glorious land, too--a land which has developed a Washington, a Franklin,

a William M. Tweed, a Longfellow, a Motley, a Jay Gould, a Samuel C.

Pomeroy, a recent Congress which has never had its equal (in some

respects), and a United States Army which conquered sixty Indians in

eight months by tiring them out--which is much better than uncivilized

slaughter, God knows. We have a criminal jury system which is superior

to any in the world; and its efficiency is only marred by the difficulty

of finding twelve men every day who don't know anything and can't read.

And I may observe that we have an insanity plea that would have saved

Cain. I think I can say, and say with pride, that we have some

legislatures that bring higher prices than any in the world.

I refer with effusion to our railway system, which consents to let us

live, though it might do the opposite, being our owners. It only

destroyed three thousand and seventy lives last year by collisions, and

twenty-seven thousand two hundred and sixty by running over heedless and

unnecessary people at crossings. The companies seriously regretted the

killing of these thirty thousand people, and went so far as to pay for

some of them--voluntarily, of course, for the meanest of us would not

claim that we possess a court treacherous enough to enforce a law against

a railway company. But, thank Heaven, the railway companies are

generally disposed to do the right and kindly thing without compulsion.

I know of an instance which greatly touched me at the time. After an

accident the company sent home the remains of a dear distant old relative

of mine in a basket, with the remark, "Please state what figure you hold

him at--and return the basket." Now there couldn't be anything

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Sketches New and Old