mong whose ancestors are Britons and Spaniards, Celts
and Dutchmen, South Frenchmen and Low Germans, does not easily
understand the Englishman, despite the common language; calls him surly,
stiff, cold; charges him with selfishness and presumption, and has
never, as a glance backward will show, shirked battle with him for great
issues. For the most part, to be sure, it remains the scolding of
relatives, who wish to tug at and tousel each other, not to murder each
other.

Only before the comrade of Japan did the brow of Jonathan wrinkle more
deeply. But every Briton swore that his kinsman would bar the yellow
man's way to Hawaii, California, and the Philippines, and put him in the
fields of Asia only as a terror to the Russians or a scarecrow to the
Germans. A doubt remained, nevertheless; and we missed the chance of a
strong insurance against Japanese encroachment. Stroked caressingly
yesterday and boxed ears today:

Over there the dollar alone rules, and all diplomacy is a
pestilential swamp; decency is an infrequent guest, with scorn
grinning ever over its shoulder; the entrepreneur is a rogue,
the official a purchasable puppet, the lady a
cold-cream-covered lady-peacock.

The stubborn idealism, the cheerful ability of the American, his joy in
giving, his achievements in and for art, science, culture--all that was
scarcely noticed. Such a caricature could not be erased by compliments.

Before Mr. Roosevelt bared his set of stallion's teeth (Hengstgebiss) to
the Berliners, he had spoken cheerfully to Admirals Dewey and Beresford
concerning the possibilities of a war of the Star-Spangled Banner
against Germany. And gentler fellow-countrymen of the billboard man
said:

You're amazing. Yourselves devilishly greedy for profits, yet
you scoff at us because we go chasing after business. You
fetch heaps of money across the sea, and then turn up your
sublimely snuffing noses as if it stinks.

To reach an understanding would have been difficult even in times of
peace. The American is unwilling to be either stiff or subservient. He
does not wish to be accounted of less value as a merchant than the
officer or official; wishes to do what he likes and to call the
President an ox outright if he pleases. Leave him as he is; and do not
continually hurt the empire and its swarms of emigrant children by the
attempt to force strangers into the shell of your will and your opinion.

Is