Evening star., 1945-01-24
Letters to The Star
Proposes Wider Program for
English-Speaking Union
To the Editor Of The Star:

All who believe that friendly rela-
tions between America and England
are vital to their own interests and the
rest of the world will thank you for
printing the statesmanlike letter Of DR..
Philip Marshall Brown.
Perhaps you will allow one who has
devoted many years to the promotion of
Anglo American understanding to COM
ment on this letter.
DR.. Brown writes OF the work of the
English-Speaking Union I am mem
Der Of that body's national council in
Great Britain and enjoy the privilege,
unique for an Englishman, OF being
honorary vice president of several of
the American State branches. The
ESU of Great Britain was founded by
one of my closest friends, and that Of
the United States by another. I have
been the means of starting number of
branches and >~of securing considerable
financial support. 1t is, therefore,
clearly my desire to help the union in
every way can.
The ESU of the British Common
wealth in proportion to population has
more than twice the membership of the
ESU of the United States, and, while
members have increased steadily in
England, they have declined substan-
TALLY in America during the past five
years. Why? I think partly because
in America. the union has become asso-
ciated chiefly with the wealthy. 1t has
xx,k,; ,;ol,
instead of bringing people together, has
the effect of dividing them, so that
those outside tend to become anti
British. There Is even one branch
where applicants for membership have
to produce letters from a proposer, a
seconder and number of existing mem
bers to show they are the right sort of
people, and then have to go to the
bottom of a waiting list, the member
ship being limited. In England there is
no snobbing of this kind. If the appli-
cant Is respectable person, his election
is automatic and immediate.
Then, admission to the social gather
ings of some American branches Is
beyond the purse of any but the well-to-
do. In some cases, too large proper
tion Of members are elderly and little
is done to encourage young people to
join. Further, the union, since the war,
has devoted too much activity to work
of the kind done by the British War
Relief and Bundles for Britain and to
YMCA, to servicemen. This work GER
tainly is important and English bene-
ficiaries properly are grateful; but its
effect has been largely to divert the
unions energies from its main raison
d'etre-the promotion of understanding
How important understanding is
scarcely needs to be emphasized to those
who read American newspapers. 1t has
long been my view that the United
States possesses the best informed, and
the best written, newspaper and maga-
zine press in the world. But, while its
news service is unrivaled and its edi-
torials admirably expressed, there are
weaknesses. One is the almost universal
ignorance Of columnists as to English
history. political and social institutions,
and the methods of the British Empire.
British writers are equally ignorant
about American institutions Had
American columnists really understood
the nature of British democracy, they
would have known that the motives
attributed to the Prime Minister as to
recent happenings in Greece, Italy and
Poland were unthinkable; they would
not have written nonsense about power
politics" and spheres of influence;
they would know that British policy in
India is unimpeachable and deserving
Of the whole hearted sympathy of
America; they would have known that
England is not governed by the "old-
school tie" or ruling class" and has
no prediction for Mediterranean
monarchs.
Five years ago, ignorance of America
in England was probably greater than
that of England in America. Today, it
is not. There has been in England an
immense upsurge of interest in America
Modern American history is taught in
nearly all schools; societies to promote
understanding have sprung up through
out the country; thousands of lectures
are given yearly to adults, and large
sums OF money have been subscribed by
individuals local bodies and the central
government for the express object of
enlightenment on American institutions.
Five years ago, an English high school
girl could write in an essay: America
was founded by Booker Washington,
who wrote a history of New York and
invented knickerbockers; he killed
George III with small hatchet and
would not speak the truth. The people
speak a dialect Of English; they chew
gum and drink cocktails The capital
is New York, but the government is
carried on at Hollywood"
Recently an American lady visited an
English school of boys, aged 9-14. One
small boy asked her: please, mann,
what is the capital of Florida?" She
gulped twice, and then stammered: "Er,
Jacksonville, believe" "No man," said
another boy, Tallahassee" English
children will soon know as much about
America as Americans!
The ESU should not trouble so much
ABOUT the mink coats and the orchids.
1t should be open to all at nominal
fee. 1t should encourage the young,
leave them to do the YMCA and relief
work, and concentrate on the enlighten-
ment of English-speaking peoples about
one another's history and institutions
Washington, with a population not
the largest of American cities, but in
some ways the most important, should
lead the way. Lectures to large public