The Hokitika Guardian THURSDAY. DEC. 7th, 1922. ENGLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1922, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian THURSDAY. DEC. 7th, 1922. ENGLAND.

DtmiNe the war it was a commonplace that the English regiments did their full share of the work, hut received less than their share of the glory. When Australian or Canadian or Scottish troops accomplished a notable feat of arms they were mentioned by name and singled out for special praise. Rut poor Tommy fought almost anonymously, his deeds were seldom celebrated, he was simply one of the mob„ But thp, Englishman is used to speh self-efFnco; '

moot. As “An Overseas Englishman” points out ill a lecent book called “England”, his countrymen are quite in the habit of being pushed into the background arid iif allowing ethers to pick the plums. Theirs is the dust, to others the palm. We hear a great deal about Britons nowadays, hut less often do we hear of Englishmen. Yet tlrore are still iir England some millions of this reticent and retiring race, attd these have had leisure of late to reflect that their Prime Minister was a Welshman that the leader of the great English armies in tire great world war was a .Scot, the lullJtin -of their great navy vui irishinnil, llio leader of the House Uf C'oiilm.ons, an Irish-Canadian, their Foreign Minister a Scot, their ' late Chief Justice (now the Biitish ruler of India) a Jew. In tire administration of the 'Empire, which England foirndc 1 and long governed, scarce a third now arc Englishmen. Of the eight principal delegates to Versailles tlrore was hut one Englishman. And yet this cannot have come about through any natural inaptitude for government or administration. England indeed is the source from which all democratic government ha s spning. “If Egypt hag given to flic civilised wo Id its alphabet, Syria and the Far East its religion. Greece its standard of art and literature, the Moors its algebra, and Rome its laws, to England alone are due its political organisation aiid constitutional systems. The English Parliament is the mother and exemplar of Congress and Assembly. Reichstag and Duma. Cortes and Diet. Rikstag and Shdrtliing, Sobranje and Mciljiss, and all other representative Parliaments, however' indigenous they appear, of the moddril world.'’

How then are we to account for the phenomenon which the author so deplores? Why are Englishmen so ready to allow themselves to be shoved to one side? Why are they so easy-going? The explanation, it appears, is to lie found in England’s history, which has, on the whole, been free from the catastrophes which has afflicted other nations. Compared with other races, tlie Englishman has not suffered. “To-day be hardly knows the meaning of suffering. He has gone without food, but the Frenchman has starved; he lias lost his wife and child, but. other races are bereaved. The Englishman lias has been ill-clad, but the Frenchman has gone naked. The Englishman has been oppressed, but other races have been crushed. It is this historic immunity from tragedy- and suffering which has formed the Englishman’s character.’’ and in consequence, in his tolerant good humoured way lie does not resist the encroachments of those who are more self-seeking, more aggressive, and of sterner fibre. Of all the races who have effected a peaceful penetration of England the author objects least to the Scots'. He docs not think that their influence upon the English has been very profound. Their oatmeal and marmalade have brought about a minor and beneficent revolution in the English breakfast table, their national game of gulf has increased the public stock of harmless pleasure. But they have not produced a Scottish bias in the texture of English ideas and habit; indeed, they are in general on the side of tlie angels. “You will find none of the vulgar literary and artistic innovaters and. rebels and decadent sj in the Scotch camp in England. . In its essence the Scotch have affected English letters and journalism not at all; or only by emphasising and illustrating the best native qualities of both : wltle the hc-toro-Amcleans have affected English letters and journalism and the drama as they have affected everything elso in England a great deal. On the whole, then the Scotch may he regarded as rather the custodians of the English ethos in so far »s morals, manners and modes of expressions are concerned.” Scotsmen will he grateful for the testimonial, hut will venture to remind the author that if the Englishman does not like being called a Briton, the Scot as strongly dislikes being called “Scotch.”