But as we Americans use the word, "friend" can be applied to wide range of relationships—to someone one has known for a few weeks in a new place, to a close business associate, to a childhood playmate, to a man or woman, to a trusted confidant. There are real differences among these relations for Americans—a friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and enduring. But to a European, who sees only our surface behavior, the differences are not clear. As they see it, people known and accepted temporarily, casually, flow in and out of Americans’ homes with little ceremony and often with little personal commitment. They ,lay be parents of the children’s friends, house guests of neighbors, members of a committee, business associates from another town or even another country. Coming as a guest into an American home, the Europe an visitor finds no visible landmarks. The atmosphere is relaxed. Most people, old and young, are called by first names.