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Management 12th Edition Griffin Test Bank instant download all chapter
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Chapter 10 Basic Elements of Organizing
TRUEFALSE
1. Job design can be defined as deciding how best to group organizational activities and resources.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
2. Organization structure is the manner in which basic organizational components such as strategy,
tactics, and operations are arranged for a particular organization.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
3. A manager needs to understand the blocks (organizational structure) before building with them
(organizational design.)
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
4. There are eight basic building blocks managers can use in constructing an organization.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
(B) False
Answer : (B)
7. Growth-need strength is presumed to affect how the job characteristics approach works for
different people.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
8. The most common base for departmentalization, especially among smaller organizations, is by
product.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
10. Divisions, units, sections, and bureaus are all synonyms for departments.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
11. The role of social media in departmentalization is well defined and applied.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
12. Unity of command suggests that each person within an organization must have a clear reporting
relationship to one and only one boss; newer models of organization design routinely⎯and
successfully⎯violate this premise.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
13. The popular saying "The buck stops here" is derived from the unity of command principle.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
14. Increasing supervisory responsibility from nine to ten subordinates is very different than
increasing from three to four.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
16. No organization is ever completely decentralized or completely centralized; some firms position
themselves toward one end of the continuum, and some lean the other way.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
17. Local networks, increasingly managed by hand-held electronic devices, are making it easier to
coordinate activities.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
18. Pooled interdependence is when the output of one unit becomes the input for another in a linear
fashion.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
19. Once jobs have been broken into small units, the departments need to be linked back together
through coordination.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
21. According to the text, the most effective way to use staff positions is to grant them line
authority.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
22. An organization with high administrative intensity is one with few staff positions relative to the
number of line positions.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (B)
23. Over the past few years, the trend in many organizations has been to decrease administrative
intensity.
(A) True
(B) False
Answer : (A)
MULTICHOICE
24. Organizing
(A) is the second basic managerial function; it follows planning and decision making.
(B) involves shaping the organization over time and is never truly finished.
Answer : (E)
Answer : (A)
(D) Departmentalization
(E) Delegation
Answer : (C)
27. Job ____ refers to the degree to which the organization's overall task is broken down and divided
into smaller component parts.
(A) delegation
(B) departmentalization
(C) organization
(D) specialization
(E) decentralization
Answer : (D)
28. Some companies now employ a Chief Ethics Officer, who usually has a legal background and is
responsible for whistle-blowing, ethics training, financial statements review, and investigations. This
is an example of ____.
(A) decentralization
(C) delegation
Answer : (E)
Answer : (B)
Answer : (E)
31. The starting point for all job design activities is determining the level of desired
(A) specialization.
(B) departmentalization.
(C) delegation.
(D) authority.
(E) responsibility.
Answer : (A)
Answer : (A)
33. Army officers use the expression "not in my lane", which derives from the basic marksmanship
function of establishing firing lanes indicating who fires at which targets. The idea is to spread
people over the whole area so you do not miss anything and to prevent everyone from firing at the
same target. This is an example of
(A) delegation.
34. Chris Johnson is a running back in the National Football League. He does not play other
positions. NFL teams use
Answer : (E)
Answer : (A)
36. Workers at McDonald's are trained to cook, clean, take orders, and fill orders. During a shift,
they work each job for one hour. This is an example of job
(A) specialization.
(B) rotation.
(C) delegation.
(D) enlargement.
(E) enrichment.
Answer : (B)
37. Gymnastic athletes train for and compete in each event in the all-around competition. They use
job
(A) specialization.
(B) rotation.
(C) delegation.
(D) enlargement.
(E) enrichment.
Answer : (B)
38. In which alternative to specialization does the job itself remain the same, which means
satisfaction usually wanes quickly?
Answer : (B)
Answer : (A)
40. Throughout their careers, actors usually try to perform in a variety of parts and in a variety of
genres so that they are not typecast. The actors want
41. In the past, special education teachers were required only to teach their students. Now, a
common complaint is that the massive amounts of required paperwork keeps them from performing
any of their job duties well. In this case, ____ did not produce satisfied workers.
Answer : (D)
42. Invacare modified the wheelchair assembly process so that workers assemble the entire
wheelchair rather than simply add one or two pieces as is normal on most assembly lines. This is an
example of
Answer : (B)
43. Which of the following alternatives to specialization has the disadvantages of raising training
costs, of having unions arguing for more pay for doing more tasks, and of worker boredom?
Answer : (B)
44. With job enrichment, workers can ____. This does not occur with job enlargement.
(A) periodically move from one job to another
(C) experience enhanced pride because they excel at one narrow task
Answer : (D)
Answer : (B)
46. Cadets at West Point spend time during the summer learning about branches in the Army, like
aviation, infantry, ordnance, finance, etc. In their senior year, the cadets select a branch based on
this experience. The academy is using job ____ as a training technique.
(A) specialization
(B) rotation
(C) loading
(D) enlargement
(E) enrichment
Answer : (B)
47. ____ is defined as systematically moving employees from one job to another.
Answer : (E)
48. Remote work areas give employees more control over their job. This is an example of
Answer : (B)
49. Many high school teachers also coach a sport. They have the same autonomy in coaching that
they have in the classroom. This is an example of
Answer : (A)
(A) specialization
(B) rotation
(C) delegation
(D) enlargement
(E) enrichment
Answer : (E)
51. Although a pay increase would be useful when a change in job design is made, for which of the
following would it be expected?
Answer : (B)
52. Michelle has a low growth-need strength. She would not like ____.
Answer : (D)
53. Rose Marie's boss tells her what to do, not how to do it. Which of the following statements is
TRUE?
(B) Rose Marie is apparently receiving much feedback from some source.
(C) The job must allow Rose Marie to use many of her skills.
(D) Rose Marie must view the job as important to the firm's successes.
(E) Rose Marie apparently has a high degree of autonomy in her job.
Answer : (E)
54. The job characteristics approach to job design is a specific method for taking into account both
the work system and employee preferences. It is similar to the more general ____ approach.
55. Laundry is never done. Unless it is done naked, doing laundry creates more work. Laundry lacks
____.
(A) autonomy
(B) feedback
Answer : (E)
56. Managers plan, control, organize, and lead. They need good people abilities as well as analytical
abilities. A manager's job has
(A) autonomy.
(B) feedback.
Answer : (D)
57. Teachers at South Elementary School are allowed to pair up and teach a class twice as large as
others. This allows the teachers to specialize in the subjects they most enjoy. The team teachers now
share control over the classroom. The team teaching decreases
(A) autonomy.
(B) compensation.
(D) feedback.
