New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-10

nhM Piles blsckhesds, chapped. rough. red and oily
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conventions governs French manners, customs, and
external life generally that Frenchman VIII
pardon anything but breach of etiquette; that
the influence OF Catholicism is everywhere ap-
parent in the country, though the average French
man has long ceased TO care for religion.
There Is a chapter on women, and another on
morality. Mr. Brownell evidently wrote under a
certain restraint on both these subjects, and per-
haps to this is due the deficiency Of persuasion an
| his argument. The Philistine Americans, whom
he is SO unfortunate as to call his countrymen are
nc doubt too undeveloped and crude as yet TO
| appreciate the ethical themes which have their
| part in producing the elevatiug moral example
| which France now and for long time past has
offered the world The French view Of marriage
has never perhaps had a stancher apologist than
| Mr. Brownell. and yet somehow he fails to be
| convincing upon this truly missionary ground
The marriage de convenaEce,' followed by o
freedom which, If one may believe q respectable
array Of French writers, is apt to issue IN what
outside barbarAns arc accustomed to call hbertn-
ism probably has its origin in the socal instinct
and tho universal good taste which are the heritage
Of every Frenchman; but the essayist may after
AN be right In suspecting that the time Is NOT yet
ripe for seriously recommending the Gallo system
4 abroad. The chapter on French morality is m
teresting and amusing. IL may well be Deneved
that tho common ideas on the subject are largely
erroneous, but stin IL cannot be forgotten that
the world has derived these ideas mainly from
French literature. Travellers, and especially Eng
lish travellers, have no doubt colored their I'M
pressions with Puritanic preconceptions, ana the
natural difficulty of interpreting the Latin TO the
Teutonic mind has had it's part In the matter.
I ftl made
for the operatou Of these disturbing influences, the
fuct remains that the concrete illustrations OF
French morality freely preferred for examination
have not been OF a. character to suggest radical
alteration OF the early views.
In one respect Mr.. Brownell appears TO have
| reached the truth. He perceives the ruhns
characteristic OF the French TO be Materiallsm.
This indeed in the lever which moves thcir
civilization IL underhes every national trait,
and IL explains them 0ll though by no means
usually upon the lines laid down In this volume
The infericrity Of French poetry is the Key 70 q
MAGAZINE of important truths Excellence n TINS
branch of literature has been denied the French,
and IL Is not the language that Is in iaule Du'
what goes behind languagc-the natlona spirit
The French defect Of character Is lack Oh iueaE
ism, and it follows from this that the cnarSc.er
Is not deep, that it Is capricious, ana tnaC WIN
all its artistic sense IL tends 70 0oth lrIVohT aho
an extravaganza which is one OF the worst SINS
against taste Mr.. Brownell would delenu even
French extravaganza, Us exhibited in the Revo-
lrt,oparv and pogt-Revolutionary periods But
.hjs "a imnoss,ble The bastard Caesarism was
only Vrotesaue. The hybrid fashions which sue
ceeded were wholly alien to artistic feehng Oh
any kind. It is really little too much 70 attempe
TO find in the preposterous costume Oh an
" Ineroyable,n for instance some deep ana dark
art-svmbolism The truth Is that when tne french
fall into one of their periodical nenIies sney
revert 10 barbaEism, and cease ~ Seay 'nsN
advanced thu standard Of that lofty ciylnzsuon
which Mr. Brownell thinks oil the world ought
10 copy after them.
Tn truth. the national materialism Is exmploed
In many ways not taken account Oh mere Ane
sordid parsimony which is so notable trait o,
the French peasantry, their concentration Oh OIL
nassIons in IN overmastering earth-hunger, the
to which thus form ,S o Of an ngrained
materaiism which Is essentially opposed 70 an
true development. Ii Is this aIso Wmon unoernes
the so-oalled social instinct o. & g nnts
socini conventions before ethical principles, I'M
p1rtS so hard and superficial polish to society,
and the same time leaves S.bg Nh mUS
cscribes the political restlessness and instability
Of his fayorite nation to the fact that they take
themselves too Soflouslyi laoV e,S VAaseohSt
W ,1bich would hardly be suspected by students
of-sny, Boulangsm, for instence. Indeed, para
dox a. necessary rather too often 70 the formula
ton Of a plausible explanation OF many French
nhenomena and even its employment Is condti
| jnned upon exclusion OF not few awkward
facts. Thus IL may be Thought 9dd that in s s
iletion receives only the most Indirect and Writ
uaIly evaslve treatment, and tne reader may
wonder how the question OF national morality
or Of sense and sentiment or Of the art instinct
or Of manners, or Of women, could have been con
$1,000 =. ,uithont any reference 20 this topic Blu
it must be perceived that French Stion can b
lines. for neither good snste, nor sound morals
nor high nrt, Is illustrated by T. y Is index
an admirahie illustration Of the effects Of
national spirit wholly matcrislistic but then
While Mr. Browneli In terms admits the material
ism be Il not prepared TO admit too many OF Tn
phenomena which testify TO Its dominant in
| huence 4. s..... -. a..
value of. a study elaborated with manifest pains
tah4mg ambtious IN 3 remarkable degree an.
sufficicntly Stimulating profpndity 20 pass 70
nrofound with such 90 reed without reftectina
} | or are Obliged 70 TAXA too much for granted he
cause their own experiences wiz not serve tnen