In the Southern states attendance in the lower bears to that in the higher schools the proportion of 3 to 1; in the Northern states, of 12 to 1. The culture of the higher classes is then more general in the former, and of the people in the latter; and advantages and defects show themselves on both sides.

On taking a re-survey of all that we have stated, some general remarks are suggested.

First. The American universities, libraries, and scientific collections (which it is impossible to create at once), are behind those of Europe, and especially of Germany; but on the other hand, as regards the education of the people, many of the United States are on a level with the most cultivated European countries, and far before several, including even England.

Secondly. No nation has done so much for schools in so short a time as the Americans. For ancient foundations are almost wholly wanting, and even though we should not rate very high the appropriation of wild land, which at first is nearly worthless, still other nations who have also plenty of wild land have done nothing similar; and it has only been with difficulty that here and there in Europe a poor strip of land has been obtained for schools and schoolmasters, when some "common" has been divided. But it deserves especially to be repeated, that the principal funds for the support of schools are raised, not from schoolmoney paid by the poor, but by a property-tax, which particularly affects the rich, whether they send children to school or not. In New England, for example, people of property (about one fifth of the inhabitants) pay half the cost; though they do not send one sixth of the children to the schools. This regulation brings by its re-action security and advantage to the rich; it is republican, and in entire conformity with human rights and feelings.

Thirdly. There is in the United States no danger of an education too elevated for the condition and relations of the educated. Such are their political privileges, that nothing is placed wholly out of the reach of any one; wherefore the outlay goes to the education not of subjects merely, but of rulers also.† "Knowledge," De Witt Clinton rightly observed, "is as well the cause as the consequence of good government."

I mentioned that no libraries in America could be compared with the great European collections; still there are, especially in the larger Eastern cities, many libraries founded by individual exertion for particular purposes (such as for lawyers, clergymen, physicians, merchants, and others), and these have been diligently used. They did not operate, however, upon the masses of the people; and the city circulating libraries, filled mostly with bad *Encyclop. Americana, art. Education. Hall, ii. 165. ↑ The Schoolmaster, p. 111.

romances, were destructive to time, to taste, and morals. Hence arose the just complaint, that the people were taught reading with a great outlay of time and trouble, and much boasting at the result; while after all they had nothing to read. The Bible is not even put into the hands of the Catholics, and has often been misused by Protestants who were deficient in all other knowledge for the purpose of kindling a wild fanaticism. It is a common objection in Europe that the peasant has neither inclination nor time to read. But inclination will not be wanting, as soon as suitable books are offered to him: and he has more time to read than chancellors, secretaries, privy councillors, and ministers of state. And what does he now in winter? He sits by the stove, quarrels with his wife, beats the children, and then goes into the beer-house or spirit-shop in order to maintain the patriarchal equilibrium of his innocent mind, which has not yet been sophisticated by the knowledge of books!

By reading the daily papers, the citizens of the United States are certainly excited and instructed in a greater variety of ways than those of any other country; still this source is not always pure, and is never quite sufficient. It was therefore a new, valuable, and commendable idea (first broached in New York by Wadsworth and Marcy, and afterwards adopted by Massachusetts), to found a library for each school district; and that not for the scholars merely, but chiefly for adults. The first choice belongs to the trustees of the place; but the school superintendent of a higher grade has a right to propose the removal of ill-chosen books. If the board of trustees do not follow this counsel, they forfeit their claim to a contribution from the general school fund. From these collections there are very properly excluded all books relating to political and religious controversies, or bearing any sectarian character, and also all romances. Notwithstanding these limitations, the choice remained difficult, and there was still a lack of uniformly printed books at moderate prices; consequently, by the advice of benevolent and judicious individuals, entire series of books for the young and for grown persons were printed in New York and Boston, and even many works were written expressly for this purpose. Among them are works on agriculture, technology, natural philosophy and chemistry, together with travels, histories, biographies, translations of the classics, &c.*

In the year 1843, these new collections in the state of New York contained already 875,000 volumes; and the government contributed towards them $94,000. In the year 1844 the number

*For example, Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella, Robertson's Charles the Fifth, Bancroft's History, Washington's Life, Histories of the several states, Homer, Plutarch, Herodotus, Goldsmith's History of Greece and Rome, Jos. Müller's History of the World, Manuals of Physiology, of Agriculture, of Trade, &c.

of volumes amounted to a million. As the districts must contribute at least as much, there was a voluntary outlay in one year of $188,000 for the mental improvement of the people by means of reading. Similar regulations with equal success have been adopted in Massachusetts; and many other states will speedily follow such noble and salutary examples.

It is only in this way that mental and moral culture can spread beyond the limited circle of the schools over the whole life of a people, and raise them to a higher grade of genuine knowledge. It is an absurd apprehension, to imagine that religious feelings are weakened in consequence; as if religion and ignorance went always hand in hand! The attainment however of this higher intelligence will render it impossible for any one hereafter to smug gle in a narrow fanaticism as a gift of the Holy Spirit, or to preach up the principles of Caliph Omar.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

LITERATURE AND ART.

