The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-10-15
AS OTHERS SEE US.

growing army of Britons who have
written books on America. The title of
his volume is America at Work" The
author is not partial to the United
States as place of residence. He
thinks the people lack repose and are
too sordid to get much beauty out of
life; but he contends that the Ameri-
cans, in the industrial field, are out
stripping Europe and setting an admir-
able example of courage, skill, enter
prise and hospitality to new ideas.
1t is not necessary to follow Mr..
Fraser far into economic comparisons
which are already familiar to readers
of the commercial literature of the day,
but his notes on the social and business
manner of the Americans are altogether
readable. Americans" he says, must
be right there within five minutes of
everywhere. In New York men coat
less and vestless, with their sleeves
rolled up-men are kept cool in blister
ing, summer with moving electric fan
smoke green cigars. There is NOV
able telephone at their left elbow and
a typewriter on their right hand. They
are mostly young men, tall, Well built
and with nervous eagerness in every
line of their clear skinned faces. They
drink ice water. OF course, they drink
other things, but the American business
main is really a water-drinking person;
and he hustles. Still, there is often
more hustle than haste. I have seen
man stand cursing for thirty seconds at
the homecoming of an elevator to take
5 him to the floor below, when he could
have run down in fifteen seconds"
The department store of America lays
it over anything of the kind in En-
gland. 1.-THE American shop GIRL says
our author lis not so ladylike and
polite as her English prototype, but she
is bundle of intelligent vivacity. She
is neither anaemic nor languid. She
treats customers with familiarity that
would be met with rebuke in an En-
glish shop, but she means no imperti-
she wants to SELL and you are equal"
Mr.. Fraser declares that the keynote
of Washington is the air of democracy
which permeates every department of
the government. 81 have had" he says,
Experiences in various parts of the
world In getting courtesies from gov
ernments, from waiting fourteen days
in a Chinese city for what might have
been provided in an hour, to running
the gauntlet of British department.
the doorkeeper who doesn't know
seen or not, and leaves you in a
draughty corridor for ten minutes, then
ushers you into a waiting room pro-
vided with two illustrated papers eigh-
teen months old, where a clerk comes
and wants to know what you want,
and then goes off and comes back in
another ten minutes and takes you in
to another room, dull furnished and
with a London directory as reading
matter; and there you fume until at
last, three-quarters of an hour after
crossing the threshold you get face to
face with the great man himself, and
find him very English-cold, formal,
but courteous
Mr.. Fraser says he carried his British
notions to Washington. He went to a
department and told the functionary at
the door whom he wanted to see. The
functionary discharged a quantity of
brown liquid into spittoon and, with
out rising from his chair, said: ITO the
left; last door at the end of the pas
sage" and in a minute the Britisher
was shaking hands with member of
the American cabinet.
Here in America we are apt to make
tight of the official reports printed by
the government and sent out to whom
soever wants them. Mr.. Fraser thinks
it is fine thing and he comments on
it admiringly. Speaking of the labor
department, for example, he says:
II have never seen such admirable
articles anywhere except in the leading
British reviews, and the publications
have the advantage of never being
theoretical, but always practical. And
there is no paying half dollar for the
issue. There is no barrier of officialism
to restrain inquiry. Any American is
entitled to write and ask the depart
ment any question on earth he is in
terested in-the wages of Scotch fisher
girls; why it is poor people have more
children than rich people, etc. Or there
is the office, and you can walk in and
get what you want"
1t will be a shock to learn that in
spite of our palace sleeping cars and
our we'll served dinners this English
man regards the British passenger ser
vice as superior to our own. He ad
mits that we outstrip the kingdom il
handling freight and baggage. but ht