Except in one instance—very early in the book—I have avoided the use of statistics, in spite of frequent temptation to refer to them to fortify arguments which must without them appear to be merely the expression of an individual opinion.
H. P. R.
February, 1908.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER I | |
| PAGE | |
| An Anglo-American Alliance | [5] |
The Avoidance of Entangling Alliances—What the InjunctionMeant—What it Cannot Mean To-day—The Interests of the UnitedStates, no less than those of England, Demand an Alliance—ButLarger Interests than those of the Two Peoples areInvolved—American Responsiveness to Ideals—The GreatestIdeal of All, Universal Peace: the Practicability of itsAttainment—America's Responsibility—Misconceptions of theBritish Empire—Germany's Position—American Susceptibilities. | |
| CHAPTER II | |
| The Difference in Point of View | [35] |
The Anglo-Saxon Family Likeness—How Frenchmen and GermansView it—Englishmen, Americans, and "Foreigners"—An Echo ofthe War of 1812—An Anglo-American ConflictUnthinkable—American Feeling for England—The VenezuelanIncident—The Pilgrims and Some Secret History—Why Americansstill Hate England—Great Britain's Nearness to the UnitedStates Geographically—Commercially—Historically—England'sForeign Ill-wishers in America. | |
| CHAPTER III | |
| Two Sides of the American Character | [60] |
Europe's Undervaluation of America's Fighting Power—TheAmericans as Sailors—The Nation's GreatestAsset—Self-reliance of the People—The Making of aDoctor—And of a Surveyor—Society in the Rough—New York andthe Country—An Anglo-Saxon Trait—America'sUnpreparedness—American Consuls and Diplomats—A HomogeneousPeople—The Value of a Common Speech—America more Anglo-Saxonthan Britain—Mr. Wells and the Future in America. | |
| CHAPTER IV | |
| Mutual Misunderstandings | [94] |
America's Bigness—A New Atlantis—The Effect of Expansion ona People—A Family Estranged—Parsnips—An American Woman inEngland—An Englishman in America—InternationalCaricatures—Shibboleths: dropped H's and a "twang"—MatthewArnold's Clothes—The Honourable S—— B——. | |
| CHAPTER V | |
| The American Attitude towards Women | [111] |
The Isolation of the United States—American Ignorance of theWorld—Sensitiveness to Criticism—Exaggeration of their OwnVirtues—The Myth of American Chivalrousness—Whence itOriginated—The Climatic Myth—InternationalMarriages—English Manners and American—The View of Womanhoodin Youth—Co-education of the Sexes—Conjugal Morality—TheArtistic Sense in American Women—Two Stenographers—AnIncident of Camp-Life—"Molly-be-damned"—A Nice Way ofTravelling—How do they do it?—Women in Public Life—TheConditions which Co-operate—The Anglo-Saxon Spirit again. | |
| CHAPTER VI | |
| English Humour and American Art | [145] |
American Insularity—A Conkling Story—English Humour andAmerican Critics—American Literature and English Critics—TheAmerican Novel in England—And American Art—Wanted, anAmerican Exhibition—The Revolution in the American Point ofView—"Raining in London"—Domestic and Imported Goods. | |
| CHAPTER VII | |
| English and American Education | [166] |
The Rhodes Scholarships—"Pullulating Colleges"—Are AmericanColleges Superior to Oxford or Cambridge?—Other EducationalForces—The Postal Laws—Ten-cent Magazines and CheapBooks—Pigs in Chicago—The Press of England and AmericaCompared—Mixed Society—Educated Women—Generals asBooksellers—And as Farmhands—The Value of War to a People. | |
| CHAPTER VIII | |
| A Comparison in Culture | [191] |
