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THE ENGLISHMAN AND THE AMERICAN

A
(By A. Trollope)

The American though he dresses like an Englishman, and eats
roast beef with a silver fork – or sometimes with a steel knife – as
does an Englishman , is not like an Englishman in his mind, in his
aspirations, in his tastes, or in his politics. In his mind he is quicker,
more universally intelligent, more ambitious of general knowledge,
less indulgent of stupidity and ignorance in others, harder, sharper,
brighter with the surface brightness of steel, than is an Englishman;
but he is more brittle, less enduring, less malleable, and I think less
capable of impressions. The mind of an Englishman has more
imaginations, but that of an American more incision. The American is
a great observer, but he observes things material rather than things
social or picturesque. He is a constant ready speculator, but all
speculations, even which come of philosophy, are with more or less
material…
***
B
What’s the difference between an American and an
Englishman really? This is the rhythm of life, of course, this is the
urge for action, as opposed to reflection. Once quite a civilized
American woman said, “I always feel guilty if I read a book during
the day, when I ought to be doing something. At night, in bed, it’s
different.”
In Europe the people who have lived in the same house and
have been in the same job for 20, 30, 40 years and who would hate to
change to something new. That’s not the American way of life. They
love change, they call it “the spirit of adventure”, a spirit that they
think is more characteristic of America than of Europe. They like to
change homes and jobs. They have none of the Englishman’s
sentimental love for things because they are old.

1
Текст друкується за виданням V. Titova. Enjoy Speaking English. Івано-
Франківськ: УТУНГ, 1994.

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