their in
come below three or four hundred a
year, things are favorable for them in
America-society seems organized there
for their benefit. To begin with, the
humber kind of work is better paid
in America than with us; the higher
gets less; his ofiice-keeper gets more
Inc puDllC way 3 are duOLuludDly cut VI
by rails and blocked with horse-cars
but the inconvenience is for those who
use private carriages and cabs; the con.
venience is for the bulk of the com.
munity who, but for the horse-cars,
would have to walk. The ordinary
railway cars are not delightful, but
they are cheap, and they are better
furnished, and in winter are warmer
than third-cass carriages in England
LuXuries are, as | have said, very
dear-above all, European Injuries
but a working-man's clothing is nearly
as cheap sin England, and plain food is,
on the whole, cheaper. Even luXuries
of a certain kind are within a laboring
mans easy reach. | have mentioned
ice; | will mention fruit also. The
abundance and cheapness of fruit is a
great boon to people of small incomes
in America -