the unseen world and other essays-第69章

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mpathies；　the　multiplying　of　interests；　the　increase　of　the　number　of　things　to　be　done。　Through　the　later　Middle　Ages；　after　Roman　civilization　had　absorbed　and　disciplined　the　incoming　barbarism　which　had　threatened　to　destroy　it；　there　was　a　steadily　increasing　complication　of　society；　a　multiplication　of　the　wants　of　life；　and　a　consequent　enhancement　of　the　difficulty　of　self…maintenance。　The　ultimate　causes　of　this　phenomenon　lie　so　far　beneath　the　surface　that　they　could　be　satisfactorily　discussed　only　in　a　technical　essay　on　the　evolution　of　society。　It　will　be　enough　for　us　here　to　observe　that　the　great　geographical　discoveries　of　the　sixteenth　century　and　the　somewhat　later　achievements　of　physical　science　have；　during　the　past　two　hundred　years；　aided　powerfully　in　determining　the　entrance　of　the　Western　world　upon　an　industrial　epoch；an　epoch　which　has　for　its　final　object　the　complete　subjection　of　the　powers　of　nature　to　purposes　of　individual　comfort　and　happiness。　We　have　now　to　trace　some　of　the　effects　of　this　lately…begun　industrial　development　upon　social　life　and　individual　culture。　And　as　we　studied　the　leisureliness　of　antiquity　where　its　effects　were　most　conspicuous；　in　the　city　of　Athens；　we　shall　now　do　well　to　study　the　opposite　characteristics　of　modern　society　where　they　are　most　conspicuously　exemplified；　in　our　own　country。　The　attributes　of　American　life　which　it　will　be　necessary　to　signalize　will　be　seen　to　be　only　the　attributes　of　modern　life　in　their　most　exaggerated　phase。

To　begin　with；　in　studying　the　United　States；　we　are　no　longer　dealing　with　a　single　city；　or　with　small　groups　of　cities。　The　city　as　a　political　unit；　in　the　antique　sense；　has　never　existed　among　us；　and　indeed　can　hardly　be　said　now　to　exist　anywhere。　The　modern　city　is　hardly　more　than　a　great　emporium　of　trade；　or　a　place　where　large　numbers　of　people　find　it　convenient　to　live　huddled　together；　not　a　sacred　fatherland　to　which　its　inhabitants　owe　their　highest　allegiance；　and　by　the　requirements　of　which　their　political　activity　is　limited。　What　strikes　us　here　is　that　our　modern　life　is　diffused　or　spread　out；　not　concentrated　like　the　ancient　civic　life。　If　the　Athenian　had　been　the　member　of　an　integral　community；　comprising　all　peninsular　Greece　and　the　mainland　of　Asia　Minor；　he　could　not　have　taken　life　so　easily　as　he　did。

Now　our　country　is　not　only　a　very　large　one；　but　compared　to　its　vast　territorial　extent　it　contains　a　very　small　population。　If　we　go　on　increasing　at　the　present　rate；　so　that　a　century　hence　we　number　four　or　five　hundred　millions；　our　country　will　be　hardly　more　crowded　than　China　is　to…day。　Or　if　our　whole　population　were　now　to　be　brought　east　of　Niagara　Falls；　and　confined　on　the　south　by　the　Potomac；　we　should　still　have　as　much　elbow…room　as　they　have　in　France。　Political　economists　can　show　the　effects　of　this　high　ratio　of　land　to　inhabitants；　in　increasing　wages；　raising　the　interest　of　money；　and　stimulating　production。　We　are　thus　living　amid　circumstances　which　are　goading　the　industrial　activity　characteristic　of　the　last　two　centuries；　and　notably　of　the　English　race；　into　an　almost　feverish　energy。　The　vast　extent　of　our　unwrought　territory　is　constantly　draining　fresh　life　from　our　older　districts；　to　aid　in　the　establishment　of　new　frontier　communities　of　a　somewhat　lower　or　less　highly　organized　type。　And　these　younger　communities；　daily　springing　up；　are　constantly　striving　to　take　on　the　higher　structure；to　become　as　highly　civilized　and　to　enjoy　as　many　of　the　prerogatives　of　civilization　as　the　rest。　All　this　calls　forth　an　enormous　quantity　of　activity；　and　causes　American　life　to　assume　the　aspect　of　a　life…and…death　struggle　for　mastery　over　the　material　forces　of　that　part　of　the　earth's　surface　upon　which　it　thrives。

