The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-08-14
Comparisons Tha
Hre Interesting
Walter Wellman in Times-Herald.

Walter Wellman in Tlmes-Herald.
Conversation at a London club: Pres
ent, four Englishmen, lawyers, professors,
etc, and one American.
An Enelishman-Over here the writings
of your Theodore Roosevelt are much
admired. We look upon him as one of
the greatest writer's on sports in the
world.
the American-Glad to hear you say so.
He Is not only clever writer but good
fellow.
An Englishman-But 1 have heard that
he fights with everyone.
The AmeriCan-If you mean that lie is
quarrelsome that is not true. As men,
Der of the police commission in New York
he had a good many rows, but he was al
ways fighting for the right.
An Englishman-Such man is in a de-
cided minority in New York and Amer
ica, is he not?
Laughter by all the Englshmen.1
The American-UndoLbtedl and IN
that respect human nature is pretty much
the same the wcrld over-even in Lon
don and Great Britain.
An Englislnan- You have such dread
full newspapers in America. Do you be-
lieve anything you see in them?
The American-We believe almost ev-
erything. Newspapers in America are fall
lible, as they are here, but the best news
papers in our country are as accurate as
the best newspapers here. l have been in
London five days and l have noticed IN
your daily papers in that time three cor
rections of errors, besides several edito-
rial blunders, like locating the American
congress at New York, which were not
corrected.
An Englishman-But we are told that
your reporters call to see a public man,
nd tha ha x.ril1 IL
refuses to say word, and the reporter
goes on and writes column interview
with him.
The American-No such reporter could
hold a place thirty-siX hours in an Amer
lean newspaper office. The latest out
rage of this sort / have heard of was
when a newspaper correspondent was in
troduced to Ibsen at the Grand hotel in
Christiana, Ibsen said "Glad to meet
you, SIR" and picked up his papers and
walked away. The reporter prepared a
column and a half interview, which when
published created quite a sensation. That
journalist was not an American, but an
Englishman.
An Englishman-But your papers pub
lish SUCH gaudy headlines-dreadfuf
things they are.
The American-That reminds me. Please
tell me which of your London dailies is
now making greatest strides in circula-
tion?
Several Englishmen-Mr. Harmsworth's
Daily Mail.
The American-Well; two or three years
ago Mr. Harmsworth spent several
months In the United States, studying
our cheap newspapers. He returned to
London and started the Mail. He brought
| over number of journalists from Amer
lea, and they are still on his staff He has
introduced many American ideas, includ-
ing the bold headlines over his news,
and American methods of collecting the
news to put headlines on. AS you say,
his paper is now growing faster than any
An Englishman-Are YOU Americans
really going to annex Hawaii?
The American-Of course we are.
An Englishman-Then / suppose you
will want Cuba ard the Bermudas, the
Bahamas, and everything in sight?
The American-Never fear We shall
not walk on your toes. We do not want
the Bermudas or the Bahamas But II
Is strange thing that you English prick
up your ears at the first suggestion that
the United States is going TO annex an
island. For many years you have been
roaming around the world gobbling up
all the inhabited and uninhabited lands
you could get your clutches on, until
you make your Jublle9 boasts or the eX-
tent OF your possessions, and just as soon
as little dot Of an island down in the
Pacific asks us to take her in that she
may be saved from Asiatic domination
you lift your hands in horror at the
greediness of these Yankees.
An Englishman-We should have a good
deal more sympathy with you II you had
concluded the treaty OF arbitration with
Great Britain. The feeling over here is
that that would have strengthened Great