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Our Ambassadors

Our Ambassadors image
Parent Issue
Day
28
Month
July
Year
1897
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Why is it, I wonder , speakingoi selfisliness, that the American ambassador in Lontion almost invariably draws upon hiinself the malevolent critjcism of lus own newspapers - iL he happens to make himself more than usually popular iu England? John Ha}-, fcr instance, has just sncceded Mr. Bayard, and many beople have remarked to me that it was a ref reshing change - that Mr Bnyard had become corrupted by contact with the English Aristocracy, that lie had become un-American, that in John Hay we would have a true republican, who would show Eusrlishinen a specimen of geauine Americanism, etc. John Hay, as the autlior of "Jim Bludsoe" and otlier literary things, is doubiy welcome to England, first, because iie is tlie visible represent at i ve of our repnblic, aud secondly, he is an American man oí letters. Since early childhood I have known him, and as an American feel proud thatsnch men can be induced to to accept public office on a salary that does not cover house rent let alone the entertainment of his oft'icial collengups. Motley and Lowell were böth hailed with journalistic enthusiasm when they were flrst appointed to London ; both turned out to be snobs, on the same authority, before their respective ternis had expired. John Hay comes to London with an official and social experience behind him almost uuiaue in the annals of American public life, and opeus the American embassy under auspices most favorable to success. Yet I venture to tliiuk thathistory will repeat itself, and that before this Jubilee year has passed away the papers that now sing his praise will denounce him as liaving his head turned by the British aristocracy. Now why is this? We rarely bother our heads about the doings of our ambassador in Vienna, in Berlín, or St. Petersburg ; in fact, we don't always remeinber who it is unless he gets his government into a scrape. England is the only country whose language is intelligible to the men we usually send to represent us abroad, consequently the American ambassador is able to converse fluently with the distinguished peoplo of this country, and is entertained more exlensively than the ministers of the United States to other

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier