New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-10-14
INTERNATIONAL GIRLISHNESS.

| If it be true that "the least said the soonest
mended," there is no reason to believe that the
social relations Of England and America are in
way to be bettered. Not since the day of
Mrs. Trollope and "The American Notes" have
there been such lively elimination and recrim-
| ination in the magazines and newspapers as
now. Educated and distinguished English
men write articles to prove that the manners Of
| Americans are bad. that we have no past that
we suffer also from lack Of distinction, that
there are no pretty girls in America except the
young English ladies who happen to be travel
| ling here that we do not speak the English
language but shocking conglomeration which
is coming to be known as American" Ed
| ucated and distinguished Americans write
articles to prove that the English do not know
| their own language any better than they do
their own literature, which is best appreciated
in this country, that EngGshmen are rude and
overbearing to foreigners, that their publishers
steal our books as cheerfully as our publishers
steal theirs This state of mutual irritability
does not exist to the same degree between any
other two nations Mr.. Andrew Lang an ac-
compshed English writer, in an article we
quote from elsewhere, calls it " international
eirlishnessn and compares these two great
peoples to Fanny Squeers and her friend "lilda
with their spiteful quarrels and bitter friend
ship, and wonders why the Americans and
English cannot criticise each other with good
temper and mutual profit, as they criticise OF
are criticised by other nations.
Mr.. Lang appears in the role OF peace
maker, or plays the part, for, unfortunately
he fails so lamentably as to give rise to doubts
of his sincerity. What does he do to allay this
international irritablity he processes to regret
Why, he adds to it by keeping up the policy OF
reprsals which make all the trouble. As an
answer to the accusation that Blackwood's
Nlagazinen fory-three years ago spoke OF Mr.
Lowell as "a presumptuous youngling," he
produces the alleged remark Of an American
paper concerning IN English literary divine
who recently visited Us, that he was the
typical cadD If England is Fanny is this the
way to re-establsh loving relations with 'lilda I
Or. if England is 'Tilda, does Mr. Lang sup
pose that Fanny, as a woman OF spirit, Is going
to like that sort of hing? But this is not all.
He says sneeringly that Mr.. Theodore Roose-
Welt. one Of the later American champions in
this dispute, every likely knows more OF wal
than Lord Woseley," whom he handled without
gloves, much 10 the disgust, probably, OF that
gallant officer, who always fights with gloves,
as we all know. Mr.. Lang probably was not
aware that Mr.. Roosevelt is a Dakota cowboy,
and no man ever came to the top in that ar
duous profession without winning many more
victories than Lord Woseley with his record
of superb defeats. ever dreamed OF.
Then as an of set TO the English lady who
told Mr. Roosevelt that his accent reminded
her Of a banjo,n Mr.. Lang brings up two
American literary women, who sat next him at
dinner on different occasions, and then wrote
him up deliberately in the newspapers. Is this
the way to international peace and qmetness
If 'Tilda-for Mr.. Lang, speaking for Eng
land, declares that he is Tilda-nsists that she
is to have the last word will Fanny be likely
to let her have it, so long as she has any
vocabulary left? But the worst is yet to come.
Mr. Lang asserts that he-spealSing in his repre-
sentative capacity for the Englsh-is 'Tilda
rather than Fanny because the English keeI
their tempers best under all this friction, and
goes so far as to suggest that they should re-
frain from INDUCING in any criticisms upon
America in order to avoid offending the over
sensitive Fanny Squeers. II 'Tilda doesn't
have her hair pulled after this. then Fanny is
a long-suffering female, and has been wickedly
misunderstood
Why can't they agree? MIR. Lang says
"The truth is. that English are more like
Americans, and Americans more like English,
than any other two sets of human beings" That
is precisely the reason. 1t is family quarrel.