The San Francisco call., 1909-03-20

ino 49, Gertrude
III Deen snubbed at the en- ...
bassy, the while our distinguished
representative was groveling at the
ieet of British lords and French of
hlgh degree; or some such nonsense.
once or twice before this I have been
tempted to make comment on these
charges. not as matter of duty to
MI. White, with whom 1 have but the
slightest acquaintance. but to ths
country which sent him abroad as
one of its most conspicuous repre-
sentatives.
10 begin with the specific charge
no man was ever less of a snoh than
MI White. He has now been in
the diplomatic service of the United
states FOR 2s years, and has left his
record wherever he has been accred
tied as one of the few American gen
tlemen with whom Europeans could
md no fault-as simple and high
pred in manner as he is magnetic
intelligent and sympathetic With
American We have ever sent abroad.
he has never lost his balance. his
courtesy his sincerity. 1 have quoted
him for years. both in Europe and at
home, as the American diplomatist
OF whom we have the greatest reason
TO be proud; and not only for his in.
comparable manners, but for his
warm and genuine Amerlcanism that
no amount of old world polish could
hide if it would
What does the average person
mean when he uses the word "snob"?
This is question which has often
puzzled me, and l have a faint idea
that 1t is pet word with people who
nave been, or fancy they have been.
snubbed; there being a confused
sense of relationship in their minds
between the two words. A writer
OF the newspaper l allude to is one
of the most pitiful snobs extant. as
/ understand the word While toll
ing a. a desk, liable to discharge any
T..
is yet climber" in New York so
elety, and even in a business con-
versation can not refrain from men
tioning the names of certain famous
leaders, limiting that they are his
intimate friends. Yet at the time of
the Algeciras conference he lamented
at great length in print that we
were TO be represented by "snob"
like our ambassador to Italy. as Mr..
White then was; instead of being
grateful that the president had ap-
pointed a gentleman, as well as an
experienced diplomatist. His own
attack reeked of snobbery, for mad
he felt conscious that he was in the
same class as its object, irreproach-
ably born and bred, it would never
have occurred to him to make it. He
put himself in the class of the Amer
leans who storm the embassy in Lon
don. asking to be escorted to Henley.
or given tickets for royal functions.
and, when politely steered to the
as 'snob" and "no American"
None of our fellow countrymen
has ever held (not occupied tenn
porarily) the distinguished position
in English society that the Whites
have held for the last quarter of a
century; and instead Of this being a,
matter of reproach, as certain of our
newspapers would have us believe.
we should congratulate ourselves
that there is at least one small class
of foreigners who, coming in contact
with few Americans, assume that we
are well bred nation
Mr.. White, having been born at the
top, has never lost his head, as MANY
of our ambassadors have done when
suddenly privileged to entertain
royalty and hobnob with the bearers
of titles they had hardly heard pro-
nounced until coached by their secre
taries. l do not believe that the most
ingenious of these gentlemen has
ever Intentionally snubbed an Amer
ican who approached him properly.
Not only would such an indulgence
be unwise from the politicians
standpoint, but most OF them are
good Americans. at heart and quite
ready to do their duty by their fell
low citizens.
Few that read or listen to the bit
ter attacks upon the "exclusiveness."
the ''snobbery" of our ambassadors.
have the least idea of the trials and
sieges to which these unfortunate
luminaries are subjected. Insignia
cant Americans who would never
dream of calling upon the eminent
families in their own cities. present
themselves at their embassies and
legations when they travel abroad.
as a matter of course, and demand
social recognition. Not only do they
expect to be asked to private func-
tons at the homes of men who "are
American citizens like themselves
but they constantly make the absurd
requests l have Indicated ANY am
passador is quite right in keeping
them out of sight, would be justified
IN snubbing them straight on to a
return steamer If l,a could. fo~ 49,