I and My Chimney.docx
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I and My Chimney.docx
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IandMyChimney
IandMyChimneybyHermanMelvilleIandmychimney,twogrey-headedoldsmokers,resideinthecountry.Weare,Imaysay,oldsettlershere;particularlymyoldchimney,whichsettlesmoreandmoreeveryday.
ThoughIalwayssay,IANDMYCHIMNEY,asCardinalWolseyusedtosay,"IANDMYKING,"yetthisegotisticwayofspeaking,whereinItakeprecedenceofmychimney,isherebyborneoutbythefacts;ineverything,excepttheabovephrase,mychimneytakingprecedenceofme.
Withinthirtyfeetoftheturf-sidedroad,mychimney--ahuge,corpulentoldHarryVIIIofachimney--risesfullinfrontofmeandallmypossessions.Standingwellupahillside,mychimney,likeLordRosse'smonstertelescope,swungverticaltohitthemeridianmoon,isthefirstobjecttogreettheapproachingtraveler'seye,norisitthelastwhichthesunsalutes.Mychimney,too,isbeforemeinreceivingthefirst-fruitsoftheseasons.Thesnowisonitsheadereonmyhat;andeveryspring,asinahollowbeechtree,thefirstswallowsbuildtheirnestsinit.
Butitiswithindoorsthatthepre-eminenceofmychimneyismostmanifest.Whenintherearroom,setapartforthatobject,Istandtoreceivemyguests(who,bythewaycallmore,Isuspect,toseemychimneythanme)Ithenstand,notsomuchbefore,as,strictlyspeaking,behindmychimney,whichis,indeed,thetruehost.NotthatIdemur.Inthepresenceofmybetters,IhopeIknowmyplace.
Fromthishabitualprecedenceofmychimneyoverme,someeventhinkthatIhavegotintoasadrearwardwayaltogether;inshort,fromstandingbehindmyold-fashionedchimneysomuch,Ihavegottobequitebehindtheagetoo,aswellasrunningbehindhandineverythingelse.Buttotellthetruth,Ineverwasaveryforwardoldfellow,norwhatmyfarmingneighborscallaforehandedone.Indeed,thoserumorsaboutmybehindhandednessaresofarcorrect,thatIhaveanoddsaunteringwaywithmesometimesofgoingaboutwithmyhandsbehindmyback.Asformybelongingtotherear-guardingeneral,certainitis,Ibringuptherearofmychimney--which,bytheway,isthismomentbeforeme--andthat,too,bothinfancyandfact.Inbrief,mychimneyismysuperior;mysuperior,too,inthathumblybowingoverwithshovelandtongs,Imuchministertoit;yetneverdoesitminister,orinclineovertome;but,ifanything,initssettlings,ratherleanstheotherway.
Mychimneyisgrandseigniorhere--theonegreatdomineeringobject,notmoreofthelandscape,thanofthehouse;alltherestofwhichhouse,ineacharchitecturalarrangement,asmayshortlyappear,is,inthemostmarkedmanner,accommodated,nottomywants,buttomychimney's,which,amongotherthings,hasthecentreofthehousetohimself,leavingbuttheoddholesandcornerstome.
ButIandmychimneymustexplain;andaswearebothratherobese,wemayhavetoexpatiate.
Inthosehouseswhicharestrictlydoublehouses--thatis,wherethehallisinthemiddle--thefireplacesusuallyareonoppositesides;sothatwhileonememberofthehouseholdiswarminghimselfatafirebuiltintoarecessofthenorthwall,sayanothermember,theformer'sownbrother,perhaps,maybeholdinghisfeettotheblazebeforeahearthinthesouthwall--thetwothusfairlysittingbacktoback.Isthiswell?
Beitputtoanymanwhohasaproperfraternalfeeling.Hasitnotasortofsulkyappearance?
Butveryprobablythisstyleofchimneybuildingoriginatedwithsomearchitectafflictedwithaquarrelsomefamily.
Thenagain,almosteverymodemfireplacehasitsseparateflue--separatethroughout,fromhearthtochimney-top.Atleastsuchanarrangementisdeemeddesirable.Doesnotthislookegotistical,selfish?
Butstillmore,alltheseseparateflues,insteadofhavingindependentmasonryestablishmentsoftheirown,orinsteadofbeinggroupedtogetherinonefederalstockinthemiddleofthehouse--insteadofthis,Isay,eachflueissurreptitiouslyhoney-combedintothewalls;sothattheselastarehereandthere,orindeedalmostanywhere,treacherouslyhollow,and,inconsequence,moreorlessweak.Ofcourse,themainreasonofthisstyleofchimneybuildingistoeconomizeroom.Incities,wherelotsaresoldbytheinch,smallspaceistospareforachimneyconstructedonmagnanimousprinciples;and,aswithmostthinmen,whoaregenerallytall,sowithsuchhouses,whatislackinginbreadth,mustbemadeupinheight.
Thisremarkholdstrueevenwithregardtomanyverystylishabodes,builtbythemoststylishofgentlemen.Andyet,whenthatstylishgentleman,LouisleGrandofFrance,wouldbuildapalaceforhislady,friend,MadamedeMaintenon,hebuiltitbutonestoryhigh--infactinthecottagestyle.Butthen,howuncommonlyquadrangular,spacious,andbroad--horizontalacres,notverticalones.Suchisthepalace,which,inallitsone-storiedmagnificenceofLanguedocmarble,inthegardenofVersailles,stillremainstothisday.Anymancanbuyasquarefootoflandandplantaliberty-poleonit;butittakesakingtosetapartwholeacresforagrandtriannon.
