Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-11-03
Why II England Unpopular.
Now York Times.l

The London Spectator. IN it's latest
number discusses with remarkable can
dor the subject OF the "Unpopularlty or
England" and il starts out by admitting
that OF all the nations Of the earth, ms
own Is the least liked and the most cor
daily hated II gives variety o. eV-
dence Ia support its proposition. which
really for the purposes OF discussion Need
I'd no g.oOf but its. own admission. II
then praceeds 70 examine the cause or
this phenomenon. and. though il does
not say 50 IN so many words. practically
II reaches the conclusion that Eng ana
is unpopular because. on the whole, she
deserves 10 be-. and that the assumed
universal verdict of civilized mankind IS
fairly sustained by the facts.
one source OF the uupopularity OF Eng
land. according to this discriminating
English journal. is the envy of the rest
of the world at her vast commercial
success" her success ln the work or
governing distant empires and IN doing
what the world now wants especially 70
do o.. develop colonies al her easy
solution OF the Socialist PROB ems ana
her stable vt democratic scheme or
government" But this source Of unp0p-
ularity, the Spectator thinks, would not
be very serious if others were not added.
! Lfrf dr. AllF f't+hA'AtAfsttA~f tt
eous." and "hypocriticaw tendencies
generally attributed to England. There
is no use in blinking the fact says the
Spectator. In the eyes ~ Europe We are
the Pecksn.n Of tho nations
Naturally the Spectator does not think
that this impression. universal az IL rs.
IL well founded But us explanation
OF how the impression arose goes far TO
Justify IL. we alone OF nations do
sometimes try 10 base our foreign policy
on moral grounds The rest Of
Europe simply does not comprehend our
position here. They all regard foreign
policy as something 20 be- decided purely
on considerations of self-interest and
simply think Us lying when We claim
other motives And they have this Justi-
fcatiOn. Though We generally try 10,
and often 30, act on moral grounds, II Is
only possible 10 DO so occasionally. The
questions of self-interest are too strong.
too vital. and hence self-interest Is al
ways getting mixed up with disinterested
motives and producing compromise
which superficial and not very friendly
observers regard as pure hypocrisy. We
are more disinterested than other Pow
ers. but not wholly so. and hence We get
no credit thercfrom. but rather the re-
verse" And the writer who sets TINS
down in black and white. and with per
feet sincerity Iesent- the belief OF the
rest of the world that his country Is
the "Pecksnim of the nations"
The fact is that England is not in
reality quite SO unpopular as the Spec
tator thinks. She incurs IN the family
Of nations likes, as wei as dislikes, and
Is treated and regarded very much as the
others are, with rough approximation
10 justice, and wei, or. H. according, 10
circumstances. She is neither 50 envied
nor so detested as the London journal
imagines. The distinction which seems
To be a source Of some satisfaction exists
only In part-and at times Vanishes. Nor
Is England. on the whole, actually so
much better, or believed 20 be so much
worse, than the other members OF the
family She is very far from being the
only nation that sometimes tries 10 base
its foreign policy on moral grounds. and.
on the other hand. she has no monopoly
OF the reputation OF sometimes making
hypOcriical pretonsiOn Of doing SO. At
the risk Of seeming disrespectfui 10
journal, for which We have a very hearty
respect We venture TO suggest that the
chief reason for such feeling a. does eN-
list. that England is disagreeable and diff
hcult 10 deal with. IS not moral but in
ttllrtludi, anu luc spectator essay Is
an instance in point.
II is not that England IS always pat
ronizins' or "self-rlghteous" or "hypo-
she sometimes Is an
these-but II Is that she is often "A little
stupid She l. not 50 much thick-sklnned
as thick-headed. With an her vast en-
pre and varied interests she remains
mentally iEsular. She does not readily
see more than one side of a question. ana
her defective sense OF hum0r prevents
her from perceiving how ridiculous she
sometimes makes herself. This has its
advantages. The brightest writer she
has produced in this century. Walter
Bagehot, says somewhere In effect that