BRIEF ESSAYS 207 



land, nearly all the arts and appliances of life show, 

 to American eyes, a superabundance of material. 

 There is more timber and iron in the wagon, more 

 bulk in the horse that draws the wagon, and more 

 leather in the harness the horse wears. Yes, and 

 more hair in the horse's coat. Our domestic ani- 

 mals, our tools, our vehicles, our architecture, and 

 our women look trim and slim compared with the 

 English. There is probably material enough in an 

 English van to make two of our farm wagons. It 

 is a sight to behold. It looks like a pontoon boat 

 mounted upon huge artillery wheels. It is usually 

 drawn by three horses tandem, with a boy walking 

 by their side or riding the foremost. It would be 

 quite useless in this country, as on our poorly made 

 dirt roads it would be a load in itself. The run- 

 ning works of the English dog-cart, a pleasure 

 vehicle, would be considered nearly heavy enough 

 for a light farm-cart in this country. Easy roads 

 and heavy vehicles are the rule in England, and 

 poor roads and light vehicles with us. John BuU 

 would hardly trust himself in our cobweb "bug- 

 gies ; " certainly not upon our outlandish roads. He 

 does not know the virtues of hickory, a tree na- 

 tive to this country. Hickory gives us the most 

 strength with the least bulk, and this is no doubt 

 one reason of the lightness and slenderness of our 

 tools and vehicles. Compare an English axe with 

 an American axe: how crude and awkward the 

 former looks beside the latter; how shapely our 

 tool is ! Our tools suggest a more deft and supple 



