New-York daily tribune., 1858-12-03
EUROPEAN IDEAS OF AMERICA.
Core s9oudelce Of The y. Y Tribune.


LONDON, Nov. 70, 1853
When asserted in my letter Of last week that
tine United States sle better known and more pop
ular in Germany than in any European country, l
did not even except England. Take ten Engl sh-
men and ten Germans at random OUT Of the popi.
la.ion Of provincial town of the respective coIa-
ties, lei them pass an examination IN reference TO
the geography, the constitution, the state Of soce
", &c., oI he United States, aud | am sure you
vii ind lbaE am right in my opinion. Though
among the mary srest AMI glorious achievements IL
lusrrafig Ihe biography OF John Bull, the fact oi his
having begctten Brother JOnathsn 10 without any
Soubt tie greatest the most glorious, and mat Of
which the old gentleman ought to be almost a. proud
as of his OWE existence and tolerable good health
in his old agc--yet your uncle, German Michel, Il
still elder man, without being held much in honor
for all that by your young folks, takes far more
generous interest IN your welfare and good reputa-
tOn than Your venerable sire. Or If you prefer Ia
hear Of your mother and of your aunt instead of
your father and OF your uncle may say that Ger
many admires III the United States what she herself
is longing 10 possess while England, IN the case Ot
some less cOmmendable traits of the American
character only recognizes some Of the less admirit-
bic lines of her face in the looking glass and
in the ease of al that ls noble and prasew0rthy in
the | nitcd States, 80 much the more rcscnts the
cold independence Of her descendant.
OF course, the feeling toward the United States
is different not only IN different European coun-
tries, but different also with the different classes
and with the different parties of European society.
European governments aud government Officials
hate American seit.goyernmen,; European capital
lists haze the Insecurity of American see lrities
European sristocrats hate American society. En-
ghsbmen, too, hate American society, because En-
pllsbmen are aristocrats, those among them " no
not lords themselves being unable at least to do
without lords. Frenchmen like tic Americans as
far as the latter to spend their money at Paris
they would ike the devil if he came for that pur-
pose-but beyond this they hate them, though not
quite as much as they hate the English Spinlards
hate America because they have lost it and some
fine day fear tlat they will lose the island of Cubs
too aud becsuse neither Don Quixotte nor Sincb)
PaDza is held in high esteem in the United States.
1he Germans alone, as a nation, like America,
otherwise they would not emigrate in such num-
beIs To the new world. With the Germans, as a
nation, the United States are in nigh favor, and
would stil be more so, as they really were several
yeaIs ago, If the accounts of the knox Nothnss
killing the German turner's and some similar events.
narrated in rhyme, had not been sung 10 doleul
tunes by the Organ-g grinders allo Germany. But
German poets nnd philosophers hate American mat
ter-oi-fnct interests; German sybirtes hate dry
German romanticists, whether producers or con.
sumers of romance. hate American reality though
some Of them admire Cooper's novels and the song
of Hiawa.ha. These different classes Of the Ger.
man " sristocracy of mind" foster their antpathies
by voluntary ignorance; or if SOME active charac-
ters among them display an interest in American
affairs this interest is exhibited IN their eagerness
10 collect aud bring before the public such facts a,
are apt 10 show American life from the least favor
able side. This tendency, however. is only thst of
Il minority and Of class of men not very popular
themselves with the mass Of the Dstion, who do
not need an extraordinary degree Of smartness in
order TO understand the motives Of such industry,
when they the efforts made in certain quarter,
70 put check Oh emigration.
All this is very natural, and the right 10 defend
its position and intests must be granted h every
class of society. II those who have To gain BY the
efec. of the good example of the United States
free 10 paint exclusively the brgh: side of the pie
ture, let those who have 10 lose By that effect coli
lect the material for painting the dark side OF IL,
provided both can reach their purpose without de-
Waiting from truth Under this restriction, If the
latter able 10 find such material /. IL not their
fault that il exists and the friends of American
publicanism can only regret the undenable fact.
The United States, lihe other countries end na-
tons, hase no right to the sympathy and good
viii OF every body. Bat whsn those whose inter
es!s are inseparSty connected with the interests Of