The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-08-04
What the English Think Of Us.

The people of the United States are senss-
tive to degree bordering upon the ridicu'
lous whenever their merits or dement's are
called in question by AN EDgiishman. We
Of the South used to partake of this same
senstivencss, but seem to have lost our oeii-
cacy Of nerve since the late unpleasantnn'essss".
For some reason or other which we iea'e u
TO the philosophers to ascertain and divuige.
the Southern people appear now rainier 10
enjoy than to become indignant at British
abuse of American manners customs, anu
men. To learn what The British say and
do you must consult womau'tourist'
KATE FIELD is the one whose SER
vices we propose TO avail ourselves OF on
the, present occasion, postponlng HUGHES
and his platform till another day, though we
have smashed this latter up already. Well,
KATE FIELD has for some time been sojourn-
ing in England, and, having learned thing
or two, she writes TO the Tribune concern
iny her experience. We Americans know
not, she says, how ignorant of and indifferent
TO our feelings aud thoughts the British are.
See how little they know and care about the
4th OF July:
"Most extraordinary thing exclaimed a
fine lady at dinner yesterday, 4" that Generai
aud the Misses Schcnck should be at home
Tomorrow to Americans only. What does
il meant" care you really sertous" l
asked; care you not aware of the reason p
.sCertainlv not" she answered. How
should we know" retorted a fine gentle.
man. Appealing to the rest Of the COM
pany, consisting Of four men and five women,
j found them all equally ignorant of the fact
that the United States were about to ceie-
crate their national independence. When
informed that it would not be good taste to
Invite an old enemy on such an occasion, the
the lady exclaimed, "Uhr' The fine gen.
tleman remarked, "Ah! !" and the chorus
observed, Really"
Now, that ought to mortiiy Us. we sup
fose, but it doesn't. We smiled, and
thought of the 4th of July dinner at Vienna,
at which the American flag was Haunted in
the face of all the world, aud Of General
GRANTS boast in his last annual message
that all the world will learn rerubicanism
from us.
Again:
At present America might as we'll be in
the moon SO far as knowledge of, or interest
N, its institutions are concerned. Where
the English people see q great, generous
continent, society sees blank, and like q
blank we shall be treated until the discovery
Is made that the geography of the Missls-
sIppi is infinitely more important to Eng
lands welfare than that OF the classic llisus.
Again:
| aun always surprised when men Of good
position begin their acquaintance by inform.
ing me that everything in America is
thoroughly corrupt, that we arc all rascals,
that our only salvation is in monarchical
institutions, to which we are rapidly coming.
II never occurs to them that their remarks
are insulting; but if an American more
patriotic than wise retorts, his ebullition is
set down to ridiculous susceptibility.
The only safety of America is in monarch
cal institutions replies England to General
GRANTS boasts.
Again:
In my despair l take up the Telegraph
and read leader devoted to our national
holiday. 1t is written in a kindly, generous
spirit but the other Journals do not give us
80 much lis Il paragraph. I'VE wrote about
YOU last year. says one editor, as though
people remembered the contents Of Il news
Paper twenty-four hours!
live talked koptic our peculiarities would
be accepted, but to speak English and yet be
not English is worse than crime; it is a
blundcr If have been told once that
did not speak like an American l have been
told so fifty times. Ny last critic asked me
why didn't talk American. "What shall
do 20 i asked. why, say, Look here,
stranger and speak through your nose"
For downright, unconscious impudence the
Britisher bus not his equal on the face OF the
globe.
But now for Yankee impudence
Yet. strange as it may appear, the best
English in the world isspoken by cultivated
BostonianS.
This is is much rs to say that the Boston
standard is higher authority than the Lon
don standard. Such nOnSensical assertions
call for no refutation. The best English in
the world is of course spoken by the edu.
Gated classes Of London. Ii Boston pro-
nouuces word now as London pronounced
il 4 hundred years ago, and London has in
vented and Uses new pronunciation, the
lattcr is uuqucstionably the correct one. TO
deny this is to do what Dr. FRANKLIN jocu-
llrIy proposed TO do in the Convention that
framed the Federal Conslltution-drivet the
English out Of their own country and make
captive Of their language.
-