The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-20
MONSIGNOR CAPEL.
Impressions of Americans-The Angio-Rus-
sian Quarrel.

impressions OF AmerlcanS-lh0 Angio-hus-
sian Quarrel.
Interview in Cincinnati Enquirer.
ITO ask you a question which has doubtless
oeen asked a thousand times, what are your lm-
presslons. of America by this time"
The natural intelligence of Americans is re-
marKable. You can meet a little child mere
hardly born and ask her a question and she Will
iooK W. bright and saucy and answer with q
smile, while an English child would commence
to biabber and say nothing. You Americans
are all nerves. You are the most intensely ner-
vous people | have ever seen. You are an intel.
Ngent people, but you are not a finely educated
people. You have not time. You must get'to
doing something; you can't wait; you are impa-
tent. The Engllshman plods through his two
column leader in the morning paper. Yon can't
do that; you haven't the time. That's the reason
you like short paragraphs, lectures and
breezy news in a condensed form.
The Cathedral of Cologne was eight hun.
that long here. Your buildings, though
they may look well as to architectural design,
look cheap. They do not look as if built for all
time, like they do with us. You are all In a
ern Road for miles on nothing but a great tres
tie work. They wouldn't do that way in Eng
land. They would proceed slowly and make 1t
firm as a rock. Here you make up your mind to
have your railroad connection, and you have it
in a jify. A man of great learning, indomita-
BILE energy. pluck and endurance can get a high
place in any country. In Europe you have to
elbow your way like e~lbowing through a crowd,
slowly and monotonously. Here they see what
you are, and you 60 up like a balloon. 1t is not
the liberty of this country so much as this fact
that makes it great and brings you so many
immigrants. They see that by expanding the
same amount of energy and being as indus
trious here as over the ocean they can be-
come prosperous / am astonished at the intelli-
geEce among the lower classes here, and at the
good taste in in draSS among all.
Another thing remarkable is that, considering
the fact that your population is made up from
people of all nations, there is such unihcation.
Your people seem as a unit. There is no line OF
distinction. With us, go from England into
Ireland, and you find a different people, and 90
across a narrow channel to France, and you find
a people totally different in dress, habits and
speech"
what are your opinions concerning the diff
ferences between Russia and EnglandF'
Il think they must fight. The shilly-shallying
of the government cannot prevent it. The policy
of the government has been for peace, yet it has
continually been involved in war. Russia wants
to extend her frontier, and is frantic for a south
ern port. think we will have war at no distant
day. It is a dreadful thing, but there are some
things more dreadful"
What views do you entertain on the Irish
question and d~ynamite?'
When | became a priest / resolved not to
mix in politics. Still, l am very candid in my
views. l think it monstrous and outrageous
that England does not make Ireland independ-
emit on the same footing with Canada and Aus
tralia. am not for dynamite. The way to do
good for Ireland is by craftsmanship such as
Parnells, and by enriching her. There are eight
million Irishmen in this country. If they would
all resolve to wear no linen, no poplin and no
lace that was not made in Ireland or in this
country, what a boom they would give the old
Island! They would enrich her through her
manufactures They could do the same thing
in regard to their books and articles of furni-
fura ~ =