Civilization Does Not Consist In The Eschewing
Of Garlic Or The Keeping Clean Of A Man's Finger-Nails.
It may
lead to such delicacies, and probably will do so.
But the man who
thinks that civilization cannot exist without them imagines that
the church cannot stand without the spire. In the States of
America men do eat and drink, and do read and write.
But as to saying their prayers? That, as far as I can see, has
come also, though perhaps not in a manner altogether satisfactory,
or to a degree which should be held to be sufficient. Englishmen
of strong religious feeling will often be startled in America by
the freedom with which religious subjects are discussed, and the
ease with which the matter is treated; but he will very rarely be
shocked by that utter absence of all knowledge on the subject - that
total darkness which is still so common among the lower orders in
our own country. It is not a common thing to meet an American who
belongs to no denomination of Christian worship, and who cannot
tell you why he belongs to that which he has chosen.
"But," it will be said, "all the intelligence and education of this
people have not saved them from falling out among themselves and
their friends, and running into troubles by which they will be
ruined. Their political arrangements have been so bad that, in
spite of all their reading and writing, they must go to the wall."
I venture to express an opinion that they will by no means go to
the wall, and that they will be saved from such a destiny, if in no
other way, then by their education. Of their political
arrangements, as I mean before long to rush into that perilous
subject, I will say nothing here. But no political convulsions,
should such arise - no revolution in the Constitution, should such
be necessary - will have any wide effect on the social position of
the people to their serious detriment. They have the great
qualities of the Anglo-Saxon race - industry, intelligence, and
self-confidence; and if these qualities will no longer suffice to
keep such a people on their legs, the world must be coming to an
end.
I have said that it is not a common thing to meet an American who
belongs to no denomination of Christian worship. This I think is
so but I would not wish to be taken as saying that religion, on
that account, stands on a satisfactory footing in the States. Of
all subjects of discussion, this is the most difficult. It is one
as to which most of us feel that to some extent we must trust to
our prejudices rather than our judgments. It is a matter on which
we do not dare to rely implicitly on our own reasoning faculties,
and therefore throw ourselves on the opinions of those whom we
believe to have been better men and deeper thinkers than ourselves.
For myself, I love the name of State and Church, and believe that
much of our English well-being has depended on it.
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