For and against America-Freedom of the Press-Newspapers and Periodicals— Defence of Newspapers-Congress on Newspapers-German Newspapers-Periodicals-Libraries-Fine Arts, Music, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture-History -Eloquence-Webster, Clay, Calhoun-Poetry-Philosophy.

THE Americans, it is said whenever literature and art are mentioned, have no antiquity and, no monuments, no youth and no poetry, no literature and no art; and this is regarded as conveying a perfectly true and at the same time bitter censure, or rather as the most complete sentence of condemnation. But might not an impartial spectator reply: England's antiquity and monuments belong equally to the Americans; they may justly reckon Chaucer and Shakspeare as their own. Should this however be denied for what reason I know not, and the first day of America's independence be regarded as her real birth-day; why then she stepped forth like Adam, who came perfect from the hand of God, without wearing children's shoes; or like Minerva, who sprang from the head of Jove, and never was tutored by a bonne. Every body in America, it is said, works to live, but no one to think. What a one-sided, untrue antithesis! Labor is not wholly without thought, nor are the idle-from many an eldest son down to the lazzaroni-always thinkers.

Others maintain, that the average of culture is indeed higher in America than elsewhere, but that there is a want of prominent, lofty intellects. The last at any rate does not follow from the first; on the contrary, as the whole broad foundation rises to a higher point, the summits also mount at length into a purer atmosphere.

Every thing has its time. Girls of eight and grandmothers of eighty bear no children; but the Americans-so think their censors should do every thing at once, every thing at the same time, that is to say, at the wrong time! How many poets has France produced in a thousand years, and whom can Germany name between the author of the Nibelungen (who by the by is either disowned or reviled) and Klopstock?

America has no monuments, it is true; but she has a nature which joins all the venerableness of age to the elastic vigor of youth. And do pyramids, and colossuses, and robber-castles exhibit more the value and progress of art, or the misery which tyranny ever produces? The poetry of the Americans lies not in the past, but in the future. We Europeans go back in sentiment through the twilight of ages, that lose themselves in night; the Americans go forward through the morning dawn to day! Their_great, undoubted, historical past lies near them; their fathers did great things, not their great-great-grandfathers! Athens at the time of Miltiades, and Rome at the time of Scipio, had as yet no ancient history; and the year 1813 is more glorious for Prussia than the time when the margraves fought with the Quitzows. It is better to build, to found, and to act-to live and improve in the present, than to have ruins pointed out and explained by valets de place. Will America become greater, more profound, and more wonderful, when it shall lie in ruins; or would one rather see Athens as she now is, or as she was at the time of Pericles, Phidias, Plato, and Sophocles?

The first condition of all progress in art and science is, to know its value. No European has ever spoken on this subject more impressively and warmly than De Witt Clinton, when he says: Pleasure is only a shadow, wealth only vanity, and power only a semblance; knowledge on the contrary gives the greatest enjoyment, the most lasting glory, is boundless in space and endless in time.* Nor is this a solitary and inoperative sentiment of one distinguished man; but all the states, as we have seen, are doing wonders in behalf of schools, and almost as much for science. New York and Massachusetts, for example, have by the most liberal appropriations (amounting in New York to $200,000) provided for surveying those states, preparing maps, drawing up a complete natural histo d examining into their

early records; and eighteen other states have already followed their praiseworthy example. In a like spirit, the general government ordered the circumnavigation of the globe under Commander Wilkes, the results of which are not inferior to those of any other. But after all, what the government directly undertakes and supports is of less importance than the fact, that it places no obstacle in the way of the free development of all minds. The absolute freedom of the press in America is the great lever of this development. All are agreed that, with regard to books properly speaking and to genuine literature, this freedom has been of the greatest utility, and has very rarely been abused. Opposite opinions however are expressed respecting the newspaper and periodical press. Thus, while the majority behold in it the palladium of all truth and liberty, some consider newspapers the source of almost all the evil there is in America. Before I produce the facts that bear on this matter and give the reasons on both sides, it is necessary to make some statistical statements. In the year 1704 the first American newspaper was printed in

851 including journals. 1250 and 140 journals. 1400-1600 newspapers.

In the year 1810, there were in the United States 26 periodicals; in 1834, their number amounted to 140. Among them there

were:

medical journals,

legal,†

8

52

theological (including religious newspapers), 120
agricultural,

temperance,

12

18

Of those newspapers and journals there appeared in New York, 274; in Pennsylvania, 253; in Ohio, 164; in Massachusetts, 124; in Indiana, 69; in Virginia, 52; in Tennessee, 50; in Wisconsin, 5; in Iowa, 3; &c. In the Northern and Northwestern states there is in this respect more literary enterprise and activity than in the South; while Ohio in this as in many other points distinguishes herself above all.

I now pass to the more particular characteristics of the newspapers, and begin with the reproach to which they are most

• Encyclop. Amer., art. Newspapers. Chevalier, i. 210. Amer. Almanac, 1835, p. 266; 1840, pp. 69, 196. The numbers of course change every year.

Amer. Alm. 1835, 277.