Mexico weekly ledger., 1917-10-11

cans are the only two people IN the
world whose tongues and arms arc
not interconnected. We make speech
coherently without the use Of fling
ers, wrists, elbows o shoulders-and
it's a great convenience on crowded
street cars.
should like TO send out a second
gigantic ripple of intelligence; that
the bah-jove-old-chappi
type Of Englishman that we have in
captivity in American vaudeville
would get as many laughs here as at
home. They simply don't exist in
natural life in England, anymore.
Ny third discovery was that the
English are a proud and sensitive
race, particularly their house painters,
I remarked to one, who was admiral
of a fleet Of little carts that was
bringing a 100-foot ladder up the
street, an my country we do this
differently" And l explained our
sliding and interlocking ladders, and
the adjustable scaffolds used by
American painters. Here they have
3-story ladders for 3-story buildings,
and 5-story ones for 5-story struct-
ures. Probably as soon as taller trees
are discovered, which can be convert
ed into ladders, English buildings
will go beyond the 5-story limit.
At any rate I continued briskly,
"How absurd to have these high lad
ders that block traffic when you move
along the street, and that stick up
ridiculously in your front yard When
not in use."
All that painter said was, "We have
got along a thousand years or more
in our own peculiar way, and very
well, too, Pm thinking" His eye
glistened, and then he dumped up the
street with his capital L Ladder and
its attendant lads.
l went to Brighton the other day.
There were eight Englishmen in my
compartment. Without the slight
est bit of circumstances, they set
as silent as stone men. | was as il
alone. But it wasn't long before |
began to admire them for self-con-
troll. Why should they have inter-
rupted each others thoughts with
Looks like rain" or "War seems to
be going on as sharp rs ever" or
"We're making fair time"-all braz-
emily obvious facts which | would have
offered as gleamingly bits of intelli-
gence, in my American way, on a
train at home. | fell TO thinking, and
looking out across the country, and
pretty soon | saw an odd spire. For
getfully, I blurted out, "What is that
place, please?" The Englishman
across from me rocked in his seat
for a minute in thrusting himself out
of his tomb of thought, said "Beg
pardon" and then brightly told me Of
the retreat Of the Cartusian monks,
makers Of Chartreusc, formerly Of
France, who never turn away a male
visitor without food and drink and an
invitation to make use of their libra
ry, said to be one of the finest in the
world.
The Englishman's admirable reti-
cccnee in public is gone at home. He
hurries to his family each evening
to do his talking. In common with all
Europeans, the English have CONVEX
s%ational meals. They have what We
have not, the pretty faculty of "mak.
ing drama out of small things
Dinner in an English household con.
sists largely of each member of the
family reciting some odd or comica'
adventure of the day, and is punetuat.
ed by earthquakes Of laughter. Lis
tening Americans think Somebody
got off a good n that time" But
father had only been telling how
Wimpus the family dog, had slyly
followed him to the station that morn.
in, Illustrating facially how Wimpu:
had had the impudence to pretend he
didn't hear, ETC., etc.
England is a great place for ad.
verbs, umbrellas and those small wine
cords on straw hats which men actu.
ally anchor TO their lapels as a mat.
ter Of morning toilette. 1t is alsC
the place where grown sons kiss theil
fathers good night.
l said something about the Englisf
having the American habit of resent
ing casual criticism by foreigners
AS in America, if you leave the ma
tive alone he will soon point out tn,
deficiencies that you have noticed AM
will whack them g%ladsomely for you
And | have found that the Englishma,
usually winds up his lambert with
Our traditions make us stick in tn
muds in a lot Of ways. You are no
anchored down by customs that hav,
thousand-year roots, But we are tear.
ing loose fast now. The war has sup
piled the awakening shock"
Since this will be read by home
folks, let me arrogantly call this yer,
perceptable change in England 1t
"Americanization." 1t will be com
plete, though probably the monarch,
: fiction will endure.
: In society the greatest step towar.
loo per cent democracy has been tn,
: eye-to-eye association of high bori
: sons with those of the former middl
and lower classes. Deep friendship
have been formed. The trenches ar
] making all Englishmen brothers.
Not only has the inter-class com
3 radeship been formed in the trenches
but the hospitals and munition facto
RES have seen the attendance of tn
topmost fixtures of the nobility
e Duchesses have bathed hucksters
y sons. Baronesses have scrubbed cor
ridors. Women who could writ
Lady" before their namas H.. Al.