TOO MUCH FORMALITY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 10 November 1919, Page 4

TOO MUCH FORMALITY.

It has been a common complaint, of overseas men visiting, England fbnbj there is too much formality and stiffness, writes" a London correspondent. Many visitors say how extremely loijely they felt in‘London, v though surrounded'. by so many millions. They complain that their attempts at friendliness are often and usually coldly received. There is, of course a great deal of truth in this, and travelled Biitons will invariably admit that there is a far more friendly spirit shown among, say, the white people of South Africa, Canada, Ausy tralia and New Zealand than among the residents of thp average British town. A travelled Englishman was only recently relating that he had been three and a-half years in the, north of England on important war work with one of the big Ministers. Dufcing that time only tw G men associated -with him in business or outside of it had extended an invitation to hi™ to, visit .■■■their respective houses. He contrasted this with the »open hospitality he had met with in Canada, the United States, and South Africa, and it really would seem as though the complaints of overseas men about our formality and stillness are i justified. One New Zealander has been writing to the Press explaining that h© would like to have taken an English bride back ivith him, but that owing to our exclusiveness he had had ho opportunity of megting really nice girls. Many people are wondering if this complaint is really genuine or an attempt at “leg-pulling.” Anyway, his letter had not appeared in printj many hours before the editor of the paper concerned was swamped with ’etters , from “nice -girls,” who showed every' desire to come to the rescue of the lonely New Zealander. Undoubtedly many British people are somewhat formal, but it would be a; m|stake to imagine that the average nic© girl in England is so tied to “Mother Grundy” that she would refuse to make the acquaintance «f a desirable man unless he’ were very formally introduced. Times are chang- 1 ing, and any overseas soldier who failed to make the acquaintance of many nice girls must hav© been exceedingly,,, slow, ..