Answer : (A)
58. Teachers at South Elementary School are allowed to pair up and teach a class twice as large as
others. This allows the teachers to specialize in the subjects they most enjoy. This is an example of
(A) work teams.
(B) feedback.
Answer : (A)
59. When fire fighters go on a call, they must focus on each job duty because it could mean the
difference between life and death. They have
(A) autonomy.
(B) feedback.
Answer : (C)
60. ____ are most alike in terms of the amount of authority and responsibility workers are given with
each.
Answer : (D)
(A) Specialization
(B) Departmentalization
(D) Delegation
(E) Job design
Answer : (B)
(A) function.
(B) location.
(C) product.
(D) customer.
(E) competition.
Answer : (E)
63. A regional manufacturing operation has the following divisions: manufacturing, finance, human
resources, marketing, and shipping/receiving. This is an example of ____ departmentalization.
(A) functional
(B) location
(C) product
(D) customer
(E) sequential
Answer : (A)
64. In a large organization with ______ departmentalization, decision making tends to be slow.
(A) location
(B) functional
(C) product
(D) customer
(E) sequence
Answer : (B)
65. The Hospital for Special Surgery is staffed with over 200 doctors. If a patient has a toe injury
she goes to a foot and ankle specialist. Later if she injures her hand, she will see a different doctor.
Each doctor has assistants based around the specialty. The HSS uses a ____ basis for
departmentalization.
(A) functional
(B) location
(C) product
(D) customer
(E) sequential
Answer : (C)
(C) Functional managers can easily control activities within the department.
Answer : (E)
67. Cengage organizes authors based on the subject they write. Cengage uses ____
departmentalization.
(A) product
(B) functional
(C) location
(D) customer
(E) sequential
Answer : (A)
68. Which of the following methods of departmentalization groups jobs according to their
involvement in the same or similar activities?
(A) Customer
(B) Product
(C) Functional
(D) Divisional
(E) Location
Answer : (C)
69. The admissions department at the United States Military Academy assigns officer
representatives based on region. By law, cadets must come from every state in the country. What
form of departmentalization does USMA use?
(A) Customer
(B) Product
(C) Functional
(D) Divisional
(E) Location
Answer : (E)
70. Air traffic controllers work shifts in the tower. This is an example of which form of
departmentalization?
(A) Time
(B) Location
(C) Divisional
(D) Sequential
(E) Customer
Answer : (A)
71. Product departmentalization has the disadvantages that ____ and administrative cost is
increased.
(C) managers often fail to focus on what is good for the organization as a whole
(E) the organization must have skilled specialists to deal with each client group
Answer : (C)
72. ____ departmentalization has the advantage of reducing the number of skills a manager must
possess.
(A) Location
(B) Customer
(C) Sequential
(D) Functional
(E) Product
Answer : (D)
(A) location
(B) customer
(D) functional
(E) product
Answer : (C)
74. GM has a division for GMC trucks and one for Buicks, Oldsmobiles, and Cadillacs. This is an
example of ____ departmentalization.
(A) product
(B) location
(C) divisional
(D) sequential
(E) customer
Answer : (A)
75. Which of the following statements does NOT describe an advantage of product
departmentalization?
Answer : (C)
76. Procter & Gamble is departmentalized, in part, on the basis of product. Which of the following
characteristics would you expect to find at Procter & Gamble?
(E) More effective evaluation of the performance of individual products or product groups than with
functional departmentalization
Answer : (E)
77. Target stores have departments for groceries, clothing, electronics, jewelry, and home goods.
This is an example of departmentalization by
(A) product.
(B) location.
(C) division.
(D) sequence.
(E) customer.
Answer : (A)
78. Which of the following is a common disadvantage inherent in product, customer, and location
departmentalization?
(E) Administrative costs tend to rise due to an increase in the size of staff.
Answer : (E)
79. Siemens created Siemens One to group employees together that serve the same client. For
example people from medical and building technology both serve hospitals, so a Siemens One
representative talks to a hospital about all of Siemens products and services. Siemens One uses ____
departmentalization.
(A) product
(B) function
(C) location
(D) customer
(E) sequence
Answer : (D)
(A) product.
(B) function.
(C) location.
(D) customer.
(E) sequence.
Answer : (C)
81. Pastors at a large church specialize in meeting the needs of different age groups. They are
organized on the basis of
(A) product.
(B) function.
(C) location.
(D) customer.
(E) time.
Answer : (D)
82. High schools register seniors first, then juniors, sophomores and finally freshmen. What basis of
departmentalization does this represent?
(A) Time
(B) Function
(C) Sequence
(D) Location
(E) Product
Answer : (C)
83. The term ____ suggests that there must be a clear and unbroken line of authority and
responsibility from the lowest to the highest position.
(A) autonomy
(B) delegation
Answer : (C)
84. ____ is defined as clear and distinct lines of authority among all positions in an organization.
(A) Autonomy
(B) Delegation
(E) Departmentalization
Answer : (C)
85. Which of the following refers to the number of subordinates who report directly to a given
manager?
(A) Responsibility
(B) Departmentalization
(C) Delegation
(E) Authority
Answer : (D)
(B) extent to which authority is systematically delegated to middle and lower levels of management.
Answer : (C)
(A) delegation.
(B) authority.
(C) centralization.
(D) control.
(E) influence.
Answer : (D)
88. If a manager has only a few subordinates, she has a span of management that is
(A) wide.
(B) functional.
(C) delegated.
(D) narrow.
(E) direct.
Answer : (D)
89. Yoshiko is the manager of the accounting department. She has an assistant manager who
reports to her. Six supervisors also report to her from other divisions. The supervisors have three
subordinates each. Yoshiko has a span of management of
(A) eighteen.
(B) nineteen.
(C) ten.
(D) seven.
(E) six.
Answer : (D)
90. Graicunas quantified three kinds of interactions with subordinates. They are
Answer : (B)
Answer : (A)
(C) flexibility.
Answer : (E)
Answer : (B)
94. Many experts agree that businesses can function effectively with fewer layers of organization
than they currently have. Since 2009, the government has added more than 62,000 federal
employees. This suggest that the federal government is a(n) ______ organization.
(A) tall
(B) flat
(C) efficient
(D) effective
(E) lean
Answer : (A)
Answer : (D)
96. Jim is an excellent communications executive at a Fortune 300 company. A Fortune 100
company is trying to recruit him, but in their current structure, he would report to the head of
human relations. Jim knows that to be successful he must report to the CEO. He is so good at his job
that adding him to the CEO's span should not be a problem. He is suggesting the change in structure
due to ______.
