New-York tribune., 1900-12-10
MISCONCEPTIONS OF AMERICA.

The Canadian Government has Issued PAM
phlet TO controvert the widespread impression
that Canada is a bleak, semi-arctic land OF
snow and ice-an impression which was greatly
strengthened by Kipling's poem sour Lady OF
the SHOWS" The special object of the publica-
tion, of course. is 10 inform prospective immi-
grants as to the great advantages of Canada.
1t is found that many persons have been pre-
vented from settling in Canada because they
believed il to be a sort OF annex of Greenland.
Among the symbolical figures in the Lord
Mayors procession in London none used 10
make a greater impression than the polar bear
which represented Canada. Naturally Cana
dams are anxious 10 remove this erroneous i'm
preston. and so the pamphlet tells about the
grape and peach belt of Canada and shows the
Importance and extent of its agricultural prod
ucts, while, on the whole, its climate is both
pleasant and salubrious
We do not know that it would be feasible for
the American Government TO issue similar
publication correcting the erroneous impress
sions of this country in Europe. Indeed, one
book, no matter how bulky, could not begin to
do justice TO the subject. so great and wide
spread are the misapprehensions abroad concern
ing things American. That uneducated people
should be ignorant of far off land beyond the
means confined to the unedueated. Many other
wise intelligent people are almost as much at
fault in this respect. Most surprising of all,
our English cousins, in spite of laudable
efforts in that direction, have not wholly sue
ceeded in knowing US as are. The news
papers the other day told how a Western
wag played a cruel joke on highly educated
English traveller by telling him that if he
wanted 10 see a typical wild and lawless from
tier town he should not fail to visit Denver.
The Englishman believed the tale and at once
hurried TO Denver furnished with an alcohol
lamp TO heat water for shaving and tin basin
for his abutions in the back yard of the hotel
Notions of this country almost as grotesque
may be encountered by Americans who travel
extensively through Great Britain, although, of
course, the ignorance of America is far less
dense than il used 10 be in the old days, when
titled woman at great dinner party in
London said TO an American present: Surely
you are not a native. for you are white"
OF late years the English press has given
much more space than formerly to news from
the United States; but this has not contributed
as much as il should to better unders landing
Deep down beneath his superficial intelligence
the average Englishman continues to think of
the United States much as ii is pictured in
the mining tales or Bret Harte, a land where
nothing is treated seriously and where life is
a succession Of side splitting burlesque Jokes
1t is this sort of thing which is greedlly read
in England as $50 characteristically American -
and the reading of which gives to otherwise in
telligent Englishmen a conception Of life in this
country utterly at variance with the facts The
plot of the most impossible opera bouffe could
be no further from the truth. In a way this is
laughable; but IL has a more serious side In
these days of growing trade relations between
the two countries, when Englishmen find il to
their interest to invest so much OF their capital
IN American industries would not writer's
and correspondents do we'll to portray the
real America and show how, in spite Of
its youthful love of grotesque fun, its social
political and commercial life is responsive to
what is best and most enduring in the ciyiliza-
ton of the Old World? Were they to do this
they would at first doubtless disappoint those
who think America nation of minstrel send
men,; but in the end they would earn the graft
tude OF all who believe that the progress and
prosperity of the world are best promoted nv
nations and men coming to know one another "a
lney are.