The Wilmington morning star., 1946-03-16
ChurchH's Wen
BY MARY HORNADAY

BY MARY HORNADAY
| Twice now Mr.. Churchill has revealed he
believes destiny involves eventual common
| citizenship for Britons and Americans.
Most people in Britain are unable to see
such handwriting any more than most Amer
leans, but they agree the time has arrived for
a real peacetime preparatory period of dis
cussion and popular education about each
other on both sides of the Atlantic.
Born Of an American mother, and widely
experienced in dealing with Americans, Mr..
Churchill himself may be one of the few
men on either side of the Atlantic ready for
joint citizenship. The Kings personal physi-
clan, Lord Moran, told here recently how
Mr. Churchill, when visiting the Baruch es-
tate in South Carolina, one day exclaimed out
OF the blue: Moran, how do love these
Americans" Most Britons at first prefer to
walk around us and look us over twice. Mrs.
Roosevelt, at the Pilgrims dinner here a
few weeks ago, told how new courage to
meet challenges seemed to well up in her
husband and Mr.. Churchill after their va
rious wartime meetings.
The trouble is not enough Americans and
Britons have had trst-hand experience in
istics complement each other
It surprises Americans to find how little
about American history, geography, and Gus
toms is taught in the average British school
Every Observation-Disclosures American learns
something about Britain through Shake
speare, Milton or Wordsworth When Am
bassador Winant arrived here, he found no
! short school history of America existed,
and proceeded to get one written A we'll
educated Britisher solemnly asked me the
other daye if the United States observed
Easter. He was no less isolated Ethan the
American railway porter who, noting the
luggage seals of British friend of mine
travelling across the United States, observed:
my! You come from way over there You
sure have learned to speak English well'
Even If it were desirable from a political
point OF view, how many people in the two
countries have had the popular education
which is absolutely necessary before they
could bring themselves to accept and live
with concessions and adjustments entailed
by common citizenship?
Common citizenship, as Mr. Churchill en-
visions it, would rot necessarily mean anal.
gamation of the two countries politically and
economically. Even the common British EN-.
pire citizenship now in force does not con.
fer uniform rights throughout the Common
wealth. The domestic law Of one Common
wealth gives more privileges to its own
citizens than to British subjects in general.
Canadian citizen has more rights under
Canadian law than other British subjects.
though all Canadian citizens are also British
subjects
CO m m On Ang1o-American citizenship
would net mean that America would have
to take on the British debt or that Britain
would become involved in settling Aneri.
can strikes or electing the next President.
A somewhat freer movement Of people and
capital between the two nations would be
the main tangible results With a little in.
terest and planning. this can come about
whether there is a common citizenship or not.
The real question at issue today is not
whether there shall be common citizenship
some day, but what policies can we follow
which will promote the common detectives
Of both nations''
Britain conceives her basic role in the
world today to be vigilance against disinte-
grafton, CONFUSION anarchy, and chaos Ger
talnly the United States cannot disagree with
this noble purpose, but it too can be vigilant
to make sure protection against disintergra-
ton does not prevent breaking up old ideas,
preventing the liberation OF mankind and
the march toward attainment of the Four
Freedoms proclaimed by Mr. Roosevelt and
Mr.. Churchill.
Ihere is value in preparing oneself for
dual citizenship, even if it never comes about
There is in the United States too much tend
ency to feel that Britain does not carry her
full weight in the world picture any more;
too much fear here that America will run out
VA
economic and political power
There needs to be an about-face thinking
on both sides, with action backing it.
One dangerous mode of thinking have
encountered lately is the assumption that
both Britons and Americans own nations
nearer heaven than others. Having just been
told by Briton's letter to the editor that this
country is additionally closer to divine law
than any other in world dealings, I received
letter from an American friend advising
me to come back there eventually because it
is the United States that is in an exalted
position. Undoubtedly both are approaching
heaven but by different paths difficult to
compare We both may well find some other
nations have found still different paths.
Preparing for the citizenship Of two ma
tons with such high standards is no easy
task. There are plenty Of people who have
not really found there are duties as we'll as
privileges connected with the citizenship they
already have-Christian Science Monitor.