Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-02-23
STYLES IN AMBASSADORS


WHAT is an American ambassador for /?
w To shine at garden parties and drink
tea with grace and to be absent minded in
the presence Of all realities? Should he be
an ambassador Of trade or n person qualified
TO impress the dukes and to cultivate their
special friendship and one who can look
king cOdly in the eye without trembling?
Or should he be. on the other hand. u man
with a shirt. sleeve manner. a patronizing
air and n habit Of waving his countrys flag
IN the face of all other peoples, n dealer in
nice plntitudes, good takcr without the
uncomfortable habit of consistent thought?
The answer to all this is. Of course.
simple, An ambassador should be none Of
these things exclusively, though by force of
necessity he has at various times TO borrow
or assume some of the superficial character
istlcS OF the various suggested types. The
good ambaSSad0r-and he IL an infrcquent
PHENOMENON n sensitive, wise and sym
pathetic interpreter between nation and
nation
Whenever new President elect s pre-.
raring to so into Office the country begins 10
think ngain of ways in which the diplomatic
service can be improved. 1t resolves to do
better. There is an urge in the public mind
that might be described in the brisk Ian
gua2c of business ns Il Better Ambassadors
Movement. Editors and public men Of all
sorts encourage it and talk deeply of its
general importance. Mr. Harding desires
greatly to obtain for his country better rep
rcscntation in foreign lands All Presidents
begin with that hope. Their desires are
easily understood
DtplomatiStS graduated from the Euro.
pcan schools of empire and intrigue have too
often been little better than spies at the
S'"tS of neghboring governments. When
'npN Ilyp NOT boon ting tbnir
m"ntS into trouble or out Of it they have
been apologists for gricvous errors done by
foolish people higher up, allayers of sus-
picton. smoothcrS down Of touChy or Offended
n"iGhborS.
The United States, because Of its CON
paratvc freedom from international political
complexities such as trouble Europc, has
been able to experiment with more whole
som" method of diplomacy. 1t has tried
many styles
The shirt sleeve statesman was never tho
success that hr was cracked up to be- Pco-
pie had q habit Of staring at him. He
conldn b" emphatic with any success be-
cause emphasis was supposed TO be his every
day habit
styles in diplomacy will change inevitably
with the times There were periods when
world politics was mixed freely with tea
and ices at cxclusiv" salons in the Old
World. 1t has passed perhaps forever, and
governments seeking adequately to represent
themselves in other nations will have to have
men in their service who can know the
masses as well os the few who move in the
circles of the anointed
Old rules Of the diplomatic game have
ceased to run. Much has been written. for
example in praiS" Of the English habit of
training men upward almost from the cradle
Tor the foreign missions Of the empire 4
survey ot recent history suggests. however
that the Britisher abroad - that il. the
Brltisher trained and groomed through long
years for the diplomatic servicc-may vet
prov" 10 belong in the list Of failures.
Lord Bryce was the most conspicuous
representative" of another and far different
type Of British ambassador. He was un-
sChoocd in the conventional rules Of Lis
office. He shared none of the traditions of
tn" official ruling class. He was instead.
q scholar, n sensitive man and n great hu-
manitariun. He did more 20 make England
to contemporary America and
NOR" I" make America understood in Eng
land than all the British ambassadors who
preceded him in Washington. Bryce. learned.
kindly, honorable and tolerant. with n mind
of infinite BREADTH was tho ideal ambasSa-
dor. But l'ryccS ar" rare. There are too
few Of them in England America and else
where
Gerard. Brand Whit"rk and Roland s
Morris hay" had successes in foreign rngts.
Myr"n Il. ITerrick was "A success Mt Paris
and II il good 70 hear that he NAV go back
l'Nt in later years We hav" had no one of the
dimensions which Hay, Bayard and Choate
a"hi"Y"d in London. Th" great ambassador
Of n" typ" oi fIav or Bryce is as hard 10 find
as n really great President. And even when
h" IS found he IL often unable to enter the
S"rvi"" Of the country. Congress doeSn', like
20 spend money on the diplomatic service
II has always preferred ambassadors who
will spend their own, An ambassador with
out money I" spend and fine house 70 live
in would Do a curiosity and rather unhappy
sD""tacI" NJ capital in Europe. So, finally.
the work oF improving the diplomatic service
must begin with n more liberal attitude in
Congress. Until Congress loos"nS up. So 70
speak Mr.. Harding. like all the PRESIDENTS
who have preceded him. will have only
limited "hoir" when he goes seeking men for
important foreign posts