north america-2-第20章

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rthyr…Tydvil　and　Birmingham　are　great。　　But　the　foundery　work　at　Pittsburg　is　more　nearly　allied　to　the　heavy；　rough　works　of　the　Welsh　coal　metropolis　than　to　the　finish　and　polish　of　Birmingham。　〃Why　cannot　you　consume　your　own　smoke？〃　I　asked　a　gentleman　there。　〃Fuel　is　so　cheap　that　it　would　not　pay；〃　he　answered。　　His　idea　of　the　advantage　of　consuming　smoke　was　confined　to　the　question　of　its　paying　as　a　simple　operation　in　itself。　　The　consequent　cleanliness　and　improvement　in　the　atmosphere　had　not　entered　into　his　calculations。　　Any　such　result　might　be　a　fortuitous　benefit；　but　was　not　of　sufficient　importance　to　make　any　effort　in　that　direction　expedient　on　its　own　account。　　〃Coal　was　burned；〃　he　said；　〃in　the　founderies　at　something　less　than　two　dollars　a　ton；　while　that　was　the　case；　it　could　not　answer　the　purpose　of　any　iron…　founder　to　put　up　an　apparatus　for　the　consumption　of　smoke？〃　　I　did　not　pursue　the　argument　any　further；　as　I　perceived　that　we　were　looking　at　the　matter　from　two　different　points　of　view。　Everything　in　the　hotel　was　black；　not　black　to　the　eye；　for　the　eye　teaches　itself　to　discriminate　colors　even　when　loaded　with　dirt；　but　black　to　the　touch。　　On　coming　out　of　a　tub　of　water　my　foot　took　an　impress　from　the　carpet　exactly　as　it　would　have　done　had　I　trod　barefooted　on　a　path　laid　with　soot。　　I　thought　that　I　was　turning　negro　upward；　till　I　put　my　wet　hand　upon　the　carpet；　and　found　that　the　result　was　the　same。　　And　yet　the　carpet　was　green　to　the　eyea　dull；　dingy　green；　but　still　green。　　〃You　shouldn't　damp　your　feet；〃　a　man　said　to　me；　to　whom　I　mentioned　the　catastrophe。　Certainly；　Pittsburg　is　the　dirtiest　place　I　ever　saw；　but　it　is；　as　I　said　before；　very　picturesque　in　its　dirt　when　looked　at　from　above　the　blanket。　From　Pittsburg　I　went　on　by　train　to　Cincinnati；　and　was　soon　in　the　State　of　Ohio。　　I　confess　that　I　have　never　felt　any　great　regard　for　Pennsylvania。　　It　has　always　had；　in　my　estimation；　a　low　character　for　commercial　honesty；　and　a　certain　flavor　of　pretentious　hypocrisy。　　This　probably　has　been　much　owing　to　the　acerbity　and　pungency　of　Sydney　Smith's　witty　denunciations　against　the　drab…colored　State。　　It　is　noted　for　repudiation　of　its　own　debts；　and　for　sharpness　in　exaction　of　its　own　bargains。　　It　has　been　always　smart　in　banking。　　It　has　given　Buchanan　as　a　President　to　the　country；　and　Cameron　as　a　Secretary　of　War　to　the　government！　When　the　battle　of　Bull's　Run　was　to　be　fought；　Pennsylvanian　soldiers　were　the　men　who；　on　that　day；　threw　down　their　arms　because　the　three　months'　term　for　which　they　had　been　enlisted　was　then　expired！　　Pennsylvania　does　not；　in　my　mind；　stand　on　a　par　with　Massachusetts；　Connecticut；　New　York；　Illinois；　or　Virginia。　We　are　apt　to　connect　the　name　of　Benjamin　Franklin　with　Pennsylvania；　but　Franklin　was　a　Boston　man。　　Nevertheless；　Pennsylvania　is　rich　and　prosperous。　　Indeed　it　bears　all　those　marks　which　Quakers　generally　leave　behind　them。　