Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-11-18
FROM A SPANISH VIEWPOINT
The Yankee" the Subject of an In
terestina Letter in p. ]. Paper.

The following article appeared in a
Spanish paper published in Manila,
p. l., last January. II was written by
a Spaniard and gives an idea Of what
the outside world thinks of the devo-
ton with which every true American
feels for his country's flag:
marvel that the Spaniard, who has
such a strong love for his country,
and who is so willing to offer himself
a heroic sacrifice for her when neces-
sity arises, shows such little respect
for her symbol, neglecting to render II
the homage of courtesy, the salute.
There is perhaps no other people
which so highly respects its flag as
the people of the United States. Yet
neither the cold temperament Of its
Saxon character nor the heterogen-
city of the people, drawn from every
country under the sun, would be con
sidered favorable elements for the de-
velopment of patriotism. On the 9TH
er hand. u excitable, southern tenn
permanent, our Wills educated TO show
obedience, our disposition seryile in
its respect. should us to revere
the symbol for whose sake everyone,
without distinction, would be glad IN
die
OF love for our country Though err
ing at tines, We Spaniards could
teach: in displaying that love, there
are nations of whom We could learn.
The North American is one of them.
And | mention this n because she
fought us and oyercame us.
The yankee" has no tongue, he has
no religion. he has no proper, exclu-
sive, individual name, put he has a
flag. lie cannot be called American,
because that term includes numerous
peoples, who differ in customs, In re-
ligion, in language and in race. II we
call him North American he becomes
confused with Canadians and the ma
tives Of Mexico. We a only call him
yankee a corruption by the print
tive Indians p%ronouncing the word
English" and this word can scarcely
be applied to the inhabitants of all the
different states of the Union, for ii
belongs to some of them only. There
Is not, then, any distinctive name for
them.
The yankee" has not a religion; In
the liberal structure Of the constitu-
ton there Is equal room for the aus,
terity of the Puritan and the poly.
gamy of the Mormon. The disciples
of Christ, the followers of MOhamed,
and the members of the numerous
Protestant sects, are all protected by
the same law. The temple and the
mosque are erected on the same
street; the Bible and the Koran are
sold in the same bookstore. The priest
and the minister officiate together in
the same church. They are not dis
tinctive. then, in religious belief.
They have no language of their own;
their official tongue Is that In which
Byron and Shakespeare wrote. Their
literature is in embryo, their art Is not
formed, Ii We except their architec-
tural art, which bears the stamp OF
the rigid, the sober. the bold. The
beautiful stories OF Bret Harte, the
American Cork, are almost typical,
Their great literary men are nearly
all still alive. Their classics are Eng
lish.
The American nation does not form
a separate race. England gave il
birth, IL now was nourished by all ma
tons who pay their tribute to immi,
grafton, and today II forms a diyersi,
fled whole with individuals OF south.
ern Saxon or birth, but yankees" al
heart. 1t is marvellous to note how
rapidly the thousands of immigrants
who flock every year TO her boundar
les, In search OF wealth. become as
simulated with the great population
already there. Just as a little stream
upon reaching the sea is soon lost In
its wide expanse or mingle so rapidly
with the seas formed by the inhabi
tants of the United States, that not 9
trace is left OF the union. They hat
not the distinctive of race.
The American Is lacking In the dis
tinctives of name. OF worship, of ton
que and of race; but he has two dis
tinctiyes; his constitution and his
laws may be, and wherever the en-
| sign of the stars and stripes ma
wave, there lives q people who know
what patriotism is, who has a concep
ton of what humanity should be.
When. at eventide, the colors ar,
lowered from the quarters, greeted b,
the strains Of the national hymn
when the military bands. which pla.
on the public promenades, never fal
to conclude by reminding him, wit
the notes OF the national air. that b.
has a country: when at every concer,
upon every occasion that homage /
rendered the nation, when the note
OF the Star Spangled Banner resoun
the distinguished civil official. the NJ
bending Judge. the rough soldie.
through whose veins course drops O
whisky. the aristocratic young lady