that seemed to press so heavily in the street. But in this I was
mistaken. I here found myself surrounded by and moving with an
overwhelming mass, such as I had never before witnessed. And, away in
the distance, I beheld a dense crowd, and above every other object, was
seen the lofty summit of the Crystal Palace. The drive in the Park was
lined with princely-looking vehicles of every description. The drivers
in their bright red and gold uniforms, the pages and footmen in their
blue trousers and white silk stockings, and the horses dressed up in
their neat, silver-mounted harness, made the scene altogether one of
great splendour. I was soon at the door, paid my shilling, and entered
the building at the south end of the Transept. For the first ten or
twenty minutes I was so lost in astonishment, and absorbed in pleasing
wonder, that I could do nothing but gaze up and down the vista of the
noble building. The Crystal Palace resembles in some respects, the
interior of the cathedrals of this country. One long avenue from east to
west is intersected by a Transept, which divides the building into two
nearly equal parts. This is the greatest building the world ever saw,
before which the Pyramids of Egypt, and the Colossus of Rhodes must
hide their diminished heads. The palace was not full at any time during
the day, there being only 64,000 persons present. Those who love to
study the human countenance in all its infinite varieties, can find
ample scope for the indulgence of their taste, by a visit to the World's
Fair. All countries are there represented--Europeans, Asiatics,
Americans and Africans, with their numerous subdivisions. Even the
exclusive Chinese, with his hair braided, and hanging down his back, has
left the land of his nativity, and is seen making long strides through
the Crystal Palace, in his wooden-bottomed shoes. Of all places of
curious costumes and different fashions, none has ever yet presented
such a variety as this Exhibition. No dress is too absurd to be worn in
this place.
There is a great deal of freedom in the Exhibition. The servant who
walks behind his mistress through the Park feels that he can crowd
against her in the Exhibition. The Queen and the day labourer, the
Prince and the merchant, the peer and the pauper, the Celt and the
Saxon, the Greek and the Frank, the Hebrew and the Russ, all meet here
upon terms of perfect equality. This amalgamation of rank, this kindly
blending of interests, and forgetfulness of the cold formalities of
ranks and grades, cannot but be attended with the very best results. I
was pleased to see such a goodly sprinkling of my own countrymen in the
Exhibition--I mean coloured men and women--well-dressed, and moving
about with their fairer brethren. This, some of our pro-slavery
Americans did not seem to relish very well. There was no help for it. As
I walked through the American part of the Crystal Palace, some of our
Virginian neighbours eyed me closely and with jealous looks, especially
as an English lady was leaning on my arm. But their sneering looks did
not disturb me in the least. I remained the longer in their department,
and criticised the bad appearance of their goods the more. Indeed, the
Americans, as far as appearance goes, are behind every other country in
the Exhibition. The "Greek Slave" is the only production of Art which
the United States has sent. And it would have been more to their credit
had they kept that at home. In so vast a place as the Great Exhibition
one scarcely knows what to visit first, or what to look upon last. After
wandering about through the building for five hours, I sat down in one
of the galleries and looked at the fine marble statue of Virginius, with
the knife in his hand and about to take the life of his beloved and
beautiful daughter, to save her from the hands of Appius Claudius. The
admirer of genius will linger for hours among the great variety of
statues in the long avenue. Large statues of Lords Eldon and Stowell,
carved out of solid marble, each weighing above twenty tons, are among
the most gigantic in the building.
I was sitting with my 400 paged guide-book before me, and looking down
upon the moving mass, when my attention was called to a small group of
gentlemen standing near the statue of Shakspere, one of whom wore a
white coat and hat, and had flaxen hair, and trousers rather short in
the legs. The lady by my side, and who had called my attention to the
group, asked if I could tell what country this odd-looking gentleman was
from? Not wishing to run the risk of a mistake, I was about declining
to venture an opinion, when the reflection of the sun against a mirror,
on the opposite side, threw a brilliant light upon the group, and
especially on the face of the gentleman in the white coat, and I
immediately recognized under the brim of the white hat, the features of
Horace Greeley, Esq., of the New York "Tribune." His general appearance
was as much out of the English style as that of the Turk whom I had seen
but a moment before--in his bag-like trousers, shuffling along in his
slippers. But oddness in dress, is one of the characteristics of the
Great Exhibition.
