Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-19
BY ARTHUR Y. MANN.


IT oNDoN-"she loves me. she
loves me not"-the old petal
pulling ritual well might have
IL been applied 10 the Correspond
ence columns In the Daily Tele-
| graph here, which this week published
| q number Of letters concerning British
ers' attitudes toward America and
Americans. The controversy began by
the publication of letter signed
American Woman" In which the writ.
er complained bitterly, flrst, Of the
kind Of American news published In
the English papers. and second, Of the
personal reception she and her friends
met here. The result was flood OF
most protested the essential British
friendliness to the United States and
the citizens thereof. although the paper
gave no clue to the verdict of the q
It received but had no spece to print
The most significant feature, how
ever. of the British writer's, who re-
piled to the Americans letter was the
emphasis a number of them placed
upon the alleged harmful effect of
American movies and talkies upon the
British conception Of and understand
ing Of the United States.
American Protests News
The Americans letter, which began
the controversy. read in part as fol-
lows:
LAS an American who feels extremely
friendly Tor would like to feel friendly
to England, write to express my deep
I'regret at observing certain conditions
in this country. I refer TO the cam
paign constantly being carried on to
create in English minds a state of
antQ0OniSn1 fnUard aud Ap,ar
leans.
Il have been In this country a year
(this Is my first visit and during
that time / have studied carefully the
English newspapers with a view to dis
covering what is being published about
the United States l find practically all
that is published may be put under
one or two heads: Police news takes
the chief place with deliberate play
ing up of any occurrence, which may
be made sensational, anything dis
creditable to the United States, which
can be culled from the transatlantic
news prominently displayed; also, the
utterances OF public cor even obscure
people calculate to excite ridicule or
dislike OF Americans are freely quoted
Says Visitors Return Bitter.
During this year in London I have
been associated with a great number
of Americans Of the best type-college
professors and their wives, writers
recognized artists, and other profess
sional men and women of excellent
standing in their own country, people
| Of pure British descent, whose instincts
and traditions are in favor of a friendly
feeling toward England
Without exception these people have
gone. or are going, back to the United
States with an intense feeling of grief
and bitterness toward England in their
| hearts. While they have met a few
| broad-minded, sympathetic Englishmen
| they have been nagged, insulted, baiteo
| by English persons usually inferior tc
them in birth. education and manners
and subjected to covert or open expires.
sions of antagonism and have read, da!
after day. unfair representations Of
America in the press until they are
weary and disheartened or reused to 8
feeling of actual hatred toward all Eng
lish people and institutions
The next day the Telegraph published
two sympathetic British replies, one
saying
The average untraveled Englishmer
get their impressions of America not 81
much from the press as from tbs
cinema. So long as American producer,
continue TO food this country with films
dealing almost entirely with either
crime or sex, so long will a vast ma.
| jority of English people continue tc
! hold those views on American life anc
| institutions, which are a source of such
regret to your correspondent"
The other letter is signed by two
Britishers:
las Britons who have many friends
| in America and who always found
among the better class of Americans
an earnest desire for close friendship
with England. We wish to protect you
against the carping supercilious attitude
of the British press toward the United
States. The American press is, on the
whole, remarkably fair to England"
U. S. Cinema Blamed.
The following day the paper published
column of letters on the same subject
First, they again placed blame for much
of the trouble on American films
Another. signed English friend OF
! America" backed up everything" the
| American woman writer said. and at
| tackled the British critics of the United
! States. Then came one signed Late
| U. S. N" protesting against her charges
/ saying:
LAS an American resident in Grea
| Britain, may I show the other side O
the picture. I am afraid she has no
lived long enough in this country Il
appreciate the character of the average
| Englishman. She is also a little tot
sensitive when her own people ant
country are criticized. When I wa
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