Forty Years of American Life, Volume 1A physician makes observations on American life for an English audience. A memoir of the doctor, born in New Hampshire, which leads him toward commentary on American politics, slavery, education, and morality. |
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acres American Arkansas Arkansas gentleman army Atlantic ball banks beautiful boat Boston British Buffalo called captain Catholic Choctaw Church Cincinnati cotton crowd dancing dinner editor England English fashion feet five French Galveston girls give Government Gulf of Mexico Hampshire handsome Henry Ward Beecher Herman Melville honour immense Indian ladies Lake Lake Erie land lawyer lectures Memphis Mexico millions Mississippi morning mountains Navy Island nearly Ned Christy negroes never newspapers Niagara Niagara river night North Northern Ohio Orleans oysters papers party passengers political population pounds prayer preacher President religious remember rich river scarcely seen Seward shore slave South Southern speech square miles steam steamboat steamer streets Sunday theatre thousand miles tion took town trees twenty village Washington weekly West Western whisky whole Yankee yellow fever York young
Popular passages
Page 67 - What sought they thus afar? Bright jewels of the mine? The wealth of seas, the spoils of war? — They sought a faith's pure shrine. Ay, call it holy ground, — The soil where first they trod! They have left unstained what there they found — Freedom to worship God ! Felicia Hemans.
Page 200 - This fine Arkansas gentleman went strong for Pierce and King, And so came on to Washington to get a nice fat office, or some other mighty comfortable thing; But like him from Jerusalem that went to Jericho, He fell among the thieves again, and could not win a bet whether he coppered or not, so his cash was bound to go— This fine Arkansas gentleman, close to the Choctaw line!
Page 33 - Then he wound up with a magnificent spread-eagle flourish about the greatness and glory of the country, which reached from ocean to ocean, and from the great lakes to the Gulf of Mexico...
Page 198 - ... himself too soon, and will only condescend to wait; And four or five dozen negroes that would rather work than not; And such quantities of horses, and cattle, and pigs, and other poultry that he never pretends to know how many he has got; This fine Arkansas gentleman, Close to the Choctaw line! This fine Arkansas gentleman has built a splendid house On the edge of a big prairie, extremely well populated with deer, and hares, and grouse; And when he wants to...
Page 200 - And all his friends came weeping round, and bidding him adieu, And two or three dozen preachers, whom he didn't know at all, and didn't care a curse if he didn't, came praying for him, too ; This fine Arkansas gentleman, close to the Choctaw line...
Page 378 - have ever invented a milking machine? or a machine to beat eggs? or machines to black boots, scour knives, pare apples, and do a hundred things that all other peoples have done with their ten fingers from time immemorial?
Page 58 - We were taught every day and in every way that ours was the freest, the happiest, and soon to be the greatest and most powerful country in the world.
Page 198 - Now all good fellows listen, and a story I will tell Of a mighty clever gentleman, who lives extremely well In the western part of Arkansas, close to the Indian line, Where he gets drunk once a week on whiskey, and immediately sobers himself completely on the very best of wine...
Page 199 - ... will be worth a great deal some day or other if he don't kill himself too soon, and will only condescend to wait; And four or five dozen negroes that would rather work than not; And such quantities of horses, and cattle, and pigs, and other poultry that he never pretends to know how many he has got; This fine Arkansas gentleman, Close to the Choctaw line! This fine Arkansas gentleman has...
Page 199 - And when it's picked, and ginned, and baled, he puts it in a boat, And gets aboard himself likewise, and charters the bar, and has a devil of a spree, while down to New Orleans he and his cotton float, This fine Arkansas gentleman, close to the Choctaw line...