Among the many things in the Crystal Palace, there are some which
receive greater attention than others, around which may always be seen
large groups of the visitors. The first of these is the Koh-i-noor, the
"Mountain of Light." This is the largest and most valuable diamond in
the world, said to be worth £2,000,000 sterling. It is indeed a great
source of attraction to those who go to the Exhibition for the first
time, but it is doubtful whether it obtains such admiration afterwards.
We saw more than one spectator turn away with the idea that after all
it was only a piece of glass. After some jamming, I got a look at the
precious jewel, and although in a brass-grated cage, strong enough to
hold a lion, I found it to be no larger than the third of a hen's egg.
Two policemen remain by its side day and night.
The finest thing in the Exhibition, is the "Veiled Vestal," a statue of
a woman carved in marble, with a veil over her face, and so neatly done,
that it looks as if it had been thrown over after it was finished. The
Exhibition presents many things which appeal to the eye and touch the
heart, and altogether, it is so decorated and furnished, as to excite
the dullest mind, and satisfy the most fastidious.
England has contributed the most useful and substantial articles;
France, the most beautiful; while Russia, Turkey, and the West Indies,
seem to vie with each other in richness. China and Persia are not
behind. Austria has also contributed a rich and beautiful stock. Sweden,
Norway, Denmark, and the smaller states of Europe, have all tried to
outdo themselves in sending goods to the World's Fair. In Machinery,
England has no competitor. In Art, France is almost alone in the
Exhibition, setting aside England.
In natural productions and provisions, America stands alone in her
glory. There lies her pile of canvassed hams; whether they were wood or
real, we could not tell. There are her barrels of salt, beef, and pork,
her beautiful white lard, her Indian-corn and corn-meal, her rice and
tobacco, her beef tongues, dried peas, and a few bags of cotton. The
contributors from the United States seemed to have forgotten that this
was an exhibition of Art, or they most certainly would not have sent
provisions. But the United States takes the lead in the contributions,
as no other country has sent in provisions. The finest thing contributed
by our countrymen, is a large piece of silk with an eagle painted upon
it, surrounded by stars and stripes.
After remaining more than five hours in the great temple, I turned my
back upon the richly laden stalls and left the Crystal Palace. On my
return home I was more fortunate than in the morning, inasmuch as I
found a seat for my friend and myself in an omnibus. And even my ride
in the close omnibus was not without interest. For I had scarcely taken
my seat, when my friend, who was seated opposite me, with looks and
gesture informed me that we were in the presence of some distinguished
person. I eyed the countenances of the different persons, but in vain,
to see if I could find any one who by his appearance showed signs of
superiority over his fellow-passengers. I had given up the hope of
selecting the person of note when another look from my friend directed
my attention to a gentlemen seated in the corner of the omnibus. He was
a tall man with strongly marked features, hair dark and coarse. There
was a slight stoop of the shoulder--that bend which is almost always a
characteristic of studious men. But he wore upon his countenance a
forbidding and disdainful frown, that seemed to tell one that he thought
himself better than those about him. His dress did not indicate a man of
high rank; and had we been in America, I would have taken him for an
Ohio farmer.
While I was scanning the features and general appearance of the
gentleman, the Omnibus stopped and put down three or four of the
passengers, which gave me an opportunity of getting a seat by the side
of my friend, who, in a low whisper, informed me that the gentleman whom
I had been eyeing so closely, was no less a person than Thomas Carlyle.
