The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-10-01
John Bulls Neiehbor

ton of book entitled John Bull ct son it,
1t was clever work, the author was fan
observer, nevertheless he made some anus
ing mistakes In retaliation apparently
an author under the nom de plume" OF
"a brutal Saxon" has given his opinions
on France, based upon many years resi-
dence and thorough knowledge of Ian
guage, people and country. We give a
number of extracts. OF French morality
ne says
1t long ago passed into proverb, that
French literature was coarse and immoral
but one must live in France and read
French to thoroughly understand the
degrading depths of filth that French wri-
tiers descend to. As soon as ever girls and
boys commence to read they fly instinc
lively to this class of literature which
renders them prurient almost before they
have cast off their bibs. 1t is pitiable to
hear how girls of tender age will talk OF
things that shock sensitive ears, and to see
how youths, while yet the down is ON their
cheeks are debased and debauched. This
national immortality is, as it were, pesti-
lential blast that sweeps through the land
and blights.
once heard distinguished Russian
nobleman say that it would be difficult to
find an honest man or virtuous woman in
all France. am not quite prepared to
indorse that, but fearlessly assert that
immortality Is a national vice. You see it
staring you in the face on the Boulevards
at night; you see it in the cafes; in the
brasseries, where women are walters in
stead of men; in sculpture galleries, in
picture galleries, in illustrated papers, in
shop windows, in the theatres; it displays
itself in the talk of the people and the acts
of the people
And this is the way he deals with the
old French sarcasms about the large feet
of the English;
So far as my own limited Intelligence
allows me to form an opinion upon this
question, would respectfully beg leave
to advance the proposition that large feet
are not altogether drawback Mr. O'Rell,
in common with all his countrymen, when
he expends his Gallo wit upon our feet,
quite Overlooks the anatomical view of the
subject. He himself represents Latin,
and consequently a smallbOned, race of
people, while we, being SaxOns, Normans,
Danes, and NoTsemen, come from a stock
of large boned men and women and /
believe that it is admitted by anatOmists
that in a general way that people with
large and bony frames are more energetic,
more determined, stronger and longer
lived than the races with small bones
This would seem to account for three
things: ~ Our superiority to tile French
as fighting people; ~ our superiority
IS explorers and colonists; 81 our having
wOrsted France in all our encounters with
her, whether of naval, military, OF diplo
matte character.
If the above deductions are correct, we
may fairly feel proud of our big feet. But
suppose we turn our attention for mo
ment to the small feet of our French
friends.
1t is pretty certain that some day there
will be included in exhibitions of .instru-
ments of torture that modern instrument
OF torture, French boot. A Paris chiro-
podist of some note once told me that
seventy-five per cent of French people had
deformed feet. Whether this had any
foundation in fact or not l have never
been able to satisfactorily determine, but
l am strongly disposed to believe it did
not fall far short of truth For a French
man is eternally racking his brain to try
and discover the very smallest possible
amount of space into which his feet will
compress. The result of this is, as every
one has seen, that painfully mincing gait
so peculiar to French people.
He illustrates French vanity by the fol
lowing not altogether novel anecdotes.
But, as have said, French vanity is
very real thing. 1t yields to nothing or
nobody. And could this be better exem-
plified than by citing the case of the
French Duke of Lewis, who used to show
an old painting, which represented one of
his ancestors, Prince of Judah, bowling
to the Virgin Mary, who says, "Convrez-
vous mon cousin?" Then the well known
family of Croy possessed no less silly
picture, which showed Noah entering the
ark, and exclaiming, 'Sauvez les papiers
de la maison de Croy." But this quite in
keeping with the expression of Madame
de la Meilleraye, cousin of Cardinal
Richelieu, who, speaking of the Chevalier
de Savoie, a man of high birth but most
dissolute habits, who had been rebuked,
said, Depend upon it, God will think
twice before damning a gentleman af his
quality"
The Due de Clermont- Sonnerre also said,
in speaking of himself, God will never
dare to damn duke and peer"
A people who can be guilty of such silly
vanity as this may almost be pardoned for
thinking all other nations inferior to
themselves.