New-York tribune., 1920-10-17
By Fred B. Pitncy


b tiencc we will learn lot about
4 ourselves, for it is favorite
sport of foreign authors to come
over here and tell us all about our
selves and our country. This being a
big country, six weeks is long enough
Tor foreign expert to study it and
form his carefully considered conclu-
sions on the land and its inha bitants,
their habits and customs. England
being small country, it takes longer
to get acquainted with it. An Amen.
can generally finds that lifetime is
no more than long enough to feel that
he really knows something about Eng
land and the British people.
Probably our newness has q good
deal to do with this We are notori-
ously so raw and crude that, Of course.
we are al on the surface An older
civilization is more subtle. 1t takes
longer time to appreciate the fine
shades of distinction and to ditferen-
tiate the delicate half tones. In Eu-
rope there may well be a. epic in the
lift of en- eyebrow, q dark tragedy II
the attitude Of q woman standing be-
side table. The fash Of an alabaster
arm, the CLINT OF pearly teeth ma.
mean 80 much. The uuanccs, the nu-
ances, one must never forget the nu-
arces But here in Am esica-G sh!
Tragedy carries q ga, and peariy teeth
advertise the latest dentif,icc. There
is no middle ground here. One is either
wealthy bounder or else lives in a
tree
One Who Is Different
Occasionally, however, one comea t.
disscct US who is not convinced be-
yonJ redemption tina: the painted red
man still hunts the madGeacd buffalo
in Central Park Such u one is " l..
George, the author Of Calioan md
other stories. Mr.. George says:
~ was born in Paris and lived there
the first twcnt years Of ny lfe. IN
Paris, before the war, it was good
thing to be an American They were
popular there cont know how it is
now. would rattcs not undertake to
say. ent before the waT it was a good
thing for t foreigner IN Paris to be an
American. and formed M ideas about
America from what I heard then"
So, Mr. George comes wish friend
ly feeling to disscct us. 1t is too bad
that he can only allow the traditional
six weeks for Ike Job. One feels thal
if he had studied the nap & N.tle more
closely while hstoning to comment or
America in PaI's before the war he
would have realized that size alon,
would make it necessary to give a
least another two weeks to becoming
thoroughly familiar with the country
But he did get some notion of thing'
from the talk he heard in Paris, fol
he says:
"The average foreigner who come!
over here to study America lands il
New York. takes -un up to Boston
comes back to New York and thel
writes a book about America. die
not want to DO that got right ava,
from New York. went to Boston ant
into New Hampshire From there
went Vest, and ! have been N lows
and into the Oklahoma oil fields.
have only come back to New York aftc
seeing the rest Of tho country"
Good idea, that. For, after all, tn
Middle West is America, isn't it?" h
says.
Mr.. George is not to be blamed 70
holding that opinion. 1t is q bro
mdism that has been pretty thorough
ly propagated for the last few years
even though it WAS California that de
scided the last Presidential election
sAnd yet, there are some Of us who ar
not particularly pleased to be include
In such q classifcation
Is Manchester England?
How would Mr. George like 1t II on
stuck a pin through him, gummed
label on, and lightly remarked:
"For. after all, Manchester Is Ems
land. isn't it ?'
There Is another one Of those al
weeks deductions that seems, some
how, inadequate.
"You have your English civilizatio
ssssu