I had read his "Hero-worship," and "Past and Present," and had formed a
high opinion of his literary abilities. But his recent attack upon the
emancipated people of the West Indies, and his laborious article in
favour of the re-establishment of the lash and slavery, had created in
my mind a dislike for the man, and I almost regretted that we were in
the same Omnibus. In some things, Mr. Carlyle is right: but in many, he
is entirely wrong. As a writer, Mr. Carlyle is often monotonous and
extravagant. He does not exhibit a new view of nature, or raise
insignificant objects into importance, but generally takes commonplace
thoughts and events, and tries to express them in stronger and statelier
language than others. He holds no communion with his kind, but stands
alone without mate or fellow. He is like a solitary peak, all access to
which is cut off. He exists not by sympathy but by antipathy. Mr.
Carlyle seems chiefly to try how he shall display his own powers, and
astonish mankind, by starting new trains of speculation or by expressing
old ones so as not to be understood. He cares little what he says, so as
he can say it differently from others. To read his works, is one thing;
to understand them, is another. If any one thinks that I exaggerate, let
him sit for an hour over "Sartor Resartus," and if he does not rise from
its pages, place his three or four dictionaries on the shelf, and say I
am right, I promise never again to say a word against Thomas Carlyle. He
writes one page in favour of Reform, and ten against it. He would hang
all prisoners to get rid of them, yet the inmates of the prisons and
"work-houses are better off than the poor." His heart is with the poor;
yet the blacks of the West Indies should be taught, that if they will
not raise sugar and cotton by their own free will, "Quashy should have
the whip applied to him." He frowns upon the Reformatory speakers upon
the boards of Exeter Hall, yet he is the prince of reformers. He hates
heroes and assassins, yet Cromwell was an angel, and Charlotte Corday a
saint. He scorns everything, and seems to be tired of what he is by
nature, and tries to be what he is not. But you will ask, what has
Thomas Carlyle to do with a visit to the Crystal Palace? My only reply
is, "Nothing," and if my remarks upon him have taken up the space that
should have been devoted to the Exhibition, and what I have written not
prove too burdensome to read, my next will be "a week in the Crystal
Palace."
LETTER XVIII.
_The London Peace Congress--Meeting of Fugitive Slaves--Temperance
Demonstration--The Great Exhibition: last visit._
LONDON, _August 20_.
The past six weeks have been of a stirring nature in this great
metropolis. It commenced with the Peace Congress, the proceedings of
which have long since reached you. And although that event has passed
off, it may not be out of place here to venture a remark or two upon its
deliberations.
A meeting upon the subject of Peace, with the support of the monied and
influential men who rally around the Peace standard, could scarcely have
been held in Exeter Hall without creating some sensation. From all parts
of the world flocked delegates to this practical protest against war.
And among those who took part in the proceedings, were many men whose
names alone would, even on ordinary occasions, have filled the great
hall. The speakers were chosen from among the representatives of the
various countries, without regard to dialect or complexion; and the only
fault which seemed to be found with the Committee's arrangement was,
that in their desire to get foreigners and Londoners, they forgot the
country delegates, so that none of the large provincial towns were at
all represented in the Congress, so far as speaking was concerned.
Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, and all the important towns in Scotland
and Ireland, were silenced in the great meeting. I need not say that
this was an oversight of the Committee, and one, too, that has done some
injury. Such men as the able Chairman of the late Anti-Corn Law League,
cannot be forgotten in such a meeting, without giving offence to those
who sent him, especially when the Committee brought forward, day after
day, the same speakers, chosen from amongst the metropolitan delegation.
However, the meeting was a glorious one, and will long be remembered
with delight as a step onward in the cause of Peace. Burritt's
Brotherhood Bazaar followed close upon the heels of the Peace Congress;
and this had scarcely closed, when that ever-memorable meeting of the
American Fugitive Slaves took place in the Hall of Commerce.
