Characteristics of Principal Nations.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 204, 21 May 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

Characteristics of Principal Nations.

An Englishman : A rough, grumbling, vain, prejudiced fellow j but he is a good one, honest as the day, and game to the backbone. A Scotchman : A hard head, a kindly heait, and though he may rub one the wrong way at times, is always a square man in a square hold all the world over. An Irishman : Ai out of his own distressful country. A Frenchman : A grin and a shrug. Will dance through life treading upon other people's corns, but woe betide you if you tread upon his. A German : Slow but sure, and, despite his learning, a good-deal of a Goth. An Austrian : A gentleman and a gallant soldier, who is generally on the losing side. A Dutchman : A fellow who minds his own business, and does it well. A Belgian : Half a Frenchman and half a German, and a pattern of industry. An Italian : A simple-hearted fellow, and the Chinaman of Europe. A Spaniard ; A highly-polished and somewhat touchy gentleman, who says more than he means. A. Swiss : The servant of Europe and American. A Turk : The sick man, the unspeakable ; is as soft and treacherous as a cat, and with as many lives. A Russian : An intellectual ruffian and licensed land grabber. A Greek has inherited the cleverness of his ancestors without their noble qualities. And a Yankee is a Britisher who ku grown too fast, and has had his head turned with two much prosperity. * * * It is reported on fairly reliable authority that a widow has sued a newspaper for libel, because in its obituary notice of her husband it spoke of his having ' gone to a happier home. }