Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-04-29
america and Americans.

TecenU trdNelcr III hurope uOteS Jne
curious and some what humiliating fact
to resident of this country that the
Italians, and the Latin races in gener-
al, speak of America" without mean
ing the United States at all. When a
tourist in Rome asks to be driven to the
American College he is taken to the
stately edi6ce erected by South Ameri-
ca instead of the corresponding modest
building which owes its existence to
the North. When he goes to Venice
and reaches the Church of the Frari, he
reads in his guide-book that Canova's
monument was the gift of the world,
being built with money contributed by
Italy, Germany, France and America
"that is to say, South America, and not
the commercial and industrial States
of the North.i' He finds in the libraries
0fsItaly and Spain many books relat-
ing to America, which limit that gen.
eral designation to the South American
countries. In speaking of himself as
an American, he is apt to be. surprised
with inquiries about Argentine affairs,
or to be shown Brazilian cactus as
something from home" His national
pride is humbled at every turn by the
prevailing conception of America that
leaves out his native land and ignores
his favorite idea that it stands for the
full meaning of the word 1t would be
amusing if it were not so eXaepirating
to find that the Latin Imagination thus
magnifies South America, and trivializ-
es the great republic that is to him
practically the whole hemisphere.
There is something to be pardoned,
however, to this foreign lack of compre-
hension. 1t was not North America
that Columbus discovered. He fixed
attention first upon the lower conti-
nent, and the Latin races have always
clung to it as representing America.
They know, of course, that there is an
other continent over here, and a nation
that ranks with the foremost of the
earth but whatever else it may be to
them, it is not America, as it is to us.
Moreover, we are disposed to forget
how far our country really falls short
of being all of America in geographic
cal sense. A glance at the map will
show, as another writer says, that in
fact, save for Alaska, it would scarcely
be more than a waistcoat on North
America alone, British Columbia being
the coat and Mexico and Central Ameri-
ca the trousers; and then there is South
America, with Brazil, like q shawl or
big mantilla clasped with diamonds
across its shoulders, Chilli like long
scarf fluttering along its side, and
Guiana like shoulder-knot in ribbon
of three colors one loop prone to unity
ing and extending too far" 1t will, be
seen, therefore, how easy it is for the
Latin imagination to go astray in this
matter, and TO miss the real Importance
OF the United States in this immense
area which constitutes America. We
have impaired special significance to
the name by our remarkab BILE success as
a people, but we have not yet gained
the right to monopolize it, and to de-
mind that the world shall use it only
with reference to our country.
The fact that a good deal of America
lies outside of our dominions is recog-
nized by our laws. We speak familiar
ly of our flag as the American flag, and
of ourselves as American citizens, but
in all acts of legislation, in all judicial
proceedings, and in all diplomatic cor
respondence, the qualifying term
United States" is employed. Mr..
Cleveland is not President of America,
but of the United States, and the same
distinction exists as to the Constitution
which is the basis of our Government
The time may come when the map of
America and the map of the United
States will be identical, and the two
names synonymous; but until that time
arrives, certain measure of discrim-
nation will need to be observed. We
are the most intelligent and progress
sive of Americans, unquestionably;
but we are not the only Americans, by
any means. Before we can claim an
exclusive right to that designation, it
will be necessary for us to realize some
extensive dreams of conquest and put
the beneficent effulgence of Old Glory
into the skies of many countries where
other flags now float Possibly the
Monroe doctrine contains the germs of
such an expansion of our territory and
our institutions; or it may be that
there is concealed in the general phil
osophy of things law of gravitation,
a force of destiny, by which all Ameri-
ca will ultimately be nodded into one
coherent and incompatible nation.
But such a consummation is still too
remote and uncertain for practical con-
sideration. on.-[Globe Democrat.
Attempted Rape.
CAMBRIDGE, O., Apr. 27.-David