New-York tribune., 1920-07-04
Knocks for America

U''o HAS1 Stages OF anger have
worn on there is nothing quite so en-
Joyable as running through the pares
OF some real conservative English pub
llcation looking for comments on
Americans and American life. There
are plenty of criticisms of us in Eng
llsh perlodicals-even the daily news.
papers contain an occasional sharp dig.
John Bull" Horatio Bottomlev's
weekly, with it's 100000 circulation
attacks the United States with q broad-
ak and throws Nth at Americans ,non
1he slightest provocation, but these
comments arouse little resentment and
IN TACT leave one with feeling of svm-
pathy for the British.
"The Saturday Review" is del;obt
ii boasts no large circulation. It re-
fuses to stoop to tho methods of modern
advertising. 1t processes a real hatred
OF the workingman. 1t dislikes David
Lloyd George and it can speak good
word for ex-King Constantine and even
tho Crown Prince of Germany. Some
where back in the early Victorian ne
riod 1t must have enjoyed tremen
cous influence and been greatly in de-
mand IN he reading rooms of he West
End clubs. 1t is Tory organ and ;s
proud Of it.
Sometimes the editor says what he
thinks of AMERICANS and frequently one
IS suspicious that he has his tongue in
his cheek. Sometimes he has few
warm words for American prohibition
lists, or Lady Astor, or Mr.. Wilson and
his League of Nations. Whenever his
mall Is light he sticks in a paragraph
about us and the next mail there ia q
Hood of letters Of approval. Knocking
America is jolly good sport, but most
OF the knockers lack the skill of "The
Saturday Review" Here is a comment
from the editorial columns:
"The United States of America ia
commonly held up to us for admira-
tlon as an example of the success of
democracy In the modern world. Yet
the conduct of the American govern
ment at this hour of crisis is warn
ing rather than an example. Has there
ever been anything more ludicrous
and unseemly, as we'll as inconvenient
to other nations, than the game of
battledore and shuttlecock between the
President and the Senate of the United
States?"
The Irish Question
The next question is the one calcu-
lated to draw the letters from "Con-
slant Reader" "Englishman," etc.
"ls there any reason why we should
go on forgiving the intolerable imper-
tlnences of the American Congress
(both houses) on the subject of Ire
land? 1t is not as if Ireland were q
joking matter: the Americans know
as we'll as we that the Irish question
is vital to our existence as a great
power. They know that England can
no more allow the creation Of an In
dependent Irish Republic than the
United States could allow the occupa-
tion of Long Island or the Panama
Canal by foreign power"
Turning over few pages we find
this:
The American Yell
Sir: On May CORRESPONDENT
who takes an interest in the English
language asked if it was necessary to
initiate the American veil. He has
some foresight; for it has now been in
troduced into this country On FRIDAY
in last week the King and Queen laid the
foundations Of new buildings to be de-
voted to an academic degree of COM
merce, and I read that students at the
London School of Economics included
in their welcome shouts of 'Pol-e-Con'
and 'Rah, rah, rah.' While we all
agree that bad and narrow traditions
are out of place in universities or any,
where else, good many of us think
that the less rowdy English ways of ex-
pressing emotion are as good as tie
American. Are college yells. in fact
desirable or necessary: ! am not. and
never hope to be, master of the arts
of commerce. So. perhaps, I am preiu-
diced. Certainly. I am less ready to be
Anne ricanized than tho popular press,