Washington sentinel., 1898-06-04

celIor issue a faculty, the permission
OF the Home Secretary would still 5c
necessary, but the other ST entirel,
dispute this. Should the pet .er be
successful, however, and Obtain ali
necessary orders for the opening OF the
vault, 1t is understood that her oppo
nents would then fall back on the fact
that the coffin itself is not the property
either of herself or of her son.
DOES AMERICA HATE ENGLAND?
Critic.
The fact that the Yellow Press OF
America has lately for almost the first
time on record shown something like
civility to the British nation. has LET
loose brimming streams of well meaning
but iatuous platItude, and OF more or less
irrelevant comparison of the respective
viscidity OF blood and water. do not
wish for moment to put any real him
draDee in the way Of more friendly rela.
tions between the two countries: far
from It, But any one is surely justified
IN looking a gift horse IN the mouth
before he invests in an expensive set of
harness. Most English writers and talk
ers about the United States fall into the
mistake of treating them as a homoge.
neous whole; and many Americans do
the same. But one IF the most startling
features Of the present crisis across the
Atlantic is the recalcitrant attitude of
the Silverites. In Spain the effect of the
war has been in the main to unite the
political parties Clerical and Liberal,
Carlist and Royalist have forgotten most
OF their differences in face Of the COM
mon danger; and only the ultra-revoIu-
tionary sections stand apart. With our.
Selves too, public danger has always
meant an armistice of political hostii
ties The Crimean vote Of censure can
not be regarded as party dodge; rather
1t was a genuine outcry against the
inefficient conduct of the war. But in
America the BrYanites, so far as they
dare, have not scrupled to thwart and
obstruct the Government, even when
th immediate result of their action was
to paralyze action and make the country
somewhat ridiculous in the eyes of the
world Nothing could show more plainly
the depth Of the gulf that sunders West
from East; the debtor agricuturist and
the creditor capitalist For this reason
II IS hazardous to speak of such a thing
as American feeling towards England"
just as 1t is far from easy to define
English sentiment on the war" There
is a feeling Of Western America and a
feeling of Eastern America. Personally
believe little more in the lasting friend
ship OF the West for England than I DO
IN the real antagOnism of the East.
Britain and the Atlantic States have all
to lose and nothing to gain by hostility.
Their finance and their commerce are
far too closely interviewer for war to be
a possibility lightly considered. Neither
they nor we desire a conflict. The West,
on the other hand, regards with impair
tial hatred both Old and New England
both capitalistlc, both receivers OF
interest and dividend.
1t may be that the increase OF pros
perity in the West " i'll heal this sore by
removing its cause. The acquisition of
material interest is a wonderful political
sedative. Even here in Britain accession
% well paid Office has been known to
transform the most violent OF agitators
into the most respectable Of white waist
coated churchwardens. In this respect
the age OF miracles is not past. The
supposed objection to an Anglo. Ameri.
can alliance contained in the mixed
origin of the Republics population is of
little moment. Race counts for nothing
besides language. Many ofthe numerous
foreigners who settle down as British
subjects or American citizens may feel
no affection for the country oftheir birth:
and those who do seldom transmit il to
their children The immigrant of the
second or third generation, either in
England or America, rapidly assimilates
to the national type: his speech, man
ners, aud sYmpathies become English
or American; and only his name perpet-
yates his origin. I disagree entirely
with Mr.. Christie Lurray that the assim.
AN'NN@f 80 fHNAhJ Va AnC OulLEu OLdLES Is
exhausted, or that individual nationalism
is there a serious menace to the Com.
monwealth. The Irish problem have
always considered as economic and
agrarian, rather than racial. Language
is the most potent tie, The American,
as Colonel Hay and other notable Amer.
leans in their person as well as speech
have so often insisted. enters with US
upon Joint literary heritage. Shakes.
peare and Milton he regards as his
equally with ours. He quotes with ap-
probation Swlnburne and Browning.
To us. "Hiawatha," the people of
Poker Flat, " The House ofthe Seven
Gables" and "Sleepy Hollow" are as
real and homely as the creations of
Hardy or Dickens. Moreover, IS not
the very existence in our midst of the
Star and in New York of the IonyhaL.
proof that the two great Democracies
think very much alike2
When an Englishman meets French
man, the two usually become mutually
ridiculous Most ofus are bad Iinguists,
and no man looks dignfed when he is
tormenting his reluctant tongue to
encompass alien syllaDles. Hence
follows, on either side, certain lack Of
mutual respect, to say nothing of the
fundamental differences OF thought and
meDt attitude eugendered by the
radically conflicting tones Of two litera-
lures, Few Euglishmen can really
enjoy a French play, even at the Palais
Royal; and Bullier itself does not really