The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1895-08-02
Comments on Courtesy Of Pub.
lie Officers and individuals.
A HEALTHFuL SIGN EXHIBITED
Beginning to Recognize Our Own
Shortcomings Era of National
Childhood Passing Away.

1t Is a heIltihful sign that Americans
ara more and more coming to see their
own faults. The criticisms of foreigners
are no longer resented as they were forty
years ago. Indeed, If the truth must be
tod, we are just @ little bit ashamed OF
our wrath over the structures of Captain
Basil Hall, Mrs Trollope and Dickens;
for, although those writers were guilty
Of gross exaggeratlon, If not worse, in
what they said of us, there was, never
theless, a substratum of truth In their
criticisms, which 1t would have been
wiser to have recognized. But all that Is
changed today. We have learned that
a clustering and explosive assertion OF
perfection is a sign of weakness, not OF
strength. 1t belongs to the era of ma
tional childhood and Is an obstacle to
true growth and progress. In the era we
speak OF, foreign criticism, however just,
filled us with spluttering wrath. Today,
when there is so much less in our ma
tional life to criticize, we not only lis
ten with calmness to the criticisms of
the foreigner, but go into the business of
criticism ourselves. This change OF at
titude Is the best possible proof of a
healthy national growth, but even more
than that, it is evidence that our national
character has reached the period of In
teEectual manhood.
This willingness to- recognize our own
faults has just been strikingly Illustrated
in the letters Of two well known news
paper correspondents referring to the in
civility of many Americans. One of
these gentlemen, Mr. Charles Il. Murray,
has recently been visiting Ottawa, the
capital of Canada, and after meeting a
number of Canadian government officials
he makes this suggestive admission:
I'm the treatment of strangers l miss
the offensive arrogance of our petty Off
clals, the impudence of pages and demo-
cratic insolence of office generally that
rervades our republican institutions. Dig
nifty and courtesy, such as characterize
gentlemen in private intercourse meet us
half way on every hand. l have been
about congress twenty-five years and
the contrast makes me smart In my in
most democratic soul.'
The writer of this Is a man whose
Americanism will not be questioned; but
me does not believe that patriotism
should blind his eyes to the truth, how
ever unpalatable the truth may be. The
criticism which he make Is not a new one.
1t has frequently been made in the col
umns of the Tribune, and It's justice will
be acknowledged by all who have been
brought into contact with American oiit-
cials. The rudeness, incivility and down.
right brutality of many of our petty
jacks in office would be incredible were
it not so well authenticated. The for
eigner who said that he was glad to hear
that Americans were agitating for a civil
service, because they had the most un-
civil service in the world, unconsciously
hit the nail pretty nearly on the head.
The servants of the public need to be
taught manners as well as morals. We
believe that Americans will not long en-
dure the discredit of such a comparison
as that made by Mr. Murray. The time
Is not far distant when they will demand
of their own officials as much courtesy
at least as that which they receive from
the officials of foreign countries; and
when they get to the point of demand
ing 1t they will receive 1t; for the in
civility of our officials gains much of its
strength from our good natured tame
ness in submitting to 1t.
The other newspaper man to whom we
referred Is Mr. Il. A. Barron, the Lon
don correspondent of the Chicago Times
Herald, who contrasts the almost univer-
sal civility of tradesmen in London with
the incivllity of so many petty tradesmen
in this country. Indeed, he goes SO far
as to say that the only exception to
the rule of civility in the English me-
tropolis is to be found among those who
have been spoiled by American visitors.
In speaking OF London generally, he
says:
"Clvility 10 the keynote to the whole.
1t does not matter where you turn, the
civili.y here is much the same every
where. You find 1t in the little shop Of
the stationer where you go for your ink;
ou find 1t in the large establishment
where you go to replenish your linen,
etc.; your ca.bman has It, If he has not
been spoiled by the wrong sort of Amer
lean patronage"
This is what an american sees in Lon
don. What American, however partial
to his country, could say the same thing
about New York? In justice to ourselves,
1t should be said that much Of our in
civlity Is due to ignorance and thought
lessness; but to those who suffer from
1t, 1t Is not one whit more endurable on
that account. Americans are essentially
generous and kind-hearted people. They
respond nobly when any great emergency
calls for the manifestation of brother
hood and goodwill. But in their every
day association with each other they are
too often deficient In that gracious cour-
tesy which not only sweetens social life,
but enobles those who display It,