The Temperance people made the next reformatory move. This meeting took
place in Exeter Hall, and was made up of delegates from the various
towns in the kingdom. They had come from the North, East, West, and
South. There was the quick-spoken son of the Emerald Isle, with his
pledge suspended from his neck; there, too, the Scot, speaking his broad
dialect; also the representatives from the provincial towns of England
and Wales, who seemed to speak anything but good English.
The day after the meeting had closed in Exeter Hall, the country
societies, together with those of the metropolis, assembled in Hyde
Park, and then walked to the Crystal Palace. Their number while going to
the Exhibition, was variously estimated at from 15,000 to 20,000, and
was said to have been the largest gathering of Teetotalers ever
assembled in London. They consisted chiefly of the working classes,
their wives and children--clean, well-dressed and apparently happy:
their looks indicating in every way those orderly habits which, beyond
question, distinguish the devotees of that cause above the common
labourers of this country. On arriving at the Exhibition, they soon
distributed themselves among the departments, to revel in its various
wonders, eating their own lunch, and drinking from the Crystal Fountain.
And now I am at the world's wonder, I will remain here until I finish
this sheet. I have spent fifteen days in the Exhibition, and have
conversed with those who have spent double that number amongst its
beauties, and the general opinion appears to be, that six months would
not be too long to remain within its walls to enable one to examine its
laden stalls. Many persons make the Crystal Palace their home, with the
exception of night. I have seen them come in the morning, visit the
dressing-room, then go to the refreshment room, and sit down to
breakfast as if they had been at their hotel. Dinner and tea would be
taken in turn.
The Crystal Fountain is the great place of meeting in the Exhibition.
There you may see husbands looking for lost wives, wives for stolen
husbands, mothers for their lost children, and towns-people for their
country friends; and unless you have an appointment at a certain place
at an hour, you might as well prowl through the streets of London to
find a friend, as in the Great Exhibition. There is great beauty in the
"Glass House." Here, in the transept, with the glorious sunlight coming
through that wonderful glass roof, may the taste be cultivated and
improved, the mind edified, and the feelings chastened. Here,
surrounded by noble creations in marble and bronze, and in the midst of
an admiring throng, one may gaze at statuary which might fitly decorate
the house of the proudest prince in Christendom.
He who takes his station in the gallery, at either end, and looks upon
that wondrous nave, or who surveys the matchless panorama around him
from the intersection of the nave and transept, may be said, without
presumption or exaggeration, to see all the kingdoms of this world and
the glory of them. He sees not only a greater collection of fine
articles, but also a greater as well as more various assemblage of the
human race, than ever before was gathered under one roof.
One of the beauties of this great international gathering is, that it is
not confined to rank or grade. The million toilers from mine, and
factory, and workshop, and loom, and office, and field, share with their
more wealthy neighbours the feast of reason and imagination spread out
in the Crystal Palace.
It is strange indeed to see so many nations assembled and represented
on one spot of British ground. In short, it is one great theatre, with
thousands of performers, each playing his own part. England is there,
with her mighty engines toiling and whirring, indefatigable in her
enterprises to shorten labour. India spreads her glitter and paint.
France, refined and fastidious, is there every day, giving the last
touch to her picturesque group; and the other countries, each in their
turn, doing what they can to show off. The distant hum of thousands of
good humoured people, with occasionally a national anthem from some
gigantic organ, together with the noise of the machinery, seems to send
life into every part of the Crystal Palace.
When you get tired of walking, you can sit down and write your
impressions, and there is the "post" to receive your letter, or if it be
Friday or Saturday, you may, if you choose, rest yourself by hearing a
lecture from Professor Anstead; and then before leaving take your last
look, and see something that you have not before seen. Every thing which
is old in cities, new in colonial life, splendid in courts, useful in
industry, beautiful in nature, or ingenious in invention, is there
represented. In one place we have the Bible translated into one hundred
and fifty languages; in another, we have saints and archbishops painted
on glass; in another, old palaces and the altars of a John Knox, a
Baxter, or some other divines of olden time. In the old Temple of
Delphi, we read that every state of the civilized world had its separate
treasury, where Herodotus, born two thousand years before his time, saw
and observed all kinds of prodigies in gold and silver, brass and iron,
and even in linen. The nations all met there on one common ground, and
the peace of the earth was not a little promoted by their common
interest in the sanctity and splendour of that shrine. As long as the
Exhibition lasts, and its memory endures, we hope and trust that it may
shed the same influence. With this hasty scrap, I take leave of the
Great Exhibition.
