No other race carry their individuality with them as they do. They
can live years in a country and assimilate none of its customs; on
the contrary, imposing habits of their own. It is just this that
makes them such wonderful colonizers, and explains why you will
find little groups of English people drinking ale and playing golf
in the shade of the Pyramids or near the frozen slopes of
Foosiyama. The real inwardness of it is that they are a dull race,
and, like dull people despise all that they do not understand. To
differ from them is to be in the wrong. They cannot argue with
you; they simply know, and that ends the matter.
I had a discussion recently with a Briton on the pronunciation of a
word. As there is no "Institute," as in France, to settle matters
of this kind, I maintained that we Americans had as much authority
for our pronunciation of this particular word as the English. The
answer was characteristic.
"I know I am right," said my Island friend, "because that is the
way I pronounce it!"
Walking along the principal streets of Cannes to-day, you might
imagine yourself (except for the climate) at Cowes or Brighton, so
British are the shops and the crowd that passes them. Every
restaurant advertises "afternoon tea" and Bass's ale, and every
other sign bears a London name. This little matter of tea is
particularly characteristic of the way the English have imposed a
taste of their own on a rebellious nation.
Pages:
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151