The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1921-02-20

planned, isn't conversation. 1t has all the
horrors of a debating society without the
saving grace of debate-namely, the rules.
In argument there is debate but no rules.
1 belonged for twenty years to a conversa-
ton club In London. We never had one
argument in all that time. If one Of our
number had discovered something new, had
become interested in anything, we immed-
ately leaned forward to hear what he had to
say to help him in his discovery, to bring
forth his opinions. You know it was Soc
rates who said that he did not argue but
that he helped a friend to deliver his
thoughts, which was a talent he had in
herited from his mother, who had been
midwife. Rather good, Ell?
Here you seem TO think that 1t is battle
of wits when you all get together and argue.
There's too much theory about II. There is
not enough self-expresson to it-and that
Is the whole trouble.
The Queen, you know, used to say she
much preferred Beaconsfield to Gladstone,
for in their interviews Beaconsfield seemed to
be talking to her. whereas Gladstone talked
to her as though he were addressing the
House of Commons. His talk was too col
lective, too all embracing. There was not
enough self in It,
II think the English write better because
their education is so much more thorough
ers here aren't satisfied with developing
one idea. They want to go around CHI; sing
at least twenty-four. In the education in
England the ground work is so complete
they do not take so many subjects, they
don't get a smattering OF many things But
they learn what they learn very thoroughly
AMI they learn how to concentrate and finish
one thing. That makes them start off with
training in literary good breeding.
think here you find a great many intellec-
tually underbred people.
From the Puritans you derived a certain
sternness and hardness, a sense of RESPONSE
bility and a sense of honor, the ideals of
fraternity and liberty and equality, to
which you "A great deal. There's a
sound background. Those qualities become
spiritual when the first repression has been
lifted. I'd say you were a very spiritual
race Almost too spiritual. You're all too
intent on running about for as much spirit
uality as you can absorb.
The Puritans were samples of controlled
anmalism. You know. people think animal
ism a very horrible thing. It's not. It's
very fine thing. What is love Of wife. love
Of home. love of children but animalism?
We go back to the beasts and there we
find all those qualities. But animalism con-
trolled is what we find in those old Puritans
They owned themselves.
Now, your people don't own themselves
to begin with" he said, with n whimsical
CLEAN of amusement. They don't even own
their homes They don't even own their
apartments They don't even own their fur
niture. They live in apartments and plan
what their next apartments will be like
and what their next move will be-
They go around to lecture courses and
dash here and there for ideas and theories
and opinions. They do not care to stop and
look into themselves.
"Your critics here are really constructive
critics. There are three kinds Of criticism
destructive criticism, which my people have
constructive criticism. which you have here
in America, and exacting criticism such as
they have in England.
Take painting or sketching, for example"
lie pointed TO his drawing board. AN Irish
critic would stand back Of my chair and
look over my shoulder at the picture and
crush me with his criticism. lie would have
an enormously good time at my expense.
AN English critic would love the picture
he was about to criticise. He would ex-
anime II carefully. lie would regard II II