Money, Bustle, and Noise Are the Principal
Things Named as Characteristic
of Our Young Nation.
Maurice Maeterlinck, the Belgian dramatist and mystic philosopher, is by
no means dull in his appreciation of practical conditions. People who know
him say that he is not in the least lackadaisical or spiritually remote,
but is simple and frank and full of interest in every-day occurrences. A
short time ago he was asked to express his opinion of America. He
replied--to quote from the _Theater Magazine_:
I should be afraid to live in a city like New York. I
understand that money, bustle, and noise are its chief
characteristics. Money is useful, of course, but it is not
everything. Bustle and noise, also, are necessary adjuncts
of human industry. But they do not add to man's comfort nor
satisfy his soul's cravings.
America is too young a nation to seek the beautiful. That
may come when you Americans grow weary of being rich. Then
you will, as a nation, cultivate art and letters, and--who
knows?--one day you will surpass the Old World in the
splendor of your buildings, the genius of your authors. You
are a great people, but your highest powers are still
slumbering.
At present you are too busily occupied in assimilating the
foreigner, too busily engaged in affairs purely material, to
leave either time or taste for either the beautiful or the
occult. When America does take to beautifying her own home
she will astonish the world.