Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1914-06-17
THE NEWEST GATEWAY
TO ORIENTAL LANDS
Continued from First Page,

geSt That the influence of American
ideals may change geography to a
greater extent during the coming
century than all the years gone by.
People from all parts of the earth
will gather about this narrow pass
between continents and they will
naturally be forced to learn some
thing OF the new countries through
which they pass and while they
gather something of the atmosphere
of the countries they touch they will
learn something of theirs.
WHERE LIKE AND UNLIKE MEET.
Even today, before the waterway
is opened there is gathered about the
isthmus a strange community. No
where on American soil can we find
its equal. Strange people from all
the earth pass and repass. Tur-
baned, tawny East Indians, Mongol-
ians, Europeans, Native Indians from
the Central Americas, naughty Span
iards, Africans-all kinds, island
people, soldiers and sailors uniforms
and flags strange to American eyes,
all these sights strike us today
as we linger on the isthmus. What
will it be when the canal is officially
opened and the ships of all nations
bring their passengers and cargoes to
this common center?
IDENTIFYING THE AMERICAN.
One of the little problems which
puzzles the American abroad is why
it is that every foreigner at once
places him as an American. We are
ordinary white folks and dress very
much the same as our English cousins.
In fact we wonder what particular
distinguishing trade mark we wear.
We try to act naturally and to pass
along unassumingly, but it dom
work out. Every bell hop, hack
man, lackey, servant, hotel keeper
and tradesman at once places US. We
are Americans and we can't hide it.
It's there and, he who runs may read.
CATCHING THE ENGLISH EXPRESSION.
This matter came up several times
and finally l reasoned it out that it
should be no harder for these natives
to solve my nationality than it was
for me to size up an Englishman.
There is no mistaking the English
tourist. You can tell him in a thou
sand different ways. Not by his ex-
preston, 4or he carefully hides all
expression. Only once did | catch an
Englishman betraying expression, and
that was in front of hotel in
Panama. He came down that morn
ing with new pair of plum colored
spats, and as he sat waiting for his
carriage he stretched out his extremi-
ties and permitted himself the luxury
of fond contemplation. He beamed.
He fairly radiated. His countenance
lighted up with that peculiar benevol-
ence which sheds glory around
New England pumpkin pie-fresh
from the oven. The atmosphere of
calm content mingled with the tropic
sunshine fairly cast a halo around
those spats, halo undisturbed and
uninterrupted, for his knee-sprung
tweeds were so far above as to be
beyond speaking acquaintance.
HAVING AN ENGLISHMAN FOR BREAK
FAST.
This particular Englishman was
constant source of delight to me. He
sat at table where | could watch him
without distressing myself, although
it would have distressed some people.
Breakfast was his long suit. Here
he appeared at his although the
waiter would probably hold to the
contrary 1t was worth the price of
admission just to see Mr.. English
man pick up the menu card. He
viewed 1T with both disfavor and
suspicion. 1t was a serious matter
this matter of selecting a breakfast.
He held an imprompt postmortem
over the card and reformed an autopsy
on each dish as it came. First he
would smell of it, and then balance
it before him meditatively. Whether
it took long time for the smell to
reach his brain, or the return was
slow know not. Anyway it was
fine betting proposition whether the
dish went back or remained. One
could see that at some time or other
there had arisen a feud that affected
all subsequent food, as could be ascer-
tanned from the baleful glance he
leveled at every dish. | wondered
that the very dishes did not shrivel,
and do remember that the waiter
dropped a tray. But he had the
sand, did this Englishman. Hating
food as he did l don't see how he
managed to stay with it, but he
certainly stuck. He sat right there,