The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-25
F r EE LA CE.
What Free Lance Thinks Of Americans
Abroad and Of SardOu's 'sUncle
Sam at Home"

AWi Vb0 anu Va O0A OVu OuClc
Sam at Home"
TO THE EDITOR or THE HBRALD:-
victorfen Sardou Is Frenchman, forty.two years
Of age, ana believes In the Empire. "Rabagas,"
which had 50 brilliant In Paris year ago,
rs not much grosser in ss carlcature OF French than
is "Uncle SAM OF American, democracy. The great
difference between tn, two plays Is that ''Raba-
gas" Is founded fact AMI contains brilliant dia-
logue, whereas "Uncle SAM Is founded on igRor-
ance and is stupidity written. A woman is the
handspring Of both. The heroine OF "Rabagas' 10
an American widow, who solves all problems.
The intellect Of "Uncic sam" is centred in Nine.
Bellamy. Parisenne, who settles all difficulties
and Is more strong-minded woman than this
land OF the strong minded ever produced.
She Is speculator, philosopher law
yer, writer mentor and o Cos
sip. She knows everything and could
finish the moral education Of every American girl
In the ''com sdyn IL she chose. Tor course no men,
ton is made OF Monsieur. and nobody knows whe-
ther he be dead or alive but this Is immaterial.
for when . French woman becomes Madame she may
go about the world alone without fear and without
reproach, and cast stones at every American un-
married woman who does the same thing.) But
Nine. Bethany rises superior to everything save
censure. Her mission Is to be show woman ex-
tra0rdinary to the Vices OF this disgusting
country, and she tells more lies In less time than
could the father Of them. Nevertheless do not
blame Sardou for making Mme Bethany and
everything else lie There Is grain OF truth In his
caricature. He has read Dickens, HepwOrth Dixon
and the American newspapers. He has
heard Of James Fisk, Jr., and William M.
Tweed. He knows of Wall street corners"
and the disgrace!ul failure OF an American banking
house In Europe. He hears Americans making night
hideous as they "liquor up" at the American "bar'
IN Rue Scribe. He learns that the Paris police are
obliged to break up the New York club because Of
its rowdyism. He observes certain fastness OF
manner in the American girls who are most talked
about He does not stop to ask whether there is q
reverse to the medal. Why should he Is he not
Frenchman and an imperialists II he denOunces
democracy at home why should he spare foreign
and antlpathetic peopief He but obeys the law OF
his being. Democrat as am failed to become
enamored of many Of my country men and women
travelling abroad; for either there are q great
many fools in America. or all the fools in America
visit Europe. have not yet arrived at definite
conclusion on this subject Truth Is said to lie In
well, and itrequires deal Of rope to get at 1t;
but judging from the fact that have never seen
at home such peculiar specimens as have met or
uedTu Oh uDTOdu, I'LL MCueu 10 DeucVe JHdC b
large proportion of our idiots seek transatlantic
asylum. Perhaps this is the retort courteous we
make to Europe for sending Us her adventures,
thieves and burglars. If Sardou meets these men
ana women, will he not draw caricature' Is he
an angel that he should not do this thingf He &C
cuses us OF loving titles. Who dares deny the exs-
tence OF snObsP That such monstrOsities should
arise in republic is the penalty pay for being
With Angi0Sax0n virtues we In
herit Anglo-SaZ0n vices that break out In degener
ate specimens OF the American race. Says Sir
Charles Dixie in his admirable book OF travels
called "Greater Britain" "Many American men
and women who have toolttle nobility Of soul to
be patriots and too little understanding to that
theirs is already In many points the master
country OF the globe; come to you and bewail
born citizens OF republic, and dwelers IN coun-
try where men call vices by their names The
least educated OF their coontrymen, the only
they fly to EurOpe ito escape democracy and pass
their lives in Paris, Pau or Nice living lIbels on the
are the Americans SardOu has seen at the Court of
Napoleon. An adventurer himself Napoleon re-
ceived all Americans who opened the doors Of the
Tuileries with golden Key. Whether they spoke
good English or bad, whether they were knaves
fools, made little difference TO the hero OF Sedan so
long as money was spent in Paris and beauty and
toilets displayed at imperial balls. 81 would give
half my fortune 10 see Louis back on the throne of
u
months ago, calling the ex-Emperor "Louis In
order to prove the Intimacy OF her acquaintance.
This is the type Of American most frequently found
grieved than surprised when French re.
publican once said to me, lyon are the only
na%e yon met Tess
lbels cannot live here, because they are libes. and
certainly America IS wei! rid Of them and their on,
hemispheres with the virtues OF neither. Euro
pean Americans are bad lot" exclaimed an
DrAfa Thnu IN uAif hnp
nor me credit" "When an American comes to us
from the United States" said Cambridge man.
shortly AFTER 'he is likely to be clever and good
fellow, but when he comes from Europe he is a
poor creature and generally snob. lie tries to
pass for an EnRlishman, and one man was awmly
cut up the other day when told him that Knew
him to be American by his accent. lie was trying
to talk Cockney."
II these transatlantic snobs only knew how they
are despised by all whose opinion is worth having !
They are despised by the very persons who repeat
their denunciations Of the United States for Faro
peans know the difference between gold and pinch
beck. 81 wish you'd write about certain set OF
your country people who court our aristscracy,''
said clever Englishman last Winter. ''They make
themselves very contemplate never deigning to
mention any one who has not handle to his name,
always Informing you Of the grand houses to which
cards upon which there are coronets. They array
their servants in gorgeous livery, and get up coats
OF arms with mOttOs In Latina language that
half of them dc not understand There ha We even
been American Ministers here who were snObs OF
the first quality" Elsewhere heard similar CON-
plants OF the sn0bbishness OF certain American
officials abroad.
Women are even greater fools than man In this
worship OF rank which Is rank worship, for the
reason perhaps that women are more given to-
kneeling and Prudhommes Il befieve) has said
truly lies grands ne nous paraissent grands que
parceque nous sOmmes genonx." "Ibecame quito
disguised with the girls on eur steamer" grumbled
| young American who crossed me Atlantic In
month that shall be nameless. 'There happened to
| be on board the son OF an. English baronet, and
| although he was an ordinary fellow, not hall as
nice as some OF u.s. tho girls We'd with one another
in attracting his attention. Ii 1t not the same In
| Washington Are not the attaches OF foreign le-
| cations fools or otherwise, OF more social oonse
Guence than thu clevsrest OF natives9 This Is q
| fine return for. the respect and devotion or
| American men. Always excepting advanced
| liberal Englshmen, there are no men
| for whom our women should entertain such regard
| as for those OF this country. In Germany women
| are domestic animals and drudges; among the
Latin races they minister to mans pleasure
nothing more. IL is the exceptional Frenchman or