NEW ZEALANDER ON AMERICA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 September 1915, Page 6

NEW ZEALANDER ON AMERICA.

INTERESTING COMMENTS

Mr Robert Bell, of Ashburton, one of the New Zealand representatives at the International Press Congress recently held in San Francisco, contributes the following interesting notes to the Lyttelton Times:

I have arrived in New York, and consequently have reached America at last. This may sound paradoxical, seeing that I lived in California for some six weeks. According, however, to a gentleman from the Middle West, California is not America. This gentleman, who by the way is a newspaper man, had in ' his quiet eendal fashion been asking my impressions ot America and the outstanding characteristcs of the American people, ana, dreaming that I was being interviewed, I answered his many questions freely and without reserve. At the conclusion of the conversation he exploded a small bomb under my feet, so to speak, by thanking me and saying he would send me a copy of the paper. This was after all only giving me a Roland for my Oliver, for on ray previous occasion I had interviewed him without his knowledge or consent. My knowledge of America and the American people had mainly been acquired in California, and he considered it his duty to put me right ,in some of mv conclusions by informing me that "California was not America." In answer to my puzzled protest he said that California was only the front door to America on the Pacific side, and the back door from the Atlantic side, and he held that the front or the hack door had not necessarily any relation to the inside of the house or the characteristics of the neople who "live there. He pushed Ms analogy further by asking me —Has the orches-j tra which bangs and brays before, the curtain fises at the theatre necessarily any, likeness to the play which follows ? He also gave me to understand that California was known as the "booster" State of America. It, according to its inhabitants, had the biggest orchards, the biggest canneries, the biggest irrigation works, the big- . gest trees in the world, and, naively added my genial friend, its people have the biggest imagination of their own importance and position a3 a State in the American union. And, I interpolated, after this fashion do the Americans love each other.

Another instance of the "boosting" propensities of the Californian is told in the East. A Westerner had come ,to an Eastern State to attend the funeral of a friend. After the minister had performed the last rites he invited any friend of the deceased tosay a few' words. There was no response to the invitation, which was repeated, but again failed to bring forth j any eulogy of the man who had de-] parted for other shores. At the third | time of asking the Westerner stood | up and said that seeing no one had i anything to say about the dear departed, he would perhaps be excused for telling those present something about the glorious land of California. Thus the Westerner is ever ready to improve the occasion. AMERICAN CHARACTERISTICS. There can be no doubt that there are great differences in American national ideals and characteristics. East is East, and West is West just as truly as there is a great gulf between the morals, the ideals, and the manner of life of the peoples of the Orient and the Occident. In the case of America, the gulf is being narrowed; the West and the East have been linked together by great trans-continental railway systems. The mountains have been tunnelled, the rivers bridged, the deserts conquered. Intercommunication and exchange of ideas will bring the people of the two sides of the vast continent into accord on national is- - sues, tone down ascerbities, and bring about a spirit of sweet reasonableness and large hearted charity one towards the other. NATIONAL CHARACTER UNFORMED. However, it can hardly be said that American national character has yet been formed. During the last twentyfive or thirty years there has" been a great stream of people reaching America from the Continent of Europe. These people include representatives of all the races inhabiting the European continent—Slavs, Teutons, Latins and Anglo-Saxons. They have married and inter-married, but the product of this racial mixture—in children—are not yet old enough in many cases to marry and thus form what might be called an American nation. PATRIOTISM IN THE MAKING. This embryo nationality—this pa. triotism in .the making—makes it difficult for the British, or other patriot, to understand the American mental attitude towards the war in Europe. Americans are fairly appalled at the awful human slaughter which is going! on in the dilferent theatres of the war, but many of them cannot comprehend that, for any reason whatsoever, nations should fight to settle their differences. The American is not a fighter. He prefers to parley and send more or less threatening Notes rather than draw the sword. With Spain,' America was long suffering and patient beyond national precedent until the sinking of the Maine (an act which it would have been cowardly to overlook or,, accept apology for) literally thrust the sword into her hand and forced her to wield it. With Mexico, America is, "at the present moment, and has, during the progress of the long drawn out crisis; submitted to rebuffs and loss of human life and property which few nations, with a right conception of duty to their citizens, or a high ide<il of the part they j should play in civilisation, would bear j without demanding satisfaction by i force of arms. With Germany, and her I del berate continuance of sinking vessels carrying American citizens, America has been conducting a corres- j pondence for months which is evasive, i and has no intention of reaching finality so far as Germany is concerned. { Many American citizens are frankly; disgusted and outsooken about these I puerile tactics of the Administration, | and scornfully say when another disas- j ter is recorded in which American lives are lost: "This will give Wilson, a chance to send another Note." I

There are evidences, however, that the younger generation of to-day love America and its great democratic institutions, .and refer with pride to its history, its struggles, and achievements, its freedom from the shackles of precedent, its great gift of equality of opportunity, its heritage of liberty which belongs to all who live under the Star Spangled Banner, and would, if necessary, be prepared to lay down their lives for their country rather than it should stand dishonored in the eyes of the peoples of the world.