FRIENDLY AMERICA.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 62, 14 March 1911, Page 6

FRIENDLY AMERICA.

LIONISING TOE BRITISH.

THE CAPTAIN SIMS INCIDENT,

(N.Z. Herald Correspondent.) SANFRANCISCO, Jan. 25

because an American naval officer, Commander Sims, of the battleship Minnesota, protested over-much his loVe for the British people, he has received a most scorching reprimand from President Taft, and,the head of the Navy Department, Secretary Meyer. It was at a banquet in London last month that the commander declared his countrymen would come to England's aid; if she needed them, and would defend her with every drop of their blood. Last week that speech was denounced in an official note sent to every: officer of the fleet. The object of the public circulation of the reprimand was "to .indicate to the naval service the lack of tact and the knowledge of the plain duty of an officer of the .navy e^hibited^ b-f Commander Sims -on the occasion mentioned, and to -prevent a repetition of such a regrettable occurrence.." Undoubtedly Commander Sims did wrong to risk giving offence to Germuiy or Siam by embracing Britanni i so warmly; that is the privilege o; diplomats; they know the way. Yub, just as certainly, Commander Sims was expressing his conviction regarding the feelings of the American populace towards Britons. There are others in the United States that hold the same conviction; arid, if they were called upon, they could produce much evidence to support them. I think the reaction began in society. American hostesses learned that the politeness of the well-brea Englishman was not all jam and gingerbread, and that the boorishness which some American men affected was born of selfishness rather than;of an independent spirit. They began to cultivate the English, and to adopt some of their ways. Then the would-be leaders of the "Beau monde" followed the fashion. Some of them go to ridiculous extremes in imitating English mannerisms. An English accent is considered most desirable. In fact, if a man can avoid the short "a" of the Americans in pronouncing "half past" and such words, and if he says "ither^ and not "eether," that in itself is almost .enough, to win. him an entry to certain circles considered elite. And such eff<Ms^ the poor snobs make to imitate that _accent. I have heard: a prominent' city official so eager to affect the broad "a" that he said shall have" with the same vowel sound as ,<'bath." And there's **a story of a schoolgirl at table, struggling to imitate a proper companion at table who said, "I won't have either, thank you." The second was ottered the same choice of dishes. cl won't'have either eether," she said Where society led the tailors and gown-makers had to follow.. It is quite common to hear in a tailor's shop "Here's a fine,piece of goods. English. Real wool in this. They don't make goods of this kind over here. Likewise, in the shoe stores, 1 heard an American salesman lauding a pair ,of English -shoes, declaring that neither such leather nor such workmanship could be found in American shoes. And even the grocers advertise British "marmalade ~ ijf m Cali^<>rm&, where the world s best oranges are produced. So at the • vaudeville and the cafe concert," no bill appears complete unless it contains something •fcnghsh. And the writers to them the Englishman seems to have become suddenly an ideal hero. In fiction writing, it was not long ago the custom to set down English characters as unapproachable fools with snobbish affectations. But now their peculiarities of language are played upon in good humor to add picturesqueness to the characters: And such characters! A favorite type is the unassuming tenderfoot with the lazy English drawl, who licks a bullying, gun-waving cowcowboy in a fist fight, and then turns out to be heir to a peerage. Game, quiet, strong men these are made. Assuredly the English are getting far more than due measure of notoriety in the popular magazine stories of today. And outside of fiction, too, they are most generously treated. Gertrude Atherton, the novelist, was kind enough to declare that the ■Miglishman was the only man able to make love nicely, and that in- almost every respect he was her beau ideal.

The newspapers, too, repeatedly rerer in terms of praise to English institutions, especially to the administration of justice. What a contrast does this make with the "tail-twisting" campaign of less than 20 years ago! Men are still young, who, in their ladhood, used to see almost daily in the newspapers cartoons representing Uncle Sam chuckling with glee as he took an extra wrench at the tail of the howling, helpless, British lion. Those cartoons have vanished because the spirit that inspired them has scone. Even Jingoistic journals treat Great Britain with respect though they may criticise her international policy, as they did in the recent controversy over the question of fortifying the Pans-na Canal. The fact is that the natn-al friendship between the two peoples is beginning to find t.me expression. And that friendship extends, perhaps with added fVrvonr, to Canada and the other British' colonies. Reciprocity treaties with panada are beine: sought. And New Zealand has nothing to complain of in the welcome tßat has been given her steamship service and her products in San Francisco.