The Advantage of Youth—Japanese Eclecticism and American—TheCraving for the Best—Cyrano deBergerac—Verestschagin—Culture by Paroxysms—Mr. Gladstoneand the Japanese—Anglo-Saxon Crichtons—Americans asLinguists—England's Past and America's Future—Americanismsin Speech—Why They are Disappearing in America—And Appearingin England—The Press and the Copyright Laws—A Look into theFuture. | |
| CHAPTER IX | |
| Politics and Politicians | [226] |
The "English-American" Vote—The Best People in Politics—WhatPolitics Means in America—Where Corruption Creeps in—TheDanger in England—A Presidential Nomination for Sale—BuyingLegislation—Could it Occur in England?—A DelectableAlderman—Taxation while you Wait—Perils that EnglandEscapes—The Morality of Congress—Political Corruption of theIrish—Democrat and Republican. | |
| CHAPTER X | |
| American Politics in England | [260] |
The System of Parties—Interdependence of National and LocalOrganisations—The Federal Government and SovereignStates—The Boss of Warwickshire—The Unit System—PrimeMinister Crooks—Lanark and the Nation—New York and TammanyHall—America's Superior Opportunities for Wickedness—HowEngland Is Catching up—Campaign Reminiscences—The"Hell-box"—Politics in a Gravel-pit—Mr. Hearst and Mr.Bryan. | |
| CHAPTER XI | |
| Some Questions of the Moment | [285] |
Sovereign States and the Federal Government—California andthe Senate—The Constitutional Powers of Congress and thePresident—Government by Interpretation—President Rooseveltas an Inspiration to the People—A New Conception of thePresidential Office—"Teddy" and the "fraid strap"—Mr.Roosevelt and the Corporations—As a Politician—HisImperiousness—The Negro Problem—The Americanism of theSouth. | |
| CHAPTER XII | |
| Commercial Morality | [308] |
Are Americans more Honest than Englishmen?—An AmericanPeerage—Senators and other Aristocrats—Trade and the BritishUpper Classes—Two Views of a Business Career—America's WildOats—The Packing House Scandals—"American Methods" inBusiness—A Countryman and Some Eggs—A New Dog—The Morals ofBritish Peers—A Contract of Mutual Confidence—Embalmed Beef,Re-mounts, and War Stores—The Yellow Press and Mr.Hearst—American View of the House of Lords. | |
| CHAPTER XIII | |
| The Growth of Honesty | [347] |
The Superiority of the Anglo-Saxon—America's Resemblance toJapan—A German View—Can Americans Lie?—Honesty as the BestPolicy—Religious Sentiment—Moral and Immoral RailwayManagers—A Struggle for Self-preservation—Gentlemen inBusiness—Peculation among Railway Servants—How the Old OrderChanges, Yielding Place to New—The Strain on BritishMachinery—Americans as Story-Tellers—The Incredibility ofthe Actual. | |
| CHAPTER XIV | |
| A Contrast in Principles | [371] |
The Commercial Power of the United States—BritishWorkmanship—Tin-tacks and Conservatism—A PropheticFrenchman—Imperialism in Trade—The Anglo-Saxon Spirit—AboutChaperons—"Insist upon Thyself"—English and AmericanBanks—Dealing in Futures—Dog Eat Dog—TwoLetters—Commercial Octopods—Trusts in America andEngland—The Standard Oil Company—And Solicitors—LegalChaperons—The Sanctity of Stamped Paper—Conclusions—Do"Honest" Traders Exist? | |
| CHAPTER XV | |
| The Peoples at Play | [408] |
American Sport Twenty-five Years Ago—The Power of Golf—ALook Ahead—Britain, Mother of Sports—Buffalo in NewYork—And Pheasants on Clapham Common—Shooting Foxes and the"Sport" of Wild-fowling—The Amateur in American Sport—AtHenley—And at Large—Teutonic Poppycock. | |
| CHAPTER XVI | |
| Summary and Conclusion | [429] |
A New Way of Making Friends—The Desirability of anAlliance—For the Sake of Both Peoples—And of all theWorld—The Family Resemblance—MutualMisunderstandings—American Conception of the BritishCharacter—English Misapprehension of Americans—ForeignInfluences in the United States—Why Politicians Hesitate—AnAppeal to the People—And to Cæsar. | |
| Appendix | [451] |
| Index | [453] |
