America To-Day
Observations & Reflections
By
William Archer
London
William Heinemann
1900
CONTENTS
PART I
OBSERVATIONS
PAGE
Letter I: The Straits of New York—When is a Ship not a Ship?—Nationality of Passengers—A Dream Realised |
3 |
Letter II: Fog in New York Harbour—The Customs—The Note-Taker's Hyperæsthesia—A Literary Car-Conductor—Mr. Kipling and the
American Public—The City of Elevators |
11 |
Letter III: New York a much-maligned City—Its Charm—Mr. Steevens's Antitheses—New York compared with Other Cities—Its Slums—Advertisements—Architecture in New York and Philadelphia |
20 |
Letter IV: Absence of Red Tape—"Rapid Transit" in New York—The Problem and its Solution—The Whirl of Life—New York by Night—The "White Magic" of the Future |
32 |
Letter V: Character and Culture—American Universities—Is the American "Electric" or Phlegmatic?—Alleged Laxity of the Family Tie—Postscript: The University System |
43 |
Letter VI: Washington in April—A Metropolis in the Making—The White House, the Capitol, and the Library of Congress—The Symbolism of Washington |
59 |
Letter VII: American Hospitality—Instances—Conversation and Story-Telling—Over-Profusion in Hospitality—Expensiveness of Life in America—The American Barber—Postscript: An Anglo-American Club |
67 |
Letter VIII: Boston—Its Resemblance to Edinburgh—Concord, Walden Pond, and Sleepy Hollow—Is the "Yankee" Dying Out?—America for the Americans—Detroit and Buffalo—The "Middle West" |
78 |
Letter IX: Chicago—Its Splendour and Squalor—Mammoth Buildings—Wind, Dust, and Smoke—Culture—Chicago's Self-Criticism—Postscript: Social Service in America |
87 |
Letter X: New York in Spring—Central Park—New York not an Ill-governed City—The United States Post Office—The Express System—Valedictory |
99 |
PART II
REFLECTIONS
| 111 |
| 138 |
| 168 |
| 181 |
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