The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1902-01-18
American Traits

man." America is not the Ethiopia that
the trainers of the constitution and the
first men who got the idea of federat-
ing a nation out OF thirty-SiX indie
pendent states hoped il would soon be
come Yet from so good natured and
discriminating "a point Of view as the
one held by Professor Hugo Munster
berg. professor of psychology in Har-
ward university. Americans who pause
To read his book can only be stimulated
To more strenuous endeavor to do their
part to make the nation into the ideal
democracy that the fathers imagined
and hoped to found.
The five essays which compose the
book called American Traits pub
Iished by Houghton, Miffiin & Co, We're
first published I'm the Atlantic Monthly,
and caused from their first appearance
much discussion.
Since the beginning of the Spanish
American war Americans travelling i'm
Germany have noticed the very violent
dislike entertained by Germans for
Americans. The opinion of America
entertained by Germany has been ap-
parent also in the cartoons which
American newspapers have republished
from German papers. The cartoons are
not good pictures of our mis-
takes and OF our national failings.
They are drawn i'm spiteful hatred. The
German at present is exasperated with
America and he is drawing bad pic
lures of the Americans as little boys
stick out their tongues at objects OF
their disapprovaL Our cOuntrymen
who have to eat in German pensions
spend uncomfortable half hours listen
ing to foreign opinions of America.
Professor Munsterberg refers to this
feeling i'm Germany against the United
States and in this country against Ger
many: No sincere observer can deny
that the two peoples in some respects
do not like each other. 1t is by no
means hate or even luminosity which
separates them: it is kind of antipa-
thy. half-ethical, half-aesthetic aver
sion. The citizens of the two ma
tions do not like one another because
they do not regard one another as gen
tlemen: the American thinks the Ger
man servile and reactioaary. narrow
minded and narrowhearted; the Ger
man thinks the American greedy and
vulgar. brutal and corrupt. As long as
large circles of the population have
such feeling. all the diplomacy of
the two governments can merely apply
plaster to the wounds. but cannot thor
oughly heal them. Only one course is
open for an organic improvement: the
two nations must learn to understand
each other and to feel the inner accord
OF their real character"
Professor Munsterberg explains that
the German-American who returns to
his native country expatiates about
the material advantages of living here;
but as he has never broken down the
reserve which exists between emf
grants and a native population. the son
of Germany returning can not speak
with authority of our social life. He
himself has not seen il from the inside.
Because of the evils which hatred pro-
duces the author has set himself the
large task of introducing the two ma
tons to each other and making them
friendly. This book of five essays he
intends he says in the preface. for the
Americans TO read: he has written
several others to be read in Germany
In these he has collected the good
points of America and the Americans
But i'm this book to America he points
out our faults. He therefore charges