Books: Letters on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

M >> Mary Wollstonecraft >> Letters on Sweden, Norway, and Denmark

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Situation seems to be the mould in which men's characters are
formed: so much so, inferring from what I have lately seen, that I
mean not to be severe when I add--previously asking why priests are
in general cunning and statesmen false?--that men entirely devoted
to commerce never acquire or lose all taste and greatness of mind.
An ostentatious display of wealth without elegance, and a greedy
enjoyment of pleasure without sentiment, embrutes them till they
term all virtue of an heroic cast, romantic attempts at something
above our nature, and anxiety about the welfare of others, a search
after misery in which we have no concern. But you will say that I
am growing bitter, perhaps personal. Ah! shall I whisper to you,
that you yourself are strangely altered since you have entered
deeply into commerce--more than you are aware of; never allowing
yourself to reflect, and keeping your mind, or rather passions, in a
continual state of agitation? Nature has given you talents which
lie dormant, or are wasted in ignoble pursuits. You will rouse
yourself and shake off the vile dust that obscures you, or my
understanding, as well as my heart, deceives me egregiously--only
tell me when. But to go farther afield.

Madame la Fayette left Altona the day I arrived, to endeavour, at
Vienna, to obtain the enlargement of her husband, or permission to
share his prison. She lived in a lodging up two pairs of stairs,
without a servant, her two daughters cheerfully assisting; choosing,
as well as herself, to descend to anything before unnecessary
obligations. During her prosperity, and consequent idleness, she
did not, I am told, enjoy a good state of health, having a train of
nervous complaints, which, though they have not a name, unless the
significant word ennui be borrowed, had an existence in the higher
French circles; but adversity and virtuous exertions put these ills
to flight, and dispossessed her of a devil who deserves the
appellation of legion.

Madame Genus also resided at Altona some time, under an assumed
name, with many other sufferers of less note though higher rank. It
is, in fact, scarcely possible to stir out without meeting
interesting countenances, every lineament of which tells you that
they have seen better days.

At Hamburg, I was informed, a duke had entered into partnership with
his cook, who becoming a traiteur, they were both comfortably
supported by the profit arising from his industry. Many noble
instances of the attachment of servants to their unfortunate masters
have come to my knowledge, both here and in France, and touched my
heart, the greatest delight of which is to discover human virtue.

At Altona, a president of one of the ci-devant parliaments keeps an
ordinary, in the French style; and his wife with cheerful dignity
submits to her fate, though she is arrived at an age when people
seldom relinquish their prejudices. A girl who waits there brought
a dozen double louis d'or concealed in her clothes, at the risk of
her life, from France, which she preserves lest sickness or any
other distress should overtake her mistress, "who," she observed,
"was not accustomed to hardships." This house was particularly
recommended to me by an acquaintance of yours, the author of the
"American Farmer's Letters." I generally dine in company with him:
and the gentleman whom I have already mentioned is often diverted by
our declamations against commerce, when we compare notes respecting
the characteristics of the Hamburgers. "Why, madam," said he to me
one day, "you will not meet with a man who has any calf to his leg;
body and soul, muscles and heart, are equally shrivelled up by a
thirst of gain. There is nothing generous even in their youthful
passions; profit is their only stimulus, and calculations the sole
employment of their faculties, unless we except some gross animal
gratifications which, snatched at spare moments, tend still more to
debase the character, because, though touched by his tricking wand,
they have all the arts, without the wit, of the wing-footed god."

Perhaps you may also think us too severe; but I must add that the
more I saw of the manners of Hamburg, the more was I confirmed in my
opinion relative to the baleful effect of extensive speculations on
the moral character. Men are strange machines; and their whole
system of morality is in general held together by one grand
principle which loses its force the moment they allow themselves to
break with impunity over the bounds which secured their self-
respect. A man ceases to love humanity, and then individuals, as he
advances in the chase after wealth; as one clashes with his
interest, the other with his pleasures: to business, as it is
termed, everything must give way; nay, is sacrificed, and all the
endearing charities of citizen, husband, father, brother, become
empty names. But--but what? Why, to snap the chain of thought, I
must say farewell. Cassandra was not the only prophetess whose
warning voice has been disregarded. How much easier it is to meet
with love in the world than affection!

Yours sincerely.

LETTER XXIV.

My lodgings at Altona are tolerably comfortable, though not in any
proportion to the price I pay; but, owing to the present
circumstances, all the necessaries of life are here extravagantly
dear. Considering it as a temporary residence, the chief
inconvenience of which I am inclined to complain is the rough
streets that must be passed before Marguerite and the child can
reach a level road.

The views of the Elbe in the vicinity of the town are pleasant,
particularly as the prospects here afford so little variety. I
attempted to descend, and walk close to the water's edge; but there
was no path; and the smell of glue, hanging to dry, an extensive
manufactory of which is carried on close to the beach, I found
extremely disagreeable. But to commerce everything must give way;
profit and profit are the only speculations--"double--double, toil
and trouble." I have seldom entered a shady walk without being soon
obliged to turn aside to make room for the rope-makers; and the only
tree I have seen, that appeared to be planted by the hand of taste,
is in the churchyard, to shade the tomb of the poet Klopstock's
wife.

