The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-03-19
FREELY CRITICISED.
Education Is More Widespread
Than in Europe,
LESS OF PROFOUND LEARNING.
Yet the Country Produces the
Best Civilization.

Henry Sienkiewicz. the author Of
Quo Vadis," published in Russia the
following criticism of Americans after
his six months tour of the United
States:
To n newly arrived European, Amer
lean manners appear barbarous, rough
and unpublished. Our first experience Of
them occurred when two custom house
officers boarded our ship. Both looked
like highway robbers, their clothes
shabby, their linen dirty, their hats
half broken. The younger one looked
so rascally that | would not have
trusted him with ten cents. These
gentlemen came into the saloon to take
the declarations of the passengers rs TO
whether they had any dutiable goods or
not. When our turn came the rascal
handed II slip to my companion and
asked his name.
My name is so-and SO" answered my
friend. WHAT" shouted the rascal
laughing. '"rschchapischouski?" The
Az. r. ans present began to laugh rude
ly. This would never happen in any
civilized country We were both very
| angry. What nrc these unciviized
animals grinning nt?" asked my friend
In French. Some Americans, under
standing these remarks, were ashamed
and scolded their countrymen. My
friend turned to one of them, and point
ing his finger at the confused rascal.
asked:
What Is the namo Of thai mar?
7 Your namc?" the American shouted at
him. "ThrySclcy." he answered, or
something like that. What :; name"
exclaimed my friend, turning the tables
on him. "lf they gave a name like that
to Il cat in Europe the poor creature
| would howl for three days" Good for
you!" shouted the bystandcrs, very
much pleased at this rctort.
Aftcrwnrd IL dgnitcd gentleman
came to us and said that If we liked he
would have the rulllnn dismissed through
the influence of his friends. We de-
clincd to avail ourselves of this offer,
but expressed astonishmcnt that in IL
! country which boasts Of its civilization
the public officials should behave In
such way.
A custom house officer came to us and
proposed to- open our trunks. We got
rid Of him by putting few dollars in
his hand, as we saw other people doing.
ceptcd the bribr, but helped to put our
trunks into IL cab.
Ono could pardon the Americans the
democratic simplicity of their law
courts If they were upright But Amer
leans themselves agree that there. are
no worse thieves than their judges
The salvation of the republic lies not
in changing the institutions of the
! country, but in the radical reform of
the education of future generations, and
in counteracting the idea generally held
in America, that money alone consti-
tutcs the value OF Il man, and that his
only aim should be material comfort
| must be just and state that Americans
they have entrusted to women the edIl-
cation of their youth, Influences her
pupils In the same direction. There are
! things to be said in favor of the Amer
lean system of government. In certain
European countries there nre demo-
cratic nstitutions-in France and Eng
lnnd for instance but there II is Il po-
liticaI democracy, and 1t exists only in
theory. In America democracy is not
merely a political institution, but an
institution based on customs and man
ncrs. 1t exists not only in theory but
in practice. Here the people of all
classes are really equal. They live to-
gcther, belong to the same society," sit at
the same table; in n word, they do not
occupy different steps Of the ladder, be-
cause there is here neither ladder nor
steps, but only one dead level, in which
there Is no standing place higher than
another.
Superficial education is more vide
spread in America, but there is less pro-
found learning than in Europe. In the
old world, although they recognize the
necessity of education in the lower class
es, the principal attention is concen-
trated not on the elementary schools,
but on the universities, which are mac
| cessible to the majority of the people;
in other words, the state proposes not to
| educate the whole nation, but only the
higher and intelligent classes. This
produces such differences in the mental
development of the people that social
equality is absolutely impossible.
In :r,orlca it is quite different. The