It　is　thus　that　we　are　traversing　what　may　properly　be　called　the　BARBAROUS　epoch　of　our　history；the　epoch　at　which　the　predominant　intellectual　activity　is　employed　in　achievements　which　are　mainly　of　a　material　character。　Military　barbarism；　or　the　inability　of　communities　to　live　together　without　frequent　warfare；　has　been　nearly　outgrown　by　the　whole　Western　world。　Private　wars；　long　since　made　everywhere　illegal；　have　nearly　ceased；　and　public　wars；　once　continual；　have　become　infrequent。　But　industrial　barbarism；　by　which　I　mean　the　inability　of　a　community　to　direct　a　portion　of　its　time　to　purposes　of　spiritual　life；　after　providing　for　its　physical　maintenance；this　kind　of　barbarism　the　modern　world　has　by　no　means　outgrown。　To…day；　the　great　work　of　life　is　to　live；　while　the　amount　of　labour　consumed　in　living　has　throughout　the　present　century　been　rapidly　increasing。　Nearly　the　whole　of　this　American　community　toils　from　youth　to　old　age　in　merely　procuring　the　means　for　satisfying　the　transient　wants　of　life。　Our　time　and　energies；　our　spirit　and　buoyancy；　are　quite　used　up　in　what　is　called　〃getting　on。〃

Another　point　of　difference　between　the　structure　of　American　and　of　Athenian　society　must　not　be　left　out　of　the　account。　The　time　has　gone　by　in　which　the　energies　of　a　hundred　thousand　men　and　women　could　be　employed　in　ministering　to　the　individual　perfection　of　twenty…five　thousand。　Slavery；　in　the　antique　sense；an　absolute　command　of　brain　as　well　as　of　muscle；　a　slave…system　of　skilled　labour；we　have　never　had。　In　our　day　it　is　for　each　man　to　earn　his　own　bread；　so　that　the　struggle　for　existence　has　become　universal。　The　work　of　one　class　does　not　furnish　leisure　for　another　class。　The　exceptional　circumstances　which　freed　the　Athenian　from　industrial　barbarism；　and　enabled　him　to　become　the　great　teacher　and　model　of　culture　for　the　human　race；　have　disappeared　forever。

Then　the　general　standard　of　comfortable　living；　as　already　hinted；　has　been　greatly　raised；　and　is　still　rising。　What　would　have　satisfied　the　ancient　would　seem　to　us　like　penury。　We　have　a　domestic　life　of　which　the　Greek　knew　nothing。　We　live　during　a　large　part　of　the　year　in　the　house。　Our　social　life　goes　on　under　the　roof。　Our　houses　are　not　mere　places　for　eating　and　sleeping；　like　the　houses　of　the　ancients。　It　therefore　costs　us　a　large　amount　of　toil　to　get　what　is　called　shelter　for　our　heads。　The　sum　which　a　young　married　man；　in　〃good　society；〃　has　to　pay　for　his　house　and　the　furniture　contained　in　it；　would　have　enabled　an　Athenian　to　live　in　princely　leisure　from　youth　to　old　age。　The　sum　which　he　has　to　pay　out　each　year；　to　meet　the　complicated　expense　of　living　in　such　a　house；　would　have　more　than　sufficed　to　bring　up　an　Athenian　family。　If　worthy　Strepsiades　could　have　got　an　Asmodean　glimpse　of　Fifth　Avenue；　or　even　of　some　unpretending　street　in　Cambridge；　he　might　have　gone　back　to　his　aristocratic　wife　a　sadder　but　a　more　contented　man。

Wealthor　at　least　what　would　until　lately　have　been　called　wealthhas　become　essential　to　comfort；　while　the　opportunities　for　acquiring　it　have　in　recent　times　been　immensely　multiplied。　To　get　money　is；　therefore；　the　chief　end　of　life　in　our　time　and　country。　〃Success　in　life〃　has　become　synonymous　with　〃becoming　wealthy。〃　A　man　who　is　successful　in　what　he　undertakes　is　a　man　who　makes　his　employment　pay　him　in　money。　Our　normal　type　of　character　is　that　of　the　shrewd；　circumspect　business　man；　as　in　the　Middle　Ages　it　was　that　of　the　hardy　warrior。　And　as　in　those　days　when　fighting　was　a　constant　necessity；　and　when　the　only　honourable　way　for　a　gentleman　of　high　rank　to　make　money　was　by　freebooting；　fighting　came　to　be　regarded　as　an　end　desirable　in　itself；　so　in　these　days　the　mere　effort　to　accumulate　has　become　a　source　of　enjoyment　rather　than　a　means　to　it。　The　same　truth　is　to　be　witnessed　in　aberrant　types　of　character。　The　infatuated　speculator　and　the　close…fisted　millionaire　are　our　substitutes　for　the　mediaeval　berserkir；the　man　who　loved　the　pell…mell　of　a　contest　so　well　that　he　would　make　war　on　his　neighbour；　just　to　keep　his　hand　in。　In　like　manner；　while　such　crimes　as　murder　and　violent　robbery　have　diminished　in　frequency　during　the　past　century；　on　the　other　hand　such　crimes　as　embezzlement；　gambling　in　stocks；　adulteration　of　goods；　and　using　of　false　wei