The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-16


confined TO narrow limits q very thorough
going education Of the tortoise"
Here again Mr.. Collier asxs, What doe
this prove9 who has not known mex
with enough university sheepskin to make
q wardrobe who were sterile critics o,
vacillating Incompetence Who forGcta
on the other hand how small were the
Libraries and the early educational OPP
p%ortunities Of Washington, Lincoln. Grant
and Clevelandf' 1t L. Of course undo
niable that the silent, non-gestioulatng,
steady, ~non-reading Saxon race, who have
given until very lately almost no attention
to general education. convey Q superficial
impression Of Idulness to the quicker.
more responsive, more genial peoples.
Our author warns US against accepting
the impression. 1T is" he says. 'one Of
those boomerang errors that do harm
to q rival when he least and where he Least
expects it. Their orderliness, their re-
speot for law, their genius for give and
take and their national solidarity. which
thus far have kept them well to the fore
among the peoples Of the earth. are moi
the result Of dulfess in any intelligent
use Of the word Although he may seem
at times to have discussed the subject
somewhat discursively, Mr.. Collier does
not shirk answering categortcally the
question Are the English dullf' He
acknowledges that to the average for
eigner the average Englishman and Eng
glishwoman is dull. He insists, however,
that this dulness constitutes their safety
and their success. -To the American, 10
the Frenchman, to the quick witted OF all
nations, the English are distinctly dull,
but out Of this root Of dulness has grown
an overshadowing national tree"
Because Mr.. Collier can find room for no
feeling except admiration when he views
E%ngland's past it does not follow that he
looks at England's future with absolute
confidence. More than once in these
pages he admits that there are here and
there signs of decadence in England and
that perhaps we may be looking on at the
parting Of the ways in the history OF this
colossal empire. Hitherto these Saxons
hive leaned upon themselves; now they
are beginning to lean upon the State.
II the time ever comes when they feel
that they cannot be governed too much.
then indeed the British Empire will
crumble fast enough. Our author points
out that England has made her way in the
world by giving her citizens the largest
liberty compatible with fair play to all.
when abe shows signs Of hampering her
strong men, Of curtailing their enter
prise and withholding part OF the prizes
they win she is turning her back on her
whole history and interfering with the
beat and unique quality Of her people,
Mr.. Asquith when warned the other day
that the new budget would tend to drive
rich men from England asked whittier
10 that question. He personally knows
he says, OF not one but several English
fortunes which have been lodged in
Switzerland, where there 10 no taxation
upon foreign securities. The books ART
kept there, the control Of the fortunes ID
there and there arrangements have beer
made on the ground that taxation in Eng.
land il becoming ~confiscatory. The au.
thor OF this book notes three contingent
cies. first, WARM which il it took place
forthwith he believes that England woulC
beat Germany; secondly. an imperia
federation. and. thirdly. the ~steadiness ol
the people and the independence of theil
governing class as likely. any one Of them
to change the present unpromising drift
Of things. Naturally he regards the las
as the serious and valuable resource. Fol
q Thousand years these Sa1ons have hello
to the same general lines Of progress
Let the best govern. let the rest alone ane
give the latter q workable. not a theoret
ical lead over the fences" They will BE,
some day. he hopes. that the socialistis
doctrines which have made 30 muci
progress on the Continent are not euitec
to their race. M. W. ID.