Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1909-11-11

Fourth or July. IN fhrlb, hb Wo "onI
through the streets score Of Ameri-
can flags greeted us on our way to the
depot, in honor Of the American holi-
day. France and the United States
have much in common. They are the
worlds greatest republic and they
are the two most Democratic coun-
tries in the world. So that 1t was not
for lack Of sympathetic environments
that we longed to get to England. But
IL was to hear our native tongue on
the streets, in the crowds, In the
notels, that we hailed England as
1.-THE shadow of great rock IN Q
weary land" So when we took the
boat at Calais it was with great Joy
in our hearts. For we knew we
could ask questions. Now, what with
a little freshman French and high
school German, by going around a
corner and carefully piecing out a
question we could make ourselves
understood on the continent. They
clearly knew what we were asking
but the trouble was, we could not
understand their answers, unless they
would spell It out slowly, a word at q
time. But when we got on the boat
at Calais, we knew that GRIEF was
over. So Billy and Daddy went over
the boat shedding a regular cataract
OF questions, and sometimes, ike
Pontius PLATE, who asked what Is
truth, we did not wait for the an
gwer. II was fun enough to ask a
question offhand and know that the
man understood you, and that II you
chose to wait you could understand
the man. When we got on the train
It was a delight to ask the trainmen
IL It was on time, how long before 1t
would start, where 1t stopped, why 1t
stopped, and when 1t would get to
LondonP on the continent, we had
been slowly spelling out and trans
lating the signs in the fields along the
way. But when we pulled out OF
Dover, and saw "Carter's Little Liver
pills" on a big black and white sign,
We wanted to take quart OF them
nut OF sheer gratitude. And as we
rode further into England; we saw
the isolated farm houses, the wooden
dwellings, the great generous barns
the Hereford cattle, the Berkshire
hogs, "the orchard, the meadow, the
deep-tangled wildwood, and every
loved spot" that proves and cements
our kinship with the mother country.
We don't like the aristocratic Tories
in America, and we're not overly
strong ON some of the cockneys; but
the great common people Of Eng
land who rose with Cromwell, and
followed Gladstone-they are flesh
OF our flesh, and bone Of our bone.
50 when we rode into London on
the elevated tracks, across q choppy
sea Of slate roofs, with million
chimneys, tossing like driftwood upon
the, gray slate pillows, we came not
as visitors, but as hOme-comers. the
history of England until after the
Restoration is our history. The lit
erature Of England is still our lit
erature; the folk-sorgs of England
are ours. The aspirations Of Eng
land toward democracy and the rule
of the people are our own. We are
travelling in parallel paths in poll
tics. And in Lonoon, we felt after
three months in lands where we were
aliens to everything, that at least
we were where we could understand
and sympathize with what we saw
1t happened that our hotel was neal
Westminster Abbey and Parliament
And the first few hours we spent II
London were spent walking by the
Abbey and Parliament, and watching
the crowds that throng over West
minister bridge, 1t was Joy to heal
the English speech-though "Englisl
as she Is spoke" In England differ
80 much from American English tina
often 1t is exceedingly difficult t
understand. Often during our sta
in England, we had to ask Englisl
people over and over again to repea
what they said. Our long 20" be
came "oW," our short "a" becomes
broad ~ah," our long "a" become
col" and thus boat" become
-'boWt," can't becomes "cahnt." an
~mslr' becomes "mOil;" 30 when on
finds these discrepancies Of speeel
all through a conversation, and add
to It the colloQuial lines Of the eoun
try; luggage for baggage" "StOi
1la-aMam -