The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-08-31
Gas Stove and Savings Bank Are Neighbors Honolulu Gas Co.. Ltd
A German in England
By Oscar 7. Schweriner.

as many Englishmen honestly believe
themselves to know all about the Ger
mans, just so surely did | believe N.Y.
self to know the English. And what
L imagined / knew of them was not all
OF the best. For, much as the Germans
otherwise admire the English-and I
repeat this because it is a fact-they
consider them-well, a bit arrogant.
During the last twenty-four hours
that IS to say, ever since I left nv
train at Victoria Station-I have been
trying to puzzle out why this is so.
The men who attended to me at the
station, the men at the hotel, the men
whom I addressed in the street seeking
advice, they all were politeness-if
cold politeness-itself. It seemed as if
either the Englishman must change his
whole nature the moment he left home,
or as if only a certain portion of the
British population, and not the most
pleasant part of it, travelled abroad.
Until / went up to policeman to ask
about the direction of a street. Then,
like flash, I had solved the riddle.
For when I approached this man I
politely lifted my hat, started in with:
Excuse me, but would you be SO kind
as''-and popped my question. The
representative of law and order gazed
upon me moment or two. [ felt she
sized me up'' Then: HTwo to the
right, one to the leftio said he. That
was all. He never touched his cap in
reply to my salutation. He never
thought it worth while to reply to my
Thank YOU 1.-TWO to the right,
one to the lefti" Now I understood.
I understood this to be not an intend
ed inpoliteness, but the English way.
But now take the Englishman just
come to Germany for the first time.
Tt is ten to one he knows the language
of the country but poorly. He steps
up to anvone-a private citizen, a
policeman, anvone-and asks as well Jas
possible for information. He will get
it all right. But as he has not lifted
his hat, has not made his bow, has not
excused himself, has left aside all those
little points of " etiquette the German
is So keen on, he only needs to turn
his back and the others are ready with
their verdict: "Aren t they arrogant,
those English! =
Which only proves how deceptive ap-
pearances are. How easy it is to mis-
aud the matter is settled Between
nations it is more difficult. There it
is necessary for someone to explain.
international visits are good, but the
given factor is the Press. For instance,
in this little matter of supposed Eng
lish arrogance. Surely, one only needs
TO come here. needs only to feel the
grip of the Englishman S hand, to look
him in the eve, to hear his one word
Of welcone-and know how it is meant.
The trouble is that everybody cannot
come over and find out. I wish they
could!
At the end of my first twent,-four
hours stay in England I have come to
the following conclusion:-Tf all the
English could meet all the Germans for
just few hours talk there would
ensue friendship as of brothers; a
friendship that no power on earth could
part. Because then, probably for the
first time in their lives, they would
understand each other. And that is all
that is needed.