ure made by the United States of
insulting and threatening utterances on the part of the German charge
d'affaires in Argentina, which led to popular outbreaks at the capital
and induced the national Congress to declare in favor of a severance of
diplomatic relations with that functionary's Government, the President
of the republic stood firm in his resolution to maintain neutrality.
If Pan-Americanism had ever involved the idea of political cooperation
among the nations of the New World, it broke down just when it might
have served the greatest of purposes. Even the "A B C" combination
itself had apparently been shattered.
A century and more had now passed since the Spanish and Portuguese
peoples of the New World had achieved their independence. Eighteen
political children of various sizes and stages of advancement, or
backwardness, were born of Spain in America, and one acknowledged the
maternity of Portugal. Big Brazil has always maintained the happiest
relations with the little mother in Europe, who still watches with
pride the growth of her strapping youngster. Between Spain and her
descendants, however, animosity endured for many years after they had
thrown off the parental yoke. Yet of late, much has been done on both
sides to render the relationship cordial. The graceful act of Spain in
sending the much-beloved Infanta Isabel to represent her in Argentina
and Chile at the celebration of the centennial anniversary of their cry
for independence, and to wish them Godspeed on their onward journey, was
typical of the yearning of the mother country for her children overseas,
despite the lapse of years and political ties. So, too, her ablest men
of intellect have striven nobly and with marked success to revive
among them a sense of filial affection and gratitude for all that Spain
contributed to mold the mind and heart of her kindred in distant
lands. On their part, the Hispanic Americans have come to a clearer
consciousness of the fact that on the continents of the New World there
are two distinct types of civilization, with all that each connotes of
differences in race, psychology, tradition, language, and custom--their
own, and that represented by the United States. Appreciative though
the southern countries are of their northern neighbor, they cling
nevertheless to their heritage from Spain and Portugal in whatever seems
conducive to the maintenance of their own ideals of life and thought.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL N
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