Englishmen often fall into the great error of keeping themselves to
themselves. Possibly this trait is engendered from birth and training by
our insular position, but it is a great pity to carry it too far, for
the Argentine people do appreciate the thoroughness of our countrymen,
and are ready to welcome the right sort. We have taught the Argentines
many of our national sports and games, and they have entered into them
with such thoroughness that the teachers have often had to admit that
the pupil has proved better than the master.

Travelling has become an integral part of the education of the Argentine
family to-day, and it is quite general to find young children speaking
fluently four or five languages.

I could wish that those who have Argentine friends would insist upon
their seeing, when in this country, some of the Englishman's home
surroundings, for hotel life, theatres, dinners, and music-halls are all
very well in their way, but to see the real inwardness of English life
you must follow the Englishman to his country home. My experience is
that the Argentine will always refuse an invitation to your home at
first, because of the trouble which he believes you will be put to, but
don't take "no" for an answer; simply make him come, and he will thank
you afterwards for his experience of English home life.

Just a word or two, for fear I have left an impression that Argentina is
the El Dorado which lies beyond the seas. There are such things as
locusts, floods, droughts, and frosts in that country.

The first of these--locusts--are indeed a plague which to-day it seems
almost impossible to annihilate, for I have little faith in man's
attempts effectually to stop or decrease this pestilence; on the other
hand, Nature always seems to be on the alert to prevent an overthrow of
the balance of things. Those who have spent their lives in the River
Plate district have seen this appalling plague crushed by means which
Nature, in her own good time, has thought fit to use.

With regard to floods and droughts, these can, at least, be modified by
men, and means are now being adopted to conserve the floods and render
their waters available in time of drought.

From frosts we seem powerless to defend ourselves, and it is only those
whose work is in close touch with the growing and handling of crops who
can fully appreciate the damage done by late frosts.

No country is free from drawbacks of some sort or another, and these