Conversation so far:
When did Rubinstein go on Anton Rubinstein's American tour?
At the behest of the Steinway & Sons piano company, Rubinstein toured the United States during the 1872-3 season.
What was the publics response to the tour?
The receipts and the success were invariably gratifying, but it was all so tedious that I began to despise myself and my art.
How did Rubinstein feel about America?
May Heaven preserve us from such slavery! Under these conditions there is no chance for art--one simply grows into an automaton.

Question: Was their anything in particular that encouraged this sentiment?
Self-contained rewrite: Was there anything in particular that encouraged Anton Rubinstein's sentiment that there is no chance for art in America?