I　had　some　little　personal　feeling　in　visiting　Cincinnati；　because　my　mother　had　lived　there　for　some　time；　and　had　there　been　concerned　in　a　commercial　enterprise；　by　which　no　one；　I　believe；　made　any　great　sum　of　money。　　Between　thirty　and　forty　years　ago　she　built　a　bazaar　in　Cincinnati；　which；　I　was　assured　by　the　present　owner　of　the　house；　was　at　the　time　of　its　erection　considered　to　be　the　great　building　of　the　town。　　It　has　been　sadly　eclipsed　now；　and　by　no　means　rears　its　head　proudly　among　the　great　blocks　around　it。　It　had　become　a　〃Physio…medical　Institute〃　when　I　was　there；　and　was　under　the　dominion　of　a　quack　doctor　on　one　side；　and　of　a　college　of　rights　of　women　female　medical　professors　on　the　other。　　〃I　believe；　sir；　no　man　or　woman　ever　yet　made　a　dollar　in　that　building；　and　as　for　rent；　I　don't　even　expect　it。〃　　Such　was　the　account　given　of　the　unfortunate　bazaar　by　the　present　proprietor。　Cincinnati　has　long　been　known　as　a　great　townconspicuous　among　all　towns　for　the　number　of　hogs　which　are　there　killed；　salted；　and　packed。　　It　is　the　great　hog　metropolis　of　the　Western　States；　but　Cincinnati　has　not　grown　with　the　rapidity　of　other　towns。　　It　has　now　170；000　inhabitants；　but　then　it　got　an　early　start。　　St。　Louis；　which　is　west　of　it　again　near　the　confluence　of　the　Missouri　and　Mississippi；　has　gone　ahead　of　it。　　Cincinnati　stands　on　the　Ohio　River；　separated　by　a　ferry　from　Kentucky；　which　is　a　slave　State；　Ohio　itself　is　a　free…soil　State。　　When　the　time　comes　for　arranging　the　line　of　division；　if　such　time　shall　ever　come；　it　will　be　very　hard　to　say　where　Northern　feeling　ends　and　where　Southern　wishes　commence。　　Newport　and　Covington；　which　are　in　Kentucky；　are　suburbs　of　Cincinnati；　and　yet　in　these　places　slavery　is　rife。　　The　domestic　servants　are　mostly　slaves；　though　it　is　essential　that　those　so　kept　should　be　known　as　slaves　who　will　not　run　away。　　It　is　understood　that　a　slave　who　escapes　into　Ohio　will　not　be　caught　and　given　up　by　the　intervention　of　the　Ohio　police；　and　from　Covington　or　Newport　any　slave　with　ease　can　escape　into　Ohio。　　But　when　that　division　takes　place；　no　river　like　the　Ohio　can　form　the　boundary　between　the　divided　nations。　　Such　rivers　are　the　highways；　round　which　in　this　country　people　have　clustered　themselves。　　A　river　here　is　not　a　natural　barrier；　but　a　connecting　street。　　It　would　be　as　well　to　make　a　railway　a　division；　or　the　center　line　of　a　city　a　national　boundary。　　Kentucky　and　Ohio　States　are　joined　together　by　the　Ohio　River；　with　Cincinnati　on　one　side　and　Louisville　on　the　other；　and　I　do　not　think　that　man's　act　can　upset　these　ties　of　nature。　　But　between　Kentucky　and　Tennessee　there　is　no　such　bond　of　union。　　There　a　mathematical　line　has　been　simply　drawn；　a　continuation　of　that　line　which　divides　Virginia　from　North　Carolina；　to　which　two　latter　States　Kentucky　and　Tennessee　belonged　when　the　thirteen　original　States　first　formed　themselves　into　a　Union。　　But　that　mathematical　line　has　offered　no　peculiar　advantages　to　population。　　