The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1920-06-29
ANCIENT OXFORD IS
ALL CLUTTERED WITH
AMERICAN TOURISTS
By MARY HENkE


OXFORD, England, June 13.-Oxford
is almost as full Of Americans at
present as 1t is of university dons. One
meets them in the narrow by-streets' |
guide book in hand, and in the clolster |
like colleges, where they try to look
the admiration for antiquity they can
not feel.
A middle western accent emerging |
from the walk at Magdelen college ex-
pressed the sentiment more frankly
than most.
you can't tell me these places are
healthy" declared the male member OF
an obviously tourist family.
His eye rested on the scaling build
ings with scorn that no member OF
great mems ghosts could alleviate.
Another family was being propelled
from one college to another by
hasty youth who evidently had other
things on his mind. He whisked them
from one object Of historical interest
TO another and ratified off information
that his dazed guests pretended to
assimilate.
"This is the Pelican, he announc-
ed. pausing before a column sur
mounted by a dropping waterfowl.
But what Is the pelican?" demand
ed one of the more hardy tourists.
20. I don't know" answered the
student carelessly, its just something
you're supposed to have seen.
Always Stand Out.
In London Yankee visitors are sWaL
lowed up in the crowd, but here they
are always conspicuous.
Normally, Oxford has only two ele-
ments of population the men of the
university and the people who do the
work So the advent of the tourist is
hailed at once AS soon as an Amer
lean gets of the train the porter's
eye sparkles and the taxi driver comes
running. English people still seem TO
hold to the fable that America is
paved with dollars.
A DOOR American is as unWelcome as
a prohibitionIst. He is considered an
abnormal product OF his country. For
tunately, for the impecunioEs British
er, there are few poor Americans over
this summer One must be wealthy to
stand the pace.
No American can be persuaded to
miss anything that he feels he ought
to see He will stand and gaze at
Addisons walk and the place where
Cecil Rhodes used to sit and the
famous windows that somebody or
other painted, and his expression has
always the proper element OF gravity
and interest. And yet, all the time
he will be declaring to himself that
the first Baptist church at home has
got this place beat mile.
Most EngliShmen misinterpret Amer
lean interest and curiosity for admira-
ton. They tell you with that superior,
languid little way of theirs how Amer
leans always take so much interest In
our things, y'knoy," and one carries on
the impression that without the oppor'
tunity Of surveying the spots halloWed
by British culture, the people OF the
United States would still be languish-
ing in a state of savagery.
Rhodes Men are Different.
American Rhodes scholars at OK
ford. however. take care that their
English associates do not grow toe
high in their over estimation. They
still gleefully point out the high picket
students were persuaded to climb
while the Americans stood below anc
laughed at their efforts.
Most American students at OXFORD
came from the state universities anC
have worked on the farm, taught
school or possibly waited table to pay
their way That is perfectly unintell1
gible to an English student. OF course
the war did away with social barrier:
and all that sort of thing, but still
Establishment or the leisured classes can
not help feeling that there is some
thing degradirG "hCut manual labor
Working ones way Trough school frs
isn't done. and there is an idea tina
only Americans would think of sucl
thing anyway.
There is no record OF a Rhode
scholar from She United States who's
residence in Oxford gave him a pei
manent attachment for England. It
unanimously declared that your tire
years in England only N1!" '0'l low
vour own country more.
Even on the streets ono can deteC
the American student bv his air c
critical ADVISED detn''' n,~''' lIiS hom
NAV onlv be q vi1'r"e somewhere sOut
of Tndianapo'is ~ 70" "01l town
we'll a moudly Cd place like OXFORD
isn't in it.
And all his fric~d~ md neighbor
who come over to do" The place agre
with him.
ITS all right FOR people who ar
used to it" said prosperous retire
farmer from Illinois, as he surveye
the historical old buildings crticall
but we wouldn't let things go like TIL;
back home" A good live Chamber I
Commerce would do wonders for tn