Most of the merchants have country houses to retire to during the
summer; and many of them are situated on the banks of the Elbe,
where they have the pleasure of seeing the packet-boats arrive--the
periods of most consequence to divide their week.

The moving picture, consisting of large vessels and small craft,
which are continually changing their position with the tide, renders
this noble river, the vital stream of Hamburg, very interesting; and
the windings have sometimes a very fine effect, two or three turns
being visible at once, intersecting the flat meadows; a sudden bend
often increasing the magnitude of the river; and the silvery
expanse, scarcely gliding, though bearing on its bosom so much
treasure, looks for a moment like a tranquil lake.

Nothing can be stronger than the contrast which this flat country
and strand afford, compared with the mountains and rocky coast I
have lately dwelt so much among. In fancy I return to a favourite
spot, where I seemed to have retired from man and wretchedness; but
the din of trade drags me back to all the care I left behind, when
lost in sublime emotions. Rocks aspiring towards the heavens, and,
as it were, shutting out sorrow, surrounded me, whilst peace
appeared to steal along the lake to calm my bosom, modulating the
wind that agitated the neighbouring poplars. Now I hear only an
account of the tricks of trade, or listen to the distressful tale of
some victim of ambition.

The hospitality of Hamburg is confined to Sunday invitations to the
country houses I have mentioned, when dish after dish smokes upon
the board, and the conversation ever flowing in the muddy channel of
business, it is not easy to obtain any appropriate information. Had
I intended to remain here some time, or had my mind been more alive
to general inquiries, I should have endeavoured to have been
introduced to some characters not so entirely immersed in commercial
affairs, though in this whirlpool of gain it is not very easy to
find any but the wretched or supercilious emigrants, who are not
engaged in pursuits which, in my eyes, appear as dishonourable as
gambling. The interests of nations are bartered by speculating
merchants. My God! with what sang froid artful trains of corruption
bring lucrative commissions into particular hands, disregarding the
relative situation of different countries, and can much common
honesty be expected in the discharge of trusts obtained by fraud?
But this entre nous.

During my present journey, and whilst residing in France, I have had
an opportunity of peeping behind the scenes of what are vulgarly
termed great affairs, only to discover the mean machinery which has
directed many transactions of moment. The sword has been merciful,
compared with the depredations made on human life by contractors and
by the swarm of locusts who have battened on the pestilence they
spread abroad. These men, like the owners of negro ships, never
smell on their money the blood by which it has been gained, but
sleep quietly in their beds, terming such occupations lawful
callings; yet the lightning marks not their roofs to thunder
conviction on them "and to justify the ways of God to man."

Why should I weep for myself? "Take, O world! thy much indebted
tear!" Adieu!

LETTER XXV.

There is a pretty little French theatre at Altona, and the actors
are much superior to those I saw at Copenhagen. The theatres at
Hamburg are not open yet, but will very shortly, when the shutting
of the gates at seven o'clock forces the citizens to quit their
country houses. But, respecting Hamburg, I shall not be able to
obtain much more information, as I have determined to sail with the
first fair wind for England.

The presence of the French army would have rendered my intended tour
through Germany, in my way to Switzerland, almost impracticable, had
not the advancing season obliged me to alter my plan. Besides,
though Switzerland is the country which for several years I have
been particularly desirous to visit, I do not feel inclined to
ramble any farther this year; nay, I am weary of changing the scene,
and quitting people and places the moment they begin to interest me.
This also is vanity!

DOVER.

I left this letter unfinished, as I was hurried on board, and now I
have only to tell you that, at the sight of Dover cliffs, I wondered
how anybody could term them grand; they appear so insignificant to
me, after those I had seen in Sweden and Norway.

Adieu! My spirit of observation seems to be fled, and I have been
wandering round this dirty place, literally speaking, to kill time,
though the thoughts I would fain fly from lie too close to my heart
to be easily shook off, or even beguiled, by any employment, except
that of preparing for my journey to London.

God bless you!

MARY.

APPENDIX.

Private business and cares have frequently so absorbed me as to
prevent my obtaining all the information during this journey which
the novelty of the scenes would have afforded, had my attention been
continually awake to inquiry. This insensibility to present objects
I have often had occasion to lament since I have been preparing
these letters for the press; but, as a person of any thought
naturally considers the history of a strange country to contrast the
former with the present state of its manners, a conviction of the
increasing knowledge and happiness of the kingdoms I passed through
was perpetually the result of my comparative reflections.

The poverty of the poor in Sweden renders the civilisation very
partial, and slavery has retarded the improvement of every class in
Denmark, yet both are advancing; and the gigantic evils of despotism
and anarchy have in a great measure vanished before the meliorating
manners of Europe. Innumerable evils still remain, it is true, to
afflict the humane investigator, and hurry the benevolent reformer
into a labyrinth of error, who aims at destroying prejudices quickly
which only time can root out, as the public opinion becomes subject
to reason.

An ardent affection for the human race makes enthusiastic characters
eager to produce alteration in laws and governments prematurely. To
render them useful and permanent, they must be the growth of each
particular soil, and the gradual fruit of the ripening understanding
of the nation, matured by time, not forced by an unnatural
fermentation. And, to convince me that such a change is gaining
ground with accelerating pace, the view I have had of society during
my northern journey would have been sufficient had I not previously
considered the grand causes which combine to carry mankind forward
and diminish the sum of human misery.

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