The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-03
SOME NEW BboHs.
Froxineial France.


have had no study Of the Fronch provinces and
OF tho agricultural population OF Franco which
can for thorouRhness be compared with TINT
whose fruits are now before us in France OF
To-day by NJ. BETHAM- EDWARDS Now York.
Lowell. Coryell 4 Cob The author. woman. has
brought together In ono volume the results Of
many tours through the agricultural districts
and small provincial towns OF France. some OF
which seem to have been prompted solely by
the aim OF getting information. while others
were undertaken In pursuance OF the authors
Official functions. she being an employee OF
the French Department Of Public Instruction
The present book docs not profess
to DO exhaustive. some important prov
inces. such az Normandy. Brittany. Artois
French Flanders. and Provence. not being
described In It. These interesting parts Of
France are to form tho subject OF second
volume. Meanwhile tho authors survey COM
prehends the Bourbonnais. AuverGne. Veldy.
Languodoc. Pyrdn6es. Anjou. Potion. Cas-
cogny Berry. Vosgos. Alsace- Lorraine.
franchc Comte. and Burgundy. What che has
sought to learn and set before MS Ia the con-
diton u French industry. and especially agri-
culture. marking incidentally tho idoas. habits
and mode OF life Of the French peasant pro-
prietors. Tho effect OF her book. which SO far
as wo know is without counterpart In
the English literature of this century. Ia first
to explain the wonderful elasticity OF the
French people under fiscal burdens and their
: unparalleled capacity for accommodating wealth.
and secondly to correct the notions Of peasant
character and conduct which have boon de-
rived from zolas novels.
- Before reviewing the authors account OF
peasant proprietorship in France 1t Is we'll to
point out some current misconceptions re-
= garding the history Of tho institution. Az a
matter Of fact peasant property dates from the
beginning Of French history. What tho revo-
luton effected was to render the condition OF
the peasant proprietor enviable. We must
cease to regard tho disruption of feulality and
the subdivision OF French soil as cause
md effect. In 1850 n fourth part OF
tho French territory was in tho hands
OF the peasant. OF population num-
bering twenty five millions four millions were
small freeholders. Now. when the population
comprises nearly forty millions. tho freehold
ers number eight millions. In tho course Of
her wanderings the author comes upon COM
nunes whose holdings remain precisely as
they were under the dnciei regime. being
neither larger nor smaller. the worry names OF
their owners handed down from generation to
generation. As far back as the States-Gen-
eral. summoned in 14s4 by the daughtero OF
Louis XI.. We find free peasants taking part in
a legislative assembly. 1t Is therefore mis-.
taken notion which is still entertained In Eng
land that peasant property. instead OF being
natural growth. was adevice invented all OF n
piece and embodied by revolutionary vio-
lehce in law. Tho sale Of church lands in
100 had by no means the consequences gem
orally supposed. About one-third Of these lands
wero made UP OF forests which wore taken
possession Of by the State: second third
comprised buildings and town property: the
mostly well-to-do bourgeois. Erroneous also
is the notion that the revolution brought
about minute subdivision of tho soil. Ac-
cording to tho highest authority In France on
this subject. large properties even now oc-
cupy nearly hall OF tho French territory and
small properties only fifth part. 1t is not
true.either. that unbroken misery was tho lot Of