QUEER NOTIONS CONCERNING AMERICA.

Bruce Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 1994, 7 September 1888, Page 5

QUEER NOTIONS CONCERNING AMERICA.

An Euglish lady who had travelled over the greater part of Europe eaid she had a great desire to come to America, and her principal object in doing so was to shoot Niagara. I rather opened my eyes at this, and said that I thought she must refer to the celebrated trip down the rapids of the St Lawrence, but she was very positive on the subject, and said she meant Niagara, and nothing else ; she had understood that they did it in a steamboat, and she knew she should enjoy the sensation. A well educated middle-aged gentleman told ma that the reasoi our civil war lasted so long was that we had no military men in our country, and that a war carried on entirely by civilians could not proceed very rapidly. If any of you have ever seen an English atlas you will understand why it is difficult to get from it a go^d idea of America. We shall find, ia such an atlas, full aucl complete maps of every European country and principality, a whole page being sometimes given to an island, or to a colony in Asia and Africa ; but the entire United Statep, with sometimes the whole of North America besides, is crowded into a single map. Some of these are so small that the New England States are not large enough to contain their names and are designated by letters w'aich refer to the names printed iv an open part of the Atlantic Oceai?. No wonder that ths people who use these maps have a limited idea of our country. But it is not only English people who appear to know very little about America. A Gorman counters asked me if we had any theatres in New York, and when I told her thxt there was not only a great many theatres in that city, but it possessed two grand opera houses at which, at that time, two of the leading prima dounas of the world were singing on ihe same nights, she was a little surprised. It is quite common in various parts of the Continent to hear people speak of the late war batween North and South A merica. They knew that the war was between the North and the South, and as it was in America, the mistake is natural enough to thoie who have studied only Eurjpean geography. — Frank R Stockton, in St Nicholas.