le that, judging by their exhibits, the public will
get an erroneous idea of the characters of the orchards as a whole. And
this is precisely the difference between the representatives whom the
United States sends abroad and those sent to be displayed beside them by
other nations.

There is no recognised diplomatic service in the United States, no
school for the training of consular representatives, no training or
nurturing or pruning of any sort. The fundamental objection of the
American people to the creation of any permanent privileged class, has
made the thing impossible in the past, while, under the system of party
patronage, practically the entire representation of the country
abroad--commercial as well as diplomatic--is changed with each change of
government. The American cannot count on holding an appointment abroad
for more than four years; and while four years is altogether too short a
term to be considered a career, it is over-long for a holiday. So in
addition to the lack of any trained class from which to draw, even among
the untrained the choice is much restricted by the undesirability of the
conditions of the service itself.

Though the conditions have improved immensely of late years, the fact
remains that the consular service as a whole is not fairly to be
compared on equal terms with that of other countries; and the majority
of appointments are still made as the reward for minor services to the
party in power. Nor are the conditions which govern the appointments to
the less important diplomatic posts much different; but Great Britain
has abundant cause to be aware that when the place is one which appeals
to the ambition of first-class men, first-class men enough are
forthcoming; though even Ambassadors to London are generally lacking in
any special training or experience up to the time of their appointment.

Sydney Smith's phrase has been often enough quoted--that when a woman
makes a public speech, we admire her as we admire a dog that stands upon
its hind legs, not because she does it well, but because she does it at
all. Congress includes among its members many curious individuals and,
as a unit, it does queer things at times. State legislatures are
sometimes strange looking bodies of men and on occasions they achieve
legislation which moves the country to mirth. The representatives of the
nation abroad make blunders which contribute not a little to the gaiety
of the world. But the thing to admire