登陆注册
5395000000101

第101章

In order to make a comparison between the schools of London and those of New York, I have called them both free schools. They are, in fact, more free in New York than they are in London; because in New York every boy and girl, let his parentage be what it may, can attend these schools without any payment. Thus an education as good as the American mind can compass, prepared with every care, carried on by highly-paid tutors, under ample surveillance, provided with all that is most excellent in the way of rooms, desks, books, charts, maps, and implements, is brought actually within the reach of everybody. I need not point out to Englishmen how different is the nature of schools in London. It must not, however, be supposed that these are charity schools. Such is not their nature. Let us say what we may as to the beauty of charity as a virtue, the recipient of charity in its customary sense among us is ever more or less degraded by the position. In the States that has been fully understood, and the schools to which I allude are carefully preserved from any such taint. Throughout the States a separate tax is levied for the maintenance of these schools, and as the taxpayer supports them, he is, of course, entitled to the advantage which they confer. The child of the non-taxpayer is also entitled, and to him the boon, if strictly analyzed, will come in the shape of a charity. But under the system as it is arranged, this is not analyzed. It is understood that the school is open to all in the ward to which it belongs, and no inquiry is made whether the pupil's parent has or has not paid anything toward the school's support. I found this theory carried out so far that at the deaf and dumb school, where some of the poorer children are wholly provided by the institution, care is taken to clothe them in dresses of different colors and different make, in order that nothing may attach to them which has the appearance of a badge.

Political economists will see something of evil in this. But philanthropists will see very much that is good.

It is not without a purpose that I have given this somewhat glowing account of a girls' school in New York so soon after my little picture of New York women, as they behave themselves in the streets and street cars. It will, of course, be said that those women of whom I have spoken, by no means in terms of admiration, are the very girls whose education has been so excellent. This of course is so; but I beg to remark that I have by no means said that an excellent school education will produce all female excellencies.

The fact, I take it, is this: that seeing how high in the scale these girls have been raised, one is anxious that they should be raised higher. One is surprised at their pert vulgarity and hideous airs, not because they are so low in our general estimation, but because they are so high. Women of the same class in London are humble enough, and therefore rarely offend us who are squeamish. They show by their gestures that they hardly think themselves good enough to sit by us; they apologize for their presence; they conceive it to be their duty to be lowly in their gesture. The question is which is best, the crouching and crawling, or the impudent, unattractive self-composure. Not, my reader, which action on her part may the better conduce to my comfort or to yours. That is by no means the question. Which is the better for the woman herself? That, I take it, is the point to be decided. That there is something better than either, we shall all agree--but to my thinking the crouching and crawling is the lowest type of all.

At that school I saw some five or six hundred girls collected in one room, and heard them sing. The singing was very pretty, and it was all very nice; but I own that I was rather startled, and to tell the truth somewhat abashed, when I was invited to "say a few words to them." No idea of such a suggestion had dawned upon me, and I felt myself quite at a loss. To be called up before five hundred men is bad enough, but how much worse before that number of girls! What could I say but that they were all very pretty? As far as I can remember, I did say that and nothing else. Very pretty they were, and neatly dressed, and attractive; but among them all there was not a pair of rosy cheeks. How should there be, when every room in the building was heated up to the condition of an oven by those damnable hot-air pipes.

In England a taste for very large shops has come up during the last twenty years. A firm is not doing a good business, or at any rate a distinguished business, unless he can assert in his trade card that he occupies at least half a dozen houses--Nos. 105, 106, 107, 108, 109 and 110. The old way of paying for what you want over the counter is gone; and when you buy a yard of tape or a new carriage--for either of which articles you will probably visit the same establishment--you go through about the same amount of ceremony as when you sell a thousand pounds out of the stocks in propria persona. But all this is still further exaggerated in New York.

Mr. Stewart's store there is perhaps the handsomest institution in the city, and his hall of audience for new carpets is a magnificent saloon. "You have nothing like that in England," my friend said to me as he walked me through it in triumph. "I wish we had nothing approaching to it," I answered. For I confess to a liking for the old-fashioned private shops. Harper's establishment for the manufacture and sale of books is also very wonderful. Everything is done on the premises, down to the very coloring of the paper which lines the covers, and places the gilding on their backs. The firm prints, engraves, electroplates, sews, binds, publishes, and sells wholesale and retail. I have no doubt that the authors have rooms in the attics where the other slight initiatory step is taken toward the production of literature.

