THE UNITED STATES AND THE " SPECTATOR." [To Me Eense
or Ten " SPEOTATOB.") Sts,—On renewing, to-day, for another six months, my subscription to the Spectator, I should like to express the satisfaction it has afforded me, ae an American woman, to read, during a year, the comments of your admirable paper on America and Americans. Through the nine months that the Spectator reached me at a British base hospital in France, while as yet the United States held aloof from any share in the war, always its tone with regard to the position of my country in the struggle was tolerant and understanding. Further, its allusions to things American were uniformly appreciative and sympathetic. I remember well, too, how more than once on a grey day, on that wind-swept hospital area in Picardy, I was given a throb of patriotic pleasure by the editorial use of a word or phrase of Lincoln's to illustrate or point a moral for the present crisis. Since the decision of the United States to join the Allies in their struggle I have been touched, fairly, by the quality of the Spectator's comments, both on that decision and on our incipient efforts towards our ultimate participation in its hardships. If, as a people, we Americana are—or have been—prone to boastfulness, there are many of us who are affectionately sensitive and jealous for our country's name, and, humble withal, as to her qualities, remembering that we have not a few glaring national faults. A year's contact with the English as individual. (I am sure they are nowhere finer than in hospital) has made of me a warm admirer of British traits. Hence it is the more grateful to me to come on tributes of admiration of some of ours, ae I find them expressed iu the editorial pages of the Spectator. The printing entire in its issue of September 15th of Secretary Lansing's, address to American officers, delivered in July, together with editorial commendation of it to its readers' notice, is the latest of such expressions of esteem. The Spectator has long been a welcome guest to the library-tables of many American homes. Its steadfast and unaffected friendliness in these difficult days will, I feet sure, win it more regular readers in the United States.—I am, Sir, &c.,
108 Cromwell Road, S.W., September 18th.
HELEN Boozers.
[It is impossible for us to read these friendly and generous words without ranch gratitude. They are the more welcome as we were hotly criticized before the United States entered the war for expressing ourselves very candidly as to what we conceived to be the duty of the United States. Our words were said to be mis- chievous. We never once suggested that the United States should go to war, but we did say from the beginning that it was her duty to utter a solemn protest against the violation of Belgium. For a great many years we had professed warm friendship for the United States, and it seemed to us that if we did not speak as a friend to a friend in the circumstances of the earlier part of this war we should be risking a misunderstanding of our whole point of view. The case might have gone entirely against us by default. That would have been bad as between friends. It was just because we were firm friends of America that we could not risk such a calamity. We see now that President Wilson's method of uniting hie country has been magnificently justified. He is the most loyal and wisest of Allies. Very likely the method we suggested of help- ing the cause of civilization would not have answered nearly as well. Still, if the circumstances were repeated we cannot imagine ourselves writing differently; and it is a great satisfaction to us to know that our words were accepted by many American readers in the sense in which they were moat sincerely intended, and that they seemed to them neither unnatural use unfriendly—ED. Spectator.]
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