LETTER XIX.
_Oxford--Martyrs' Monument--Cost of the Burning of the Martyrs--The
Colleges--Dr. Pusey--Energy, the Secret of Success._
OXFORD, _September 10th, 1851_.
I have just finished a short visit to the far famed city of Oxford,
which has not unaptly been styled the City of Palaces. Aside from this
being one of the principal seats of learning in the world, it is
distinguished alike for its religious and political changes in times
past. At one time it was the seat of Popery; at another, the
uncompromising enemy of Rome. Here the tyrant, Richard the Third, held
his court, and when James the First, and his son Charles the First,
found their capital too hot to hold them, they removed to their loyal
city of Oxford. The writings of the great Republicans were here
committed to the flames. At one time Popery sent Protestants to the
stake and faggot; at another, a Papist King found no favour with the
people. A noble monument now stands where Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer,
proclaimed their sentiments and faith, and sealed them with their blood.
And now we read upon the Town Treasurer's book--for three loads of wood,
one load of faggots, one post, two chains and staples, to burn Ridley
and Latimer, £1 5s. 1d. Such is the information one gets by looking over
the records of books written three centuries ago.
It was a beautiful day on which I arrived at Oxford, and instead of
remaining in my hotel, I sallied forth to take a survey of the beauties
of the city. I strolled into Christ Church Meadows, and there spent the
evening in viewing the numerous halls of learning which surround that
splendid promenade. And fine old buildings they are: centuries have
rolled over many of them, hallowing the old walls, and making them grey
with age. They have been for ages the chosen homes of piety and
philosophy. Heroes and scholars have gone forth from their studies here,
into the great field of the world, to seek their fortunes, and to
conquer and be conquered. As I surveyed the exterior of the different
Colleges, I could here and there see the reflection of the light from
the window of some student, who was busy at his studies, or throwing
away his time over some trashy novel, too many of which find their way
into the trunks or carpet bags of the young men on setting out for
College. As I looked upon the walls of these buildings, I thought as the
rough stone is taken from the quarry to the finisher, there to be made
into an ornament, so was the young mind brought here to be cultivated
and developed. Many a poor unobtrusive young man, with the appearance of
little or no ability, is here moulded into a hero, a scholar, a tyrant,
or a friend of humanity. I never look upon these monuments of education,
without a feeling of regret, that so few of our own race can find a
place within their walls. And this being the fact, I see more and more
the need of our people being encouraged to turn their attention more
seriously to self-education, and thus to take a respectable position
before the world, by virtue of their own cultivated minds and moral
standing.
Education, though obtained by a little at a time, and that, too, over
the midnight lamp, will place its owner in a position to be respected
by all, even though he be black. I know that the obstacles which the
laws of the land, and of society, place between the coloured man and
education in the United States, are very great, yet if _one_ can break
through these barriers, more can; and if our people would only place the
right appreciation upon education, they would find these obstacles are
easier to be overcome than at first sight appears. A young man once
asked Carlyle, what was the secret of success. His reply was, "Energy;
whatever you undertake, do it with all your might." Had it not been for
the possession of energy, I might now have been working as a servant for
some brainless fellow who might be able to command my labour with his
money, or I might have been yet toiling in chains and slavery. But
thanks to energy, not only for my being to-day in a land of freedom, but
also for my dear girls being in one of the best seminaries in France,
instead of being in an American school, where the finger of scorn would
be pointed at them by those whose superiority rests entirely upon their
having a whiter skin. But I am straying too far from the purpose of
this letter.