同类推荐
  • Modern Spiritualism

    Modern Spiritualism

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 修行念诵仪轨次第法

    修行念诵仪轨次第法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 五分戒本

    五分戒本

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 白香词谱

    白香词谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 金刚经鸠异

    金刚经鸠异

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 奇门风云(2)

    奇门风云(2)

    浩劫之后的江湖,风云再起,如意宝珠出世,祸起萧墙始于三大奇门之遁门。于是奇门遁甲不奇,毒门万毒不毒,刀门铸刃无锋。祸起奇门,顿破江湖微妙的均衡。数年后,一位如“海”般深邃的少年崛起江湖,以杀手的身份横空出世,在血雨腥风之中,破开重重迷雾,以有情的心作无情的杀戮,终在爱情、有情、亲情的“互网”中刺穿仇恨的外衣。雾散云消,真相横阵之际,却给了他一个无法接受的现实。
  • 总裁的狂女宝贝

    总裁的狂女宝贝

    陆氏集团惨遭黑手,家破人亡,天之骄女被关在精神病院,双胞胎姐姐为了保全妹妹,将其换出来,为了保全陆家最后一点希望。仇恨是一朵罂粟花,她化身毒药迷倒众生,慢慢接近目标,让欺我毁我辱我之人血债血偿。豪门间的你死我活,清纯少女化身地狱修罗,我就是那复仇的女神,让所有背叛我的人,都得到应有的审判。
  • 冲出高原:吐蕃王国传奇

    冲出高原:吐蕃王国传奇

    《冲出高原·吐蕃王朝传奇》从藏族起源的神话开篇,讲述了吐蕃王朝逐渐走出狭窄的雅隆河谷,建立起纵贯雪域高原的强大帝国,又一步步跌落云端,在佛、苯的激烈斗争中渐渐走向衰落和分裂的历史过程。横空出世,十三岁的小赞普能否在动荡的政治漩涡中力挽狂澜?左右逢源,孤儿寡母能否撑起雪域的一片蓝天?英雄迟暮,战神噶尔?钦陵能否继续家族的无限荣光?……不甘寂寞的吐蕃君君臣臣们,你方唱罢我登场,书写着吐蕃的历史与辉煌。
  • 云之界幻云使

    云之界幻云使

    云之界,一个藏在云中,由圣云使主宰的世界。盛行魔法与武斗术。圣云族是云之界继承了魔神正统血脉的一族。是唯一有机会出现能修炼全能七系魔法的一族,全能七系魔法使被称为幻云使。不过圣云族,还有一个最大的秘密,那就是拥有预言未来的秘术。不过非魔神血脉者是无法修习预言秘术的。云紫夜,在16岁,华夏大陆一名体艺高校生。本来正潇洒的过着小日子,淋了场雨,竟然发了高烧。迷迷糊糊的,等醒过来,自己竟是换了地方。
  • 总裁老公请自重

    总裁老公请自重

    为了给男朋友治病,不惜与豪门签订生子契约。不曾想孩子早产,主家以孩子早产不健康为由想毁约,宋颜抱着孩子直接找到对方。对方竟是她的顶头上司沈长卿,沈长卿一直是宠妻无度的楷模,撒的狗粮不知虐了多少单身汪。一朝事发,宋颜成了万人所指的小三,生活一下子陷入了困境。直到他走近,轻轻将她带入怀里,“我孩子的妈,你们谁敢嘲笑……”
  • 盛世婚宠:YES我的头号敌人

    盛世婚宠:YES我的头号敌人

    别人只知道萧池禹温雅是青梅竹马,也是一对水火不容的死敌,却不知萧BOSS极为护短。(续付萧离跟莫禾禾儿子,以及裴颜跟温祁云女儿的故事~)
  • 火焰升腾

    火焰升腾

    一个魔法学徒,在一次和人冲突中,被打破了魔法核心,幸遇天才光明神官,开始了他通往武士的巅峰之路……
  • 科学巨人:牛顿(创造历史的风云人物)

    科学巨人:牛顿(创造历史的风云人物)

    名人创造了历史,名人改写了历史,那些走在时代最前列、深深影响和推动了历史进程的名人永远会被广大人民所拥戴、所尊重、所铭记。古往今来,有多少中外名人不断地涌现在人们的目光里,这些出类拔萃、彪炳千古、流芳百世的名人中,有家国天下的政治家,有叱咤风云的军事家,有超乎凡人的思想家,有妙笔生花的文学家,有造福人类的科学家,有想象非凡的艺术家……他们永远不会被人们忘记!
  • 天命帝凰:神医嫡女逆天下

    天命帝凰:神医嫡女逆天下

    苍穹霸主一朝损落,再次重生,变天惩煞星,人人得而诛之?没关系,她还是天命帝凰!土木双属性修为,相辅相成,上古修炼心法,不但等级蹭蹭蹭,各种仙草随便种,别人修百年,她一颗草吃完就好!渣爹庶母缠上门?没事,灵丹、仙符、随便轰炸,虐的他们求爹告娘。修炼成功,爱情扑?那也是不可能的。天下第一冰山男神,乃她前世爱侣!这是一个顶级大神重新练小号虐渣,外带大把撒狗粮的故事……【女主萌+男主高冷+1V1+绝宠+双强】
  • 话渡

    话渡

    和尚遇见姑娘会怎样?和尚无意,姑娘失意。