The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-25

|
common sense AS the prevailing governments Of
the Old World are more or less despotlc and thor
Republic whose success is menace to divine right
and and the ,. degrading spirit Of caste, Sin.
us, not thinking 1t worth while to
study either people or institutions all their tradi-
are best pleased When individual examples confirm urn
previous opinions. 1t becomes important, then,
mat mat Americans abroad should honoraby represent
| ttneir country. Every man and woman Is bit Of
tee Republic, Is scanned and discussed condemned
or OF. praised as such. European radicals, anxious
for practical evidence OF what they SO earnestly
and and u ,n e preach and grow faint-hearted
Of government which the most Enlightened d. minus
vancement OF humanity. Many Americans visit Eu
rope for what Is elegantly known as "a spreen out
public opinion restraints them srom dong at home
and, returning. accomplished iplittle but vice. graft
French manners on republican principles, with
sad results to the tree OF liberty The men 70 ali
lengths; the women go as far as they dare-some
naa Is sas and ms1V
but because folly need not be sought IL comes
without bdding ans stays BY ySa as long as thers
OF American talked about In the French capital,
for scum always rises to the surface. When
side In Paris they lead retiring lives. What doea
Sardou know or want to know OF thems It Is the
extravagant rowdies OF the b0ulevards that fur.
nish material for his pen; hence "Uncle Samn
shades OF Mrs. Trollope, Captain Marry att, Basil
coae DER the spirit OF our dream Martin Chuz.
zlewit, do you re;ognze America your long lost
own rI BSs thirty years between american Notes"
ment. The first recorded TRUTH and was received
with indignant howIs: the second records the
occasionally broken by moderate laughter or
feeble applause. What does it mean Have we
grown beyond our years Are we too wise to
quarrel with malicious ignorance. or too indifYer-
ent to exert ourselves In seli-defence Both. Some
OF US are wise and some Of indnerent; but
how much wisdom and how much Indifference 60
to make up the audiences that 'assist" at SardOub
it Is, however that the most outrageous
hbels on America are listened to unmOved and no
ed unchaste Perhaps this Is as 1t ought to be,
but II seems to me that the air would be somewhat
purified were little Indignation occasionally
in becoming th.cker-skinned Americans have NOS
lost all sense OF delicate leeling Henceforth let
United States as black as hel! itself
But ]. for one, am grateful to Mr.. DAILY for
Sardous teeming brain, for the reason that 1t is
absolutely truthful IN one important respect, and
York 1t tells Americans precisely what is Thoughts
of them by a large percentage Of Frenchmen. It,
Unmarried women are sI not heaged In by Dragons,
believes with the rest OF his nations, that liberty
and sSs that %o c4ss to n
virtuous training in that loving home which he
apostrophizes In . goody-goody speech five minutes:
with whom he is intensely disgusted. She tho
supposed brazen, heartless nirt becomes Interested
in this flower OF French Chivalry, and then the
flower does his best to seduce her. Not succeeding,
he finally, fdute dc mtelr, proposes matrimony and
considers himself highly moral young man in
rescuing Sarah Tappleb0t Charming name y from
a country where young men and women associate
without surveillance, and, what is more immoral
still. without the necessity of It'll "Our daughterg
are frank and Tree because they premeditate ne
evil" says John Weiss IN his essay marriage,
and even the fascinating hbertlne, the Marquis dc
R0chemOre discovers that the step between
ae and rr wee Of the not .sest Nsw
society. Furthermore, the Marquis and the author
Of his being, victorien ssrdou, ought to know that
girls given to desperate flirting are the last in tho
world to lose their heads and be controlled by
emotion. Flirting is thoroughly cold-blooded
performance. When 1t ceases to be cOld-bl0Oded
1t ceases to be at ALL. The moment two nirts be-
come seriously interested In each other love sets
Messieurs Francais. 1 have no defence to make
OF our system OF flirting; but 1t seems to me that
who understand one another, is much less vicious
than the French system OF lovers Uersus husbands,
up for admiring contemplation. Before writing
another American comedy" M. Sardou should
know that the American girls who yield to seduc-
ton are rarely in society and are never
nirts. They are passionate, ingenious, loving
nNs as GS as of
II one false step leads to many, 1t Is because OF de-
sertion and publlc opinion that brands woman
the hand the man that has accomplished her ruin.
II NJ Sardou Will paint this picture in the coors it.
deserves he will make amends for the utterly and
disgustingly absurd burlesque Of "Uncle SAM
At least, Sardou understands the French nature,
and American girls need blame no one but them-
selves II after seeing ''Uncle sam" they treat for
egn men with the same frankness as they treat
their own and find themselves misinterpreted. 1t.
ought to teach them the best Of lessons 1t ought.
to bid them beware or the wretched adven-
pose Of Catching heiresses BY fair means.
or foul; OF the Italian counts and French mar.
quises, who do not hesitate to boast that their
ought to convince them that the men VINO most.
respect them are the men most likely to love them
IGlttu and that n w Inn mo
rotten IT,. by the Introduction OF such travellers AZ
the Marquis de Rochemore, corrupt intent be-
added tO'Our freedom OF manner. Liberty Is only
possible with integrity OF character II "Unoie
Sam" sickens American women OF foreigners, dis
tinguished or otherwise; II IL makes them realize
the tremendous differences between men reared
with Old World and men reared with New World
that promscuous irritation is not a. crown that en-
mobiles. the wearer, "Uncle Samf will not have
been acted in vain.
or course there are those who believe every lie
| in the comedy. 1 sat in the neighborhood OF two
such sympatieti tic critics. When; Mss sarah Tap
more: tapped him on the shoulder and walked on
with his chair the noble foreigners behina me
said the woman with French accent; "the French
never do that" 'No, indeedI'' replied the man;
with the Atlantic Monthly in her hand. ayowed that
we put the drag on nothinsA not even vice, and
nor hem pocket harSerchse the male foreigner
exclaimed, "Bravop' with an exultattOn that
mad me long to hire "a. Villain VII ,ont to-
1.-THE blood OF Douglas caa protect itselfs Though
Sardous point their satirs and critics their venom
at the salient faults OF thus by no means immaculate
Repubhc; though all our men be pronounced rogue
! and all our women held up to scorn she TACT re-
mains that Sir Charles Dixie declares, ar in
many respects the master nation OF the globe. and
can afford TO be painted other than we are II the
production Of "Uncle San" In Paris will only Keep
at home all the young gen tlemen who are me iitat-
ing trip to dis country we ought to pray daily
| for so blessed contamination.
| Ireiterate. my gratitude to Mr.. Dafy, and Inn
pl0re all yelng ladies' In society to so and seehem-
selves as tReir dearly beloved FRANCE sees them;
FREE LANCE.