Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-12-30
AS FERRERO SEES US
Impressions of the italian His,
torian Visiting America.
OUR UNIVERSITIES VERY FINE

Europeans, HIS BeIieves-Finds An
gIo-Saxon Element of Our Citizen
ship Not Assertive IN Atlantic States.
america and Europe are not so diff
ferent as is generally supposed" This
is the opinion of GuglielmO FerrerO,
the Italian historian, recently express
ed at Washington. Europe is rap
idly becoming Americanized, so to
speak, at least is absorbing American
ideas and practices, and in America
tendencies are apparent which are
leading to an adoption, or, rather, an
absorption, of European culture. If
for no other reason, the tremendous
immigration of foreigners into the
United States must tend to this re-
suit. No; 1 could hardly call this
strict AnglO-Saxon country. Perhaps
1 am not competent to judge, for l
have seen only New York, Boston and
Washington. They say the west is
more truly representative of your
country than the great cities of the
Atlantic states. l shall go to Chicago
later on, after staying a month in
New York, but my impressions are
that the so much talked of Anglo
Saxon has no very large part in the
makeup of the average American citi-
zen"
Mr.. FerrerO has visited Harvard
and Columbia, but is extremely mod
est in judging his own ability. to COM
ment upon them with understanding.
''Your American universities are so
different from ours in Europe and so
complicated, said he to the Washing
ton correspondent of the New York
Post, 'it is not easy for a foreigner
to understand your systems and meth
DDS. Still, those institutions which l
have seen are very fine. The students
here seem perhaps to be less prone to
self eXertiOn-that is, at least in the
direction of acquiring knowledge than
they are with US. Here in the col
leges there is SO much that distracts,
so many sports. l fear the American
students are not so much in earnest
as are ours. In Italy if one enters a
university one is compelled to work,
but here it is not so. OF course have
had no opportunity to become person
ally acquainted with any of your stu
dents. but this is my impression.
have, however, met the members of
the faculty at Harvard, and they have
been very kind and have told me
many interesting things"
'Have you seen any of our libra
RESP
"Ah, the bibliotheque-the libraries!
They are truly wonderful | had
luncheon in the magnificent library of
congress. 1t is a wonderful building,
and the decorations are superb. Ev-
erything is so systematized. That is
what we lack in Italy. OF course we
have collections of great antiquity, Of
far more value from a historical
standpoint. Our manuscripts ana an
cient documents are priceless compared
with your collections, but we have not
the system, the organization of the
library, as l see it here in Washington.
''That is a fine library they have in
Boston. 1t is almost equal to the one
here in Washington. And in New
York l saw a stupendous building in
the process of construction to be dedi-
Gated to the same purpose. 1t is i'm
possible for me to express the praise |
would of these institutions. They are
the finest things have seen in Amer
lea. We in Europe might do well to
copy your American enterprise in this
direction. When l think of the won
ders have seen 1 can compare this
library of congress only to the ancient
library of Alexandria"
Mr.. FerrerO is a man of thirty-siX
years, although he appears to be some
what older Tall ard slight and learn
ed looking after a continental rather
than an American type, he might be
taken in the United States for any
thing rather than what he is. He was
invited to the United States by Baron
Mayor DIES Planches, Italian ambassa-
dor and dean of the diplomatic corps
in Washington, at the suggestion of
President Roosevelt, who expressed
himself rs DESTROYS of meeting this his
torian. whose works he has read. Mr..
FerrerO and his wife spent two days
as guests ut the White House.
Mr.. FerrerO has expressed himself
Of the opinion that history should be
written by live politicians, by men
who have had practical experience in
legislative or executive government and
who can speak with authority on their
subject. He says too much history is
written by professors isolated from
the world in their libraries.
Mr.. FerrerO shook his head sadly
when asked what he thought of the
president in his daily life. HE is al
ways on the go" was his only an
sWer. 'That is the strenuous life
I suppose, but if he goes on all the
Sine the way he did those two days
don't see how he stands it. 1t