DUAL ENTENTE

The amount of real truth in George Jean Nathan's whimsical article in Vanity Fair, "The American Attitude Toward England", is amazing. Mr. Nathan attempts rather successfully to prove that, sentimentally at least, the citizens of the United States are the natural enemies of England and friends of Germany. He cites boyhood memories, all attesting the benevolence of German cooks, saloon keepers and policemen--the era of the latter type being previous to the Irish invasion. The result is that one recalls the Germans as delightful people and the English as the national opponents of 1775 and 1812.

While there is, of course, little ground for Mr. Nathan's thesis besides those which are self-confessedly based on sentiment, the actuality of the anti. English feeling, unfortunate though it be, is none the less vivid. There is absolutely no foundation for such a condition--unless one-accepts the Nathan arguments; officially the two English speaking countries were never so close as today. And yet continental travellers admit that German welcomes, in spite of the late war, are as warm or warmer than English. The explanation may lie in Mr. Nathan's expose of the national prejudices. It is strange, however, that shades of the Boston tea party should create eternal disturbance which even alliance in a World War should not destroy. The situation is another valid reason for the entire exclusion of sentiment and vague memories from the realm of statesmanship; and that is the greatest problem for any International court.