New-York tribune., 1901-06-18
THE AMERICAN AT HIS BEST.


One can take an interest in these American rep
resentauves which the summer flight from trans
There is nothing ennobling in the sight OF an Amer
lean doing" Westminster Abbey or edifying in his
ersed in one day. But get him on trade, and 1t Is
Impossible not 70 fee we can h2rdly say Nenera-
even Of awe. one looks with keen curiosity on The
that could produce an economic result that has
shocked and made TO gru:nble the Whole civilized
republic pure and simple; that is its reality; that
culture and tone. freedom. equality and all such
fgments. and get down 70 a hard cash transactio3n
fact ne becomes very great, and It IS absolutely
ducfjon a, wealth : the one thing 10 which the
American people has really given its mind and.
favorable II has succeeded to its own huge adrnra
nation has succeeded to The same extent in the
same time but no other nation has SO entirely
neonIe in wbteh 'tbI sisrreoarcv bafIyaen tbar
performance as traders and their achievements in
every other capacity has been so great. In that
respect the United States a portent. They have
grown In manner quite peculiar 10 themselves
To the ancients IL would have seemed mon
Strous growth; to the Greeks hideous. 70 the
Romans ignoble For you have in America the
best chaTacters systematically over long period
sen9bncing b h what the world has always REGARDED
things men had hitherto looked on as necessities
which most not SO fortunate as 70 be able
to avoid but which all would escape from II they
degrading, vet obstacles 10 the highest or at any
pIedSSnteSt
Jhe American view their philosophy OF life re-
verses the old order
ny; as the training OF individual character their
one OF the most interesting as one Of tbe r,ott
momentous. questions the world mas vet 10
answered II would be worth while living 10 see
it, even at the cost OF TithOnass burden. The
question cannot be answered now The immediate
ment 10 which the Americans have chosen TO
else That is the PLAIN truth, and the Continent is
because IL a yVh foa Trf,
calls Anglo -Saxous." ne thinks he must not
his ouby IN sodnE @ ON he hed e2aS So ets Qi 6o all n
comparison are hardly damaging him a all.
REASONS FOR AMERICAN SUCCESS
This is. OF course a purely business transaction.
II is as childish to blame or be angry with the
Americans for injuring US in trade 1t Is futile to
do is TO acknowledge the fact and resist them as
well as We can. At present we do neither. We
interest who very wisely make the utmost Of our
II under a cloud Of sentimental friendshir lv.hicb
does not open our eyes while unveiled contempt
thing. We have not taken trade scientifically as
have the Americans, and do throw into it
the same eneTSy and concentration In a sense. we
which America, the new portent in the worlds
economy, has introduced into trade; We forget or
Americans, as people Of extremes; have enor-
of trade works. 1t be a bad tendency. this
pushing things 70 extTemes-We should say It was
evitablv it is difficult for to compete with the
and In many ways they have had the pull of a
clean slate II is difficult for a country which does
and trust never viii, concentrate its whole
energies on trade. to compete traders with one
that allows of its energy to 90 to ANYTHING
else. These are temporary dificuItes One day Y
the United States will find itself simply unable to
neglect everything but trade. if IL does. IL will
cease TO be great power. though doubtless il viii
always remain the great republic
But the time the full pres
ent American commercial concentration falls on
us. What We have to do is by harder work. more
scientific method, fiscal readjustment and imperial
far ahead Of us that we sh al be unable to make
up lost ground, when their present artihcialy OBJ
tained advantage has brought them its nev-
table nemesis. The severity of American compe.i-
ton when its cause is .ntellgently appreciated
gives ground for panic but much for thought
We want to take il quietly. with a very clear head