River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-12-30

4
stipulated marriage-dowry OF the
! daughter or fortune given the son
and then the Money only sees the day
| light for day, for the new owners in
stantly lay it away, and begin the labor
of married life to earn money, save ii,
and add it TO the patrimonial boards.
Sirth-France is the
MOST sELF-sUPPoRTIgd NATION
in Europe or the world. Her exports
always exceed her imports largely, and
this balance is exacted IN the precious
metals, and not in raw materials, as in
Great Britain. Paris is the fashionable
capital of the world, the Empress of
femaledom; and to her shrine they
come or send their offerings from all
the nations of the earth. Paris sets
the fashions and changes them at pleas.
ure, and as often as the changes of the
moon or the direction of the winds.
All that is costly, useless. aimsy, and
flaming in the female toilet and ward
robe, is manufactured in France, and
sold in Paris to the worlds butterflies:
while the fop element of the masculine
! persuasion arc also provided with their
stunning styles of dress by the French !:
and the whole cbampagne-drinking
fraternity purchase their costly car
bonic acid and cider in France.
France imports
NO BREADsrUFFs OR MEATS,
except little at long intervals when
her crops are short, as happens TO be
the case this year; but nearly always
she has a surplus of wheat, beef and
mutton, which is exported across the
channel to England, where it finds q
ready market at high prices. France
imports less sugar or molasses than
she exports, except from her own col
onies. She produces enormous duan-
titles OF sugar and molasses from the
beet-root-enough for domestic con.
sumption and a surplus TO export.
France imports no silk, except in the
raw state, and produces most of the
raw material within her own borders,
and then manufactures it into thou
sand forms of fabrics and tissues, aud
sells 500, 600, 900 to 5000, 600, 900 worth
OF 1t to all the females of the world,
after supplying her own very moderate
and sparlng consumption. France
manufactures the great bulk of her
own iron, and nearly everything made
thereirom in the form of steel and
iron implements, railroad tracks, en-
glnes, ships, etc. While the coal mea-
sures of France are scant, she manages
to avoid importation from England to
any great extent. The domestic fuel
of France is wood, burned with an
economy that makes one SILVER on
cold day. Trees are
AS CAREFULLY PLANTED AND GROWN
in France as beets or wheat, or any
other product. France grows nearly
all the wool required for domestic con
sumption and export, in the shape of
cloths, except certain coarse varieties
used to mix with the native fine feeces,
and purchased cheaply in Australia
and South America, in exchange for
gimcracks and toilet articles.
The French produce their own
liquors-wines and brandy-and export
tens of millions of dollars worth to
other nations. (They drink no whisky
and but little beer; they call the for
mer American poison, and the latter
nasty German soup, and neither of
them fit for the human stomach.)
The skin of every beast and four
footed animal is converted into leather.
They utilize the hides of all the horses.
asses, mules, cattle, calves, deer, sheep.
lambs, goats, kids,
HOGS, DOGS, CATS, RATS,
foxes, wolves, rabbits, and other ami
mails, wild or domestic, and sell the
products to all the world in the shape
OF French calf and kid boots and shoes,
and morocco wear, and gloves by the
million gross. They make sparing use
OF these articles for themselves, but
wear wooden shoes, more generally
than anything else, through the rural
districts and among the poorer classes
OF the cities and towns.
The imports of France consist
ALMOST WHOLLY
of raw materials, purchased TO be con.
yerted into fabrics, mainly for exporta-
ton abroad, except tobacco, winch is a
government monopoly, and is sold at
an enormous profit, whereby a very
large revenue is derived. The chief
article of import are raw cotton from
America and cotton yarn from Eng.
land raw aud floss silk, wool, timber,
coal, coffee, tea and tobacco.
THE BALANCE OF TRADE
derived from foreign commerce, be-
tween 1850 and 1860, averaged $40, 900.
900 per annnm. Since then it has av-
/ eraged 500, 000 600 This is exclusive
OF the profits made on goods sold at
retail TO the multitudes of foreigners.
including Americans, who swarm over
France, and the profits made on com
merce, which the tables of imports and
exports never state or indicate.
The English loan the greater part OF
their net profits on foreign trade to the
various nations of the world that is,
they put their money out on interest
where they can get the best security
and highest rate of usance. The
French loan abroad comparatively little
of their surplus capital. The national
tendency is to invest it at home or
hoard it.
think it has now been explained
how the French were able TO spare
nearly Sl,100, 1900, 600 in coin TO pay off
this German fine in two aud a half