The Irish standard., 1919-08-30
The Real American Hyphenates

should be the aim of all loyal Ameri-
cans.
l Would Re-Write Our History.
These pro-British Tories camou-
aaged as American patriots have
been largely in evidence since we
declared war with Germany. But long
heore that event they sedulously and
Unnecessarily worked their game to elm
inate from the school histories every.
thing, regardless of Its truth, which
reflected upon England. They partly
succeeded in cutting out from the
national anthem original lines which
were deemed offensive to British
pride, and they caused the adoption
Of the hymn America" which is
sung to the music of "God Save the
King"
SO far has this propaganda sue
ceeded that it permeates our non
Catholic religious pulpit, our press and
our educational and commercial in
terests. Our Episcopal Church loves
to be patronized by its mother
church, government department
created by, and subject to, the English
Parliament. When My Lord Arch
bishop of Canterbury or York conde-
scends to visit these lordless United
States, how eloquent are the sermons
about the "tie that binds.
Then, when Convocation is held at
Lambeth Palace, how natural it is for
the Protestant Episcopal bishops OF
America to be associated with the
bishops of their mother church, the
Protestant Church of England as by
law established! And how the sweet
ly common language binds in bonds
OF brotherly love the non-conformist
ministers of England with the preach
ers of the so-called evangelical sects
of America. How many common
"reminiscences they have in tracing the
genealOgy of their sects, no matter how
hopelessly divided they may be on the
correct Interpretation of Scripture
texts! And above all, what common
interest they have in saving England
and America from the Pope of Rome!
In this close relationship between
the Episcopal denomination and the
parent Church of England, and be-
tween the non-conformist and Pres
byterian bodies of Great Britain and
the Calvinistic or evangelical sects of
America, there is a leverage for a
pro-British propaganda such as the
Germans. could not hope for.
"Me, Too"
The American press in all Euro.
pean affairs has been the me too"
of the press of Great Britain. In the
Prusso-Austrian war, owing to the fact
that many of the German princes were
divided by the issues at stake, the
German royal family of England took
a neutral stand, especially because
Austria had been for centuries an ally
of Great Britain. The American
press was colorless.
In 1901, during the Franco-Prus
sian war, although many Erglishmen
individually sympathized with France,
the government and press notably
sided with "our Teutonic cousins" as
the magazine writer's phrased it. AS
an effect of this pro-German sentiment
in the English papers, the American
press was notoriously anti-French.
i The sacriIegeous Crime Of 1870.
! When the guns of Victor Emman-
uel battered down the Porta Pia, and
forcibly seized the Papal territories,
which for thousand years all gov
ernments, Catholic, Protestant and
schismatic, had recognized as the law
fully acquired principality of the Pope,
the English press gave its cue, and the
press of America Joined in the chorus
of approval Of one of the most bare
faced and indefensfble crimes in the
political history of Europe.
4 When we declared war on Spain
the concert halls Of London made
merry over what they believed would
be Spanish victory oyer our navy;
the wealthy aristocracy Of England
organized society for the succor Of
the Spanish wounded, and the press
of England declared our invasion Of
Cuba was wanton aggression upon
Spain, and an unwarrantable inter-
ference with her domestic affairs.
4 The wires were still hot with
Dewey's message Of victory in Manila
Bay, when the British people and press
made an about-face movement The
English press suddenly discovered Q
coalition among the European powers
in favor Of Spain, and claimed the
| credit for preventing 1t. Our own
newspaper aristocrats were equal to
| the occasion. They loudly praised