The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-10-14
French Women and English
Women.

Now, although France and England
are next door neighbors, and good
deal of the blood that flows in both
countries came originally from the
same source, the English of to-day are
probably less like the French than
they were when the battle of Agin-
court was fought, Notwithstanding
the insidiously insinuating influences
of French wines, French cookery,
French plays and French novels. But
it is OF Frenchwomen and English
women that we propose to speak.
Here in England we have very
fiippant way of hitting off the charac-
teristics of the Frenchwoman. We
say she Is frivolous, idle, and inordi-
nately fond of pleasure. The descrip-
ton will not bear looking into. Firstly,
1t should be noted that the French
woman often seems what she is not.
WheE bent on amusing herself
and it is through the medium of this
mood of hers that English critics gen.
orally weigh her character and Judge
her actions-she leaves, it is true, all
care at home and enters upon the BUSH
ness of pleasure with the spirit of a
child but it Is unjust to call her friv-
elous and idle on this account.
Perhaps no women are such indus
trieus and serious workers as those of
France The material prosperity of
their country is certainly largely at
tributable to their admirable capacity
for making themselves useful in all
departments of life from which they
are not shut out by walls they cannot
hope to scale--walls which they show
their practical wisdom by leaving
alone. The typical Frenchwoman' Is
character Is not deep, but 1t has been
traced out by nature with no unsteady
hand. Her spirit of independence,
her comparative freedom from that
timidity which is often represented as a
beautiful weakness of her sex, have
enabled her to conquer much of the
ground that belongs additionally to
man, simply by qualifying herself to
compete with him industrially and
Intellectually in multitude of ways.
She likes to be self-reliant, and to feel
that in case of need she can do battle
with the world.
Although Frenchwomen generally
marry early, and under conditions Of
parental influence which invest the
act of putting on the bridal veil with
about as much sentiment as that OF
taking to their first long gown, OF
gathering up their girlish tresses liz to
maidenly coil of plaits, the majority
of them make good wives and still
better mothers. The Frenchwoman is
not the most affectionate of spouses,
but in her devotedness to her children
she is not to be surpassed, while the
interest she takes in her husbands
work and her desire to help him fol
the comm good throw into bold re-
lief the strongest side of her character.
If he is doctor she will make out his
bills for him if a tradesman she will
look after the accounts and pre- side
over the till j; whatever his occupation
she will lend him a helping hand. 1t
will be correctly surmised that we are
speaking of the bourgeoise the all.
powerful woman in France. The ex.
tremes of luxury and poverty have the
effect of so modifying the salient
points of a nations character that in
Investigations of this kind it is always
better to choose ones types from the
great middle class. What we wish to
lay stress on is the fact that the French.
woman, although extremely emotional
at times in the ordinary business OF
life, looks at nothing through a ro-
mantle and sentimental medium, Ii
Is this popularity which marks the
chief distinction between her and the
Engllshwoman. The latter is less
passionate, but she is also less practi.
cal. There Is dreamy sentimentality
in her nature that easily and fire.
quently merges into religious melan.
choly--a malady almost unkl own in
France. From maidenhood to old age
her views of life are romantic, Even
after much misfortune and disappoint.
ment she rarely realizes things as thew
are. Consequently she is not the help.
mate In a material sense that the
Frenchwoman is. But the deficiency
Is abundantly made up in other WAYS.
1t is the exception ~hen she loves her
children more than her husband
while the French woman's affection
for her offspring is generally allah
serbing. The sentimentality of the
Englishwoman is at once her strength
and her weakness. 1t is her strength
because it is intimately associated
with strong religious instinct and rev.
erence for moral principles which
color all her thoughts and direct hel
conduct. 1t is her weakness, because
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