The Washington herald., 1909-03-07
Our Diplomats in London
American Ambassadors in Particular Have Many
Annoyances Thrust on Them.

DL
But the question is whether We do not
commit the worst crime against hcspi-
tality by being too hospitable: whether
We do not ask too much o. our guest and
drive him too hard-Whether, IN short,
there is not something adamantine IN the
attentions We shower upon him I think
there undoubtedly is. We never really
give the poor man a moments rest
Throughout his stay among US We pre-
sumo inOrdinately on HIS acquaintance
with English There must, I have often
thought, be times when we force him 20
wish he spoke Basque and Basque only.
and did not "the faith and morals hold
that Milton held" So might he live
among US and possess his soul in
quietude-a diplomatist and not public
character
But as L IS. no sooner has he arrived
in London than the b0mbardment be-
gins ] must admit az once that il IS
most vigorously replied 10. England and
the American Ambassador set 10 forth
with 20 see which can entertain the
other the most Chambers OF commerce
swOOp down upon him and bear him or
in triumph as their guest Of honor. The
Omar khayyam Club points an invita-
ton at his head. demanding uncOndi-
tiOnal surrender
The Dante Society insists on HIS es-
corting it's members through the Internal
regions The wordsworth Society. the
Browning Society. the Box club. the Sir
Waiter Scott Club-alI press their claims.
/ The Birmingham and Midland Institute
/ insidiously elects him as its annual pres
ident. and exacts by the way OF tribute
an address on Benjamin Franklin. The
I Edinburgh Philosophical Institution be-
slows the same honor for the price Of 8
paper on Abraham Lincoln and 50 II
/ goes on.
/ The big public schools, knowing that ha
I is an American. and. therefore. interested
/ in education. play upon hts weakness and
I lure him into distributing their prizes.
i Political leagues expect him 10 tel them
I all about the United States Supreme
I Court The historic city companies never
( once let 20 Of him he IS a standing fea-
| ture on the toast list OF the Guildhau BAN
Quet- Charitable and philanthropic So
I cieties pursue him relentlessly- Working
mems Institutes Shamelessly trading on
his democratic sympathies. bid FOR an ev-
/ enings loan Of his presence and voice.
/ Libraries refuse 20 be opened except By
/ him.
/ He is the obvious man 10 unveu bust
Of Burke or memorial window 20 John
I Harvard. No dinner. no occasion. or
I gathering Of any kind. g complete with
ouJ him. He is launched. in short. on a
/ fun tide Of 0ratOTy from Lands End 20
John O. Gr0aJ's Tin placid fOrgsJfulness
that he may. after all. have business Of
I his owu or his country's 70 attend tol.
and gathering. as he sweeps along, the
/ presidency of innumerable societies We
turn him into a sort Of lecturer 20 the ns-
ton.
Things. indeed. viii soon. as have
/ limited. come 70 such a pass that al
/ American Ambassador who Is not OmnIs-
cient nor omnipOtent. nor familiar with
the whole Of American history and the
whole or English literature. nor Nit
nor an orator. viii be considered a failure
and a disappointment Imagine NJ White
law Reds successor at this moment fran
ucaliy preparing himself for the fray.
re-reGding all the standard authors he has
forgotten, composing character sketches
By the buShel Of famous Americans.
working UP local color and dictat-
ing not less than one occasional ad-
dress a day Only by thus arming him
self beforehand win ne he able. when he
has settled down among Us. 20 feel him
I self a free man Personally. I feel a
blush OF national contrition running
/ through me AZ the thought Of al the
speeches We have exuOrted from lIr
Whitel2w Reid in The last four years. all
, the functions ar which his presence has
/ been insisted upon. ali the addresses we
/ have made him deliver. all the mOuu-
meuIs ne has been unable 20 get out of
unveiiing. all the societies OF which the
presidency has been thrust upon him.
! However, there the thing Is. and there
it VII probably remain Our only defense
IS that II is partly Americas own fault-
S She should not send Us such charming
cultivated. good natured men, every ore
. Of them triply armed with the capacity
! 20 meet the demands made upon him
and yet / suppose an American Ambas-
sador really does his best work by sub
! ! hitting 10 these inceSsant drafts uD1u
his gOOd nature Somebody once de-
scribed the English Embassy at Wash
ington rs very pleasant post socially.
, but not requiring any great talents DO
iiticaIly- Times have changed since then.
and 81 many ways the Office Of the British
representative in the United States is
now the most exacting IN the service
But what was said Of the British En-
bassy in Washington may be applied 70
the American Embassy in London II
J IS very agreeable post socially and Il
! requires in these days little more than a
I mOdicum Of diplomatic skill and its occu-
I pant has the supreme advantage. first OF
understanding the last least shade OF the
language OF the country 20 which he Is
accreClIeQ- secondly, or preserving all the
: time the invaluable outside point of view.
and, thirdly, OF finding. wherever he
goes, the hea-tiest kind OF welcome. pub
q lie and private, for his own sake as well
as that for the sake Of the country hs
: comes from
, Mr. Choate, IN hts farewell speech AZ
e ne Mansion House. gave IN admirable
: language his conception OF an Auerl-
p can Ambassador mission 81 have en-
z deavored.- he said. TO make the English
people better acquainted with my own
U country. its history, its institutions. It's
+ great names, for the purpose Of showing
> them that really the difference between
: an Englishnan and an American IS only
r skin deep. that under different historical
o forms We pursue with equal success the
e same great objects of liberty. Of Justice.
and OF the public welfare. and that orr
70 interests arr so inextricably interviewer
p that we would not II We could. and could
s. not II we would. escape the necessity of
e an abiding and perpetual friendship" M
= Whitelaw Reid has worthily carried on
e the same high mission
r Wanted Fair Chance.
: From Tit-Bits-
IN a seaside parish in the early pa-t
3 n La century fr,a~, F9---z