The New York herald., 1873-08-09
FRENCH SUMMER RESORTS.
ASeries of Norman Watering Place
Letters by E. G. Grenville
Murray---No. 1.
THE AVERAGE FRENCHMAN.
A Lively Picture Of His Public and
Private Life.
THE FROG He WOULD A WOOING CO."
The Wardrobe of the Travelling
Francois and Franchise.
BY THE SErASHoRE.
The Fashionable and Questionable Follies
That Impressed Mr.. Murray at Dieppe.
REMOVING THE GLOSS FROM SNOBBERY.
- ,,..r..f
THE FROG HE WOULD A WOUlNG CO."
The Wardrobe of the Travelling
Francois and Franchise.
BY The SElASHOR r E.
The Fashionable and Questionable Folliei
That Impressed Mr.. Murray at Dieppe.
REMOVING THE GLOSS FROM sNOBBERY.
I-Ol q ii
DIEPPE-NO. 1.

aw aa DIEPPE- NO. l.
DIEPPE, July u, 1873.
FROGS ON THE HOP.
The frog, though lively little creature il not
much of traveller, and Is seldom found far away
nom home. Baden Baden and the watering places
On the Norman coast are nearly the utmost extent
Of Frenchma pilgrimage in search OF pleasure.
Seine adventurous spirits eager for pubic employ
nent. pushed as far as the Pyrenees during the
piping days of the Second Empire, because the
Empress liked to be within easy reach Of her
mother and her old associations. Now ana then
. decrepid old Minister, and those who had
anything to hope or to fear from him, moved down
to Vichy: and gentlemen of romantic turn of
mind, who had persuaded their neighbors' wives
70 accompany them, and who had no particular
wish to be shot or skewered by frantic husbands
Or exasperated brothers, found port OF refuge for
their rai craft at Venice or Naples. Nevertheless
THE FRENCHAAN PROPER,
IN sound health and spirits, who has neither the
lear Of dans nor avenging skewers before
his eyes, always keeps and always has
kept within easy reach Of Paris. He has
not the passionate desire to wash himself
1T any cost OF trouble expense and inconvenience
which seizes upon the German races directly the
warm weather sets in and people who have lived
long in Germany and In France will understand the
reason why Frenchmen look upon watering places
with cooler eye than their conquer0rs.
AL the blessed Winter and Spring. as well as for
. great part Of the Autumn, q thoroughbred Ger
man shuts himself up with his wife and family
(Oiten very numerous) In room heated
by q tremendous stove, 80 that he and
they become half baked and quite crusty
towards the month Of June. Now the French
nko nj at nj 10
latter end Of July or the beginning Of August He
generally lives in an extremely airy situation; he
Ii seldom a married man. and rarely, indeed, has
q large family. His object in this life is to amuse
himself; 30 he lives in the street, warns himself
parsimonOusly at his caJJ-never saw stove In the
course OF his existence-and goes to bed without
nre. He Is not friend OF water, except when 1t is
mixed with red wine; and his diet, unlike that OF
those mighty feeders, the Germans, is far too tenn
perate to make him feel hot and uncomfortable in
Winter or Summer.
THE REGENERATION IN FRANCE.
It il said that of late the French have been imi-
tating the Germans, and nations generally do imi-
tate their conquerors; but the true Partisan Will
always have much the same dread Of cold water as
. Cat or q monkey. AS for regeneration In other
respects, 1t seems very far OF indeed. The people
really laugh at the idea OF 1t. Then, at Rouen, on
the high road to Dieppe, there is the best Openar
concert in the world. Every night man dressed
up as julius Cesar appears before crowds OF mock
ing spectators. He says or sings with strange
contortions, "Aur dnaes 6ien nees que
Ia patrie est chere ~ The spectators are amused,
not impressed, with this idea; and presently
he lays aside his helmet and his sword. "Voyez
u0tIs," says he, "ces chooses Ia me CEMENT" and
again the people laugh Possibly the French de-
Seats have done more to explode the warlike idea
thon oil fha ic lin hot
they are getting to have q merry contempt for
military glory
IA FROG HE WOULD wOOING CO."
When your Frenchman has made up his mind to
travel he has really no notion OF sea bathing or
1ne scenery. II there is one thing more
tain than another 1t will be that he Is running after
. petticOat. The business and occupation of the
mans life are to make love. His trade or profession
s quite secondary thing IN his sight,
and Is only agreeable in SO far as
it may be made to contribute to the
enc grand purpose OF his existence. Thus bent
upon conquest, he gets himself up in a most
tonishing manner before he takes the road to the
sea- He wants a small straw hat about the shape
and size OF cheese-plate, with blue riband
round it. He wants a "stik," with gingerbread
knob, to carry under his arm, and hot pea
jacket, which he calls saette- onrQue," having
fully resolved to have nothing to do with barks
or boats If he can help it. because he Is, as he
would say, biped," and not by any means a
water dog. Then he requires some vanished
shoes, an opera glass and some wax Tor his mus
taches. Thus equipped he gives chase TO every
he sees, till he is taken into custody by some
energetic young lady OF his own persuasion as to
time contracts in matrimony; or, as happens quite
as Often ne has his ears cuned by an irate gentle
man belonging to her, and perhaps there is talk OF
. "skewering match" or frog duel, which satisnes
the honor Of all parties at the cost OF scratch or
two, and then the lady is fully prepared TO marry
them both, one alter the other II her list OF pros
pective husbands is not too full already. "Un
hOns'ne deu1 hon,mes. trots hommes, quatre
hopsmes ne mont jamats Jaa pe'ar, " says popu-
lar song of the day, and, indeed, the bravery of
these ladies Is proverbia.
1t Is fortunate for them that they courageous,
for the French gentleman is no sooner by the sea
side than he wants to battle with them. "Mdis,
Monsieur Je U0us dis que les regIenlents sV 0p-
poSent," grows the bathing mana very odd fish,
GOT up In an amazing manner-so there is, for
tunately, an end of that part OF his adventure.
vELoCIPEDEs AT SEA.
One OF the chief amusements of Frenchman at
watering places is to dash about on a velocipede,
costumed as jockey; another is to walk about half
naKed, win little dog In string following; third
n to stand In the sea up to ones knees under an
umbrella and to smoke cigarettes; a fourth is to
10 the round Of the churches at mass time for
nirting purposes. No Frenchman ever thinks of
taking bold header and swimming out into deem
water.
FRENCH THRIFT.
When an American or an Englishmau coes IN
q watering place he commonly puts up at the most
expensive hotel or commits himself heplessly to
the tender mercies Of those harpies who keep
lodging houses. Nino times in ten he is a busy
man who wants q little rest and relaxation after
hard work. Not so the frog. He skips about
briskly enough In his business, but he ~
never pvcgErougbt. Familiar With amusement and