Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North AmericaRocchietti, Joseph
General
Why a National Literature Cannot Flourish in the United States of North America
Rocchietti, Joseph
American literature; United States -- Social life and customs
Like immoral writers have, now a days, become so fashionable for which,
loosing all respect which man ought to have for man, we see dandies
ridiculing not only private characters; they write of nations, as if
their cat-like brain could judge that of an elephant. That part, or
that half of a man, whose life was spent in setting his cravat without
a fault, as soon as he visits a strange country, where the cravat is
tied _à la sans façon_, such a half man calls all those people a set
of fools. He who did never live in the luxury of a palace, finds that
his two story house, built without knowledge of architecture, is by far
more comfortable than the palace built by Michæl Angelo. The protestant
finds nothing reasonable in a catholic country; and the catholic
nothing reasonable in a protestant one. He whose life was spent in
contending parties, cannot understand how the citizens of another
country go so quietly to their own private business, without meddling
with the ruling power. The subject of England calls the americans free
fools; and the turk calls barbarous those nations condeming a man to a
forced labor for bigamy, or polygamy. These, while they do not permit
divorce, connive at a man living with another woman, as far as he does
not marry in church the second, as he did the former still living.
Because that country educates, and brings them up, all the children
from poor parents, this other traveler, who had never read the laws
of Sparta, blames all poor, who marry in his country, because his
legislators did no more provide for them, than they had for the flies
which pester his luxurious table.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account