The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-11
ARNOLD BENNETT
1ALKSOF AMERICA
Novelist Saw No Hustle ana
Says People Are Not Boast
full and Vulgar.
DECLARES STAGE is BAD
Best After Dinner Speeches He
Heard Made by Two Wo-
men Writers.

nett. who arrived from New York on
Tuesday. hns given his Impressions Of
America and things American. lie said
New York Is Il wonderful place but
then so are all the other cities 1
NATURALIZATION. Philadelphia. wash
inston, Minneapolis and Chicago.
TWO things struck me during tho
| eight weeks have been away from
England. first that Americans are not
! the boastful. vulgar people that they
are represented as being. although
they have. indeed much 10 boast OF:
second. they do understand the scionce
OF comfort. not only in the hotels.
but In their homes.
when recall the search | made
SOME years ago for furnished apart
mehts In London, and found that in
one. which advertised itself as for
persons of distinction, the newly in
stalled bath was held up as a great
| fnrorite with visitors. ] was nstonish-
Ell at the remarkable difference in
american houses and hotels, where
there IS In many cascs n bathroom for
each inhabitant
,ecested in everything concerning
books. The book shops arc splendid. not
only In size; but in arrangement
and the book departments OF tho
great stores surpass anything We have
In this country. Reading Is popular in
america
GU ASK me Am ! for or against
America? No. cannot answer a plain
yes or no. 1t Is far too big subject
but l am decidedly not for American
interviewing. which found extremely
bad and unsatisfactory.
Another Illusion which had dis
PEELED was that Of the excellent after
dinner speaking, which is said to OBJ
tain In America. The two best speeches
which were inude at the farewell din.
ner given me in New York were
not those OF Governor Dix and Colonel
George Harvey. but those of two
men writors--kac Dotuglaa Wiggin
and Josephine Dodge
AS to the hustle and rush which are
considered SO typically American.
along the streets and are prcoccupicd.
but the same is true OF nine tenths OF
the people one meets Ia the Strand;
what maenihcent street f1rth
Avenue Is! Yet, within easy distance
is the East Side OF New York. which
does not penetrate into the West End
as the East Finders OF London occa-
sionaliy make their presence felt In
our West End. They keep more apart,
and 1t is characteristic OF the inhabi-
tants that even during October. the
Italians on the East Side We're still
fcstooning the outsides of their houses
with bed clothes and bedding, which
80 badly needed an airing.
washington is still In the making.
: When 1t Is finished. IL will be a capital
worthy OF the United States, but at
present, as you say. New York
makes the United States lopsded.
Boston is q centre of real culture.
singularly English in appearance In
deed. some of the streets might have
been taken straight out OF London.
or kensington.
"Philadelphia is much brighter and
livclier than Its Quaker City title
suggests
Chicago is ugly. but immense. Per-
haps ] should not have expected much
art in the exterior OF Chicago. ] GER
! tainly found little. but I was fasci-
mated with the organization OF the
vast stores the great factories. and
the great Industrial plants. over which
1 was taken By the heads of these
corporations. Remarkable alertnes.
struck me as being characteristic al
the methods In these enormous nSglom.
erations OF people, and the men ut the
head gave me singular sense nt
power and ability
LAS regards the social life which /
encountered. I was perhaps too much
entertained to get proper perspac-
tive of American home life. l believe
1t Is fairly truthfully represented in
American Action. and they are. as peo-
pie certainly singularly receptive TO
new ideas.
AT many social functions, medical
men and others, to whom ] had not
been introduced, would frankly come
| to ask me my views upon some mat
ter of general interest: and my opinions
of public affairs. which. AZ you know.
are distinctly progressive. not only
made no difference In my reception,
although was in the houses of the
trust magnatcs and Insurance presi-
dents. but were eagerly sought for.
II have come back full Of ideas and
full OF interest In things American.
which 1 will cndeavor to embody in
The series of articles l am now going
abroad to write.
American plays and playhouses are
frankly bad. and now understand
better why SO many American plays
are failures when produced in London
IT is not the fault of the actors. who
are quite on level with our own 1t
! is the fault of the plays.
"l1verything connected with the
stage in America-thc theatres. plays,
scenery, arrangements OF the house,
etc.-struck me as inferior to those
of our best London theatres; but so
gratifying was my reception that
ought not to say word in condem-
nation of anything American"