The St. Johns herald., 1890-08-21
oIvUIEo ix EUnUrE.
Reflections of Prof. Richard Ely, of Johns
 Hopkins University.

Reflections of Prof. Richard Ely, of Johns
 Hopkins University. : It is my purpose to speak chiefly of those things in which Europeans excel us, for it is in con ontemplating the excel lencies of others that we are most like ly to gain profit The most marked weakness, per haps, of Americans is 8 boastfulness which is far enough re- moved from true patriotism, and it is undoubtedly characteristic of ours which does more than any thing to re- tard our progress. The spirit of true patriotism as indicated by these words of Dr. Thomas Arnold: ''My love for any person or place or institution is ex- actly the measure of my desire to re- form them;" and, as he says, it ought not to be difficult for any one more than six years old to understand this. It must have often been observed that those who most loudly praise every thing as it is in America are precisely those who grow fat on American abuses. l remember once membe of our worst class of rich men on landing in New York was loud in his praise of America, and pronounced to all the world his in- tention to live in America, and make all his investments in America. 'No won der," l thought, ''you say there is no country. like America. It is true. In any other civilized country you would have been safely lodged in the peniten- tiary long ago." t
 The reason why it is both privilege and delight to live in the United States is because, as has been we'll said, America is only another name for opportunity" No country on the face of the earth has ever been granted such boundless opportunities as the United States, and it is our mission to develop here glorious civilization; but, on the things which make up high civiliza- tion, as science, art, literature, we are not equal to Europe. We simply make our selves laughable when we assert such thing, and in many of the things which it was specially my province to observe think we are fifty years behind Europe. I think that in all that goes to make up what we call municipal government we are fully fifty years behind England and Germany. We are perhaps not so far behind in education, but in every branch of education, from common school to university, we are still far be- hind the best which Europe offers. Our universities are lessening the differ ences between themselves and Euro pean universities, but 1 think the distance between our conn on schools and European common so on account of the rapid progress which is being made on the other side of the AtianJic. Reflections like these are among the first which occurred to me, because do not find this spirit of boast fitness so abnorma.ly developed, nor so diseased a SensitivenesS to criticism on the part of Europeans of the better class, nor even among the masses. A GermaE or more especially an English man, can indulge before audiences of his countrymen in criticism of their own institutions which would blast for ever the fortunes of an American politi- elan who should indulge in such criti- cism with us; and yet it is this which is keeping the grand old countries of Eu- rope, like England and Germany, full of life and yigor and solid progress. We Americans are a gifted and ambitious people, and if we can be brought to rec ognize the superiority of other coun- tries in many respects, it is quite cer- tain that we will make determined et- fort to correct our shortcomings. He is an enemy to his country wno would keep his country in ignorance of the achievements of humanity in other lands.