Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-04-16

~WHY. ALL THE MEN OF AMER
colonel with a high degree of con-
Germ; then he again bethought him of
the more Cor perhaps less) serious
business of Americas lack of leis-
ure class.
where is Americas literate class
to come from?" Cat this point I ST
lentIy resented being cIassed among
the illiterate-our usage OF the word
has made it SO indelicateo There
is no origin of it in the life or the
production of the people" went on
the colonel. 1.-The literary lights of
the immediate future will be mainly
women. because they have more leis-
ure. They are the literate and spoil
ed class of America. They nave
everything done for them
Col. Repington enjoyed talking
about how Americas women are
spoiled by attentions. He has been,
no doubt, dined. IL not wined. In
many extensively elaborate Ameri-
can homes.
Since American men pride them
selves on being the best husbands IN
the world. the colonel probably wit
messed the fact that American wom-
en- do receive attention from men.
SIT is the women of America who
owe to the country what the men
have failed to do because OF their
lack of time to think, to read, TO
write" continued the Journalist.
Americans must study European
literature to give them broader out
look and end this accusation OF
proyincialism which they often direct
against themselves. 1t is the DUTY
NJ American women to induce their
men Of literary tastes to take up Sc
rious writing. When the men have
made enough money to retire the
women should divert them to think
ing and studying matters OF econom-
les and history.
Americans have an enormous mass
NJ accumulated knowledge OF every
thing" he said a little later. &c
casionaIly, as in the recent conven-
ton in Washington, America mas a
disnlav of all the knowledge in the
country And America seems to have
knowledge Of how to attract the
best of the foreign experts.
TN a conversation witE Frank ST.
monds, after the Washington con-
ference Col. Repington predicted
that only the second and third rate
foreign journalists will come to
America upon such another occasion
because of the difficulties involved In
getting to" the "personages." Evil
IDENTIFY some one has treated Reping-
ton badly, which is quite to our dis
credit, in a manner Of speaking.
THE literary output of your stu
dents, travellers. diplomats and men
of affairs is in no way equal to their
accumulated experience" said Col
Repington. while I went rapidly
through my category of thoughts
stopping most surely at the remem-
brance of day in Elton.
It was one fine morning in Elton
that 1 first realized what English
education means. On the desks and
walls of the old classrooms there
were carved the illustrious names OF
Englishmen of letters who had been
students within these same walls. ]
felt that while the present-day stu
dents there, in their frock coats and
high silk hats. do not have many OF
girls. they do have an early under
standing Of the idea of education.
This phrase, "the idea of educa-
tion," born to me that morning, would
mean to me volume If attempted
to explain it. So we shall let it re-
main pour la moment. The English
certainly have this advantage of at
mosphere in the matter OF letters
| The years will bring the same thing
to US, except that we seem prone to
destroy traditions. 1t takes US sc
many years to acquire the idea OF
education" and no literary work car
be developed without this sense.
You do have some excellent writ.
ers in America, but for the mos
part" continued the British. foreign
correspondent, your people write
merely ior America ohu iiioie oieoh
| merely for certain locality in
America. Americans do not write fol
| the world"
but. Col. Rcpington-"
"Please don't interrupt. You breal
my train of thought" And the colo.
mel went on with his train of thought
Every now and again attempted
TO break in upon him with f1eetine
idea of my own. You know, in his
| published interviews Col. RepingtoI
himself refers constantly to what HI
| said to so-and-so and so-and-so. Hi,
interviews are 80 much his opinion,