Page:Speeches, correspondence and political papers of Carl Schurz, Volume 1.djvu/54

20 will be to the interest of each to keep the adversaries of the other in check. Americans will realize this as soon as the Emperor of Austria and the King of Prussia need no longer be considered, and the Germans will become convinced of it as soon as they consider a national foreign policy. 



&emsp; Life is extraordinarily cheap here. Mother does not use more than twelve or fourteen dollars a month for her housekeeping, and as soon as the crops in garden and fields are gathered, less will suffice. When I go hunting I can often lay in a supply of game. Yesterday I went to the farm for a few hours and shot my first prairie chickens and snipe, a whole bagful, so that we have enough for two dinners. You can scarcely believe how rapidly this town is growing. Since I was here last, whole rows of three-story buildings have been built. Very soon the main street will have lost its character of a country town. You can judge of the enormous development by the fact that the census registered a population of eighty-five hundred, whereas in 1850 there were only one thousand inhabitants. This will show you how good my prospects are, and that we may indulge in hopes of a comfortable future.

I cannot deny that life here has many attractions for me. There are many persons who seek my acquaintance, and from the manner in which I am received I may conclude that I could easily attain prominence. I also believe that it is a very wholesome life, as I am obliged to walk on the farm, looking after things, and I intend to hunt and ride several times a week. The fatigue produced by