Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-06

volume, for eaen has characteristics of his race and country, although they are not obtrusive of those character istics-
 The appointment of ambassadors and ministers to represent the coun- tries of the world at this capital. and the appointment of ambassadors and ministers to represent this republic at the capitals of the various nations, is regarded as one of the necessities of modern civilization.
 But, like everything else in national governmental affairs, it is overdone. The friendly relations between Great Britain and the United States could be easily maintained without having the pepple of Great Britain annually taxed $5O,OOO for an ambassador to this country. The friendly relations between this country and Mexico might easily be maintained without the people of this country being taxed 7.50O to maintain g minister there.
 Not onlysare?these ambassadors and ministers high salaried gentlemen, but they are expensive ,asnNuries to the nations of the world, because they dtu CUSllH ISSlGSHCGS, NllH sec ret aries, assistant secretaries, military and naval attaches. and hosts of serv- ants. It has long since been appar- ent to me that the cost of our diplo- matic and consular service is shame fully high, raseally high. But the other nations of the earth maintain these great expenditures by taxing their people; and, unless we make as good show as they do, we might as we'll stay at home and keep out of diplomacy. Lady readers will under stand this principle of diplomacy bet ter than others, when they are re- minded that it is better to stay away from church a whole year than to go to church with a last seasons hat, or with holes in the stockings. They must dress well and keep up appear ances, if their husbands work their fingers off.
 That is not intended to be an un- gallant or an undiplomatic remark, but a statement of fact for illustra- tion.
 The principal duties of the mem- bers of the diplomatic corps and their attaches are to entertain and be en- tertaining; that is to say, to eat, drink and be merry. The ambassa- dors and ministers give costly, garish banquets when the congress is in ses- sion and our entire governmental ma chinery is at work in this city; and their understrappers spend their time and their money in vining. dining and theater-going with their friends in the corps, and with the friends they have made in tiis city.
 Practically (when they are prac- ticaD, some of these secretaries make it a business to charm and capture the hancsomest daughters of our wealthiest men and marry them: for there are more fool girls to the square inch in this city than anywhere else in America. ", .-
 That may seem q little harsh, but it is frank. Maybe if these diplomatic corps fellows were as prevalent else where they might develop as many silly girls, for it is true of women as it is of the stronger sex, of whom the poet wrote:
 'Men are only boys grown tall;
 Hearts don't change much, after all."
 Human nature is substantially the same everywhere. and our butterflies and buds here may not deserve un- kind characterization; but it is cer- tainly unworthy of our national pride and international development that our girls and their matchmaking mothers should bow and scrape. as they do, to these foreigners who as semble in our capital city. But we will not get up any Boxer movement to correct the evils which we see and deprecate. Nor should this story be concluded without saying that some of these foreigners are splendid ex- amples of manhood as we'll as supe- rior representatives of their govern ments and their peoples.