The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-09
Letters About tho Americans.


The anonymous author Of 4The Letters
Which Never Reached Him" E. P. Dutton
d Co.. wrote chiefly from New York. Her
these letters, our friend who was to have
received them, are both at rest. She lies
here within the sound Of the Atlantic's
roar and he is buried in the distant Chinese
earth. In May, 1900, we returned from
Berlin, where my brother-in-law had died,
after having been suffering for years from
an incurable mental disease. had hoped
that after the weary. oppressive day Life
might perhaps yet bring the consolation
Of q brighter evening to my sister. Il
seemed to mo a. II, unconscious Of It hor~
self. she was slowly revivtng. But during
world was waiting In tort1ring suspense
eigners in Pekin, my sister was consumed
the news OF his death arrived, after we
had already firmly believed him to be saved
she pinned away and died after short time
Later on went to China, and my sisters
letters were given to me. Our friend had
never received them
The author Of the letters seems 10 have
been an English won an. II she was not
English, she was at least at home and COM
petent in the use Of the English language.
In letter written in New York in Novem-
Der, 1899, she says: Mr.. Bridgewater spoke
about the great changes which have taken
place here in public opinion and in political
views since the war with Spain. To the
traveller who has not been here for some
years the changes are Immediately notice.
able in the enormously increased general
self-reliance. The whole nation seems
penetrated by the belief Of being called
to achieve q special end-a conviction
through which 90 many great aims have
already BEEN attained. America consid-
ers herself as the politically chosen one
Of the Lord. And It Is an amusing mix
ture Of feelings before which the onlooker
stands; on the one hand, quite dry,
prosaio calculations as to future CONNER
cial advantages which are to be obtained,
and side by side with these an almost re-
ligious enthusiasm for the mission OF brin g
ing light and liberty to others.
And by Others the Americans not only
allude to savage people, for with regard to
those we all cherish the same pretension
Of being traders and poliico-religious
apostles combined-but, on the contrary,
they mean US poor benighted Europeans.
America begins to stretch out her feelers
In all directions, and probably could not do
even II she would, for one gets
here the impression Of an accumulated
MAS Of strength, which impatiently waits
for the moment Of manifesting itself, which
probably has not even choice in the mat
ter, but which Is driven onward through
the logic Of things to search for wider
and to assert itself In ever new
question:
The Americans, she remarks, are young
and strong and do not yet know the polti-
cal nervousness from which 80 many suf-
Ter In Europe. 'They never use the sooth-
ing draught formula 90 common In some
European countries: Leave others TO con-
quer colonial possessions; they'll bleed to
death through them phrase which sounds
about as convincing as II eunuch tried to
console himself by saying that one easily
gets into trouble through love Adventures
The letters contain, also, plenty OF inter-
esting comments on American social life.
They have shrewdness and charm and are
raw aadabla