New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-01

peculiar cOmplacency and SAD, t tio, in England
Of honor that have often dined at taoes ~ that
where | have felt It my duty 10 MANI I'm any,bino
can nossbly have said at Governor Lawrence Ia
lie measured his merit by the degree OF annoy sneo
cagsed and Is reminded OF hls ~Ie Sir snencer
ics rs that the Haytans cry OUT against cli pncor
ST. Johns book against them with dss.eo VI 10
which the surest evidence OF us truth roxance
reasoning Is defective; man may snow anu, a
at heinz called sheep stealer without thereby prov
Ing that he has just been released IRON ls ~ N.
Another result of this apparent indurauon Vi 'nS
cuiice I'm Engishmen IS the curious coarseNess W
phrase which so often annoys an American 10 ,ino
nols with which an otherwise wellbred English lady
will talk frankly OF tubing and OF cleahlhg UT
self 1t suggests the complaint MADE Dy Lort Mei
bourne of certain London Beauties that they gave nun
too much Of their natural history do not Know any
well-cducated Americans except one or two sou,ners
lady novelsts who habituay use the word niger
but in English literature and speech 1t seems UNI,
versal Froude employs IT through all his pooRs OK
travel and even so graceful writer as the late Mrs.
very offensive word sinking and finds and hears
London, in "rne New-York Independent. hate
people that stink Of money So IN society," Auer u,
being leculed for want of refined perception by
writer's whose manners and language ofiend US ra az
free from this ohersiveness OF language. when
heard the most eminent OF English poets say OF tb,
odlous Angllcsm had not yet crossed the Atlantic, IL
seemed to startled Imagination as the venus VI
Milo had opened her marble lips and had begun 10
curse and swear. The trouble IS that such phrases
reach us also very rapidly and take root among US
slang to England also and We often go TO LONDON 10
hear it for the first time from cultivated lips Eut
riders are not here be found frequently In fas-
dious circles. and thus our opportunities OF pcKng
London AT,
But 1t must be remembered, in Justice, that this
lack Of scnltveness in the Englishman Is at the lou
dalton, not merely Of many demerits, Dut 9 soe VI
his most conspicuous virtues, and especially OK ms
epDo.e direction and both faults and virtues are
often due, in his case. to the quality OF being 100
thn-skinned Mr.. Darwin never said an acuter thlhg
than when he wrote to DR.. Gray during the Amerl.
can civil war; We cannot enter into your feenngs
g. c. to the hostility Of EnSsnd srr Sh b %erg
do not think We should care penny what other ma,
with the slaycry cause but our sensltlyeness 10
the general English want of sympathy on that point
mode of action, which IS to 20 on your own course.
and " not care a penny" what others think Tho
Amefcas TOO sclfconscious, too visi6ly sensitive
and the Englshman roo solld and aggressive.
Wherever We goes, the American wishes to adapt him
desires to adapt the habits Of the country to himself
The American is pleased at being taken for French
man, an Italian, German; the Engishman would be
veXed by such Misrepresentation, were II possible.
This spirit Of adaptation is easily carried to excess
by The American, but IT tends to keep up the
amenities of lie Being sensitive himself, one
sDecs the feelings of Others. and would rather forego
other hand the absence Of over ser st;veness does
much TO produce that ingenuousness ard frankness
which constitute after all the attraction Of the Eng.
lish manner The young men of the colleges and great
schools be the most attractive class English
society they certainly carry the dew OF their youth
longer than young Americans. who by com
paIlson prematurely sagacious and experienced =.
II must be owned that neither Engllshmen Ameri-
whereas all sorts and conditions Of Americans
section. as IT were. OF their whole nationality. the
English travelling class Is a picked body, in com.
Engshmen of the lOwermiddle lower class travel,
they apt 70 be labelled as cooks tourists" and
to have been attacked by some very pleasant oxford
and Cambridge men in Switzerland In regard to the
diligence, and they said frankly aYou would not
nd Suc doo man among Ensh travee Not
Of them con"lusively, of course We did not mean
frst-claSs, and without bong labelled, and that they
but that tried BY any fair comparison. the American
travelling manners were, perhaps. as good as any.
least advantage when away from home, because tho
virtues of hos pality do not then enter into their be-
EnelIshman has need to fear comparison with any
other nation and If hts taste seems equvocal and he
sometimes seems to prefer his Americans. he likes
his game little high-havored, we must not DO too
there remains certain quality In the English nature
which IS compelled to regard with thorough adj
sense OF justice fibre Of oak Asking the first English
soldier saw on my first VISIT to England some
he belonged to tho Coldstrcam Guards. He was a
short sturdy fellow with the chevrons OF orderly
eclgeont, and his cheeks and hair were almost
rlbicnnd az his uniform, yet thought he flushed
litte more when | remarked that tho Coldsream
Guards was a famous corps, and that had read It's
history. After this he fingered while at the post
Office. where was doing Grand. and, coming up
to me on my temperance said: u ought TO
have explained To you. SIR that although
belong to the COdsrcam Guards as / told you, was
rot originally member OF II. / was transferred to
II after the battle OF The Alma where was wounded
and wished 10 tell you that you are not TO take me
for fair specimen OF II. / give you my word OF
hOnor, sir, that am tho shortest in The corps"
| thought 10 myself The Guard dies, but never sur
renders and whole centuries of Engand's greatness
were summed up for me IN this single piece OF per
fccty gratuitous seifsacnhcc for the honor OF bis
comrades. After all, there is certain seriousness
- tic foundation Of the English nature Joubert
says, Les Anglais sont cevcs dams lie respect des
chnscS sercses and something Of this grave purpose
lies at the foundation Of what IS nobcst even In man
But even seriousness alone Is not enough and
the daring Hene declared IL his opinion that bias
pheming Frcnchman was, on the whole, more pleas
ing spectacle In the sight OF Heaven than praying
Englshman 10 what use, then. ms great trans.
plantation Of tho English across the Atlantic and
lis mngling with more varied and more mercural
blood, II we cannot go lille beyond the traditions
OF our paIcntage and mako virtue attractlvcl