The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-02
The Franco-Amcricnn Union.

hundredth year OF American ndcpcn-
dence, and is to he placed on one of the
islands in Long Island Sound. The names
connected with the committee are Of
| great renown. LAFAYETTE, LABoULAYE,
| WoLowsKI, and DE TocQUEvIIJE are
among them. NJ. BARTHoLDI, French
| Minister to this country, the Marquis DE
NoAILI.Es. and Mr.. T.. B. WAsHBURNE are
honorary presidents Of the association, and
a public subscription has been opened to
| raise the necessary funds.
All this is very agreeable TO hear. But II
the monument is TO have any significance
nt all, more convenient spot FOR it's cree
ton should certainly be selected. Tie
distinguished Frenchmen composing the
committee may be pardoned Tor not know
ing what sort Of piece Of water Long
Island Sound is, and what lot OF in
cougruous little islands are in 1t. They
might possibly think the Sound TO be "a
kind OF lake of the BUis de Boulognc
a nice fancy pond around which
masses OF people assemble every day. MIR.
WAsuBURNE, however, though the only
American among them, ought TO have
been able to prevent the mention OF any
such place for the erection OF monuw mt
| of this nature. a statue embOdying the
idea of a union between the two nations
ought 10 have for Its site the Central Park
or Madison square.
| The ties which unite France and
America are possibly much stronger
than they appear on the surface. Apart
from their immense trade. there is a
kind of friendship between the two peo-
| t.lo trh 10 nroUinn en-
year. Our countrymen and country
women when abroad feel ri home in
Paris To the more exclusive society of
England they have comparatively little
access; clumsy German society does not
attract them; while other European coun-
tries are but little frequented by them on
account of the want of knowledge of the
languages. There is also n peculiar sytnpa-
thy between wel-educGted Americans and
well-educated Fronchmen; and it If not
| impossible that the Centennial Exhibition
will demonstrate that, now as of old. our
best friends in Europe AMI the people who
are really anxious 10 come into closer re-
latIons with us. are the French.
Ii 10 not, however, by tie erection OF a
monument on some unknown island Of the
! Sound, OF even in the Central Park, that
this union can be cemented. There are
many points 20 be attended 10 before we
| can eXTect to sec the two nations going
hand in hand on the path OF progress We
must become more honest in our business
transactions with the French, so as to
cheat them n great deal less; and they
must try TO tit themselves better TO our
ways OF lie, and 10 get better understand
| in NJ rn,ItftaaI rnnfhnng A
half-starved German lands at the Battery
to-day, and in SIX or ten years he is pros
porous citizen, IA voter. possibly an alder
man or a sheriff somewhere in Illinois or
Missouri, while the FIenchman has IN the
same period of time scarcely mastered a
few words Of English, and probably not
seen anything hey Ond his workshop and his
cheap French eating house IN Bleecker or
Houston street. When the Frenchman
gets rid OF the routine idea that there is
nothing worth having or seeing outside of
what France produces, he may become II
very useful member of our body polite.
He is thrifty, sober, industrious, slSlful,
and when not under the excitement of tho
Paris mob orderly ana conservative. As
our criminal statistics show, the French
emigrant of even tho lowest class is in
many respects preferable TO either Ger
man or an Irish emigiant of the same de-
scription.
Our historical associations with France
are not only glorious, but poetical
and these might be splendidly emf
bodied in Il monument like the one pro-
jected by the committee Of the Franco
American Union. Yet Mcssrs LABoULAYE,
WoLowsKI, DE TocQULyILLE, and their
colleagues must not lose sight OF the fact
that the spread Of "A juster knowledge OF
America, its life and institutions, among
their oouutIymen, would do much more
good than a dozen "statues of Liberty en-
tightening the world" Such statues are
the product of mere sentiment, ana ii they
have real artistic excellence, they ure in
their way pleasant to contemplate. But
what tho French really want in order to
form genuine union between the two
countries, is that thcir minds shall be broad
euod out and rendered more humane and
cosmopolitan. Then their emigITnts will
give up the worn-out French prejudice
that there is 10 country in the world eX-
copt Ia belle France, aud they Will form,
like those Of other nations, an integral
part OF tho American family, and moi
merely be casual, outside residents in ouI
towns, bound, as soon as they can, TO GO
buck TO their own little corner again. In
the feeling now common among them
they arc almost rs exclusive az the
Chinese, who return home even after
they arc dead; ana not the great enlight-
enod, world-peryading people that then
place IN the earth requires them to be.
come. Here il II problem which the
FIanco-Amerioan Union would do well t.
consider while they are putting up theii
statue Of Liberty enlightoning the world
wv wAen tAeY tQlye IL they Will render 4