No　great　towns　cluster　there；　and　no　strong　social　interests　would　be　dissevered　should　Kentucky　throw　in　her　lot　with　the　North；　and　Tennessee　with　the　South；　but　Kentucky　owns　a　quarter　of　a　million　of　slaves；　and　those　slaves　must　either　be　emancipated　or　removed　before　such　a　junction　can　be　firmly　settled。　The　great　business　of　Cincinnati　is　hog　killing　now；　as　it　used　to　be　in　the　old　days　of　which　I　have　so　often　heard。　　It　seems　to　be　an　established　fact；　that　in　this　portion　of　the　world　the　porcine　genus　are　all　hogs。　　One　never　hears　of　a　pig。　　With　us　a　trade　in　hogs　and　pigs　is　subject　to　some　little　contumely。　　There　is　a　feeling；　which　has　perhaps　never　been　expressed　in　words；　but　which　certainly　exists；　that　these　animals　are　not　so　honorable　in　their　bearings　as　sheep　and　oxen。　　It　is　a　prejudice　which　by　no　means　exists　in　Cincinnati。　　There　hog　killing　and　salting　and　packing　is　very　honorable；　and　the　great　men　in　the　trade　are　the　merchant　princes　of　the　city。　　I　went　to　see　the　performance；　feeling　it　to　be　a　duty　to　inspect　everywhere　that　which　I　found　to　be　of　most　importance；　but　I　will　not　describe　it。　　There　were　a　crowd　of　men　operating；　and　I　was　told　that　the　point　of　honor　was　to　〃put　through〃　a　hog　a　minute。　　It　must　be　understood　that　the　animal　enters　upon　the　ceremony　alive；　and　comes　out　in　that　cleanly；　disemboweled　guise　in　which　it　may　sometimes　be　seen　hanging　up　previous　to　the　operation　of　the　pork　butcher's　knife。　　To　one　special　man　was　appointed　a　performance　which　seemed　to　be　specially　disagreeable；　so　that　he　appeared　despicable　in　my　eyes；　but　when　on　inquiry　I　learned　that　he　earned　five　dollars　（or　a　pound　sterling）　a　day；　my　judgment　as　to　his　position　was　reversed。　　And；　after　all；　what　matters　the　ugly　nature　of　such　an　occupation　when　a　man　is　used　to　it？　Cincinnati　is　like　all　other　American　towns；　with　second；　third；　and　fourth　streets；　seventh；　eighth；　and　ninth　streets；　and　so　on。　　Then　the　cross　streets　are　named　chiefly　from　trees。　　Chestnut；　walnut；　locust；　etc。　　I　do　not　know　whence　has　come　this　fancy　for　naming　streets　after　trees　in　the　States；　but　it　is　very　general。　　The　town　is　well　built；　with　good　fronts　to　many　of　the　houses；　with　large　shops　and　larger　stores；　of　course　also　with　an　enormous　hotel；　which　has　never　paid　anything　like　a　proper　dividend　to　the　speculator　who　built　it。　　It　is　always　the　same　story。　　But　these　towns　shame　our　provincial　towns　by　their　breadth　and　grandeur。　　I　am　afraid　that　speculators　with　us　are　trammeled　by　an　〃ignorant　impatience　of　ruin。〃　　I　should　not　myself　like　to　live　in　Cincinnati　or　in　any　of　these　towns。　　They　are　slow；　dingy；　and　uninteresting；　but　they　all　possess　an　air　of　substantial；　civic　dignity。　　It　must；　however；　be　remembered　that　the　Americans　live　much　more　in　towns　than　we　do。　　All　with　us　that　are　rich　and　aristocratic　and　luxurious　live　in　the　country；　frequenting　the　metropolis　for　only　a　portion　of　the　year。　　But　all　that　are　rich　and　aristocratic　and　luxurious　in　the　States　live　in　the　towns。　　Our　provincial　towns　are　not　generally　chosen　as　the　residences　of　our　higher　classes。　Cincinnati　has　170；000　inhabitants；　and　there　are　14；000　childr