ited　States　than　in　Europe　…　No　one　completely　uninstructed　…　Reason　of　this　…　Rapidity　with　which　opinions　are　diffused　even　in　the　uncultivated　States　of　the　West　…　Practical　experience　more　serviceable　to　the　Americans　than　book…learning。
  I　have　but　little　to　add　to　what　I　have　already　said　concerning　the　influence　which　the　instruction　and　the　habits　of　the　Americans　exercise　upon　the　maintenance　of　their　political　institutions。
  America　has　hitherto　produced　very　few　writers　of　distinction；　it　possesses　no　great　historians；　and　not　a　single　eminent　poet。　　The　inhabitants　of　that　country　look　upon　what　are　properly　styled　literary　pursuits　with　a　kind　of　disapprobation；　and　there　are　towns　of　very　second…rate　importance　in　Europe　in　which　more　literary　works　are　annually　published　than　in　the　twenty…four　States　of　the　Union　put　together。　　The　spirit　of　the　Americans　is　averse　to　general　ideas；　and　it　does　not　seek　theoretical　discoveries。　Neither　politics　nor　manufactures　direct　them　to　these　occupations；　and　although　new　laws　are　perpetually　enacted　in　the　United　States；　no　great　writers　have　hitherto　inquired　into　the　general　principles　of　their　legislation。　　The　Americans　have　lawyers　and　commentators；　but　no　jurists；　*h　and　they　furnish　examples　rather　than　lessons　to　the　world。　　The　same　observation　applies　to　the　mechanical　arts。　　In　America；　the　inventions　of　Europe　are　adopted　with　sagacity；　they　are　perfected；　and　adapted　with　admirable　skill　to　the　wants　of　the　country。　Manufactures　exist；　but　the　science　of　manufacture　is　not　cultivated；　and　they　have　good　workmen；　but　very　few　inventors。　　Fulton　was　obliged　to　proffer　his　services　to　foreign　nations　for　a　long　time　before　he　was　able　to　devote　them　to　his　own　country。
  ＇Footnote　h：　＇This　cannot　be　said　with　truth　of　the　country　of　Kent；　Story；　and　Wheaton。＇＇
  The　observer　who　is　desirous　of　forming　an　opinion　on　the　state　of　instruction　amongst　the　Anglo…Americans　must　consider　the　same　object　from　two　different　points　of　view。　　If　he　only　singles　out　the　learned；　he　will　be　astonished　to　find　how　rare　they　are；　but　if　he　counts　the　ignorant；　the　American　people　will　appear　to　be　the　most　enlightened　community　in　the　world。　The　whole　population；　as　I　observed　in　another　place；　is　situated　between　these　two　extremes。　　In　New　England；　every　citizen　receives　the　elementary　notions　of　human　knowledge；　he　is　moreover　taught　the　doctrines　and　the　evidences　of　his　religion；　the　history　of　his　country；　and　the　leading　features　of　its　Constitution。　　In　the　States　of　Connecticut　and　Massachusetts；　it　is　extremely　rare　to　find　a　man　imperfectly　acquainted　with　all　these　things；　and　a　person　wholly　ignorant　of　them　is　a　sort　of　phenomenon。
  When　I　compare　the　Greek　and　Roman　republics　with　these　American　States；　the　manuscript　libraries　of　the　former；　and　their　rude　population；　with　the　innumerable　journals　and　the　enlightened　people　of　the　latter；　when　I　remember　all　the　attempts　which　are　made　to　judge　the　modern　republics　by　the　assistance　of　those　of　antiquity；　and　to　infer　what　will　happen　in　our　time　from　what　took　place　two　thousand　years　ago；　I　am　tempted　to　burn　my　books；　in　order　to　apply　none　but　novel　ideas　to　so　novel　a　condition　of　society。
  What　I　have　said　of　New　England　must　not；　however；　be　applied　indistinctly　to　the　whole　Union；　as　we　advance　towards　the　West　or　the　South；　the　instruction　of　the　people　diminishes。　　In　the　States　which　are　adjacent　to　the　Gulf　of　Mexico；　a　certain　number　of　individuals　may　be　found；　as　in　our　own　countries；　who　are　devoid　of　the　rudiments　of　instruction。　　But　there　is　not　a　single　district　in　the　United　States　sunk　in　complete　ignorance；　and　for　a　very　simple　reason：　the　peoples　of　Europe　started　from　the　darkness　of　a　barbarous　condition；　to　advance　toward　the　light　of　civilization；　their　progress　has　been　unequal；　some　of　them　have　improved　apace；　whilst　others　have　loitered　in　their　course；　and　some　have　stopped；　and　are　still　sleeping　upon　the　way。　*i
  ＇Footnote　i：　＇In　the　Northern　States　the　number　of　persons　destitute　of　instruction　is　inconsiderable；　the　largest　number　being　241；152　in　the　State　of　New　York　（according　to　Spaulding's　〃Handbook　of　American　Statistics〃　for　1874）；　but　in　the　South　no　less　than　1；516；339　whites　and　2；671；396　colored　persons　are　returned　as　〃illiterate。〃＇＇