(A) standardization
Answer : (D)
97. Which of the following factors does NOT influence the effectiveness of the span of management?
Answer : (B)
98. Giovanna is very competent. She works in a relatively predictable environment. All of her
subordinates do the same activity with few problems. This situation would tend to call for
(B) delegation.
Answer : (C)
99. Tammy is trying to decide how many subordinates to assign to a first-line supervisor. The
subordinates are well qualified and all working on very similar tasks. Also, they are all located in one
small area of the plant. On the other hand, the supervisor in question has a large quantity of
paperwork to do each day. What should Tammy do?
(D) It is hard to say. Half the factors dictate a broad span and half a narrow span of control.
(E) It really does not matter which way she chooses to go.
Answer : (B)
100. Sailaja manages a department with few standard procedures. Members are located in various
parts of the state, but they are well connected electronically. The department performs tasks
requiring a great deal of interaction between manager and subordinates. When structuring this
department, what should she do to most effectively supervise its activities?
Answer : (A)
(A) decentralization.
(D) departmentalization.
(E) delegation.
Answer : (E)
Answer : (D)
Answer : (E)
Answer : (B)
105. A pastor at a large church shares responsibilities with a student ministries coordinator. This is
an example of
(A) decentralization.
(D) departmentalization.
(E) delegation.
Answer : (E)
106. The programs in which interns enter an organization and take over some of the workload from
the managers in order to learn more about the career is similar to the management practice of
(A) decentralization.
(D) departmentalization.
(E) delegation.
Answer : (E)
(E) giving the subordinate the power to accomplish the assigned task.
Answer : (D)
Answer : (A)
Answer : (B)
(C) The manager may feel her communication skills are not strong enough.
(D) The subordinate may feel that the task is not in her job description.
Answer : (E)
(A) Decentralization
(C) Specialization
Answer : (A)
112. An organization is ____ when power and control are kept at the top levels of management.
(A) centralized
(B) specialized
(C) decentralized
(D) departmentalized
(E) wide
Answer : (A)
(C) when decisions that must be made on a daily basis are relatively minor.
Answer : (B)
114. When managers delegate responsibility and grant authority to their subordinates
(D) good performance by subordinates will be viewed as a threat to the managers' own careers.
Answer : (C)
115. ____ is the systematic retention of power and decision-making authority by top management.
(A) Decentralization
(B) Delegation
(C) Specialization
(E) Centralization
Answer : (E)
116. Canine Companions for Independence's puppy raiser volunteers attend monthly classes to
learn how to train the puppy. The classes create some
(A) centralization.
(B) specialization.
(C) decentralization.
(D) departmentalization.
(E) compartmentalization.
Answer : (A)
117. ____ is the systematic distribution of power and authority to middle and lower-level managers
throughout the organization.
(A) Decentralization
(B) Delegation
(C) Specialization
(E) Centralization
Answer : (A)
(A) The need to make decisions that could cost the company millions of dollars
(D) A corporate culture that believes that all important decisions must be made by top-level
managers
Answer : (C)
119. ____ involves linking together the activities of the various parts of an organization to promote
harmonious movement toward organizational goals.
(A) Decentralization
(B) Delegation
(C) Coordination
(E) Centralization
Answer : (C)
(E) to break the organization's overall task into its component parts.
Answer : (A)
121. When departments or units operate with little interaction, and the profits and losses are simply
added together, the units operate with ____ interdependence.
(A) pooled
(B) mixed
(C) functional
(D) hierarchical
(E) sequential
Answer : (A)
122. To see a doctor, a person makes an appointment, signs in, fills out paper work, talks to the
technician, talks to the doctor, and, if needed, arranges a follow-up visit. What level of
interdependence does this example represent?
(A) Pooled
(B) Mixed
(C) Functional
(D) Hierarchical
(E) Sequential
Answer : (E)
123. At BMW the marketing department helps develop sales forecast for the operations managers,
who give availability information to dealerships. When dealerships have a specific order, they send it
to operations. What level of interdependence does this example represent?
(A) Pooled
(B) Mixed
(C) Functional
(D) Reciprocal
(E) Sequential
Answer : (D)
124. To write a press release, the communications department at Ford depends on information
provided by other departments. The final draft is reviewed by the directors before announcement.
What level of interdependence does this represent?
(A) Pooled
(B) Reciprocal
(C) Sequential
(D) Hierarchical
(E) Functional
Answer : (B)
125. In schools math, English, science and social studies departments operate separately. Student
test scores in each area are gathered to evaluate the effectiveness of the school. What level of
interdependence does this represent?
(A) Pooled
(B) Reciprocal
(C) Sequential
(D) Hierarchical
(E) Functional
Answer : (A)
126. The activities of a hotel depend on information sharing between reservations, front-desk,
housekeeping, and dining. What level of interdependence is this?
(A) Pooled
(B) Reciprocal
(C) Functional
(D) Hierarchical
(E) Sequential
Answer : (B)
127. Paul supervises a crew engaged in laying a pipeline from Dallas to Ponca City, Oklahoma. The
crew is able to lay about a mile of pipe each day. Supplies of pipe are delivered by truck to various
points along the pipeline route. When shipments of pipe are delayed, it results in a work stoppage
for Paul's crew. What level of interdependence does this represent?
(A) Pooled
(B) Reciprocal
(C) Functional
(D) Hierarchical
(E) Sequential
Answer : (E)
128. Which of the following methods of coordination is MOST appropriate for pooled or simple
sequential interdependence?
Answer : (E)
129. Demetra is head underwriter for Beta Insurance. She supervises the underwriting department
and the administrative section that receives applications from the sales force and gathers other
information needed. What coordination technique does this represent?
(D) Centralization
Answer : (C)
130. Which of the following coordination techniques is appropriate when interdependence is of the
complex reciprocal variety?
(D) Centralization
Answer : (B)
131. Derda, Inc. manufactures equipment used for professional woodworking. It has one department
devoted to producing embossing machines, which are used to create wood moldings and panels. It
has another department that produces sanding machines. The departments interact very little on a
day-to-day basis, and their only responsibility to each other is to see that they both contribute to
Derda's success. There is, however, an engineer assigned to the embosser department who stays in
contact with people in the sander department to make sure that each is being treated equitably. As
the engineer has no formal role, he is likely playing the coordinating role of
(A) integrator.
(B) disseminator.
(C) monitor.
(D) liaison.
(E) taskmaster.
Answer : (D)
132. With respect to their use as coordinating devices, what is the difference between a task force
and an integrating department?
(B) Task forces are used with more complex forms of interdependence.
