Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-18

American conservatism into account.
TTTE HAVE heard not a little discussion
w about the American character since the
United states found itself a year ago in the
! position of nation not altogether apart
! from the other nations of the world. AS the
! complexities continue to press i'm on us there
! will be more and more discussion about what
the American character really is, what 1t will
tolerate and what it will reject. A great
many observers even 20 so far to say
that there is no American character.
But there is an American character and
none is keeaer TO notice It than those very
races which are supposed to make any unity
in these States impossible. Like Dick Dead
eye in "Pinaforc" the citizen of this coun-
try might have been a Russian. a French or
Turk, or Prussian or perhaps Ita-eyc-an." But
in spite of the temptations to be international
the citizen remains an American. \ Rus.
sian returning to his native land after fif-
teen years in Philadelphia is almost out
sider He is different and his countrymen
say very acutev that "tie has been to Amer.
ica," with the understanding that no man can
live in America and remain what he was.
What makes the difference?
You hear the answer every day "T want
action on this" is the last word of the Boss
Get action" "a little action now" "Cut out
the talk and give some action" the
familiar and deciding phrases on the baseball
field and in the automobile factory. The new
and triumphant style of tennis developed in
this country is an example of how we do
things, by energy and action, more than by
diplomatic play. The American sporting popu.
lace is unable even to watch dilatory match.
In the elimination matches played between
the Australian and German contenders a year
players won the admiration of the crowds,
but there audible prayers for smash"
for bit of McIoughlins verve, for little
wildness if only the players would show that
they alive.
European observers have agreed that the
United States, in spite of all it's activity and
energy, is an old country Some say prema-
turely old. They are surprised because we |
have developed the tipping system and the |
railroads and municipal graft and operas to
the point of perfection reached in the |
Old World They accuse us of being dread. |
fully conservative" while they admire, or af- |
feet to despise, equally dreadful energy. |
They fancy that the combination is unnatural |
AS a matter of fact it is the only possible |
combination.
The United States is conservative because |
it has faith and it has faith because without |
faith you cannot act. Action is in the air, but |
the doubter, the man who thinks too much, |
caanot act That is why the one thing which |
we will not tolerate is indecsion. Rightly or |
wrongly there a widespread dssatisfac
ton with the "watchfu waiting" policy of
President Wilson in Mexico The underlying
reason was that no one seemed to know what
we We're waiting for There was no faith in
anything definite which would give us clue
for action. The same thing applies in the
controversy with Germany. So long as the
Administration seemed only TO he marking
time, there We're no words too bitter for it's
timeserving methods. The moment a definite
action was decided upon, the moment the
President went to Congress and said, you
must act now" the turn in his favor was
immediate. Perhaps both attitudes were
little thoughtless. That, too, is characteristic
of Americans, What is thought when you
can do?
About ten years ago all the popular maga-
zines We're devotng much space to Captains
of Industry. The country was worshiping
bigness, success spelled with dollar marks.
This year the same magazines giving the
same space to men and women who have
never been heard of before, Instead of telling
how much great promoter can afford to
spend for a dinner to a Senegalese potentate,
the magazines tell US how little widow
managed to live and bring up her four chill
dren. Not the biggest farm but the smallest
farm attracts the eye. Yet essentially the
same thing is being exploited-the great
American ability TO do" Whether we do
with or do without is inessential. We do.
1t isn't always clear what believe, but
whatever it is, we will not have the founda-
tions of our beliefs shaken. because we cannot
live without acting on those beliefs.