New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-07-01
A WORD WITH ENGLAND.
THE MOTHER COUNTRY'S misunderstood
INGS

AN ELOQUENT ADDRESS BY WILLIAM WINTER
In Introducing the address which Will be found be-
law aThe sunday Times" OF London says OF Mr..
Winter: HIS name IS household word In cuituIeu
society throughout the United Staifs. sweet ana
tuncful poet ne has also written several no'aoie'
works on the tage. His "Trip to ENGLAND Is inc
most eloquent and graceful tribute to England since
Washington Irving Mr. Winter is on visit to THIS
country and spoke for the toast OF Tbs Nsltors at
the Green Room Club dinner. Our readers, we arc
sure will thank US for careful note of his remarks
The members OF the Green Room were fortunate In
healing St. accomplished an author speak ior 'nclr
cdiiicatiOn polished and thonghtful essay" .
Your compliment l entirely understand, saa
Mr. Winter. Is not offered especially TO me- Dul, III
part to that eminent ourna across ne 9Gean ost 3
year, / have continuously and Leaously laDored 10
advocate that sympathetic alliance between INC I'D 7o
and soc etv which promotes the welfare OK both anu IN
part to YOUR numerous American friends ana COM
rades absent as well as present whom S0w wish yGu
fu that few words should be spoken ~ one OF Ine
on,p tbongbtfu and earnest consideration Of your
wishes. orc cannot be NesOn-but one can fol-
poES ENGLAND UNDERSTAND AMERICA
It was long ago recorded of your famous orator,
Fox that he said, when speaking OF tIt ana ana
eo1 i aw " ind the word tne would be very glad
10 nnd ho word. and speak at moment me rls;
PERHAPS shall not be TAR wrong II say thar mOs1
sgn ant fact of this occasion is IFS union Oh Ahcr
can with English votaries of dramatic art 20 iSct
ooi ayv hind are Implicated In the friendship Of
tho two countries, and nothing surely can DC oIo
unlest andlne and alliance between the arr comnluI
ties OF the mother-land and her now entlrely haS
wholly indepen dent, and perhaps somewhat denant
on, Laus. aFecton * clear-sghted and love
for Won malns US wise, az least Ia thls Do Sou'
in England. wholly understand us Ia. ~. .ha
Only few days have passed since G ctoS , 90 ,e3
sad o,eSt ms my nobiest and senest splrs that
al In
r~nlus and rcnown In al your hearts the laureIled
pane Of b MoT An3f o we'd e. Sc
almost beside his sacred dust would speak no worn
Of him except c5 o be said that his comprehensive
CONFORMATION Of Amerca-that cold ungenue yerdlcI
fram his grasp forever-was in a great degree mis-
taken lie told us that our country Is Wholly III,
interesting and that we have produced no lleranI9
at all and thus. by implication. no art Oh any hhu
that IS worth consideration IL Is sihgu!ssT ioI "a
peysrieI as typicaT manifest alton of that part Of
the current OF English critical thought "nlcn runs
versey to America. and for that reason 1t Is uieh
toned now.
TRIBUTE TO ARNOLD AND A REPLY.
Certain things that Arnold said OF US are rr rne;
America does not possess that os Fneand-vener
able and s0ried and romantic antiquity hs4io~eI Dy
pastoral beauty and 1t be meant thal tn9 -
ieople has developed more in material than spir
ual direction that thought IS sOunn ana JHsl.
sweet serenity of noble rapture %hch is founI
Is the authentic sign OF mans splrItuS. EI03 orcs
/ he the world. Is not common IN AiSrSd,
but then, believe, II Is nov common any
most dan serous and deporabe charaeterlstc-"hio44
he did not mention at all-is hippant cyniclsm. l
rouId wish that there were in America far rover,
ence for the IDEAL, far sincerity OF simple ana
much enterprise and much humor But the nome ONE
life o. America II once you CONF 70 d EIeT te Of Eng
| and The ure4ce and the altar which are the cor
ner stones OF your English civilization are Just az
IT, forms is lust as general and just keen with Tat
people with this Your special advantage Is b nst
brain and heart enforce aud 10 protect silently;
sfernIy and without appeal, the unwrtten law Ol
of saeai fe not leaving these things to Judgment
of the mob paradlng the sanctitieS OF me near
that in time Meanwhile when you talk Of 1T
and art dw %s be n9' Ehs Esh' prose- ean
show better piece of romantic traSedy man nav
mi 70 make an early acquaintance with it. If man.
in his relations with elemental natufe--han on elo
mnre trnthfilly. molly and romanticaliy portrayed
than IN those robust and breezy woodland ana ocean
stories Of Cooper T Tohr Of Europe has sonnds
with more brilliant and stirring 6ugeea OF rra
20 cafcb ,' the scho OF it, If bryant Dana Loncfel
low, Halleck. Poe, Lowell, Holmes Curtis. BayarI
more might be mentlonedl mean nothing in literature
tho inquring mind would Ike 20 know wherein rein ~
Edwin Booth Joseph Jefferson, Lawrence Barrett,
Charlotte Cushman, Miss Mary Anderson Miss Clara ara
Morris and Miss Ada Rehan were not born IN me
purple It might we'll be asked who we're, and what
the purple means
"TuIs ADVERSE CRITICISM OF AMERICA
Argumcntatve discussion, however soon grows
tedious. All that | intended was to suggest what
seen to me TO be the falacy Of this adverse English
criticism of America The error, l think, consist consist,
for new forms. That which IS said OF literature u
also said, or is implied, Of the stage. Let US see
fresh types Many persons In England have ac-
ccpted and have exolled even TO the verge OF ex-
trsvagance. one Of our authors-a very worthy man
FOR little or no better than because be has DIS
caTded all veIsihcaton, and all prose as Wen, anu
! furnished in their place unmelodous catalogue
| of miscellaneous images, generally commonplace and
sometimes unfragrant II would appear 10 DC thouSht
that because three thousand miles of ocean roll be-
the world under obligation TO obey the edct
OF sir Anthony Absolute, In the comedy. and get an
should be whether writer actor, and he generally Is
| So in all that constitutes individuality But surely
language the English heart changes. because we
cross rho The plain truth IS that Anslca - NJ
ply bearing onward the standard OF art that was hrt
| nplIfted In England Almost the whole history or
our stage from John Moody TO Henry Irving IS
the history Of English expeditions westward ieay-
EHsh II the Nch @or Ocean, prac
nor wilderness Will ever furnish any poet with
grander instrument or more c0plous aun nooc ioth
OF expression than the blank Of Shakespeare ana
milton Insist on superlatve excellence In the use
of that If you WILL but do not cersure US because we
| Andes viii ever provide greater subject than the
! human heart human passions. human NE Poetry Is
| of nature and American poetry. American acting,
American art. in any and every FORM can 90 no more
than to utter. portray and interpret ~ha. IT,, I,e ns
sesses perfectly distinct and valuable character yet;
when all IS said n remains, and always must De- AMI
always viii be- and always ought TO be, tho continue
! England
THE MOTHER COUNTRY.
Aud that IS why the American votary OF art comes
as often he can, In these latter days into England
hece