The record-union., 1898-07-03
ELABORATE PLEA FOR ENGLISH
AND AMERICAN UNITY.

AS an evidence Of the depth of the
feeling of the English concerning bet
ter understanding between the English
and American people, If not an alilance
without ENHANCEMENT between the ma
tions, we have now strong, urgent
and assuredly pleading paper In the
current number of the Atlantic Month
ly,' from Hon. James Bryce, M. P. Mr..
Bryce makes no concealment OF his own
desires and of what he believes is the
wish of the mass of the English people,
namely, that as five great nations OF
the world represent but four world
races, Britain and America, one race
in ideals, civilization, beliefs and hab-
its, ought to draw so much closer to-
gether in amity that severance or bit
terness will be forever impossible.
Mr.. Bryce has been so generous, just
and frank a critic of America IN
past years. and has had so much OF
good to say of US in times when there
was no incident like the present war
to quicken feeling, that he commands
respectful hearing from an American
audience now. While we are certainly
not disposed to favor political alliance
with Great Britain, though desirous, as
all others must be, of the very best
of understandings and of agreement to
stand together for progress, refinement,
humanity and civilizing influences, still
70 he cfo oI
fully to our readers, and to have such
root as they may take.
In brief then, Mr.. Bryce holds that
the sense of unity and sympathy now
existing between the two peoples ought.
in reason and nature, always to have
existed. He believes there has been
long an underlying unity between US.
of which we have not been fully con-
scious, and that the very manifesto
tions of irritation which have occasion
ally been prominent really testified to
an undercurrent of affection which each
felt for the other, that made unfriend-
ly and affrontng expression more re-
sented than similar language would
have been from a nation less near to
US in affection.
For twenty years the sense Of essen
tial unity has been growing stronger
in Britain. Steam and electricity have
brought these two Of one language
nearer together; no age has seen such
revolutions IN trade and politics as
ours from economic and social spheres
to the upper realms of politics. The
great nations In this age have stretched
out their hands and parceled the pos
sessions Of savage tribes and peoples,
and even of weak. semi-civiliZed ma
tions, and how this has been done he
points out in detail, in the west and
east Of Asia, in North America, in
Africa and Indo-China, until Russia,
America and Britain hold each con-
siderable fraction Of the area Of the
world
The great stage is now almost cleared
Of minor actors, and the five great ma
tions look around upon the others,
measuring their purposes and strength.
OF the four European Powers not one
OF them has any special affinity for
the other. They are mutually jealous.
The alliance Of Russia and France is
based, not on sympathy and friend
ship. but upon the hostility France en-
tertains towards Germany. But Eng
1and has no reason for hostility toward
any other Power She has all the ter
ritory she can hope to administer well.
Despite what some of her papers and
speakers say. her people want the
friendship and goodwill Of other ma
tons But England feels that she Is
regarded by her three neighbors with
q jealousy that might easily pass into
nnfriendliness. She perceives that these
Powers are disposed to think their in
terests opposed to hers, though peace,
confidence and unshackled commerce
are the highest interests Of all coun-
tries.