New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-10
OUR CIVILIZATION.
WHAT MATTHEW ARNOLD THINKS ABOUT

member what said three years ego nee noout ING
social problem Win sum - up ~ me ersie S.a pCss
ss sd that tss @
buttons complied wen with The form and pressure o.
the merit for this may be due TO he wisdom and vtae
Of tine IS a Ss do
well and happily The Play Of their nsautt9n so sSSs
whsS its I him to pcr s leaving All Els movements
unlmpeded and easy SUIT Of clothes loose where It
S Ss 70 an be ISS sGa
to adapt Itself naturally to the we.rers growth and
So much as 20 the solution by the United States Of
the political tea AZ S e s the nes Oh
community sioguisry hee nom the distinction Of
Glasses ngSry ss se e sv po nd
there than In countries where the distinction Of
iieved there was exaegcraiion the reports Of their
admnis.stvs and Judicial corrngtGn and stOxshesr
are s0aV Country living prospcfonsiy IN natural modern
condition and conscious o. Lying presperously IN such
uses s understanding with the soundness Of heah It
sees clear aud thinks straight Comparing tho United
States with osvss saa that while a ,s they ere W
arc so little homogeneous, we are living with system
90 s mo sS SO ~, oompcsd that tho
whole action Of minds is hsmpered and falscned By
not see ar Clean or G So
have here much the advantage OF US.
cApcncnceQ
saying that there is no country, calling itself civil
lied, whore would not rather live than In the
United States must Somehow Il an able man can think
thus have shortcomings In spite 81 the o9unitys
the humsnlzaiion of man society, the satisfaction
for him. in society, OF the true law Of human nature
n sn.Tcr ' to The 'a Question: how
says, IL very and true life. We arc moro or less
that social state which the pursuit Of aim os
scntisIiy demands But several elements or powers
human lie. There is the power Of conduct, the
power of intellect and knowledge, the power of beauty
Instincts responding TO them all, requiring them all
And We are perfectly civilized only when all these
civilization, have been adequately recognized and
satisfied But of this adequate recognition and
possible; some Of them are recognized more than
others, some OF. them more in one community some
In another and the satsfacti0ns found are moro or
less worthy.
And meanwhile, people use tho term "civilization'
tacbing 10 II, however in thslr own mind some
meaning connected with their own preferences and
tachcd TO it IS perhaps that OF satisfaction, not Of
oil the main demands OF human nature, but Of The
demand for the comforts and convenlences OF lie,
and Of this demand as made by the sort of person VINO
uses tho term.
prevalent of important torn Probably sir
Lepel Griffin had this notion of the comforts and
convenencoS Of life mnch in his thoughts when he
reproachcd American civilization with its shortoom-
inss, For men of his kind, and for all that largo
number of men, prominent In this country ana who
make their voice so much heard, men who have been
at tho pub ~ schools and universities, men OF the
professional and official class, men who do the most
part OF our literature our journalism, America IS
DOT comfortable place Of abode. A man of this
appears organized expressly for his advantage A
Rotbschld Vanderbilt can buy his way anywhere,
whether in America In England. But 1t is in
England that an income OF from three or four o 20
its possessor enables him to live with so many OF the
conVenlences of far richer people For his benefit,
htu ahpye a
cabs ply service Is abundant, porfers stand wailhs
at the railway stations. In America all luXurfes
are dear except oysters and ice service IS in general
scarce and bad club is most expensive luxury
The Gabra9s are M IMAM s nan m Un 1s
the horse cars, the tram The charges OF tailors
and MERGERS are about third higher than noIs ey ss a S
which there can be no dispute and in which s man
enco between America and England In the conveniences
one might mention where he would s1eel the same
thing When man is passing judgment on a
sounry civilization points s OF th 6s Mna crowd TO
on the other hand, for that immense class OF peo
pie, the great bulk Of the community the class OF
people whose Income IS less than three or four
hundred a year, things in America favorable. 1t
IL easier for them there than in the Old World 10
s sSe I Of that Even without making their fort
unc. even with their income below three or four
America, society seems organized there for their
benefit To begin with, the humber kind Of work IS
better paid in America than with u.s. o the higher her
Office keeper gets more. The public ways are
cars but the Inconvenience is for those who use
private carriages and cabs the convenience is for the
bulk of the community who but for the horse cars
would have to walk. The ordinary railway cars are
not deshttu but they are 1 cheap and 6hey h are
third-class carriages in England Luxuries are as
have said very dear-above all, European Injuries
GS' England and plain food + on the whole cheaper
Even Inquiries of a certain kind are within labor
mention fruit also. The abundance and cheapness OF
fruit is great boon to people of small incomes In
Well now. what would philosopher n'G or a ph Ia.
thropst say In this case which would he say was
where the balance Of advantage, as to the comforts
and Of life , greatly ns n dsOT al
hat of the country where It is greatly in favor Of
those with incomes above that sum
a ~ o:sEs q be. FOR &. 's sss g.:
happiness Of the greatest number. However, the
not Of SnS happSes RST
consist being plentifuly supplied with the comforts
1s Ruf S Ns n.her that happiness
merely or mainly in being pentifuly supplied with
ilstton Consists in being so supplied; therefore
save the question unanswered.
prefer to seek for some other and better tests by
which try the civilization OF the United States
have ofted Insisted on the need OF more equality IN
our country and On the the ntss ss ea"s heE
Is not our intense division of classes, inequality
there is great equality Let me mention two points
In the system OF social life and manners over there
in which this equality seems to me 10 have done gooa
The first is a mere point of form, but It has Its slgnh
Every one Knows 1t is the established habit 1T
with us ia England II write to people supposed 10
pclong TO the Of gentlemen, Of addressing them
By the title Of Esquire, while we keep NJ for people
not supposed to belong 10 that class IL we think oil
IT, could one easily find habit moro ridiculous, more
offensive, Tho tltlo of Esquire, like most OF our our
ss out e the As RPsy .SSP 81 1eS
OF antiquity when said Pericles and Camlus.
But unlike other titles It is applied or withheld quite
srbltrarIiy Surely, where a man has no specific
title proper to him, the plain title of Master OF
Mr. is enough, and we need not be encountered win
second title of Esquire, now quite unmeanng, to
draw an invidIous and impossible line Of distinction
between those who gentlemen and those who are