The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-12-06
WHAT is AN ANGLo-sAXoN?
(The Figaro, Paris.)


English literature has for long time
been the chief study of M. Jusserand,
the new French ambassador to the
United States. When he was chan
cellor of the French embassy at Lon
don he found time not only to perfect
himself in the English language, Whlch
he has thoroughly acquired, but also 10
observe the society, the manners and
the genius of England, both in life ana
in letters.
1t may be asked, Is it necessary that
an ambassador should acquire such
notions? Certainly it is, and especially
in the case of an ambassador charged
with the duty of representing France
in the United States of America. And
here is the precise reason:
For considerable time we have had
our ears tortured BY common saying
which is travelling all over the world.
On the one hand "Anglo-Saxon" means
the energy of a strong people, the
boldness of a young race, the endurance
OF robust societies, etc." and on the
other the term 'Latins." if we are to
believe certain persons, means the
neurasthemia of ''decadent' races, the
inertia of worn-out nationalities, the
general paralysis of the old nations
and so on.
The inventors of this double barreled
balderdash have taken care charitably
to place the French people in the sec
ond category, so that. according to the
everlasting laws of evolution and the
struggle for life, our task is ended, our
work IS done.
Very we'll: thrice happy will we be II
the condescension of the so-called
Anglo-S Saxon races moves them to re-
tire us with pension. But the height
of this absurdity is reached by GER
tain number OF French writer's who
jump at this strange fetish with low
cred heads and closed eyes. We, our
selves, are helping along this nonsense.
The stuff has been innocently picked
up and magnified. Even custom or
fashion has adopted the logomachy,
| Anglo Saxons, Anglo-Saxons -Latins,
| Latins." 1t is the tarte a la creme of
| our doctors and dOctresses of social and
economical sciences.
One cannot look at newspaper or a
review without noticing this phenome-
non in 'psittacism," this mechanical
repetition of two words inexplicable
and consequently void of all sense or
| meaning.
How often do we read about the two
civilizations" the "Anglo-S Saxon civil
/ ization" and the Latin civilization" as
| if the unity of European civilization. of
| which America is a magnificent pro-
| longatiOn, was not positive fact for
all whose vision is not blurred by vain
phraseology!
If these 'verbocinations'- borrow
from Rabelais-only grew in the shade
of colleges, the harm would not be so
great. But no; the two ridiculous
words are travelling around the world
| They help our opponets who rub their
hands after totalling up their profits
made out of the bad name given to all
products that do not bear the trade
mark of the ''Anglo-Saxon" shop.
All the same, We would astonish our
Bretons, our Flemings, our Picards,
| our Auyergnats, our Basques, our Al
satians, our Picts of Poitou, our Helle-
mans who, it should not be forgotten,
conquered England, if we told them
that they were all simply Latins. Pre-
cisely under the same conditions a
citizen of the United States descended
from the French of Louisiana or from
the Dutch of New York has no right to
assume this strange title, Anglo
| Saxon"
And now we come to the question,
| What is an Anglo-Saxon? A distin-
guished Englishman, Intercepted upon
the subject, answered in all sincerity
that he had never seen one, and conse-
quently he was completely ignorant of
the anatomy of the animal.