The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-09
Ar cHARLEs RATrFLL LnoMIs.

edge Of American geography.
In the first place he headed his review
"a New Jersey Romance" Naturally the
American in London supposed that the
hook would treat OF NE In Railway or
Metuchen or some other town In New
Jersey. and he began to read tho review
with interest.
.In her new novel Miss Margery Williams
M VT. you prefer. Mr.. SCS. al
though that also stands for Mary Wilkinsl--
takes va pack once more to the people OF
New Jersey. The scene IL laid in q ANAL
New England port and the reader Is never
far from the sound Of the sea.'
Think OF New Jersey being a part 81 New
England!
Miss Williams knows New Jersey we'll
Not so the reviewer. III there IL an
Eastern State that isn't a bit like New
England It is New Jersey.
He goes on to say that Miss Williams
excels in the quality OF atmosphere and
the descriptions OF the New Jersey lanes
and fields are among the best she has yet
given Us.
What is this New England port that
has strayed away like so many New Eng
landers and settled In New JerseyP The
reviewer calls IL Port Gabriel" but that
doesn't help one much.
spoke OF this error 10 an English friendS
and he said:
ooh. you know over here New England
means all the East
That was worse yet, because your New
Highlander and your descendant of New
Englanders is rather proud Of the fact that
New England contains but ak rather small
States. Ask a New Eglander In New
Jersey II he is q 'Jerseyman' and he will
hasten to tell you that he was born In Mas
sachusetts or whatever one OF the proud
half dozen he did come from. On the other
hand, II you ask q Jerseyman in New Eng
land II he Ia a native New Eglander he will
DO IN nc haste to correct your mistake.
Still the London reviewer knew N much
about American geographical divisions a.
most Of US know Of English ones. The
average New York reviewer Is perfectly
capable Of saying Of an English book:
This idyllio little story has to do with
Yorkshire folk and their lives amid tho Wild
acenery OF their Devon downs and Derby
shire Elades; and tho quaint descriptions OF
the Cornwall coast washed by tho North
Sea reminds one OF similar descriptions OF
the samo coast by that master hand Charles
Dtcksns. The curious Lancashire dialeot IL
veil handled and the story Of the lives Of
thess Yorkshire miners, lineal descendants
II may be; OF Ham and Peggoty and Little
Emily; holds one In willing thrall and makes
ens long TO wander ut will v tho fair
Essex meadows and the Bsrks seacoast.'
We're always astounded and amused that
he other man doesn't know the thing We
know; but We are apt TO thI"k It OF little
moment that We don't know the thing the
other " an knows.
Not TO know q thing and yet to make q
bluf Of exact neutrality-suspicious. leads
to success and sometimes to laughter.
Last winter when I was covering some
Of the $1,000 miles that Jerome X. jerome
and I travelled in America-where I re-
learned geography every day; by the way
We we're one day passing over q desert on
q Southern Pacific train; and some one said
that one could see q mirage from the tr ain
windows when the atmospheric condi-
tons were favorable. Jerome was = little
s~ceptical about this; so I turned to q colored
porter and said:
Did you ever see a mirage2'
'Oh; yes; sah,' came the answer as quick
a. utteance could make Il.
What = it like?'
LAX a liz wolf, sah.'
There was absolute Ignorance palming
itself of az knowledge. Napoleon would
have promoted that porter n made an
engineer Of him at once; and he would in
all probability have run our train Of alien
roads with a calm assumption that he must
he right that would have given rise to no
end OF adventures.
Up in South Dakota there was another
man who always had an answer ready.
He was a clerk in the hotel at which We
we're forced to stop because the other one
was worse yeti, and just before We went to
the theatre. to deliver the goods l said TO
him:
Are the acoustics in the theatre goodP'
'oh; yes, considering the size Of the
town."
I've often wondered Just what he meant.
A few minutes later I changed the form
Of my question and said: is il easy to
make oneself heard In the theatre3'
very easy, indeed, said no, not knowing
thai he had already given n answer 10
my question.
No, the English reviewer was quite right.
He made q BLUFF at accurate knowledge Of
American geographical boundaries and
no doubt impressed many u~ntravelled Eng
Hshmen with the extent and variety Of his
attainments in a difficult field.
Look at the American elevated guard.
No one pretends TO believe that he knows
what he IL saying. He says "Frank'n sh
Ch'm'n'x' or -P'r'pl's C'n'x' and people
look out for the signs and get out as nearly
hight a. they can.
Over here Il IL quite different.
You are going. let US say, from Padding
ton station 70 Wallingford. By great good
luck you strike the right platform to begin
with. All around you shrill whistles are
Shrieking until you long for the deep toned
chord whistles OF American locomotives.
You approach q guard and say, where
do you change for WaIlingford?'
'Chinge at Didoot.'
This upsets you, because the friend In
whom you trusted told you a name that
sounded 20 like Chelsea that you immedi-
ately thought Of Thomas Carlyle.
You wait until tho guard isn't looking
and thar go. - - - ILL., ----.A-