the americanization of edward bok-第92部分

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　measure；　the　groceryman；　instead　of　picking　it　up；　kicked　it　into　the　gutter　for　the　wheels　of　his　wagon　to　run　over。　The　butcher's　waste　filled　my　mother's　soul　with　dismay。　If　I　bought　a　scuttle　of　coal　at　the　corner　grocery；　the　coal　that　missed　the　scuttle；　instead　of　being　shovelled　up　and　put　back　into　the　bin；　was　swept　into　the　street。　My　young　eyes　quickly　saw　this；　in　the　evening　I　gathered　up　the　coal　thus　swept　away；　and　during　the　course　of　a　week　I　collected　a　scuttleful。　The　first　time　my　mother　saw　the　garbage　pail　of　a　family　almost　as　poor　as　our　own；　with　the　wife　and　husband　constantly　complaining　that　they　could　not　get　along；　she　could　scarcely　believe　her　eyes。　A　half　pan　of　hominy　of　the　preceding　day's　breakfast　lay　in　the　pail　next　to　a　third　of　a　loaf　of　bread。　In　later　years；　when　I　saw；　daily；　a　scow　loaded　with　the　garbage　of　Brooklyn　householders　being　towed　through　New　York　harbor　out　to　sea；　it　was　an　easy　calculation　that　what　was　thrown　away　in　a　week's　time　from　Brooklyn　homes　would　feed　the　poor　of　the　Netherlands。

At　school；　I　quickly　learned　that　to　〃save　money〃　was　to　be　〃stingy〃；　as　a　young　man；　I　soon　found　that　the　American　disliked　the　word　〃economy；〃　and　on　every　hand　as　plenty　grew　spending　grew。　There　was　literally　nothing　in　American　life　to　teach　me　thrift　or　economy；　everything　to　teach　me　to　spend　and　to　waste。

I　saw　men　who　had　earned　good　salaries　in　their　prime；　reach　the　years　of　incapacity　as　dependents。　I　saw　families　on　every　hand　either　living　quite　up　to　their　means　or　beyond　them；　rarely　within　them。　The　more　a　man　earned；　the　more　heor　his　wifespent。　I　saw　fathers　and　mothers　and　their　children　dressed　beyond　their　incomes。　The　proportion　of　families　who　ran　into　debt　was　far　greater　than　those　who　saved。　When　a　panic　came；　the　families　〃pulled　in〃；　when　the　panic　was　over；　they　〃let　out。〃　But　the　end　of　one　year　found　them　precisely　where　they　were　at　the　close　of　the　previous　year；　unless　they　were　deeper　in　debt。

It　was　in　this　atmosphere　of　prodigal　expenditure　and　culpable　waste　that　I　was　to　practise　thrift：　a　fundamental　in　life！　And　it　is　into　this　atmosphere　that　the　foreign…born　comes　now；　with　every　inducement　to　spend　and　no　encouragement　to　save。　For　as　it　was　in　the　days　of　my　boyhood；　so　it　is　to…dayonly　worse。　One　need　only　go　over　the　experiences　of　the　past　two　years；　to　compare　the　receipts　of　merchants　who　cater　to　the　working…classes　and　the　statements　of　savingsbanks　throughout　the　country；　to　read　the　story　of　how　the　foreign…born　are　learning　the　habit　of　criminal　wastefulness　as　taught　them　by　the　American。

Is　it　any　wonder；　then；　that　in　this；　one　of　the　essentials　in　life　and　in　all　success；　America　fell　short　with　me；　as　it　is　continuing　to　fall　short　with　every　foreign…born　who　comes　to　its　shores？

As　a　Dutch　boy；　one　of　the　cardinal　truths　taught　me　was　that　whatever　was　worth　doing　was　worth　doing　well：　that　next　to　honesty　came　thoroughness　as　a　factor　in　success。　It　was　not　enough　that　anything　should　be　done：　it　was　not　done　at　all　if　it　was　not　done　well。　I　came　to　America　to　be　taught　exactly　the　opposite。　The　two　infernal　Americanisms　〃That's　good　enough〃　and　〃That　will　do〃　were　early　taught　me；　together　with　the　maxim　of　quantity　rather　than　quality。