Answer : (A)
Answer : (B)
Answer : (E)
135. Nora is chief legal counsel for Midco Waste. She has ____.
Answer : (A)
136. Jerry is Chief Ethics Officer. He is involved with risk management, stakeholder relationships,
whistle-blowing, ethics training, investigations, and preparation of financial statements. Jerry has
a(n) ____ position.
(A) line
(B) integrating
(C) hierarchical
(D) staff
(E) managerial
Answer : (D)
138. The vice president of marketing has ____ to the CEO of a business unit. The vice president of
marketing will have to rely on her reputation for excellence to convince the CEO to accept her
recommendation.
Answer : (E)
Answer : (A)
140. ____ requires line managers to at least listen to comments and suggestions from staff agencies
even if they do not take the advice.
Answer : (C)
141. Which of the following is most likely to cause line managers to see staff members as a threat to
their authority?
(A) Functional authority
Answer : (A)
142. According to the text, what is probably the most effective way to use staff positions?
Answer : (C)
Answer : (A)
SHORTANSWER
144. Managing the basic frameworks that organizations use to get their work done is called
____________________.Answer : structure
145. There are six basic building blocks that managers can use in constructing an organization:
designing jobs, grouping jobs, establishing reporting relationships between jobs, distributing
authority among jobs, coordinating activities among jobs, and ____________________.Answer :
differentiating among positions
146. Adam Smith, an eighteenth-century economist, first discussed ____________________ in his case
about how a pin factory used it to improve productivity.Answer : division of labor
147. If Joe works as a welder today, a drill press operator tomorrow, a lathe operator on the third
day, and is back to welding again on the fourth day, his supervisor is using the alternative to job
specialization known as ____________________.Answer : job rotation
148. If Joe was originally a lathe operator, but his boss has now made operating a lathe, a drill
press, and a milling machine part of Joe's job in an attempt to overcome the boring effects of
specialized work, Joe's boss is employing ____________________.Answer : job enlargement
149. Job ____________________ is an alternative to job specialization that suggests that jobs should be
diagnosed and improved along five core dimensions, taking into account both the work system and
employee preferences.Answer : characteristics approach
150. Skill variety is the ____________________ of things a person does in a job.Answer : number
151. ____________________ is the extent to which the worker knows how well the job is being
performed.Answer : Feedback
153. Dell sells desktops, laptops, and accessories. This is an example of the use of
____________________ departmentalization.Answer : product
154. The Federal Reserve Bank has regional banks around the U.S. This indicates the use of
____________________ departmentalization.Answer : location
155. Improved communication technologies such as e-mail and text messaging have allowed
organizations to become ____________________.Answer : flatter
157. Many organizations today are moving toward ____________________ structures to improve
communication and flexibility.Answer : flat
158. The primary reason for ____________________ is to enable the manager to get more work
done.Answer : delegation
159. The greater the complexity and uncertainty of the environment, the greater is the tendency to
____________________.Answer : decentralization
161. The primary reason for ____________________ is that departments and work groups are
interdependent.Answer : coordination
162. The drill press operators depend on the milling machine operators to provide them with parts
on which to work. This represents ____________________ interdependence.Answer : sequential
163. Managers depend on their administrative assistants to schedule their calendar and arrange
travel. The administrative assistants, in turn, depend on their managers to update the calendar and
set priorities. This represents ____________________ interdependence.Answer : reciprocal
164. When the need for coordination is acute, a(n) ____________________ may be created.Answer :
task force
166. Positions that are in the direct chain of command and are responsible for achievement of
organizational goals are called ____________________ positions.Answer : line
167. The line manager can choose whether to seek or to avoid input from staff. This is called
____________________ authority.Answer : advise
ESSAY
Graders Info :
170. Describe the job characteristics approach to job design and explain how it is related to job
enrichment and the creation of work teams. Use diagrams if they will clarify the discussion.
Graders Info :
Students should realize that the job characteristics approach is not the same as job enrichment, but
that it does have things in common; that is, it tries to increase motivation by giving workers more
authority and responsibility. The job characteristics model goes beyond job enrichment by
considering the work system and by bringing in such things as autonomy, feedback, skill variety, and
task identity. The job characteristics model also addresses worker preferences and recognizes that
not all workers want enriched jobs. It deals with this fact by incorporating employee growth-strength
need to explain why different people react differently to the same job. Job enrichment applies to the
individual worker, whereas work team practices apply to groups of workers. Thus there is also a link
between the job characteristics approach and work teams.
171. Design your dream job. Are you high-growth need or low-growth need?
Graders Info :
172. Describe departmentalization at a public school district. Find examples of each type.
Graders Info :
173. Discuss how distribution of authority and coordination effect span of management.
Graders Info :
Graders Info :
175. Organization charts look clear and concise. However, in reality the number of subordinates
reporting to a manager depends much more heavily on the skills and talents of the individual rather
than the definition described in a book. Why does this happen? Does it make the organization more
or less effective?
Graders Info :
176. Rita's management is characterized as decentralized and Belinda's is centralized. What kinds of
behavior would you expect by their subordinates?
Graders Info :
177. Describe the three levels of interdependence and the coordination techniques that are
appropriate for each one.
Graders Info :
178. Compare and contrast line and staff positions and the various forms of authority of each
position.
Graders Info :
179. Define the term administrative intensity. Why are many organizations taking steps to reduce it?
Graders Info :
MATCH
180. Match the following. You may use a response once, more than once, or not at all.
MATCH
181. Match the following. You may use a response once, more than once, or not at all.
MATCH
182. Match the following. You may use a response once, more than once, or not at all.
MATCH
July 10.—Off Meredosia. This is a thriving town, built upon one of those
elevated terraces which occur frequently along the river as if on purpose to
raise the settlements above the damp alluvion, and to give them a pretty
effect. It is in a good situation to rise, as it is a sort of business port to
Jacksonville, to which a railroad of twenty-three miles is in operation; and
Morgan county, upon which it is situated, is a thickly peopled district,
having good timbered lands, mill streams, quarries of lime and free stone;
and is watered by many streams. Jacksonville is a large town where there
are several churches, a court house, mills and shops. The Quincy and
Danville railroad passes through Meredosia, to the Wabash river, two
hundred and twenty miles. Through this river, communication is held with
the lakes. Their exports are between two and three hundred thousand
dollars, and imports five hundred thousand dollars. Here we took in several
passengers. Six miles below Meredosia is Naples, a small collection of
shops and dwellings, situated upon a high bank. Upon one house, larger
than the rest, I read the name ‘Napoleon Coffee House.’ I looked around for
Vesuvious, but saw it not, nor any other Neopolitan traces. The names upon
this river are very ludicrous, and striking monuments of the want of taste in
those who bestowed them. One would imagine, from reading my last letter,
I had been travelling in seven league boats, or in a balloon, as I have
touched at Peru, Pekin, Havanna, Liverpool, Naples, Brussels, Rome, (part
in the night,) &c. While the Indian names are so pretty, why are they
neglected for such worn out European designations. Peoria, and Illinois, and
Ottowa are very pretty; Hennipen is very well, as given in honor of one of
the early discoverers of this county from France, and it might be thought a
debt of gratitude, but every pioneer has not so good a name, and if this
custom is followed, it saddles us with such names as already abound, viz: Jo
Davies’ County, Pike, Cook, Higgonbottom, Hancock, Buggsville,
Toddtown, Dodgeville. Moreover, the Indians were the first explorers, and
if any, they are entitled to this honor. To obviate this it has been proposed to
take something local, but unless persons of taste are consulted, we shall
hear of more Bigbonelicks, Bloodyruns, Mud Lakes or Crab Orchard’s. I
wish Congress would take the matter in hand, and form a committee of
nomanclature to name every new settlement.
