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As D’Toukfel and Beaumont get ready to depart, they are guests at a party. What have they learned in the past year of travels? Beaumont is impressed by the frontier, and diversity of wilderness and civilization trying to stake its claim. So far the wilderness is winning, but settlers keep invading.
Industry, presses, use of technology to advance the progress of men. Steamboats, communications are both technologies where their limits are insufficient for the rapid expansion. Everything a men sets his hand to do in the new land seems to succeed and prosper.
Intangible attitudes like equality, and political views are more in line with what D’Toukfel noticed. However he keeps noncommittal. There’s so much, he may have to write a book to capture it all. Discussion of topics such as immigration, character, the quality of the statesmen in government, and more are touched. Is American democracy really about equality, or about supremacy? A review of how a poor farm boy can elevate himself to high rank in society, by meeting the right people, is shared. In the end D’Toukfel claims there is no absolute in politics and governing bodies. Newspapers are so bad, they’re good, strengthening associations, and helping break the tyranny of the majority. ‘
D’Toukfel marvels at juries made of ignorant men, acting from prejudice, not from common sense. The sovereignty of the people in judging a man’s neighbor, not judging the law. Is it government by the mob? A lack of systematic uniformity somehow makes America work.
