Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-09-27

cenary army soon sank from this high
level" 1t Is 'insolence' in the English
to claim that the Wellington episode
proved that they possessed the best army
in the world. 'Only a fool can give Wei.
lington's troops superiority over Napo
Icons fegions" Even in the "accidentar
victory of Waterloo, the greatest feat OF
Wellinston's side. namely, the defense OF
La Haye Sainte, was achieved exclusively
by Germans. "Quatre Bras showed the
value Of wellington and his English sol
dders." 1T is perfectly ridiculous" tc
'vaunt In such an unheard-of manner
the charge Of the Light Brigade. "Frencf
and Prussian troops have often enough
charged the enemy's batteries against
similar odds. and generally with better
success"
Herr Bleibtreu comes to the conclusion
nevertheless, that 1t would be very
great mistake to treat the British army
as negligible quantity. for ''notwith-
standing all senseless -glorif1cation
which merely arouses hilarity: it can be
Crecy and Agincourt, he adds, certain
talent for new tactics was manifested by
the British army leaders, and Kitchener
and French are good generals"
OF all British illusions, however, the
one which Is the most glaring perversion
Of the truth. he says. is that the ocean
has always belonged to the Britons. By
Henry Wits time the English had only
one battleship, and the fleet improvised
by Elisabeth dare not tackle the armada
whose defeat was occasioned solely b.!
bad weather and unfavorable waters.
1t was Cromwell who founded British su.
premay on the seas. through the agency
of Admiral Blake. This greatest Of Eng
lands naval heroes worked wonders
with his feet, and in his method of seek
ing tho fight at close quarters the death
denying savage energy of the British race
which later became typical in the British
navy, found its expression Nelson, in
private life a low. uneducated fellow is
described as being "a remarkable hero.
who manifested brilliant tactical ability
from the circumstances that the naval
forces opposed to him lacked good lead
err.
Illusions Of English.
The Englishman's illusions in regard to
the intellectual achievements of his coun-
trymen are shattered somewhat ruthless
ly. THE truth Is that in music the
English have not got beyond Sullivan's
operettas, their sculpture Is execrable
their old buildings with the exception Of
Westminster Abbey and the ruins of some
castles In the country are more interest
ing than artistic; from an architectural
point Of view London Is the ugliest city
In the world" There are In Scotland
however, some abbeys (Melrose, Roslyn
and chapels (Holyrood. Stirling. which
can compare with very good ones on the
continent whereas in painting the
British stand so high that they are ex.
celled by none" In the writing of his
tory 1.-The English are masters of style
rather than in research" the circum-
stance that they cite ten Of Their own IN
ferior scientists in preference to one
really eminent German, must not make
us blind to their really prominent posi-
ton In science" The English system OF
education has some good points. notwith.
standing 1.-The hilarity excited by the
Anglicized pronunciation of Latin and
verse;" the German worhman. however
has a far more extensive elementary
knowledge than the English
In regard to literature Herr Bleibtreu
deals mainly with the English authors
whose works are read In Germany I'VE
consider Mrs. Humphry Ward he saws
Ito be the most important and even the
most manly OF modern English novelists. y
Charles Dickens. whose Tale of Two
Cities" Is the best composed work that he
wrote. Is the most inartistic of ali Brit
ish novelists," while Thackeray is the
greatest Of all novelists." In respect OF
modern drama 1.-THE distressing circum.
stance that the incredibly clumsy stryer
for effect. Hall Game, whose novels
breathe nothing but theatricality, should
testifies to the taste of the British pub.
lic." "'T6ut CONNIE chez nous the oe-
pravity Of the half-educated masses en-
tails In every country the decline of lit
erature."
The author regrets, nevertheless. that
England's prominent position in interllec-
tual life. He also deplores the fact that
Germans know practically nothing OF
English social life, even the superficial