Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-26
Superheated Atmosphere Emit
ted at Annual Banquets.
PHRASES OF MUTUAL AMIT>
What the English Really Think Of
Americans.
RID1cU1E Us CONSTANTLY
Designate Uncle Sans Citizens as vul-
garians and Founders and Over
Fond Of almighty Dollar"

Fond Of Almighty Dollar"
"For some years past I have been en-
gagged in compiling a list Of what I call
Pilgrims Dinnerisms. observed an Ameri-
can gentleman who has been living in Lon
don, engaged in financial enterprises. dur
ing the past fourteen years, and who is now
in Washington
IT call them Pilgrims Dinnerisms because
they are phrases emitted at the semi-annual
Pilgrims dinners in London and New York
nv superheated and sometimes vinous Pill
grims and their guests. These phrases OF
mutual amty-the amity supposed to exist
between the United States of America and
Great Britain-slide OF the tongues OF the
Pilgrims at their dinners most trippingiy.
Some OF the gentlemen who deliver them
selves of these phrases really imagine that
thew themselves mean them when they give
utterance to them. They also imagine, per-
haps, that folks who actually know the
real state of things-the feelings. that IL to
say, with which Englishmen regard Amer
icans-will take these fine. sonorous, sac
charine, syllabubish phrases as possessing
some genuine meaning.
II haven't the notes of my compilation
with me at this moment, but Will men.
ton few of these phrases onhand tha.
are sprung with such joyous ratapiah al
the Pilgrims dinners.
The kinship of language'-'The Ties OIL
blood'-'Our cousins over the wa.er-
Hands across the sea'-'The mother coun-
try proud of her offspring'-'Blood is thicker
than water'-'The Briton and the American
against the world'-'United by our common
speech'-'Offspring Of the tight little lsie
anglo saxons Of the little island ana OF the
great CONTINENT could pile the list up
pyramidally. But there Is no occasion Tor
pulling over the whole stock
"All Americans are newspaper readers,
and they are perfectly familiar with these
PILGRIMS dinnerisms. Some, perhaps. take
them for what they think they're worth
Many others, however. rea!iy imasine IND.
these phrases are meant. 1t Is LOT tne
benefit and instruction-if may so far pre-
anne as to ask the privilege Of instructing-
of this latter class of Americans that am
going to say word or two.
What the English Really Think.
INV justification for saying these things
must consist in the fact that I have lived
in London and elsewhere In England dur
ing the past fourteen years. have no
acuter perceptions than my fellow-Amer-
cans who know England and Englishmen.
nor do I profess to any particularly note
worthy powers Of observation. But am
familiar with all classes Of English people:
from the highest to the lowest, ana II
know anything at an ana am , GapaoI into y,
words. believe am entitled to speak win
knowledge Of what Englishmen think OF
Americans. It will be necessary to eener,
alize a hit but these concentrations are all
overwhelmingly supported by instances In
my own experience.
1.-THE English do not love the Americans.
Let me make that a bit clearer. The Eng
Ush do not like Americans. 1t will be even
more true If say it at once, that the Eng
fish. take them all In all. literally ana ap-
solutely despise US. I VIII add tnat tneir
feeling Of antagonism toward us is growing
every day. You don't get that view or the
situation from. Downing street. Diplomatic
exchanges between the two governments.
Of course. tell no such story. Inc fnsrims
dinners don't tell 1t. There are no parucu-
lar ranking incidents to add just now TO
the absolute detestation with which Eng
iishmen regard Americans. But l declare
in all gravity, that the English are despls-
ing us more all the time. One OF the causes uses
mast England has been in the clutch OF an
Industrial depression the extent OF which
is hardly understood on this side, whereas
the United States is on the top crest OF q
are bitterly. vindictively. chronicaiiy 1eal-
Gus of the United States.
IT have never taken the pains. nor shall
ever take such pains 70 analyae , the dstast
Americans. I have neither time nor dis.
position for such inquiries or analyses. But
I know that the condition exists all over
England. For reasons Of policy q certain
haif-hearted attempt is made by English
men in high place to screen TINS Ieeuns:
But the American who Is IN close contact
with Englishmen Of all grades every Gay
Of his life cannot fail to become convinced
at a very early stage Of his domicile among
them Of the profound aversion which they
have toward us.
Merely Tolerate Americans.
.They merely tolerate us, IL you please.
Their habitual attitude toward US Is the
patronizing attitude. They condescend to
accept us within certain limitations But
we are really not much more than Hotten-
tots to them. Once In while some really
big-minded Englishman soundly trounces
his countrymen for the habitual attitude Of
SNUG superiority which they assume toward
ali other peoples but the trouncing does no
good. Your Englishman Of lifelong, In,
durated arrogance is not to be instructed
by verbal trouncing or any other method
and am positive, from long years s,o Oh Gs
observation, that the smugly superior Eng
fish have less stomach for the Americans
than they have for any other great people
on the globe.
eirding at u.s. in conversation among them
selves in their publications, on the stage,
everywhere and by all means of expression
They rsga US r. Tsey st accept s as true
the picture which Dickens drew of US after
his visit here in 1872 We are spitters,
shirt-sleeved hogs. a nation Of gross-man-
nered persons who drawl In g. sing-song
way through our noses. We haven't symp-
toms Of culture or refinement. Our one
idea in life is to heap up the dollars.
Permit me to dwell, just for moment
ON this greed for the almighty dollar barb
which the English are perpetually en-
deavoring to lodge in our pelts. The Eng
lishman, wish to observe Is powerfully
greedy for his shilling. He goes after 1t
with all of his might. His might is not as
great as ours nor his methods as ingenious
and successful: but he certainly strives
after his own fashion, just as hard for the
shillings as we strive for the dollars, and he
doesn't get as much fun out of his money.
once he amasses IT, as we do out of ours.
for two excellent reasons-flrst, he doesn't
know how to enjoy himself, and, second, he
Is q hopeless 'tight-wad.'
ST should like to be shown, in any quar-
ter of the world, any more close-isted,
not to say stingy, human being than the
average successful Englishman. But the
English still harp on our crane for the
almighty dollar, because they have become
used to the. phrase, and when once an Eng
hshman gets q pat thing like that into his
head 1t is only to be removed by dynamite
or a surgical operation:
"The English not only continually sheer
at our Yankee Institutions. but they are