Evening star., 1929-10-06
BY WILLIAM HARD.

Among the indirect and undersigned
preparations here for the present visit
OF Prime Minister Macdonald, a high
place must be accorded to the charac-
ters and careers of the British Ambas-
sador, Sir Esme Howard and the Ca
madam Minister, Mr.. Vincent Massey
They have been here now for some time
and their personalities. as revealed in
the course of the hospitalities which
they companionably offer and compan-
lonably accept, have done much to re-
move from the minds OF the American
officials a certain traditional expecta-
ton of British diplomatic sharp prac-
tice"
1t is wholly impossible to suspect
either Sir Esme Howard or Mr. Massey
OF sharp practice" or Of anything akin
to 1t. Nature made them Straightfor-
ward, and observation of the world has
taught them the practical value of
their natural bent. They are too sophis-
ticated, too arrived, to fall into the use
OF that tricky dealing which is cheap be-
cause childish and foolish because
futile.
'' x* X X
The diplomacy Of Sir Esme and Mr.
Massey has had not a trace IN it of
that doubleneSs and deviousness which
in the best motion pictures is supposed
to characterize the best diplomat They
have been simple, frank, open, direct
and, in a word, honest. although on sec
ond thoughts perhaps one duplicity
could be charged against them In trying
circumstances they have outwardly COM
pletely kept their tempers and, no mat
ter what their feelings might be. have
never betrayed any irritation whatSo-
ever against this country's institutions
or methods. Since that duplicity, If 1t
be such, has been of advantage to all
concerned, 1t can reasonably be forgiven
to them.
They have been highly instrumental
in giving to the relations between the
United States and Great Britain and be-
tween the United States and Canada a
degree Of tranquility which the imper-
sonal circumstances of the case did not
always in themselves contain and con-
vey. They are complete refutations,
both of them, of the theory that in
these days Of transoceanic cables and
Of wireless communications there is no
further need, in an important way, of
personal diplomatic representatives. No
cablegramS. no wireless messages, could
ever have given to this Capital City the
impressions of fidelity, of loyalty, of re-
liability, that have been sunk deep into
1t by the personalities of Sir Esme and
OF Mr.. Vincent Massey.
X X X X
Each of them, as it happens, has an
ceStral links of personal interest in the
United States. Mr.. MaSsey's fathers FAM
lily passed into Canada from the British
Isles through the United States, in
which for some time 1t resided. His
mothers family likewise came from
the British Isles to the United States,
but remained here. 1t has been a dis
tinguished family among us, producing
the Bishop Vincent of the Methodist
Church who founded our Chautauqua
movement. and the DR.. George E. Vim
cent who has been the influential presi-
dent of the Rockefeller Foundation. Mr..
Massey's mother was Anna Vincent.
From her surname Mr.. Massey derived
his given name. Through her, as well as
through her fathers family, he is al
most as much American as Canadian or
British.
In fact, Mr. Massey. psychologically,
is an extremely curious study. He Is
somehow very American, very Canadian
and very British all together. He is in
tensely, nationalistically Canadian, with
vivid belief in Canadianism as dis
tinct entity in the world of interna-
tional affairs. He is, at the same time,
q graduate of Ba1liol College, oxford,
England, and the husband Of an Eng
liShwoman and vigorous champion of
the validity and desirability of the 'im-
perial" connection between the various
distinct parts of the British common
wealth of nations. He, finally. is so in
termingled with the past and present
affairs of the United States that Amer
icanism could almost be said to be his
third nature" He is an odd case of a
man with most unusually complicated
multiple personality in the field Of
international relationships, and only his
extraordinary candid capacity for Just
and exact dealing in all directions could
keep him IN one bodily piece.
He has been successful business
man as well as a scholar, and he is
fully able to indulge himself In the
beautiful pictures and in the interesting
musical performances which add to the
attractiveneSS OF the very spacious es-
tablishment which he maintains. His
greatest charm, though, is the wholly
he has copied out large numbers of
poems that have pleased him.
n X n X
Sir Esme Howard's associations with
| this country go back; in the memory of
his family in England, to stranpe Incl
dents occurring at, the time of our
on an estate in the north of England
which, at the time of that war, was the
property Of the head of the Howard
| family, the Duke of Norfolk. Sir Esme
opened his young eyes on that estate
to two farms bearing American names
One was called Bunker Hill" The
other. after a distinguished American
Revolutionary hero, was called PUT
NAM" Also, and even more aStonish-