Arizona republican., 1905-02-18
German Criticism of Americans.

herman (rtIIClSm or AmerICauS. We Americans are somewhat prone
 to become "chesty" when comparing
 our rank and achievements with those of other nations-a disposition by no means creditable to us as a race. In recent years this country has developed
 wonderfully along all material lines,
 and has made enormous gains in the
 struggle for domination of the worlds
 markets Since 1870 1t has doubled it's population. built up an empire in the
 west developed the greatest internal
 commerce in the world, expanded over
 seas and advanced to the position of a
 world power with a navy strong
 enough to support any claims it may
 make. These accomplishments have
 tended to increase the characteristic American feeling of assurance, a feel
 ing that is liable to produce serious consequences if not checked once in a
 while by wholesome reminders that we are not the only people on earth.
 Such reminder comes from Berlin
 in the form of a report to the state de- partment from Consul General Mason. MT. Mason has summarized a number of articles written by German visitors to the United States and published over there, in which the writers ex- press their opinions of American in dustrial progress. The result is in teresting and highly instructive: none the less so because most of the things have been said before-a fact which ought to make tEem all the more im- pressive.
 These German visitors include en- gineers, scientists, merchants and man ufacturers. and their observations were made mostly at the worlds fair last summer They admit that we have vast resources. energy, industry. and extraordinary mechanical genius. Like
 wise they concede the superiority of our factory and transportation systems and the virtues of the restless Ameri- can spirit which is not satisfied to let we'll enough alone, but must be con stantly on the alert for a still better way to do things. But to offset these traits they found a complacent' feeling of satisfaction with everything Amer ican; an unwillingness to believe that anything can be learned from the methods or experience of other nations.
 Our German critics think we are quite willing to listen to foreign praise of our industrial development but are wholly indifferent to foreign blame. The effect of this feeling of self-sufi- ciency, they assert, is apparent in the lack of application shown by the aver age American workman. He does not study the scientific side of his business and therefore he has very slight tech nicaI knowledge of the machinery and forces with which he works. The Am | erican colleges every year turn out thousands of lawyers, doctors, dentists and unspecialized graduates. but a | comparatively insignificant number of engineers, chemists, electricians and | other technically educated men. Per haps a half dozen technical schools are ] considered good according to German | standards. but this number is wholly | to the needs of a nation of | SO,eOO. 900 people.
 Anybody who has given the subject | careful thought must admit that these criticisms are in the main true. Amer l jeans are too impatient too much in a hurry for practical results to devote | much time to thorough study unless it is absolutely necessary, and so far they have been able to achieve wonderfull results without it. But 1t is a question ! in the race for the worlds commerce, they can continue perma- nently with such methods to distance the patient. plodding Germans, who are in the race to stay and who are making the most careful preparation for it. It certainly behooves American and exporters to heed the criticism of their rivals, lest the old fable of the hare and the tortoise take on a new application.