Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-11-30
An American View Of the
BritiSher.
BY DIR. FRANK CRANE.

| To an American the native Britisher is
about the most incomprehensible COM
pound of irreconcilable traits known.
! II do not understand the English said
to me an American gentleman who has
lived some years in London. Il do not
understand their business men. their
women of society, their politicians; nor
even my maidservant nor the man who
takes care of my automobiles L have
tried. But they are beyond me-
1t is the same with me. As / could
never learn to smoke the English mix
ture'' tobacco, SO I have been unable to
comprehend the English mixture of hu-
manity.
The Englishman is Shy, self-conscious,
embarrassed to the point of painfulness.
He has none of that open frankness OF
the American. And yet he is self-assert-
i've, bold. courageous.
He is conservative. obstinate. set i'm his
opinions. violent i'm his prejudices: yet L
know no country where there is greater
freedom of speech.
He loves the usual thing. adores prece-
dent. hates nonHconformity; and Yet he
admires Bernard Shaw.
In no country is the monarchy SO deep
ly loved: in no country is democracy so
rampant and radical.
The English are supposed to be incapa-
BILE OF humor, and no funnier comic
operas have ever been written than those
'of Gilbert and Sullivan.
They are the most home-loving people
on earth, and none travels more than the
Englishman.
The lower classes are truculent stub
born for their rights. even contentious;
yet are more orderly than the same class
in France or America.
In no country is individualism more
ingrained: in no country is privilege more
rock-rooted.
The Englishman has been called a
Pharisee, Haunting his morals and Of
!fensively boasting of his religion fhis is
a common criticism in France: but the
individual EnGlishnan invariably conceals
his religious emotion and deprecates his
own morals: and while the Latin races
pray openly and anywhere the Britisher
would almost as soon be caught steal
ing apples saying his prayers.
Englishmen have been dubbed a nation
of shopkeepers; shopkeeping is the very
thing in which they are deficient; they
make excellent goods. but don't know
how to sell them, compared with Amer
leans or Germans.
The English love outdoor life, Yet /
have been unable to find one spot in Lon
don where there is an outdoor cafe after
the manner of the continent.
Public opinion is more liberal in Eng
land than IN America upon the matter
of tipping. and the Eng:ishman is sup
posed to drink where he pleases. yet the
London public houses are divided into
wretched little private stalls for secrecy
in drinking.
The Britisher is perhaps the most pro-
vfncial of men apparently: yet 1t is Eng
land that has the greatest genius for col
onizing and understands beet how to man
age foreign peoples.
English law Is more loaded with prece-
dent than that of any other country: yet
in no nation can Justice be obtained more
quickly and generally.
love English people, but am blessed II
I know why. Perhaps it Is because they
are such an insoluble enigma.
An American, / am of English blood
and ideals No nation seems so near to
me- yet no nation seems SO foreign.