Transcriber's Note:
A Table of Contents has been added.
THE OPPRESSED ENGLISH
THE
OPPRESSED
ENGLISH
BYIAN HAY
Author of "The First Hundred Thousand,"
"Getting Together," "A Safety
Match," Etc.
Garden City New York
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1917
Copyright, 1917, by
Ian Hay Beith
All rights reserved, including that of
translation into foreign languages,
including the Scandinavian
CONTENTS
| PAGE | |
| Chapter One | 1 |
| Chapter Two | 11 |
| Chapter Three | 27 |
| Chapter Four | 41 |
| Chapter Five | 77 |
| Chapter Six | 85 |
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER ONE
As a Scotsman, the English people have my profound sympathy.
In the comic papers of all countries the Englishman is depicted—or wasin the days of peace—as stupid, purseproud, thick-skinned, arrogant,and tyrannical. In practice, what is he? The whipping-boy of the BritishEmpire.
In the War of to-day, for instance, whenever anything particularlyunpleasant or unpopular has to be done—such as holding up neutralmails, or establishing a blacklist of neutral firms trading[Pg 4] with theenemy—upon whom does the odium fall? Upon "England"; never upon France,and only occasionally upon Great Britain. The people and pressinterested thunder against "England's Arrogance." Again, in the neutraldays, when an American newspaper published a pro-British article,Potsdam complained peevishly that the entire American Press was beingbribed with "English" gold. A German school teacher is greeted by herinfant class with the amiable formula: "Good morning, teacher. Gottstrafe England!" (Never "Britain," as a Scotsman once very rightlycomplained to me.) On the other hand, when there is any credit goinground—say, for the[Pg 5] capture of a hitherto impregnable ridge on theWestern Front—to whom is that credit assigned? Well, it depends. If theCanadians took the ridge, Canada gets the credit; and the world's press(including the press of London and England generally) pays due tributeto the invincible valour of the men from the Dominions. Or, if aScottish or Irish regiment took the ridge, the official report fromGeneral Headquarters makes appreciative reference to the fact. But howoften do we see the phrase: "The ridge was stormed, under heavy fire, byan English