The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-12-28
How Others See Us.
A Young Frenchman on His Travels.

PARIS, Dec. IA, 1880.
To The Editor Of the Press: r-,..fL
A young French musician recently set out
from Paris to make his fortune in the United
States and has given his first impressions in q
series Of letters to his parents, who have kind.
ly permitted me to make few extracts Of
which subioin translation. The severity
of several Of this young mans judgments,
some of them arising from his preconceived
notions and from having read at school mass
Of those old-wives' fables about America
which are so widely circulated in Europe since
the epoch of Mrs. Trollope and Dickens first
visit, only renders his artless gossip more anus
ing. He says: r
II enjoy myself hugely in this strange coun-
try. have completely Americanized myself
now" I'm two weeks, the Young Hotspur!-
'tjust as one should in foreign land ;-have
adopted American manners, food, Dress
everything; and 1 never make comparisons
with the country have left. L hiccough in
everybody's face" (strikes me as refinement
OF manners introduced since leftD put my
feet on the tables, and never take off my hat
to anybody. That's what makes a genuine
Yankee" (of romance) "Liberty in everything
is the motto! Here there is neither god" "a
trifle cool for a.citizen of "infide France ,lnor
laws nor friends, nor parents nothing, in
short, nothing. They know only one thing =
the dollar!''
If you only knew how droll the laws, are
here! In the suits, which one may easily prolong
for hundred years, it is not he who is right
but he who has the most money that wins. If
you are rich you may shoot anyone who an
noys you without the slightest hesitation.
Then you 20 free on bail. Every year you pay
certain sum to have the trial continued and
at the end of ten years the whole affair is for
hanged, and that's ali about t."
"a dollar in the United States is Of no more
account than franc with us, though really
worth five francs. The humblest workingman
earns not less than $3.50 day. That is why
all Americans who come to France q pear so
rich. A fortune of q million is absolutely
nothing in this country"
They make very strange bots, these Anne RI
cans. A few days ago the captain of a steamer
running between New York and Boston, wag-
cred with the master of another vessel that he
would arrive first at their common destination.
Both burned all the fuel they had on board,
and then began to throw into the furnace fur
niture. parts of the steamer aud everything
they could find" (theflad forgot the tradi-
tional climax consecrated by years of service
in both hemispheres: "chuck in another mig
ger!") They were both extremely pleased
with this adventure, but you can imagine the
grimaces OF the passengers But here human
life counts nothing at ALL" adj VI ssfeiI
But there is enough of the Gavroche about
the boy to make all this wild disorder agreea-
Bile, and lie philosophers thus: N baesi
"Read all my letters to B., and impress
on her mind the fact that French manners and
French ideas are stupid and provincial. What
service you would have rendered me il you
had packed me off to this country when was
eight years old! am certain that II should
ever have brat (gosse) would put him out to
nurse in America so thatshe might see some-
thing OF the world at once and grow up with.
out fixed habits and, above all, o dboCe all,
without preiudices. That is what kills a coun-
he pleases, and what the deuce is it to anyone
else if Mr.. Smith or Mrs. Brown sleeps with OF
without shirt" ID eIiusn1l vaaaet.4 i1g4l3
Il Parisian as he is, he naturally experiences
intense astonishment at the evidences Of life,
vigor and material comfort which he Sees He
says: 3fr sssaa5seaE 0sfdr
"a 81 was dazzled by New York. Only imag-
inc town where there are railways every
where running above the tops of the houses (O.
1t makes an Internal uproar. Inever had an
idea OF such animation. Carriages, ON MI
buses, horse cars and railways-all that makes
q furious uproar. Poor France! How we are
behind the times Ai,a1 8at ~ s0A
And so on for pages. The Sound boats are
PoAoSCsy tHO thCdtIOo AuuiCuSciy oupoIlOI u
those of Paris-and the comfort in the houses,
the gas at each story, the carpets, the hot and
cold water in all the chambers, the telephones
and the elevators! All these things which
even Partisan regards as the appointments
belonging only to the extremely rich, chen
they exist at all, seem incredible when found
in use as every day comforts and conveniences
of the common peOple 4l a2-ai 1ie P. i ffli /
The extracts which have translated show
that our young Frenchman possesses in high
degree liberal and generous spirit, eager for
novelty and recognizing promptly everything
that is excellent. But all his agreeable con-
cessions stop short when it becomes a matter
of eating and drinking. No Frenchman ever
yet lived, care not what his culture or the
liberality of his views, who could imagine how
a human being can by any possibility come TO
dine without large morsel Of bread deposed
on one side of his plate and a bottle of wine
on the other! The cosmopolitan Frenchma n
exists-but not to that extent. Drink water,
or tea, or coffee with foodl All sorts Of dishes
served at oncel Wine extra in the BILL if or
dered, and poor at that! No conversation!
Horrible! "why," exclaims our witty and
vlvacious musician, II must talk / at
table and T'do! IT keep talking all the
time. The other guests exchange chances.
Sometimes they laugh and seem to say to each
other, What the dickens can that young fell
low find to prattle about all the time?' But
have convenient neighbor who can speak
little French and I keep up constant fire.
The other guests don't eat--they Just stuff
themselves, and if remain more than twenty
minutes at the table everybody seems scan
dalized.' ''qs1.9aI so. 81 raia.Bl % No-
Is it not just possible that one may be loyal
American aud still admit that there may be
some basis for this criticism of our national
habit of silent and rapid eating?
So much for the first impressions OF a young
Frenchman who possesses a good education
and kindly heart in regard to our beloved
country, described only for the amusement Of
intimate friends and therefore entirely frank
and unaffected. su ai 'e SMITH