e of
punishment, whether visited on them by the law or by the opinion of
their fellows, if unsuccessful or found out. It is not fair that the new
dog should be damned to drag around the old dog's name.

There is an excellent analogy in which the relations of the two peoples
are reversed.

* * * * *

Americans are largely of the opinion that the British aristocracy is a
disreputable class. They gave that dog its name too; and there have been
individual scandals enough in the past to justify it. It is useless for
an Englishman living in America to endeavour to modify this opinion in
even a small circle, for it is only a question of time--probably of a
very short time--before some peer turns up in the divorce court and the
Englishmen's friends will send him newspaper clippings containing the
Court Report and will hail him on street corners and at the club with:
"How about your British aristocracy now?"

Americans cannot see the British peerage as a whole; they only hear of
those who thrust themselves into unsavoury notoriety. So Englishmen get
no view of the American business community in its entirety, but only
read with relish the occasional scandal. Of the two, the American has
the better, or at least more frequent, justification for his error than
has the Englishman; but it is a pity that the two cannot somehow agree
to an exchange. Perhaps a treaty might be entered into (if it were not
for the United States Senate) which, when ratified, should be published
in all newspapers and posted in all public places in both countries,
setting forth that:

"IN CONSIDERATION of the Party of the Second Part hereafter
cherishing a belief in the marital fidelity and general moral
purity of all members of the British peerage, their wives,
heirs, daughters, and near relations, and further agreeing
that when, by any unfortunate mishap, any individual member of
the said Peerage or his wife, daughter, or other relation
shall have been discovered and publicly shown to have offended
against the marriage laws or otherwise violated the canons of
common decency, to understand and take it for granted that
such mishap, offence, or violation is a quite exceptional
occurrence owing to the unexplainable depravity of the
individual and that it in no way reflects upon the other
members of the said Peerage, whether in the mass or
individually, or