"
"You surely do not complain that a thousand are comfortable and
respectable to-day, for one that was _il magnifico_ three hundred
years since?"
"Certainly not. I rejoice in the change; but we must not confound names
with things. If we have a thousand mere factors for one merchant, society,
in the general signification of the word, is clearly a gainer; but if we
had one Medici for a thousand factors, society, in its particular
signfication, might also be a gainer. All I mean is, that, in lowering the
pursuit, we have necessarily lowered its qualifications; in other words,
every man in trade in New York, is no more a Lorenzo, than every printer's
devil is a Franklin."
"Mr. Blunt cannot be an American!" cried Mr. Sharp; "for these opinions
would be heresy."
"_Jamais, jamais_" joined the governess.
"You constantly forget the treaty of cosmopolitism. But a capital error is
abroad concerning America on this very subject of commerce. In the way of
merchandise alone, there is not a Christian maritime nation of any extent,
that has a smaller portion of its population engaged in trade of this sort
than the United States of America. The nation, as a nation, is
agricultural, though the state of transition, in which a country in the
course of rapid settlement must always exist, causes more buying and
selling of real property than is usual.
Pages:
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432