Terrifying Candor

Charles MacVeagh, U. S. Ambassador to Japan, puissant barrister, Manhattan aristocrat, became suspect last week of being a descendant of the famed "Wise Men of Gotham." The most celebrated of their acts of wisdom was dipping water with a sieve at midnight to catch the moon.

With a candor terrifying to all conscious of the discretion expected in a diplomat, Mr. MacVeagh spoke as follows before a meeting of the English Speaking Societies of Japan at Tokyo: "Had the British ambassador been here he would have said: 'to study English, go to England, which is the home of the language.' Of course, I disagree with him here, but I admit the purest water is found at its source.

"I admire the British people and I feel the British ambassador to be right in telling students here that in order to study English efficiently one must go to England, because it is the only true source of the language.

"There is still much in America valuable to Japanese students, but I admit one must get back to the land of English to study the language. . . . Nothing but peace and good will can come from the people of many nations who are learning to appreciate the spirit of the English and the English language. An undying friendship between English speaking peoples is my warmest wish."