New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-11

CONFEDERATION URGED AGAINST MAX.
ING 1T A PROFESSION.
MULTIPLIED INSTANCES OF SUCCESSES ACHIEVED
~ EUROPEAN AMBASSADORS UNFRAMED IN
DIPLoMACY-THE DANGER OF LOSING
NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS BIT
LONG RESIDENCE ABROAD.

NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS By
LONG RESIDENCE ABROAD
Alone among all the great Powers of the world.
the United States has no regular diplomatic ser
vice. Its Ambassadors and Ministers hold their
Office only for the term of the Administration at
washington 10 which they are indebted for their
appointment and then step aside to make way
for others who are as new TO the duties and to
the RESPONSIBILITIES Of their mission their pred
ecessors at the time of their nomination. Just
n, the present moment the designations of all
those who have held Office abroad under Presi-
dent Cleveland are being placed on file at the
state Department. while President Mckinley is
busily engaged in the task Of selecting their sue
cessors and as usual the Question-which has
become a regular feature of each change of Ad-
p,!nistration-has been revived as to whether It
would not be more advantageous for the United
States TO organize q diplomatic service similar
TO that Of foreign nations. and to appoint men
trained IN the profession to the offices OF Ambas
sailors and OF Ministers. instead Of adherng to
the present practice OF nominating those devoid
Of diplomatic experience.
Fifteen years spent in the foreign service OF a
European Power, during the course OF which l
have enjoyed a considerable amount OF inter-
course with the diplomatic representatives Of the
limited
NAV serve as an excuse for offering in print a
personal opinion to the effect that the interests
O, this country abroad. far from being in any way
tnturiousy affected by the absence of trained
men at the head OF the missions are on the con-
.rar,, heneAted thereby And these views
shared by most OF the foreign officials statesmen.
politicians and court dignitaries with whom
have had occasion to discuss the matter. They
bold that this great commonwealth is far more
snnropriately and efficiently represented in the
Old World by men Of sufficient emnence at
home 10 lead TO their selection from among the
candidates for the post by the President and the
Senate OF their native land than by trained dip
lou1sts who would owe the office to seniority ana
promotion, the major part OF their lives having
necessarily been spent out OF America Inc ols-
lance between this country and Europe is so
great that even the most patriotic citizen or the
I-,,tsd States gets out Of touch with American
idea, after having lived for few years ABROAD
He becomes susceptible to local influence and'
losing the broad American manner OF looking at
things. gradually grows to view them as Euro
peans do.
This is apparent in the correspondence or al
most every American journalist who goes abroad
10 represent his paper, and 1t is only by frequent
trips home that even the most brilliant or them
can manage to suppress the tendency 10 De I'M
au,v Influenced by the character OF their sur
roundings and by the atmosphere In which they
live II this is the case with newspaper men, it
naturally follows that an American diplomat
who is daily and hourly brought into contact
with those foreign bureaucrats and officials TO
whom etiquette and conventonality are Cos
mel and the conceament Of thought. as we'll as
Of eAntiment a creed, will sooner lose his Ameri-
can breadth Of view and freshness OF mind than
the American newspaper correspondent
LOSS OF AMERICAN CHARACTERISTIC
Now. the loss of these essentially American
characteristics by diplomatic representative OF
the United States is distinct disadvantage to
his country and to his Government, since II tends
TO impair his popularity and his prestige The
thoroughly American citizen Of the United
States 10 vastly preferred in the Old World TO
the Europeanized variety, evidence OF this pc
culiartty being afforded by the fact that Western
girls have proved far greater social successes.
not only IN England. but also on the Continent.
than their sisters from NewYork Boston ana
Philadelphia, who are regarded as too Angh-
cized and presenting too little contrast TO the
domestic feminine product TO render them ex-
cept!onally interesting II is just the absence OF
convent!onality the indifference to the frequent
" preposterous and nearly always depressing
laws Of etiquette, the perfect Independence OF
speech and Of bearing that constitute In the
eyes Of the Old World the principal charm OF
the American. be the latter man or woman-a
charm characterized by indvdr alty and orig
,nal,tv. which are as refreshing as they are IN
MIGRATING to the faded palate OF the European
But let these qualities succumb to foreign
Influences and atmosphere and disappear from
view. straightway the American mar or woman
ta fpfar becomes commonplace
ar d loses popularity and influence in Europe.
Moreover II is a great mistake 10 imagine that
:n order 70 achieve diplomatic victories for ones
country IL Is necessary TO have had previous
diplomatic training Indeed. England. France
Germany, Russia and Italy. which have-all hve
Of them-splendidlyo organized diplomatic services
frequently 20 outside the ranks Of the latter In
order TO find suitable men for the posts OF en-
yoy France for instance, has for the last llrty
years regarded st. Petersburg as-diplomatl-
caIlv speaking-the most important capital in
Europe: as a court at which It was OF vital
Importance 20 be represented efficiently. Yet
for moro than three decades. until the appoint
ment OF NJ de Laboulaye predecessor OF the
present envoy Count Monticello. the French
Ambassadors accredited to the Car were 1nvari-
ably men entirely devoid Of any previous diplo-
matjo experience or training, among the best
known having been the late Duo de Morny. ana
Generals Fleury, lie Flo Appert and Chanzy'
Russia has been represented at Berlin by Cen
eral Count Paul Shoulavoff. and In London by
General Count Peter Shoulavoff. soldiers by pro-
fession who had until the time Of their appoint
rnent as Ambassadors. been assigned TO the per-
Torrance Of purely military duties Frances
Ambassador TO the Vatican is NJ. Poubelie' VINO
before his nomination was Civil Governor OF
Paris, and who had never held di tomato ap-
po.ntrnent in his life while the Republic IL rep
resented at the Court OF Vienna by M. Loze
who unfit the moment OF presenting his creoeh-
tails to the Emperor was at the head OF the
Metropolitan Police Department or Paris hihs
Humberts Ambassador In London Is 'ehe'a
Ferrero who has never had any diplomatic