Butnowadaysitisdifferent;andfurthermore,whatoriginatedinanecessityhasbeenmountedintoavaunt.Intownsthereislargerivalryinbuildingtallhouses.Ifonegentlemanbuildshishousefourstorieshigh,andanothergentlemancomesnextdoorandbuildsfivestorieshigh,thentheformer,nottobelookeddownuponthatway,immediatelysendsforhisarchitectandclapsafifthandasixthstoryontopofhispreviousfour.
And,nottillthegentlemanhasachievedhisaspiration,nottillhehasstolenoverthewaybytwilightandobservedhowhissixthstorysoarsbeyondhisneighbor'sfifth--nottillthendoesheretiretohisrestwithsatisfaction.
Suchfolks,itseemstome,needmountainsforneighbors,totakethisemulousconceitofsoaringoutofthem.
If,consideringthatmineisaverywidehouse,andbynomeanslofty,aughtintheabovemayappearlikeinterestedpleading,asifIdidbutfoldmyselfaboutinthecloakofageneralproposition,cunninglytoticklemyindividualvanitybeneathit,suchmisconceptionmustvanishuponmyfranklyconceding,thatlandadjoiningmyalderswampwassoldlastmonthfortendollarsanacre,andthoughtarashpurchaseatthat;sothatforwidehouseshereaboutsthereisplentyofroom,andcheap.Indeedsocheap--dirtcheap--isthesoil,thatourelmsthrustouttheirrootsinit,andhangtheirgreatboughsoverit,inthemostlavishandrecklessway.Almostallourcrops,too,aresownbroadcast,evenpeasandturnips.Afarmeramongus,whoshouldgoabouthistwenty-acrefield,pokinghisfingerintoithereandthere,anddroppingdownamustardseed,wouldbethoughtapenurious,narrow-mindedhusbandman.Thedandelionsintheriver-meadows,andtheforget-me-notsalongthemountainroads,youseeatoncetheyareputtonoeconomyinspace.Someseasons,too,ourryecomesuphereandthereaspear,soleandsinglelikeachurch-spire.Itdoesn'tcaretocrowditselfwhereitknowsthereissuchadealofroom.Theworldiswide,theworldisallbeforeus,saystherye.Weeds,too,itisamazinghowtheyspread.Nosuchthingasarrestingthem--someofourpasturesbeingasortofAlsatiafortheweeds.Asforthegrass,everyspringitislikeKossuth'srisingofwhathecallsthepeoples.Mountains,too,aregularcamp-meetingofthem.Forthesamereason,thesameall-sufficiencyofroom,ourshadowsmarchandcountermarch,goingthroughtheirvariousdrillsandmasterlyevolutions,liketheoldimperialguardontheChampsdeMars.
Asforthehills,especiallywheretheroadscrossthemthesupervisorsofourvarioustownshavegivennoticetoallconcerned,thattheycancomeanddigthemdownandcartthemoff,andneveracenttopay,nomorethanfortheprivilegeofpickingblackberries.Thestrangerwhoisburiedhere,whatliberal-heartedlandedproprietoramongusgrudgeshimsixfeetofrockypasture?
Nevertheless,cheap,afterall,asourlandis,andmuchasitistroddenunderfoot,I,forone,amproudofitforwhatitbears;andchieflyforitsthreegreatlions--theGreatOak,OggMountain,andmychimney.
Mosthouses,here,arebutoneandahalfstorieshigh;fewexceedtwo.ThatinwhichIandmychimneydwell,isinwidthnearlytwiceitsheight,fromsilltoeaves--whichaccountsforthemagnitudeofitsmaincontent--besidesshowingthatinthishouse,asinthiscountryatlarge,thereisabundanceofspace,andtospare,forbothofus.
Theframeoftheoldhouseisofwood--whichbutthemoresetsforththesolidityofthechimney,whichisofbrick.Andasthegreatwroughtnails,bindingtheclapboards,areunknowninthesedegeneratedays,soarethehugebricksinthechimneywalls.ThearchitectofthechimneymusthavehadthepyramidofCheopsbeforehim;for,afterthatfamousstructure,itseemsmodeled,onlyitsrateofdecreasetowardsthesummitisconsiderablyless,anditistruncated.Fromtheexactmiddleofthemansionitsoarsfromthecellar,rightupthrougheachsuccessivefloor,till,fourfeetsquare,itbreakswaterfromtheridge-poleoftheroof,likeananvil-headedwhale,throughthecrestofabillow.Mostpeople,though,likenit,inthatpart,toarazedobservatory,masonedup.
Thereasonforitspeculiarappearanceabovetherooftouchesuponratherdelicateground.HowshallIrevealthat,forasmuchasmanyyearsagotheoriginalgableroofoftheoldhousehadbecomeveryleaky,atemporaryproprietorhiredabandofwoodmen,withtheirhuge,cross-cutsaws,andwenttosawingtheoldgableroofcleanoff.Offitwent,withallitsbirds'nests,anddormerwindows.Itwasreplacedwithamodernroof,morefitforarailwaywood-houseth
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