We are constantly passing steamboats. In 1836, at Beardstown, there
were four hundred and fifty arrivals and departures, and at Naples their
account was the first year, 1828, nine; from March to June, 1832, one
hundred and eight, and now, of course all these figures must be doubled.
Among our passengers we have an old Kentucky woman, who has been
living several years upon this river. She was so rejoiced to see a slave again,
that soon she and Violette, our chambermaid, became quite intimate friends.
She frequently borrowed her pipe to have a comfortable smoke out upon the
guards, where, with Violette beside her, she would smoke and chat for
hours. A lady on board, who had lately become a convert to temperance
cause, was extremely offended at the sight of spirits upon the dining table.
Her husband argued for their use upon the ground of frequent impure water,
and fever and ague, from which the stomach is fortified. The wife, however,
was not convinced; when, in the midst of a high argument, our old woman
put her head in at the door, and taking out her pipe, after slowly puffing off
her smoke, uttered this oracular sentence: ‘For my part, I think there are lots
of gnats strained at, and lots of camels swallowed,’—and disappeared. The
husband left the argument for the card table, whence he arose sometime
after, grumbling at his losses, and galled by the discovery that the winner
was a well known black legg, whose practice was to live in steamboats
during summer, to fleece such silly sheep as himself. In the winter he
returned upon his laurels, to New Orleans or St. Louis, to revel upon his
winnings.
This morning we passed one of those machines employed by
government, during low water for the purpose of clearing away the
sandbars. It is a large wooden ark, worked by steam. A great shovel takes
up the mud, brings it up, and throws it into the scow at the other side which
is emptied upon the shores. The State has appropriated $100,000 to
improvements upon this river. There are several sandbars, and below
Ottowa ledges of sandstone which, if removed, would render the navigation
unimpeded at all seasons of the year quite to Ottowa, two hundred and ten
miles above the mouth of the river. We stopped so often to take in freight
and passengers, that we began to be fearful we should not reach the mouth
of the river and behold its junction with the stately Mississippi before dark
—however, ‘we came a good jog’ this morning, to use our old Kentucky
lady’s phrase, and now after tea we are sitting upon the guards watching for
it. We are continually passing streams which run into this river—Crooked
creek, comes down about one hundred miles through a very fertile region of
country with a soil of argillaceous mould from one to four feet deep.[20] Its
banks are lined with oak, maple, hickory, black walnut and much other
valuable timber. Bituminous coal, and free stone quarries are also found
there. Apple creek, at whose mouth is a small settlement; Macoupin creek,
its name taken from the Indian Maquapin, a water plant, whose smooth leaf
floats upon the bayous and lakes in this region; its esculent root, after being
baked under heated stones is a favorite food with the native tribes. There is
a settlement upon this last named stream commenced in eighteen hundred
and sixteen, which then was the most northern white settlement of Illinois.
The population of the State four years after, in eighteen hundred and twenty,
was fifty-five thousand two hundred and eleven, and now, eighteen hundred
and forty, it is four hundred and twenty three thousand nine hundred and
thirty four, a great increase in twenty years. We have now upon each hand,
the two last counties which border the Illinois. Green, on the east, contains
excellent land, well settled by eastern families, many from Vermont. It is
one of the richest portions of land in the State, traversed by fine water
courses and bounded by two large rivers,—containing beautiful prairies,
and excellent timber. In the cliffs which border the Mississippi on this
county, bituminous coal is found among the sandstone and limestone strata,
and crystal springs flow from their sides. Calhoun county on our right is the
southern point of the triangle containing the military bounty lands. The
point where the Mississippi and Illinois meet is low prairie subjected to
inundation and consequently unhealthy; coal has been found here, and the
large trees are famous for their honey. As we were near the mouth of the
river, and my little fellow voyager, Maria, had not yet landed, I asked her
how far we were from her brother’s residence. She said she had been
looking out for it, but every place had a different name from that of her
brother. I recommended her to ask the captain; he sent her word we had
passed it twenty miles back. Poor Maria seemed overwhelmed with
consternation. The town, we found upon enquiry, was in the interior, the
passengers landing at an old tree upon the shore and we all now
remembered a plain country-man, upon the bank who made numerous signs
to the steamboat, flourishing his arms frantically. Maria with the rest
supposed he was in jest, or a madman, but now remembered he was like her
brother, who must have seen her and motioned her to stop. Maria had
expected a town, and did not imagine that her stopping place. As our boat
was so uncertain in its movements the poor man must have spent the day
upon the shore, and was now doubtless very anxious about his young sister.
There was nothing for her to do now but stop in the steamboat at St. Louis
until its return trip. I felt sorry for the poor girl, only fifteen, and thus left to
the tender mercy of the world. We spoke to the captain and chambermaid,
who both promised to take charge of her and land her at her brothers when
he returned next week. The afternoon is beautiful; we are peeping up the
forest glades, as the channel runs near the shore, or inhaling the rich
perfume which the summer breeze shakes out from the trees. Suddenly the
forest is passed and we gaze over the low prairie which lies between the
two rivers, bounded by a line of round green hills which range across the
country. ‘The bluffs of the Mississippi!’ exclaimed my companion, ‘and we
soon shall see its famous waters.’ We hastened up to the hurricane deck,
and placed ourselves in a good situation for beholding the scenery; a little
excited at the thought of looking upon the grand and celebrated stream. The
Illinois flowed as straight and still as a canal, about four hundred yards
wide, we glided over its waters and soon found ourselves in a broad
majestic stream which came rolling down between a range of bluffs; here, a
mile broad, upon whose bosom some lonely islands stretched across from
the mouth of the Illinois. The view was delightful upon each side; the fair
plains of Missouri at our right, and upon the Illinois side, bold beautiful
cliffs, or green cone like hills, covered with a soft carpet of verdure, sinking
down upon the east side into lovely green dells. This style of hill is called
by the French, Mamelle. In one of these pretty nooks, nestled at the foot of
a bluff, is the town of Grafton, from whose balconies the inhabitants obtain
a fine view up the Mississippi. This town is only a few years old, but
expects soon to rival Alton, as most of the travelling from the interior to the
Missouri towns opposite, is through it. It has already laid out upon paper a
railroad to Springfield, the capitol. The rapid tide of the ‘father of waters,’
presented a great contrast to the languid Illinois. The color is brown, but of
a different tint from the Illinois, being a dark coffee brown, but clear and
sparkling. We looked a last farewell to the fair Illinois, upon whose banks,
or on whose water we had travelled for four days and four nights, a distance
of nearly four hundred and fifty miles, if we include the Des Plaines. The
loveliness of the scenery all this distance merits the encomiums made upon
it by the early French writers. This was a favorite river with the French, and
La Salle, Charlevoix, and Marquette, describe the beauty of its shores in
glowing terms.
