Evening star., 1928-06-17
BY J. A. SPENDER.

BY ]. A. SPENDER.
TIME travelling Englishman is struck
by the existence of as yet un-
assimilated chunks in what is
i called the American melting pot
He finds certain quarters of great
cities and certain areas elsewhere which
strike him as purely cosmopolitan and
Seem 10 contain greater number of diff
ferent kinds Of people than any similar
area In Europe. But. on the whole, as
have already said. he Is much more i'm
pressed by the extraordinary success with
which the process Of assimilation goes
forward than by the resistance to it
Of certain stubborn elements. He is con-
scious of national genius at work over
the whole area and making all the time
something which transcends the differ
ent nationalities and is characteristic
cally American. The courageous Ameri-
can experiment of keeping doors wide
open for at least the first century of
the national life seems to him to have
been we'll justified, and he wishes that
the British Dominions could be induced
to repeat It.
Anxieties Exaggerated.
American anxieties on this subject
are natural. but / get the impression
that they are somewhat exaggerated.
The old settlers, whether British, Dutch
or "Nordic," as the modern word Is.
have a long start, and the general
American pattern Is predominantly
theirs. 1t will no doubt be modified,
as time goes on. but it will not be
Italianized or BalkaniZed or Polified;
1t will still be American. II is already
sufficiently distinguished from Anglo
Saxon to afford no reasonable ground
for jealousy to the other races, all Of
whom have their opportunity Of con-
tributing to 1t according to their char
acter and ability.
think that English tradition will be
strong enough to survive this process,
and / do think 1t. But it never occurs
to me TO think Of an American as an
Englishman, though again like to think
that British ancestry and tradition have
contributed powerfully to the American
result. / cannot think that German or
Italian or Polish descended Americans
will grudge me a little secret pride in
the American commonwealth.
But, as an Englishman, learn some
thing from watching this American con-
troversy find most of the things
commonly attributed to the British by
all Americans. attributed to the British
descended by the other races. The
British descended are said to be con-
descending. patronizing. to behave as
if the whole place belonged to them,
to deny the equal status. especially the
equal social status. which is the BIRTH
right of all American citizens, to the
newcomers of the other races. / sup
pose we British or ritish-descended
have something in US which irritates
other people, and all through our his
tory we have contrived to irritate the
Latins, the Irish and the Germans. 1t
Is not what We do or say. 1t is our "air"
which is supposed to be at fault. This
complaint Of the Anglo-Saxon has gone
up from Europe for generations, and
when we see 1t transferred from Europe
to America and brought into play
against the British-dsscended American.
We recognize the ancient historical
thing. There are no remedies for 1t:
we British have learned that we have
lust to live down our "air'' by proving
ourselves 10 be decent, fair-minded
neighborly people and in America the
British descended will have to do the
same
An Englishman finds hosts of things
to admire in America. but every now
and then he comes across movements
which have an oddity and eccentricity
that he finds nowhere else In the world.
II should seem to be departing from the
neutrality In word and deed and thought
between the different European govern
ments. which It's citizens of non- British
origin expect of II. In this atmosphere
the Enalishman feels that he is getting
a little less than his due, simply because
a partialitv for him Is suspected and
must be disproved. He finds an abun-
dance Of good will for his country In all
parts of America. but becomes conscious
Of slight chill when he goes to Wash
ington. Then he returns home and
COMPLAINS that advances made by an
Englishman are sure to be snubbsd at
Washington. and the idea gains cur
rency in England that America is un-
friendly.
This, I am sure. is a mistake. but 1t
Is borne IN on one that the relations be-
tween the two countries have certain
special difficulties which do not belong
to the relations Of either with any other
country. and that they need on both
sides understanding and forbearance
and allowance for each others difficult
ties
II seemed to me Just as much nom
sense TO say that the ties of kinship and
sentiment are OF no account as to sup
pose that they count for everything. No
E1ttk1SiiIHdIl HafC tthNEACu Ill fAIflEL-
lea and been admitted to friendly and
intimate talk with all sorts of Ameri-
cans without knowing that these ties
are very real things. but they belong to
the 'imponderables." which weigh most
when We refrain from Weighing heavily
upon them. and we have to beware on
both sides lest they impart a certain
embarrassment and artificiality into our
official relations.
Let us be natural Englishmen and
natural Americans and We shall be all
right; but let us be Americans who are
afraid of being thought pro-British. or
Englishmen who fancy that Americans
are hostile and We shall be In chronic
state of mutual irritation.
The most discussed question In Amer
lea Is undoubtedly prohibition. Every