New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-07-30
JOHN BULL.
a French Estimate Of Him as
Nan and a Citizen.

M BCELfIs pfoCerus SDOui MS SAe1aAAAA-oN-S-- -
the English people IN the spirit Of true dis
cipie Of Tame lie Is laboriousIy r4ethodical.
and yet he Is not ashamed be readable He
handles weighty material with Light touch.
ard one cannot bat enjoy his pages whether
agreeing with the arguments they advance or
not NJ BoutIGy MAJ not always be convincing
but there is no denying his intelligence or his
sincerity. lie undertook his great task under
grave Disadvantages. Though he is not totally
blind. the general aspect Of the world Is MD
den from him, while reading and writing are
= both entirely beyond his powers" Yet with the
aid OF the hands and eyes Of others he has made
al extraordinarily minute survey of foreign
race Tor each OF his journeys to England"
says M Bodiey. he prepared himself with con-
scientous care. The questions which he pro-
posed to put TO representative Englishnen, the
problems of our national life which he wished
to solve were all arranged. according TO cate
gories. IN notebooks. at the head OF blank pages
TO be flied In as his information was acquired"
On the answers he received to his questions and
on his previous studies In books he has based
q striking portrait OF John Bull
In the first place. he makes much OF Eng
lands climate. maintaining that nature adj
dresses al promise and menace TO the
inhabitants of the British islands, requiring eff
fort from Them If they TO enjoy her gifts.
and sending them TO the wall the moment they
weaken IN the struggle. She has been for the
English "a school OF initiation IN activity. fore
sight and self-control, and. as always happens
these virtues have eventually become indepen-
dent OF the reasons for self-preservation and
well-being which gave them rise. so that effort
orce made as a matter OF necessity is now made
for Its own sake" NJ. Boutmy IS perpetuay
comparing the English with the French. and ne
Is perpetually finding that the Englishman, no
matter what he is doing, is infinitely buster
about Il than the Frenchman ever dreams OF
being AS the heavy climate of his country has
compelled the EnglIshman TO bestir himself if
he has wished to survive, so ii has. on the other
hand, in n Boutmy's opinion. deadened his
eensibty. Surgical operations, for example.
are said to be more successful on him than on
a southerner-"the former excites and agitates
himself far less than the latter" But as NJ
Boutny develops this point We feel more and
more dubious as to the value OF his hypothesis.
Recalling the imperturbability Of the English
arenadiers under fire. in Spain. at Waterloo and
at Inkerman. he notes that it has won the ad-
rniration even OF their enemies; but he proceeds
TO explain It on the theory that they are not
compelled, Ike the Frenchmen. 10 try and for
get IN the excitement. the hurry and the quick
march the vivid images their brains conjure up
of the bullet Whistling past their ears the tract
ured limb and the spasmodic agony" We de-
in battle is due to the fact that he is 'lethargic
and dull" The American soldier has shown
upon countless occasions that he is capable of
the same calmness under the same circum-
stances, and NJ Boutmy would hardly presume
TO maintain that are, a people, letharglc
and dull. a further point that he attempts TO
make seems even more unfortunate. Our liter
airy TASTE he declares lis offended by the ex-
aggerated and distorted types. overlooked pict-
ures, and yenomous. coarse irony. which are TO
be found in the works OF even their most cult
ured authors. If such characteristics were not
sufficiently accentuated 10 jar on our sensibili-
ties theirs would be left untouched" This gen.
orally discriminating Frenchman has. we fear,
been confusing English journalism OF the more
vulgar sort with English literature.
The Engshman is not, if to believe
this book. sufficiently disinterested. Though the
author would rot deny to the race a certain
faculty for generalization. he thinks that the
operations Of that faculty are limite$ in scope
Assuming that a materialistc conception Of life
is forced upon the Englishman by his sur
roundings, with the constant spur they give
to the grim struggle for existence. NJ. Boutmy
maintains that the victim of The situation does
not become absorbed in the outer world. but
seeks refuge in the inner life. The argument
continues in this wise:
NatCralsm is entirely foreign TO the English
mind. ana metaphysical spe citation absolutely COR
uary 10 il. Both infer sort OF prolonged imper-
sonaty on the part OF the thinker forgctfuness.
detachment, an aliti lie must come out Of MIN
self in order TO attempt TO complete either earth
or In The clouds any great and perm nent struct-
-ur6e5 or interr1ad by his s, 70 nyitfar nat
The human being ought 10 ocriIDL he tirst Ilane
by the persistent idea that he ought be part OF
Il all by the question, hundred times repeated !
What have I TO gain by ali thiT labor?' With the
t1ngLshInan the wings Of the 3pirt have not I'm
ished growing: they DO not lend themselves to any
great nights; they Simply help ii 10 walk; II it
instant AFTER IN the CONSCIOUSNESS OF personality |
that does not allow Itself forget. This person.
ality derives considerable force the powerful
interests which. pointed o.!t attract it
10 them dominating it by the prestige of i'm |
sity Of his material ,a-'fs tho r n INC ~ IN
oountrys soil, The facilities arising from its geo
graphical position. ali the consciousness OF wealth
and power. create for The Euglishnan an ideal |
within reach OF his eyes and hands and urge him |
10 uneesslag activity. He has not time follow
earth too allan TO lite here below to its conditions
AT distance, used merely as a background Tor |
,he perpetrally moving lnicrocosm sink TO the |
trusted guide. especially esteemed for its common
teLse-,Iaslsier vita Even in matters of faith the
elrepinstaniial psychologist and noralist of the
mystic or skepuc.
1t might be supposed that a people so little in
clined TO roam from substantial mornings would |
be addicted 10 order i'm all things but NJ |
boutmy finds the English lacking in ideas of |
order IN their art and in their literature and for
that matter in their dealings with all depart |
ments Of human thought He is very begtil,np
In his exposition Of the individualism which
plays SO large part in the destinies of the Eng
iish people But when he compares, for example |
he hhshSh novel with the French, and discov-
ers that the former is not, as rule. so SOUND
N construction as the latter he forgets to ask |
himself whether. after all. the English novel IS |
FOR this reason further from rarfect.o, ,ha, a..