The bluffs upon the Illinois shore, as we descend the Mississippi,
become more bare and precipitous, and have a waterworn appearance as if
the water had once flowed along their summits. The regular stratification of
the sandstone and limestone of these cliffs, present the appearance of mason
work, crowning the heights with castellated resemblances, so that we might
imagine we were passing beneath some mountain fastness, with its
frowning walls, dungeon keep, and warder’s tower. Occasionally masses of
white limestone are strewed along the shore, or grouped upon the green
sloping bank, as if some large city had there arisen upon the river’s side.
Turning a sharp angle of one of those bluffs we found ourselves before a
large imposing looking town, built upon the bank of the river, which came
sloping down from the bluffs behind. This we learned was Alton. While our
crew were mooring our boat upon the steep bank, we gazed with great
curiosity and interest upon this place, larger than any we had seen since
leaving Detroit fourteen hundred miles behind. To the left the rocks were
crowned by a large solid looking building which we were told was the
penitentiary. In front was a row of high ware-houses made of limestone,
filled with goods and men; while a mass of houses and steeples at our right
were brightly reflecting the rays of the sinking sun. The shore presented a
busy scene; men and carts and horses were transporting goods or luggage,
or busily employed Macadamizing the bank—a great improvement upon
the wharves we had passed. A large brick building at our right hand, with a
white porch and steps, bearing the sign of ‘Alton House,’ being our place of
destination, we directed our course towards it. The keeper of the house
being absent, and it being no one’s business to take care of us, we spent
some time wandering about the well furnished parlors, and staring at the
waiters who were washing up the tea things in the dining-room, ere we
could find any one to listen to our wants. We had left behind us the land
where a living is only to be obtained by effort, and where the landlord and
porters are on the alert in order to catch the stranger and take him in. Here,
the cool American manner obtains; and although to the hungry, tired
traveller rather annoying, yet, when we reflect upon the peace, and
independence, and plenty, which produces this indifference, he will do as
we did, throw himself upon a sofa, keep cool, and quietly await the arrival
of somebody.
While amusing ourselves looking around at the furniture, we observed a
portrait of, as we afterwards learned, the master of the house. As much as
we had heard of the wild independence, the devil-me-care manners of our
western brethren, we were here taken by surprise. He was without his coat
—actually painted in his shirt sleeves—having upon his head an old straw
hat! It was probably a warm day, or he was in too much of a hurry to put on
his coat when he went to sit; and besides, it was nobody’s business but his
own how he was dressed, or if he were dressed at all, and I suppose we may
be thankful he retained his white robe ‘any way.’ Luxury, refinement, and
conventual forms may be carried to excess; but I am not prepared to say the
other extreme is better. A boarder in the house happening to stray in, we
told our wants, and he kindly sent a waiter for the master of the house. He
came instantly and with the greatest alacrity and wish to oblige, took us up
stairs. All the rooms proving full or engaged, except one too small, we were
directed to another house, which, after a short moonlight walk, we reached.
The Eagle tavern, a favorite name for hotels, I think, in our country, was a
comfortable house, although not pretending to the style and fashion of the
Alton House. And now having finished these last few lines, while our
supper was preparing, I hasten to bid you good-night.
LETTER VIII.
Alton, July 11th.
My dear E.—Harassed by no compunctious visitings for the enormous
package which I dismissed to you this morning through the Alton post-
office, I have seated myself deliberately before my little desk to prepare you
another. We have spent a delightful day among our friends here, and are
very much pleased with the towns of Alton, for there are two of them. We
are now, four o’clock, waiting for the steamboat to take us to St. Louis, and
I employ the time in making a few sketches of the place for you. Alton is
built as I told you, upon a sloping bank. This ground is very uneven, and
upon some of the elevated portions are the public buildings. The churches
here are well built and numerous, I think seven or eight; the streets wide
and airy; places reserved for public squares, and several handsome private
dwellings. The town has arisen rapidly, and from a small town in 1832, it
has now fine streets, and houses, two hundred being built last year;
merchants who transact business to the amount of several hundred thousand
dollars, and even half a million in some instances. Eight or ten steamboats
are owned here, and two railroads in contemplation, and the great national
road it is thought will be conducted through this place. There are several
religious societies here, each having houses of worship; among them the
baptist church is spoken of as being nicely fitted up in the interior; it is built
of stone. Every convenience and comfort of life is at hand; coal in profusion
in the vicinity of the town, which is sold very cheap; limestone, freestone,
and water lime, besides other mineral productions abound. The markets are
stored with wild game—deer, partridges, prairie hen, and water-fowl; fruits
both wild and cultivated; various sorts of fish; corn, beef, pork, and
vegetables of the finest order. Madison county, in which it stands, is one of
the richest in the State, being most of it upon the American bottom. It
contains seven hundred and ninety square miles, and the value of its
productions, exclusive of capital invested, and cost of buildings, amounts to
two millions three hundred and sixty-nine thousand one hundred and fifty-
one dollars and eighty cents. Of bushels of wheat, they have raised one
hundred and sixty-five thousand five hundred and twenty. Corn one million
three hundred and four thousand three hundred and thirty-five bushels.
