The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-05-16

/ they would cut off the leg injured
when he was bravely following Wash
ington and give it an honorable burial.
Then we would hang the balance of the
d rascal"
After we entered the war and found
ourselves in close association with the
allied nations there was naturally lot
of good-natured chaff of an international
sort. That much of it should relate to
England was the inevitable consequence
of earlier history. The President who
krew the English people well and liked
them. took great enjoyment out of one
or two stories which were told at their
expense.
/ recall his telling us of an IN
dent which happened when he was
spending a summer in England in the
years before he entered the White
House
THE bishop of North Dakota was In
England on a VISIT he said, and II
was announced that he would preach
in church not far from where l was
staying, so l decided to go to hear my
distinguished fellow countryman.
ION entering the church, little
early in order to be sure OF seat
overheard another visitor inqulrins
of the English clergyman, VINO was
standing near the door, VINO Is &c
preach this afternoon
az have forgotten his name, re-
piled the clergyman, but he Is the
| bishop of North Dakota, one of the
British provinces"
The bishop of North Dakota disillu-
stoned his audience before he flnishec
his sermon, and reduced the size of the
British empire in the mind of the Eng
Ish rector by subtracting the lusty
Am erican commonwealth he repre-
sented
PUT HIS OWN ISLAND FIRST
The exaggerated idea of the impor-
lance of ones own land which any
people is likely to entertain was illus
trated in another story the President
told us one day.
The Orkney islands are mere dots or
| the map, but, according to the Presi'
dent, an orkney preacher of intensely
local patriotism used to pray Sunday
after Sunday for the blessing of Goo
upon the people of this land, and OF
! the adjacent islands of England, Scot
land and Ireland"
| But a story the President liked bet
ter than either of these was one thai
! was told about a conversation between
Spring Rice, the British ambassador
and Captain Harris, who at the time
was superintendent of buildings ant
grounds.
! Spring Rice had visited the Presi
dent and, following his visit, was be-
| ing shown some of the White House
/ portraits by Captain Harris.
AS the British ambassador departed
he turned to Captain Harris and asked
him:
What is the White House made
Off"
Virginia sandstone" answered the
captain.
But, I didn't know Virginia sand.
stone was white" said Spring Rice.
Nor Is it, the captain replied. "Yol
see we had to. paint the stones"
Paint them? Why in the worlt
would you have to paint good req
sandstone?" exclaimed the astonishet
diplomat
ITO cover up the black places tina
rem aimed after the burning of thu
building.n Captain Harris explained.
'As, so the building was burned
was it? And what caused the fire?'
inquired the British ambassador.
THE British" said Captain Harris.
"Oh!" said Spring Rice.
An incident happened in the nav,
department shortly before the Worlt
war began. of which this story re
minds me.
Sir Robert Hadfield, an English ex
pert in ordnance, was waiting to see