The times., 1898-05-08

little Importance that the manner of
well-bred American is usually and al
lowing for individual idiosyncrasies, al
most exactly that of a wel-bred Anglo
Erishman-Courteous and kindly, with
touch OF intended grace. and with "A Ger
tain patience as Of one accustomed to
other mems folly-which is not English at
all The Englishmans patience offends-
that is the testimony of all mankind. to
the Englishmans great perpleNity-but
the American : patience and that Of the
Anglo-Irishman leave sensation, not al
ways fully justified, of friendliness. There
are hundred Lord Dufferins in America
The American has. however. as we said.
two peculiarities which differentiate him
from all mankind. We should not call
him a happy man exactly but ne Is an
incurably cheerful one. The weigh, OF
the dozen atmOsphereS which press down
the EngliShman Is of the Americans
spirit He does not expect to find any
whore persons superior TO himself; he
thinks he can make, instead Of Obeying
etiquette. ne sees no reason. unless. in
deed, he j. a candidate for his munich
palitE or for Congress. for processing to
DE- any hing but what he is. He is quite
cOul-utsd as 20 his past and quite sat
ishe1 tHat The future will 90 his way
He l.=es mainly In the present but as
the pass was good and the future win be
better the present VIII DO very well for
the slime being. II no one has affronted
him De has no quarrel with any one but
IS disposed 70 look on all men with an
appreelaiiye smile. as being all equally
creature~ ~ Allah. poor creatures some
u them. no doubt but still creatures. He
takes life as it comes. in fact, with little
concern whether anybody takes ii differ
entity. and with complete admission. not
only fro mthe lips but from the heart.
thar it takes a good many sorts OF men
To make ND world. The conviction of
equality with all men has taken the So
clal ndger out Of him. and given him an
inner sense Of ease and tranquility nev-
er quite absent even when mis- external
manner seems awkward or constrained
Il follows that he Is always ready 10
Try any ming and that the English idea
OF living IN groove seems 70 him con-
nned ana small. "A waste Of the faculties
tnat Cod mas given. And with himself
ana having a whole continent To work in
ne is seldom 50 thorough as the English
man Is satisfied with knowing many
things less completely than the English
man knows one. and has for Intellectual
temptation. always provided that the
task before him IS not machine making a
certain shallOWness. The kind nf man
who is least like un American is the kind
of man about the British Museum who
knows upon some one subject nearly all
h-4NAF u ~ AItH. ana can tell NgU almost
10 a foot wnere all that remains 10 he
known VIII ultimately be found
We doubt II the American is fuller NJ
resource than the Englishman who gen
orally has his plan at last: but he Is
much quicker in bringing mis- wits tn
bear and much less disposed to lei any
habitude ~ mind stand for a momept II,
his way. Ia fact though the American
ike every other Of the sons Of Eve is
clothed in habits; he wears them win
singular lighJness. and if his sense or
proprietH would permit would on the
smallest provocation cast them all a. way
There are only two exceptions TO tba,
with an American-his religion ana tb,.
Constitution Of the United States These
two are not habits at all. I'm the C,r-
lylean sense, but outer and inner skins
There remains the strongest and
strangest peculiarity Of an. which al |
ready dinerentiates the American com. |
pletely from the Englishman. and a hum |
dred years hence viii make of him an /
entirely separate being The American
is nervous man. in the sense in which I
doctors who study constitution use that /
word. He is not neurotic, no man less
so. and is probably as brave as any man
alive. but his nerves respond more quick
ly TO his brain than those Of any other