It　was　not　the　boy　at　school　who　could　write　the　words　in　his　copy…book　best　who　received　the　praise　of　the　teacher；　it　was　the　boy　who　could　write　the　largest　number　of　words　in　a　given　time。　The　acid　test　in　arithmetic　was　not　the　mastery　of　the　method；　but　the　number　of　minutes　required　to　work　out　an　example。　If　a　boy　abbreviated　the　month　January　to　〃Jan。〃and　the　word　Company　to　〃Co。〃　he　received　a　hundred　per　cent　mark；　as　did　the　boy　who　spelled　out　the　words　and　who　could　not　make　the　teacher　see　that　〃Co。〃　did　not　spell　〃Company。〃

As　I　grew　into　young　manhood；　and　went　into　business；　I　found　on　every　hand　that　quantity　counted　for　more　than　quality。　The　emphasis　was　almost　always　placed　on　how　much　work　one　could　do　in　a　day；　rather　than　upon　how　well　the　work　was　done。　Thoroughness　was　at　a　discount　on　every　hand；　production　at　a　premium。　It　made　no　difference　in　what　direction　I　went；　the　result　was　the　same：　the　cry　was　always　for　quantity；　quantity！　And　into　this　atmosphere　of　almost　utter　disregard　for　quality　I　brought　my　ideas　of　Dutch　thoroughness　and　my　conviction　that　doing　well　whatever　I　did　was　to　count　as　a　cardinal　principle　in　life。

During　my　years　of　editorship；　save　in　one　or　two　conspicuous　instances；　I　was　never　able　to　assign　to　an　American　writer；　work　which　called　for　painstaking　research。　In　every　instance；　the　work　came　back　to　me　either　incorrect　in　statement；　or　otherwise　obviously　lacking　in　careful　preparation。

One　of　the　most　successful　departments　I　ever　conducted　in　The　Ladies'　Home　Journal　called　for　infinite　reading　and　patient　digging；　with　the　actual　results　sometimes　almost　negligible。　I　made　a　study　of　my　associates　by　turning　the　department　over　to　one　after　another；　and　always　with　the　same　result：　absolute　lack　of　a　capacity　for　patient　research。　As　one　of　my　editors；　typically　American；　said　to　me：　〃It　isn't　worth　all　the　trouble　that　you　put　into　it。〃　Yet　no　single　department　ever　repaid　the　searcher　more　for　his　pains。　Save　for　assistance　derived　from　a　single　person；　I　had　to　do　the　work　myself　for　all　the　years　that　the　department　continued。　It　was　apparently　impossible　for　the　American　to　work　with　sufficient　patience　and　care　to　achieve　a　result。

We　all　have　our　pet　notions　as　to　the　particular　evil　which　is　〃the　curse　of　America；〃　but　I　always　think　that　Theodore　Roosevelt　came　closest　to　the　real　curse　when　he　classed　it　as　a　lack　of　thoroughness。

Here　again；　in　one　of　the　most　important　matters　in　life；　did　America　fall　short　with　me；　and；　what　is　more　important；　she　is　falling　short　with　every　foreigner　that　comes　to　her　shores。

In　the　matter　of　education；　America　fell　far　short　in　what　should　be　the　strongest　of　all　her　institutions：　the　public　school。　A　more　inadequate；　incompetent　method　of　teaching；　as　I　look　back　over　my　seven　years　of　attendance　at　three　different　public　schools；　it　is　difficult　to　conceive。　If　there　is　one　thing　that　I；　as　a　foreign…born　child；　should　have　been　carefully　taught；　it　is　the　English　language。　The　individual　effort　to　teach　this；　if　effort　there　was；　and　I　remember　none；　was　negligible。　It　was　left　for　my　father　to　teach　me；　or　for　me　to　dig　it　out　for　myself。　There　was　absolutely　no　indication　on　the　part　of　teacher　or　principal　of　responsibility　for　seeing　that　a　foreign…born　boy　should　acquire　the　English　language　correctly。　I　was　taught　as　if　I　were　American…born；　and；　of　course；　I　was　left　dangling　in　the　air；　with　no　conception　of　what　I　was　trying　to　do。

My　father　worked　with　me　evening　after　evening；　I　plunged　my　young　mind　deep　into　the　bewildering　confusions　of　the　languageand　no　one　realizes　the　confusions　of　the　English　language　as　does　the　foreign…bornand　got　what　I　could　through　these　joint　efforts。　But　I　gained　nothing　from　the　much…vaunted　public…school　system　which　the　United　States　had　borrowed　from　my　own　country；　and　then　had　rende