The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-09-05
OUR ANGLOMANIACS.
IN FORMER DAYS FRENCH WAYS
WE'RE THE FASHION.

Angiomania Confined to = Limited Glass.
Tho American Habit of Mind Is Re-
sponsible for 1t All - Not a sorIou.
Matter.
The newspapers are constantly satiri2ing
tendency to Anglomania, which is said to
prevail just now in American society, or at
least in a few cities and watering places
along tho Atlantic shore Il Is not hahitually
mentioned that this is but 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
eminent, and its movements have never had
any great or important influence upon the
mass Of the American people. Be this as it
may, it Is perfectly certain that the within in
fashion thirty and even twenty years ago
was quite unlike what 1t now Is
Good Americans wero said, when they
died, TO 60 to Paris, and even the wit OF Tom
Appleton never ventured to suggest that
they should go to London. At Newport it
was for many years held essential to do
things In the French way, not the English.
II was at the French court that fashionable
Americans yearned to be presented; they
uniformly preferred TO live on the other sido
Of thu English channel; and remember TO
have had this explained to me by man Of
some fashion, on the ground that IL an ambi-
tious American family lived In Paris they
were not yexed at being omitted from this or
that entertainment Of tho 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 inn
portant; 1t indicated period, when French
standards, not English, prevailed in our
more fashionable society.
A LIMITED CLASS
1t must be remembered that Anglomania 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
60 to Germany in shoals for study, and rarely
visit Eng land since the death of Darwin. 1t
is now charged upon our literary men, since
the death OF Richard Grant White, who was,
moreover, as nrdently English 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 1t
In evenness OF execution and In the minor
proprieties OF life 1t Is not to BIO found in
our public school system or In our college
systems, for these, where they are not Ameri
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 he charged
with dressing like an English woman, and no
American man, when travelling anywhere
but in England, would wish to be taken for
an En2lishman, for the simple reason that
Americans are everywhere so much more
popular. The key to this alleged Anglo
mania, therefore, is simply this; that the
American habit of mind is essentially cosmo-
polltan, and goes to each nation for that
which It finds best OF its kind Asunerringly
as IL goes to Germany for its scientific In
structions, or TO France for its cooks, so it
goes to England for what is not so well to be
found In France or Germany--the minor
convenienccs and facilities which belong to a
highly trained leisure class
BORROWING FROM ABROAD.
Itself newly developed, this American class
turns TO England for a good standard Of
minor essentials, as horse equipments and
coachmen's 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 1t
may be doubted II this is tho highest sphere,
II 1t can be set against the dignity OF the best
Spanish or italian manners, the kcencst 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, 80 far as We can, we borrow; why
mott II older nations borrow from one an
other, why not younger from olderi II is no
discredit to England that her one high phllo
logical authority, Max Muller, is German,
and that her one humorous periodical-in
America every newspaper Is humorous still
bears traces OF its French origin in the title,
Punch, or Tho London Charivari. The Eng
lish journals are constantly pointing out that
their own people are becoming Anericanized;
why, then, should not an American here or
there DO Anglicizedl 1t is pretty certain all
the while that We are exerting far more in
nuencc than wo receive.
Let us not disturb ourselves Out of the
ffty millions Of Americans tho passing wave
OF Anglomania or Francomania reaches but
a few thousands, and merely touches those
on tho surface. Even the young men whom
IL reaches are at heart good Americans. -
From 7. w. Higginson's "Men and Women.