  Such　has　not　been　the　case　in　the　United　States。　　The　Anglo…　Americans　settled　in　a　state　of　civilization；　upon　that　territory　which　their　descendants　occupy；　they　had　not　to　begin　to　learn；　and　it　was　sufficient　for　them　not　to　forget。　　Now　the　children　of　these　same　Americans　are　the　persons　who；　year　by　year；　transport　their　dwellings　into　the　wilds；　and　with　their　dwellings　their　acquired　information　and　their　esteem　for　knowledge。　Education　has　taught　them　the　utility　of　instruction；　and　has　enabled　them　to　transmit　that　instruction　to　their　posterity。　　In　the　United　States　society　has　no　infancy；　but　it　is　born　in　man's　estate。
  The　Americans　never　use　the　word　〃peasant；〃　because　they　have　no　idea　of　the　peculiar　class　which　that　term　denotes；　the　ignorance　of　more　remote　ages；　the　simplicity　of　rural　life；　and　the　rusticity　of　the　villager　have　not　been　preserved　amongst　them；　and　they　are　alike　unacquainted　with　the　virtues；　the　vices；　the　coarse　habits；　and　the　simple　graces　of　an　early　stage　of　civilization。　　At　the　extreme　borders　of　the　Confederate　States；　upon　the　confines　of　society　and　of　the　wilderness；　a　population　of　bold　adventurers　have　taken　up　their　abode；　who　pierce　the　solitudes　of　the　American　woods；　and　seek　a　country　there；　in　order　to　escape　that　poverty　which　awaited　them　in　their　native　provinces。　　As　soon　as　the　pioneer　arrives　upon　the　spot　which　is　to　serve　him　for　a　retreat；　he　fells　a　few　trees　and　builds　a　loghouse。　Nothing　can　offer　a　more　miserable　aspect　than　these　isolated　dwellings。　　The　traveller　who　approaches　one　of　them　towards　nightfall；　sees　the　flicker　of　the　hearth…flame　through　the　chinks　in　the　walls；　and　at　night；　if　the　wind　rises；　he　hears　the　roof　of　boughs　shake　to　and　fro　in　the　midst　of　the　great　forest　trees。　　Who　would　not　suppose　that　this　poor　hut　is　the　asylum　of　rudeness　and　ignorance？　　Yet　no　sort　of　comparison　can　be　drawn　between　the　pioneer　and　the　dwelling　which　shelters　him。　　Everything　about　him　is　primitive　and　unformed；　but　he　is　himself　the　result　of　the　labor　and　the　experience　of　eighteen　centuries。　　He　wears　the　dress；　and　he　speaks　the　language　of　cities；　he　is　acquainted　with　the　past；　curious　of　the　future；　and　ready　for　argument　upon　the　present；　he　is；　in　short；　a　highly　civilized　being；　who　consents；　for　a　time；　to　inhabit　the　backwoods；　and　who　penetrates　into　the　wilds　of　the　New　World　with　the　Bible；　an　axe；　and　a　file　of　newspapers。
  It　is　difficult　to　imagine　the　incredible　rapidity　with　which　public　opinion　circulates　in　the　midst　of　these　deserts。　*j　I　do　not　think　that　so　much　intellectual　intercourse　takes　place　in　the　most　enlightened　and　populous　districts　of　France。　*k　It　cannot　be　doubted　that；　in　the　United　States；　the　instruction　of　the　people　powerfully　contributes　to　the　support　of　a　democratic　republic；　and　such　must　always　be　the　case；　I　believe；　where　instruction　which　awakens　the　understanding　is　not　separated　from　moral　education　which　amends　the　heart。　　But　I　by　no　means　exaggerate　this　benefit；　and　I　am　still　further　from　thinking；　as　so　many　people　do　think　in　Europe；　that　men　can　be　instantaneously　made　citizens　by　teaching　them　to　read　and　write。　　True　information　is　mainly　derived　from　experience；　and　if　the　Americans　had　not　been　gradually　accustomed　to　govern　themselves；　their　book…learning　would　not　assist　them　much　at　the　present　day。
  ＇Footnote　j：　I　travelled　along　a　portion　of　the　frontier　of　the　United　States　in　a　sort　of　cart　which　was　termed　the　mail。　　We　passed；　day　and　night；　with　great　rapidity　along　the　roads　which　were　scarcely　marked　out；　through　immense　forests；　when　the　gloom　of　the　woods　became　impenetrable　the　coachman　lighted　branches　of　fir；　and　we　journeyed　along　by　the　light　they　cast。　　From　time　to　time　we　came　to　a　hut　in　the　midst　of　the　forest；　which　was　a　post…　office。　The　mail　dropped　an　enormous　bundle　of　letters　at　the　door　of　this　isolated　dwelling；　and　we　pursued　our　way　at　full　gallop；　leaving　the　inhabitants　of　the　neighboring　log　houses　to　send　for　their　share　of　the　treasure。
  ＇When　the　author　visited　America　the　locomotive　and　the　railroad　were　scarcely　invented；　and　not　yet　introduced　in　the　United　States。　　It　is　superfluous　to　point　out　the　immense　effect　of　those　inventions　in　extending　civilization　and　developing　the　resources　of　that　vast　continent。　　In　1831　there　were　51　miles　of　railway　in　the　United　States；　in　1872　there　were　60；000　miles　of　railway。＇＇
  ＇Footnote　k：　In　1832　each　inhabitant　of　Michigan　paid　a　sum　equivalent　to　1　fr。　22　cent。　　（French　money）　to　the　post…office　revenue；　and　each　inhabitant　of　the　Floridas　paid　1　fr。　5　cent。　　（See　〃National　Calendar；〃　1833；　p。　244。）　In　the　same　year　each　inhabitant　of　the　Departement　du　Nord　paid　1　fr。　4　cent。　to　the　revenue　of　the　French　post…office。　　（See　the　〃Compte　rendu　de　l'administration　des　Finances；〃　1833；