The Washington times., 1922-04-09

of fair play. This. I think. Is q
peculiarly Anglo-Saxon quality
and, 20 tar as I know, has always
been recognized az slch. Without
belittling the other nations whose
sons and daughters have helped to
build up America Il is fair to claim
that America owes her strong
sense OF fair play partly to her
Anglo Saxon inheritance.
Another very noticeable trait
which IL sometimes misunderstood
is the tolerance OF the English.
This II sometimes denied by peo-
pie who have never lived In Eng
land. II II sometimes misnamed
slackness or lack OF conviction.
but In my experience IL is q deep
rooted and genuine tolerance.
do not think anyone could live In
England without realizing that the
Engiish do not cherish rancor and
that they have q gift for taking
things on their merits. To make
quite a personal example, one
might have expected that the hun
dreds Of splendid English women
who have worked on public bodies
or In the suffrage movement, to
say nothing OF the British House
Of Commons itself, might have re-
sented the election of an Amerf-
can woman as the first woman to
sit in Parliament. Yet i have had
extraordinary courtesy from the
M. P.'s7 and amazing generosity
and help from the women.
/ suppose Il is a mixture of this
sense OF fair play and OF tolerance
which In responsible for one or the
sights of London which most RS
tonishes strangers. Every sun
day In Hyde Park and I'm all sorts
of other parks and open places you
may see orators standing on box
in the middle OF q crowd dehounc-
ing every constitution Of God and
man and referring In uncomplf-
mentary terms to church and
state, to potentates and powers
while a policeman stands comfort
ably by to see that the orator isn't
hustled and that the peace is kept.
Direct incitement to murder seems
TO be the only topic that In liable
TO land an orator In jail. am
quite sure that free speech II the
surest safeguard to liberty and the
surest way of spiking the guns of
would-be disturbers of the peace.
The orators have the relief Of get
ting their message off their chest
and the audience has the benefit
OF realizing that wtndbass don't
cut much ice.
Americas Advantages.
This leads me to speak Of the
habit Of public service which is
ingrsined I'm the British people.
both men and women. American
women may well be proud OF their
own record, but the amount of
quite dreary and often unpleasant
social service that In taken on
cbeerfully, for no reward OF any
sort, by large numbers Of educated
men and women in England In
very splendid. University ret
Elements In slum areas, boys and
girls clubs, boy scouts and girl
guides TO say nothing OF prison
visiting. poor law administration
and all the rest of local Govern
ment draw their workers from the
very best OF the men and women.
I seem to have written about
English ways rather than about
American ways, but perhaps Il is
because my, experience OF England
is more up-to-dste than my ex-
perience OF America There are.
however, two features abou
America which I must mention.
America has two very great ad-
vantages over England from a
politicians point of View One is
that the separate State legislatures
make IL possible TO try different
experiments In progressive social
legislation In a way which IL not
possible in England. The other is
that civilization In the new world
has not had 20 many centuries
behind Il In which to grow con-
ventsons and usages and preced-
ents which impede new lines OF ac-
ton.s Much can be said In favor
of traditions when they~are good
traditions. Traditions Of social
service, of education, of beauty,
but there Ia very little TO be said
for bad traditions. America has
great chance TO lead the way In
many kinds OF practical ideaiism.
She has proved IL by her prohibi-
ton laws. She has proved II again
at the Washington Conference. and
as a daughter of Virginia I am
r,,ffa mira aha will uo mr., r,roxfr o.