Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1919-01-07

pride; there fs no doubt about that
either. II pride is ever warranted
England has plenty Of warrant for
much Of hers, for she probably has
more really great achievements to her
credit than any other country on
earth. She has probably done more
to advance liberty, right, justice, civil
ization throughout the world, and it
is more than foolish to lose sight of
the fact.
England, meaning, Of course. Great
Britain, has done great things in war,
science, art, literature, industry, A.
nance commerce. All humanity is in
debted to her in all these lines, and
England is greater today than she has
ever been.
or course England IL guilty Of some
horrible sins. We can take her rec
ord from the beginning, and find ma
tional crime as black as are chargea-
BILE against any other country, or any
other people. She has at times been
narrow and bigotted, and at times she
has been murderous, and at all times
she has been domineering; but at no
time has she ever been wholly coward
ly or contemplate.
The only country that England as a
whole has really respected has been
the United States of America, and the
United States Of America is about the
only country she really respects now;
but still she has a much better opinion
Of herself than she has Of the United
States of America.
The highest exponents of American
ism, meaning our really representative
statesmen, have the sincerest regard
for British statesmen, British charac-
ter and between British institutions.
But as has already been stated, there
Is a feeling Of rivalry between. Great
Britain and America that extends to all
classes and conditions Of mon in the
two countries and in America there Is a
very decided contempt for British ar
rogance and assumed superiority.
The real feeling between America
and Great Britain is best illustrated,
probably, in the attitude Of the Eng
lish and American soldiers and sailors
toward each other. AS general
thing, Scotch, Welsh and Irish SOL
dicrs feel that Americans are not infe-
rior to anybody, and there is very little
constraint between any of these and
Americans; but the friction comes be-
tween Americans and Englishmen.
It is not to be understood that Amer
leans and Englismen do not like each
other-nothing Of the kind. Put the
two to work together against COM
mon foe and they get strength from
each other-a strength that probably
arises in a measure from the desire of
each to show the other the quality Of
his mettle. But oppose the two any
where and the rivalry is even more
apparent.
Let groups Of British and American
sailors merge socially on shore leave,
in other than British or an American
port, and a friendly beginning Is more
apt than otherwise to wind up in a
knock down and drag out, usually fol-
lowing some assumed superiority on
the part Of the Britisher,
A York county soldier in France
tells Of the delight with which the
American soldiers taunt tho British
soldiers with American prowess, some
times to the length Of fist fights. For
instance the American likes to ask the
Britisher If he knows what "a. E. F.
stands for, and when the Britisher re-
plies American expeditionary forces,
the American comes back with mo,
no. 1t means, "'After England failed. y
Sometimes this brings grin from the
Englishman and sometimes 1t brings
a mix-up, and whether one or the 9TH
er, 1t is all tho same to both parties.
Many Englishmen are just now very
much stirred up over Secretary Dan
iers recent declaration that America
must have the greatest navy in the
world, and no wonder; but unless some
arrangement is agreed upon under
which England receeds to her claims
Of domination Of the sea, America will
surely have the greatest navy in the
world.