Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-02-26
McLemore
Tells How to Cure
Anti British Feeling
Bv HENRY McLEMORE.

LONDON.-So you don't like the
English, Ell? Too SNUG, huh? Too
superior? 1t makes you tired to
hear them say clark" for clerk.
lift when seeing an elevator.
fiat for apartment. And you
don't care for the way they carry
NJ brellas. talk unintelligibly
through their teeth and serve warm
beer.
| know know They are
| eXaSperating, And there is no
denying that there is lot Of anti
British feeling in our country. Mrs.
Roosevelt just did a magazine ar
| ticle on that subject, didn't she?
| And every one of our soldiers who
| come here are issued a pamphlet
on how to get along with such old,
old people.
The best way to cure this anti
British feeling is to cross the ocean
in a convoy. The very wide. very
deep and very cold Atlantic Ocean.
You can leave the American shores
thinking the British are fussy
| blighterS, not worth fighting along
side Of, but you will be completely
cured of this idea as early as the
next day.
Quick and Easy Cure.
1t happened to me. I had always
found Englishmen harder to culti-
vate than a taste for olives or spin
ach, but I got cured. Got 1t quick
and easy. 1t happened the first
day we were at sea- Our little boat
was just speck on the ocean. SO
were the other boats. Many Of
them. Line after line as far as
could see there were boats. A
convoy. A big one. Tankers,
freighters. troopships. More tank
ers, more freighters, more troop
ships.
stood by the rail and looked at
this convoy. Then I looked at the
ocean. 1t looked cold, icy cold, and
1t was, too. There were waves that
told you with their thunder that
If anything happened there would
be no use trying to launch life
boats. 1 looked at my life jacket
and was struck by its inadequacy in
case Of emergency. Then I re-
membered submarines were out
there looking for just such a con-
yoy as this. 1t didn't make me
feel any better to remember how
had f1unked my Boy Scout SWIM
ming test. I knew # torpedo hit
us would undoubtedly establish a
new worlds record for going down
and staying down.
Then some one called, whats
that?' We all looked. And, that's
when I decided the British were all
right. There. not far away on the
starboard side, knitting through the
water. was British destroyer. She
was long and lean. Her guns we're
ready. My own country's flag
never looked much prettier to me
than did the flag she was flying.
All the Way Over.
All the way over, no matter how
mean the night, how rough the day,
that destroyer and others of her
kind ran ahead, behind and around
us, mothering us like chicks, look
Ing for danger while keeping us
from it. Working with the Destroy
ers were British corvettes, little fell
lows that make you wonder how
they can withstand the poundings
they take.
During the days when we were
within range of bombers 1t was
mighty comforting to have boats of
the coastal command flying over
head, seeing to it that no German
planes came from the skies to bomb
or strafe US. And when we we're
even closer to German air bases it
didn't pain us any to have Spitfres
ana hurricanes for chaperoneS.
Yes, the English will get very dear
to any American who trusts his life
with them in convoy crossing. All
superficial differences between the
citizens of the two nations are
quickly forgotten at sea. And, when
land comes into view, you'll find
yourself loving it just as if it were
bit OF New Hampshire or Iowa or
California. You won't mind the fog
that shrouds it or the rain that
drizzles on it or the talk of the
people who walk on it. After all,
their handclasp is the same as
ours.
distributed by McNaught Syndicate, In:)