Tobacco, eleven thousand two hundred and eighty pounds. Capital invested
in manufactures, two hundred and ten thousand four hundred and thirty-five
dollars. But I suppose you do not care for these details. If I should come
here again in a few years, I expect to see Alton three times its size, for
although it may not rival St. Louis, as the inhabitants imagine, it must be
the most considerable place after it, west of Cincinnati. The Illinois brings
to it the produce of the northern lakes and States—the Mississippi waft to
its doors the exports of the west, and takes it over to the Ohio, and to the
gulf of Mexico, from which last it is only four or five days distant. The
interests of religion and education employ the benevolent inhabitants to a
remarkable degree and many thousands are expended every year for the
furtherance of these objects. Among these are Shurtliff College, Alton
Theological Seminary, Alton Female Seminary. But enough of statistics,
you will say, and I hasten to our own personal adventures. We ordered a
carriage to-day to take us to Upper Alton, to visit our friends there, and
were quite pleased to see as nice a coach and pair of horses as we could see
in our own Broadway. After leaving the town we drove through some rich
prairie land, interspersed with trees, through which we obtained fine views
of the swift rolling Mississippi, and across it the verdant plains of Missouri,
with green swelling hills beyond. A drive of two miles brought us to Upper
Alton, a pretty small looking village, with spires and neat dwellings peeping
through the trees. This place is very pleasantly situated upon an elevated
plateau of ground about two miles from the lower town. Families here enjoy
great advantages, in regard to the education of their children, as colleges
and schools abound in its neighborhood. The society of this place is very
superior, and its situation healthy.
We found our friends in a large picturesque house in the cottage style,
surrounded by piazzas, whose pillars were wreathed with the clustering
Michigan rose, and shaded by the graceful cotton wood, and pretty red bud
and locust. Here indeed was a western paradise! upon the Mississippi banks
we found realized, those visions so many have sighed after, a lodge in the
vast wilderness, a secluded retreat from the haunts of men, where the
confusions and follies of the world are only remembered as a troubled
dream. A charming young family, and a well selected library, render this
retirement most delightful. A seminary upon a new plan had been lately
erected near their abode, and with a view of showing us every thing of
interest around them, our friends drove us in their carriage through a
pleasant road in an oak forest, to the Monticello Female Seminary. The
building is of limestone of that region, four stories in height. It stands
within a lawn ornamented with groups of trees, and a fine garden is laid out
in the rear. This extensive establishment was founded by Benjamin
Godfrey, Esq., a gentleman of Alton, who, to this benevolent purpose
devoted a large share of his property. While a resident of the west, many
examples had come before his eyes, of the miseries arising from the
imperfect education of the young women who settle here. The dearth of
servants rendered it necessary for the young wives around him to
superintend, if not assist in household labor, and he saw how much better it
was they should come prepared for these duties, and quite able to perform
them, instead of wearing themselves out, and pining away over tasks,
which, by being new, appear much more arduous than they are in reality. As
the evil lay in a defective system of education, this generous individual at
once saw how great a desideratum an institution would be, uniting useful
with ornamental accomplishments. With a public spirit to be much
applauded, Mr. Godfrey erected this spacious building, for educating ‘wives
for the west.’ Eighty young ladies is the limited number, all to be over
fourteen years of age. With the course of scientific study usual in female
seminaries, the pupils are taught music, instructed in religion, and in
various household duties. Among other lessons, they are taught to set a
table, arrange their rooms, even sweep and scrub them; wash, starch and
iron all their clothes. Some young ladies, who had been bred in idleness, or
who had come from the indulgent homes of Alton, or luxurious mansions of
St. Louis, where slaves await their nod, were very reluctant at first to
undertake these menial employments; but the advantage which so good a
school presented in its other departments, rendered their mothers deaf to
their complaints. They were soon, however, broken in, and sing as merrily
over their wash tubs, as the other pupils. As gain is not the object of its
generous founder, the price of admission is placed low, still there are some,
whose means are too straightened for even this, and these are allowed to
pay for their instruction, by labor in the house. The eagerness to get
admittance for young persons, is very great, and many thus receive
instruction who are of high respectability, and are enabled to attend to the
younger branches of the family, or even, if required, teach others. Some of
these young persons are beneficiaries of a benevolent society, called the
‘Ladies’ Association for Educating Females.’ The object of this society is to
‘encourage and assist young females to qualify themselves for teaching, and
to aid in supporting teachers in those places where they cannot otherwise be
sustained.’ Young females of all ages are selected from poor families and
placed in schools, where they are watched over by these benevolent ladies,
their tuition paid, and to each, every year, is addressed a circular letter of
advice, with the donation of an appropriate, instructive book. When
prepared, they are placed in situations where they can support themselves.
Several have become missionaries, and at this school are two of the
Cherokee tribe who are preparing to be teachers among their people. The
great amount of good performed by these ladies entitle them to the hearty
wishes of the benevolent and patriotic. The Rev. J. Spalding, in his address
before the seventh annual meeting at Jacksonville, says: ‘Since its
commencement it has aided one hundred and forty-seven young ladies in
their preparation for usefulness and heaven, thirty-one of whom are
professed followers of the Lamb.’ Now that I have thoroughly described the
institution, we will leave the carriage and enter the house. We were shown
into a neatly furnished parlor, where we were soon joined by the principal
of Monticello, the Rev. Theron Baldwin, a gentleman of great information
and piety. He kindly explained to us the principle upon which the seminary
was conducted, and then offered to show us the house. Every thing was
arranged with the greatest order and neatness. The dining, school, and
recitation rooms, were large, clean and airy, and the bed rooms
commodious. Upon the ground floor was a chapel fitted up with the
beautiful black walnut of their woods; here divine service is performed, by
the Rev. Mr. Baldwin, to the school and people of the neighborhood, who
assemble there every Sunday. You see the Illinois people are determined
their people shall enjoy the blessings of education; and when we reflect
how much the destiny of our nation depends upon the next generation, we
cannot devote our time or our money to a better purpose, than furthering
such institutions. We left the seminary, pleased with its arrangements, and
wishing all success to the generous individual who originated the
establishment. It is delightful to see wealth so well employed, to behold the
‘just steward’ thus ably disposing of his master’s property. Such
disinterestedness shone out in bold relief from the selfish and reckless waste
of fortune which we had beheld in our pilgrimage, like one of his own ‘oak
islands,’ upon a sunny and treeless prairie.
Once more we experienced the pains of parting, and were forced to leave
our friends that afternoon. We returned to our hotel where we are awaiting
the arrival of our steamboat which is to take us to St. Louis. When I look
around in this interesting country, and upon such towns as Alton, I wonder
why our Atlantic cities are so full of people. How many young men do I
know there, and indeed, whole families, who are struggling for a living, and
denying themselves every comfort that their spare income may suffice, to
give them a showy appearance in public; crammed into crowded boarding
houses, narrow, hot, dusty streets, when there is here in this wide beautiful
land, room, fresh air, fine scenery, employment, everything to be enjoyed, at
half the expense they are forced to lay out among so many discomforts. The
steamboat bell warns me to put up my note book, and I will resume when
aboard.
