"From the old-world point of view, the American had no mind; he had an economic thinking-machine which could work only on a fixed line. "
— Adams, Henry (1838-1918)
Author
Place of Publication
Privately Printed
Date
1906
Metaphor
"From the old-world point of view, the American had no mind; he had an economic thinking-machine which could work only on a fixed line. "
Metaphor in Context
For several years, under the keenest incitement to watchfulness, he observed the English mind in contact with itself and other minds. Especially with the American the contact was interesting because the limits and defects of the American mind were one of the favorite topics of the European. From the old-world point of view, the American had no mind; he had an economic thinking-machine which could work only on a fixed line. The American mind exasperated the European as a buzz-saw might exasperate a pine forest. The English mind disliked the French mind because it was antagonistic, unreasonable, perhaps hostile, but recognised it as at least a thought. The American mind was not a thought at all; it was a convention, superficial, narrow, and ignorant; a mere cutting instrument, practical, economical, sharp, and direct.
Categories
Provenance
Contributed by David B. Moon
Date of Entry
10/26/2005
