Wichita eagle., 1888-08-22
OUR ANGLOMANIACS.
IN FORMER DAYS FRENCH WAYS
WERE THE FASHION.

ACSLOhanl8 SOnHueU 10 q A-Aua1te0 class.
The American Habit of Mind Is Re-
sponsible for 1t All Not . Serious
Matter.
The newspapers are constantly satirixing a
tendency to Anglornania, which is said to
prevail just now in American society, or at
least in few cities and watering places
along the Atlantic shore. 1t is no. habir1ally
mentioned that this is but a swing Of the
same pendulum which seemed, twenty years
ago, to be swinging the other way, and
carrying US away from everything English
and toward everything French. The same
pendulum has been steadily vibrating. in
deed ever since the foundation of our gov
ernment, and IFS movements have never had
any great or important influence upon the
mass of the American people. Be this Is it
may, it is perfectly certain that the whinl III
fashion thirty and even twenty years ago
was quite unlike what it now is.
Good Americans were said. when they
died, to go to Paris, and even the wit of Tom
Appleton never ventured TO suggest that
they should go to London At Newport it
was Tor many years held essential to do
things in the French way, not the English.
Americans yearned to be presented; they
uniformly preferred to live on the other side
of the English channel; and remember 10
have had this explained to me by q man Of
some fashion, on the ground that if an ambi-
tious American family lived in Paris they
were not vexed ct being omitted from this or
that entertainment of the nobility; whereas
in England, where their own language was
spoken, that sort of omission chafed them far
more. The reason thus assigned may have
been fimsy, but the fact recognized was i'm
portant; it indicated a period when French
standards, not English, prevailed in our
more fashionable society.
LIMITED CLASS.
1t must be remembered that Aneionlania Is
confined among Us to limited class, and to
certain very limited pursuits and interests of
that class. 1t does not exist, for instance,
among our men of science, inasmuch as they
so TO Germany in shoals for study. and rarely
visit Engl land since the death of Darwin It
is now charged upon our literary men, since
the death of Richard Grant White, who was
moreover, as ardently anti-Euglish in some
directions as he was vehemently English in
Others. 1t is not found in our journalism,
which aspireS to lead the English and actually
leads it in enterprise, while falling behind it
in evenness of execution and in tho minor
proprieties of life 1t is not TO DO found in
our public school system or in our college
systems, for these, where they are not Aneri-
can, are German. 1t is not found in our
library methods, for in the librarians con-
ventions of the last few years Americans
have led and not followed. Even when we
come on more intimate and domestic ground
limitations still exist. Our standard of
cookery, so far as we have any, is French and
not English.
No American lady would wish to be charged
with dressing like an English woman and no
American man, when travelling anywhere
but in England, would wish to be taken for
an Englishman, for the simple reason that
Americans are everywhere SO much moro
popular. The key TO this alleged Anglo
mania, therefore, is simply this: that the
American habit Of mind is essentially cosmo-
politan. and goes to each nation for that
which it finds best of its kind. As unerringly
Us it goes to Germany for its scientific in
or to France for its cooks, so it
goes to England for what is not so well to be
found in France or GerInany-the minor
and facilities which belong to a
highly trained leisure class.
BORROWING BRon ABROAD
Itself newly developed, this American class
turns to England for a good standard of
minor essentials, as horse equipments and
clothes. 1t borrows more than
than these; it borrows those accessories of
high bred life which promote daily comfort
and convenience, the organization Of large
household, the routine of social life In these
directions England is very strong, though it
may be doubted if this is the highest sphere,
If 1t can be set against the dignity of the bes.
Spanish or Italian manners, the keenest OF !
French wit, and the depth and solidity of |
German knowledge. These also are fully /
appreciated among us, but their traces do /
not lie so much on the surface. All these |
things, SO far as we can, we borrow; why |
not2 II older nations borrow from one an
other why not younger from olderl II is no I
discredit to England that her one high philo- /
logical authority, Max Muller, is a German.
and that her one humorous periodical-in /
America every newspaper is humorous /
bears traces of its French origin in the title,
Punch, or The London Charivari The Eng /
ish journals are constantly pointing out that !
their own people ara becoming Anericanized; /
why, then, should not an American here or
there DO Anghcizeds 1t is pretty certain all
ne while that we are exerting far more in
iuenca than we receive.
Let us not disturb ourselves Out Of the
fifty millions Of Americans the passing wave
IF Anglomania or Francomania reaches but
1 few thousands, and merely touches those
N the surface. Even the young men whom
{ reaches are at heart good Americans
From T. Vt. Higginsop'S Men and " omen