The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-07-10
Impressions Gained on Flying Visit to These Shores
Accepted as Representing Actual COnd-
tons Existing Here.

a little. is the work OF a life time, and
I have made a beginning. that is ALL
Take Superficial Glance.
But most of the foreigners who visit
America have the conoeited and assump-
ton OF the Pope's first visitor. and at the
end of two or three weeks assert and
believe that they have seen and known al
there is TO be seen and all there is now
known OF a country. that it takes nearly
ia week to cross snd whose inhabitants
represent every race under the sun But
their notes recall those Of the traveller
who, on crossing the frontier into a new
country. met a man walking on clutches.
Immediately his note book came out and
he wrote. All the, inhabitants Of this
country ars lame"
It is amusing to be told by foreigners
who have never been out Of sight OF the
Statue OF Liberty that all Americans talk
through their noses. that all Americans
are teetotaIers, that the only American
beverage IS grog. that all American
women wear diamonds and that all Amer
lean children are impertinent 20 their
parents. because they happen to have run
across teetotalers. impairment children
vuigariaus who affect diamonds and the
drink known as grog. which one never
meets outside an old-fashioned novel OF
seafaring life These deep students
might as well say that all Americans
speak with a German accent. that all
Americans wear false teeth, and that
all Americans beat their wives.
Not Anxious to Understand.
But these European Munchausens do
not want TO understand. They do not
want to meet representative people or 20
see the earnest side Of things. They pre-
fer rather to pick out the monstFous
things that come IN their way and 70
give their imaginauons free play that
they may find market for their lurid
tales among the yellow journals, which
cater 10 degenerate appetltes.
was very much interested when I
lived IN Germany TO note that the papers
published an account of every morbid
crime committed in this country. Political
news was lightly passed over and con-
densed into a paragraph or two, but they
would give any amount Of space To a
murder or a sensational divorce suit. and
some Of the things I noted In my Berlin
paper never appeared IN the papers I re-
ceived from New York, and some OF those
bizarre dispatches must. I am quite sure.
have been the result OF the imaginIngs
or some ambitious correspondent on this
side OF the water. whose only aim was
to satisfy the morbid appetites OF his
readers.
But Americans have themselves to
thank for some Of the misinformation
that Is circulated about them, for travel
ing American wags delight to test to the
utmost the oredullty Of foreigners. and
have been asked TO substantiate stories
that dare not repeat. fearing I might
be accused OF manufacturing them.
FancifuI Tales Told.
A dear old English lady once asked me
i If Il was really true that American
| mothers always knocked at the door OF
/ the drawing-room before entering when
( their grown-up daughters are entertain
! Ing men callers. I laughed. of course.
and asked her what had put such a
ridiculous idea in her head. She ex-
planned that once, travelling in Sweden.
( she had occupied a railway carriage with
! an American general. a very amiable.
1 brilliant. and interesting man. whom she
/ had piled with questions regarding things
she had heard Of America
I had always been given 10 under
stand. you know" she explained. that
American girls went about quite unpro-
! tected. and so I was asking him about
| chaperons, you know. and he assured me
that American girls were quite compe-
| tent to take care of themselves and
their mothers. TOO. after they had reached
! a certain age. and that g weH-trained
mother-that was the very expression he
used q well-trained rnother-would never
/ think Of going in on her daughter who
I was entertaining a sutton, or a possible
/ sutton, without knocking. Which. Of
] course. seemed very strange TO me, and
quite un-English, you know"
I Immediately recognized her aniable
and brilliant American general It was
that merciIess and wicked wag who pre-
ferred a good joke 20 a good dinner any
/ day, though he did not scorn the latter
the late Gen. Henry G. Thomas. who
was at that time visiting his brother,
| W ". Thomas, the American Minister
at Stockholm; and when faced him
with it later he confessed to being the
sinner.
AmaEes Little FrauIein.
A little German framein. who taught
her language at pension where hap
pened TO be staying, asked me once. very
naively, If It was true that Americans
drank nothing but champagne.
Il had thought" she explained, SHAT
lemonade was your national drink. but
the young herr from Omaha City tells
me that you drink nothing but cham
payne. and that you use 1t Just as we
do beer, and serve 1t instead OF tea In
the afternoon.
I sought out the young herr from
Omaha City and forced him TO explain,
but whether he succeeded In convincing
the little fraulein that he had lied, or
whether he made it appear that I was
the prevaricator, I have never learned.
have been asked such silly questions
by seemingly intelligent foreigners as.
DO all the American ladies' have their
boots Backed in the streets?" Have
you ever seen a lynching. and do they
often occur IN Washington" do the
Indians give you much trouble in the
part Of the country where you live?'
and was asked by a Frenchman once
upon a time II would not look up his
son, who had accepted a position as
civil engineer. explaining that as ne was
very young and had never been away
from home, he (the father was afraid
Of the pitfalls that awaited him in Amer
Tea and would feel easier If he felt that
would keep an eye on him, Certain
"" said 1: 1T would give me great
pleasure to look him up. Just where
would he be located?'' In the Rocky