We found ourselves in a small steam-boat, which makes regular trips
between this town and St. Louis, twenty-five miles. Alton looked very
pretty when we turned to bid a sorrowful adieu, and we regretted our time
would not allow us to remain in this interesting place. We are now all
eagerly looking out, for the giant Missouri, whose junction with the
Mississippi is but two miles below Alton. At length the point is in view, all
gather upon the guards, and bend our eyes towards the right shore,—we are
now before the mouth and behold an extraordinary scene. The Missouri
does not, as travellers tell us, come rushing, and bounding, and dashing
along, striking the Mississippi with such a concussion that volumes of mist
arise in the air,—we beheld nothing so wonderful—a broad stream rolled
down between its verdant banks, rapidly, and very like a torrent, but in quite
a decent and proper manner. Its color—alas, for our pellucid lakes—is a tint
not often recognized by artists, but generally called gruel or soap-suds hue.
It holds in solution such an extraordinary quantity of clay, that one wonders
how the steamboat can force its way through it. Its rapid current is
distinguished by the curls and little whirlpools among the mud. Where it
meets the Mississippi is a small ridge of clay, and thick masses push
themselves under the clear brown water, coloring it more and more with its
impurity, until at last, the unhappy Mississippi, after struggling for some
time, is completely lost in the clayey stream, as some pure young heart,
striving against temptation, but lost at last. The streams continue separate
for some miles below St. Louis, and there the river takes the Missouri
character. I looked up the vista of this grand stream, as we passed its mouth,
with sentiments of awe. A mighty mass of water—it came rolling down
nearly four thousand miles from its source in the wild recesses of the Rocky
Mountains, bearing upon its bosom, not a fleet of Argosies, but materials
for their construction in whole forests of gigantic trees.
Such an admirer of water as you know I am, you may be sure I regretted
the soiling of my bright brunette Mississippi. To watch the foam of our
vessel had been a favorite pastime, but alas, what a change from the
diamond and emerald of our lakes, the topaz of the Illinois, the Zircon of
the Mississippi to the soapsuds of the Missouri. I have called the
Mississippi coffee color; it is now coffee-au-lait, and indignant must the
father of waters be under so great an oppression. Several green islands
adorn the stream, and the shores are spotted with a few houses, and now
chimney, and roof, and tower, piled up against each other, proclaim a city,
and we are soon in sight of the city of St. Louis. An old castellated Spanish
mansion is the first relic we have seen of that brave Castilian race which
once reigned over these broad lands. It is, I think, their ultima thula, their
most northern point. The appearance of St. Louis, from the water, is very
much like Albany, as it is built upon rising ground, consisting of two
plateaus of land, the last elevated several feet above the other, but its water
craft gave it quite a different character. We are used in our cities to behold
the water front, bristling with masts, but here we saw steamboats alone,
there being about seventy moored at the wharves, which gave a novel and
western appearance, to the scene. The flat boat, is fast disappearing, and
steamboats, are the only style of boat, with few exceptions, which we see;
of these, five hundred and eighty-eight have been built upon the western
waters.[21] The city of St. Louis stretches a mile along the elevated shore,
and nearly the same distance back. We almost fancied ourselves in New
York again, so great was the stir upon the wharf. The ware-houses, of brick
or limestone, made of the rock upon which they stand, appeared filled with
goods and customers, boxes and bales, carts and barrows were floating
about, and every one seemed active except the negro slaves who were
plodding about their work with the usual nonchalant gait of this merry but
indolent nation. We missed our good wharves at home, and even the paved
bank of Alton, for a shower had rendered the shore muddy. Surely some
Yankee might contrive a more commodious landing; something that might
rise and fall with the river, or a long pier. We drove to the Missouri House,
where we arrived in time for tea, and at night were lulled to sleep by a
Spanish guitar, and chattering of French voices from the shops and cafes in
our neighborhood.
LETTER IX.
St. Louis, July 12.
My dear E.—The days we have spent here, we have been very busy,
except Sunday, in examining every thing in and about this place. It is a very
nice city, and one of much importance, has increased much lately, and will
continue to increase. Its population is twenty-four thousand five hundred
and fifty-five. In 1825 it was only six thousand. There are several good
churches here, some of which, we attended to-day, it being Sunday. There is
a pretty episcopal of the Gothic form, a baptist church, of brick, having a
neat white porch in front—an unitarian, of plaster—a methodist, and a large
cathedral belonging to the catholics. This is an odd picturesque building,
and is one hundred and thirty-six feet by eighty-four broad, built of grey
stone. You enter by a porch supported by four Doric columns. The body of
the church is divided by columns, lighted by elegant chandaliers; the
sacristy and altar are very handsome; the windows of painted glass; and
there is in the church a fine painting of St. Louis, presented by Louis XVIII.
The bells are from Normandy. We had penetrated two thousand miles in the
wilderness of the west, and were glad to find we had not yet ‘travelled
beyond the Sabbath.’
What nice resting spells these Sabbaths are! When whirled upon the
stream of life, our attention occupied in avoiding the snags and sawyers and
cross currents in our channel, how refreshing, how necessary is it for us to
anchor for a little while, and look about, and consider our future course.
The Sabbath is a precious anchor to the soul, giving it time to meditate upon
its future career, and consult those charts which a kind heaven has sent to
direct its route. The Sabbath is necessary to man, and was given in mercy.
Physicians tell us rest is required for the machinery of man; that the brain
and nerves, while forever upon the stretch will decay much sooner than if
sometimes relaxed. It was the opinion of the great Wilberforce, that the
suicide of Lord Londonderry and that of Sir Samuel Romilly was owing to
their neglect of this day of rest. Speaking of the death of the former he says,
‘he was certainly deranged—the effect probably of continued wear and tear
of the mind. But the strong impression of my mind is, that it is the effect of
the non-observance of the Sabbath, both as abstracting from politics, from
the continual recurrence of the same reflections, and as correcting the false
views of worldly things, and bringing them down to their own
indistinctness. He really was the last man in the world who appeared likely
to be carried away into the commission of such an act, so cool, so self
possessed! It is very curious to hear the newspapers speaking of incessant
application to business, forgetting that by a weekly admission of a day of
rest, which our Maker has graciously enjoined, our faculties would be
preserved from the effects of this constant strain. I am strongly impressed
with the recollection of your endeavors to prevail upon the lawyers to give
up Sunday consultations in which poor Romilly would not concur. If he had
suffered his mind to enjoy such occasional relaxations it is highly probable
the strings would never have snapped, as they did, from over extension.’