Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-01

sign above the British man-Of-war they
know they will find somebody fit to speak
to- There is the ordinary humdrum man
Of good sense who knows that neither Brit
ain nor the United States has anything to
gain from friction and ill-temper, and that
both they and the world itself will benefit
from their concord and cooperation. And,
lastly, there is the candid cynic-there are
such in every Countrywide man who likes
to tell the truth, particularly the unpleas-
ant truth, to his countryman, and who sar-
donically observes that the position in the
Philippine Islands is not the best place in
the world from which to throw stones at
the British policy in South Africa.
I have always found it easy to make up
my mind on questions about which know
very little; but the more facts one learns
the more difficult it Is to come to a decision
Now. in the busy whirl Of modern life and
the limitless field of modern thought it is
not possible for an ordinary man to know
much about the political questions of coun-
tries other than his own. That is the rea-
son why we can form such decided opinions
upon them. l am far from saying that
these opinions are not of use and value I
beileVe that British and American opinion
may react upon one another as a most
healthy corrective to both countries
In the work of healing the wounds of
war in South Africa, in drawing the great
est measure Of good from q great misfor-
tune, there is room for the friends of all
parties to cooperate; and in that work the
attention of the United Statesmen neces-
sar1ly their praise, but their friendly and
temperate criticism-may indeed nnst
exert a valuable and effective influence
But let us, above all things, criticise each
other with restraint. No nation pays any
attention to the criticism Of a foreign
power unless 1t is moderate. 1t is merely
supported by cannon. For this reason, and
also because we cannot take more than
a superficial view of other peoples affairs
the case for moderation claims alike from
nf nrao ti na1
men.
have found this attitude of tolerance, of
desire to hear both sides and all sides, very
frequent among the Americans of every
pro-Boers whose private friendship have
long enjoyed, others whom only knew
by name, came to hear what had to say.
must confess that they went away
| friendly but unconverted. But I find in
American audiences as q whole great
| measure of this judicial quality, which is,
after all, one of the main distinctions be-
tween civilized man and a cannibal-the
wish to find out the real truth instead of
| merely to strengthen established convic-
lions.
American audiences are, moreover, very
goodnatured, quick to appreciate joke,
even If turned against themselves; most
kind, patient and reasonable. OF course, l
never have had the opportunity OF ad-
dressing meeting of working men on this
side of the Atlantic 1t is a pleasure, per-
haps to come; but, so far as may be
Judged from a limited, though very recent,
experience, 1t seems that an American au-
dience is much harder to convince than
similar gathering in Great Britain, but
much easier to persuade.
I have tried to show in what degree
American opinion is divided upon the Boer
war; large minority of academic Boer
sympathizers around a small but implac-
able nucleus of Anglophobes on the one
hand, and upon the other great mass OF
phlegmatic opinion and the many forces
actively friendly to Great Britain
But we must not mislead ourselves as to
the practical strength of pro-Boer sympa-
thy In America. To whatever side they
NAV attach themselves upon this question,
Americans are not greatly stirred by 1t.
They do not care much either way. The
world lives so fast nowadays that the cry
for something new interrupts the closing
acts of the greatest of dramas. The
United States have looked away from
South Africa, and are busy with their own
concerns, and nothing which can arise out
of the sentiments the Boer war has excited
is likely to impair the good relations which
have so long existed with Great Britain.
| I have never been an advocate OF the
Anglo-American alliance. Such an IDEA,
however attractive, is far removed from
practical politics-almost as far removed as
| the idea of an Anglo-American war. There
are mighty forces silently at work on both
sides OF the Atlantic to join the two people
with bonds of friendship and sympathy.
But alliances arise out OF the interests, not