New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-15
FRENCH AND ENGLISH.
MAX O'RELL FINDS DISNREEARLE PEOPLE.

ENGLISH PHARIsEES AND FRENCH CRoCoDiLES
AND OTHER ANGLOFRENCH TYPICAL CliAE,
ACTERS BY Max ORcll. PIP. vi 234. Cassell
| Publishing Company.
| There is one point that escaped Max O'RelFs
attention II is a matter OF common report that
the reason why the jokes pf the clown at the
circus are so frequently stale is the difficulty OF
| inventing new which will make people laugh
The popularity OF a wtticism in the amphitheatre
is, then. no proof Of either merit or novelty, bnt
only of public obtuscness. SO when the nuthor
makes some unpleasant illusions 10 certain fellow
craftsmen whose books do not sell as well as his
own, he uses an argument liable like an over
loaded gun, TO do much damage at the breech
| rs at the muzzc. Those whom he thus sets of
| as failures in literature may. in return say that
| it was not by the novelty Of his material that
Max O'Rell attracted the public. Tley may point
TO this volume and declare that unqucstionabc
Joe Mllec,' like the story of the Englishman
who. after a railway accident, coolly searched
| among the fragments Of his servant for his keys
belongs rather to the circle Of sawdust than 10
the circle of things worth writing. They may
object 10 a we-lSnown anccdotc of Brinslcy Sheri-
dan ana his Tom" that. amusing as it was
at the outset. has long been relegated by story
tcllers 10 place alongside the gcsta of the antique
John Bull out colonizing with sword in one
hand and Bible in the other is almost as
familiar TO Anglo-Saxons as ST. Peter in bottle
green robes is 20 the Gallo Roman Catholic They
may thus select many scattered paragraphs that
are hardly above the level Of the wit that annually
rccurs in a certain class of almanacs
But after they have done their worst they will
ne forced TO confess that much has been left
worthy of Max ORcll and worthy Of his theme
without pretending to decide upon It's truth. one
may applaud the dcXtcrity of this thrust There
Is no place for the poor at the banquet Of fc
IN England. For them. beer and the Bible
only.-TheS take beer Not even M church is
there room for them. What the pastors want
are sheep who viii take a pow by the year and
put silver pieces OIL the plate The English will
not open their museums on Sunday SAYS the
sitlrls, but meanwhile the London tavcrns
rmain open. which proves that the English bigots
consider gin and beer more powerful moral s,imu-
lanfs than the masterpieces OF great artists.
The French peasant. though be- may neglect tbc
duty Or churchgolng except on Grand occasions j.
attracted by the Snsuous imagery - the religion
winch IS part Of his heritage. but the poorer
ci'sSrS OF England are cstrangcd hy The spirituality
CT Professionalism which they cannot Understand
Here the author finds the excuse for tho SALIVA
n
lions bctFay the contrast in religion The French
reverence the body and love To frequent thr ulacc
where 1t has been laid away IN It's last res, To
the English thr body is only worthless shot,
ana they Willingly leave it 10 monlder in solitude
The Catholic layman j. not a theolorian ,bc
Protestant is as much II 4 thcoorian - flo
clergyman who addresses him from the pulnit
every Sunday He Sits nj! that h, hears n.
church. ana wor e. the sermonizcr vino stems bc
yond the pale II orrhodaNv,
Inc DOCK received its title from y f,rci,,I
though suggestive contrast between ,lo farms ,,
hypocrisy Characteristic Of the two nations In
me Time OF Molicrc Tartgnc was pos-iblc Tbo,
j. 10 say, parsonage answering in a mci.urc
10 NE Chadband, Pccksnf and Stigpinx If
hcRehss satire was actually i'm existence Now
ne mas disappeared. His place has been taken.
80 fAr - II could IA" taken. by q creature whom
Ma\ - Ken calls a crocodile snivcllinr sen
tlm"ntalist who is an endless fountain, If tear.
n'' whose eyes are always dry enough 10 catch
The elcam of silver. He seems Fl M. an animal
as despicabc as the parasite Of the old Greek and
Latin comedy. TIE studious fortune. huntinc zeaI
Of the creatures whom Lucan treats with sucl,
scorn seems 10 bc initiated by the Partisan bvpo
critics. II one should see both classes a, fine
funeral OF rich relative he could hardly dis
'ineuish the sycophants Of modern Paris from
thos" Of ancient Athens. The English hvpocritc
takes on the color Of Puritanism and seems Ike
the Pharisac in the parable. always 10 be con
graduating himself the fact that he is not n.
other mcr are
No money. no EnGli-hman," s1vs Max O'RolI
II" cannot contain his DISGUST Of the custom Of
giving presents in pounds NJ weddings I'm France
only servants would be thus favored But surely
il j. an rlnunbla
never offend an Englishman by Offering him
money TIE line must he drawn somewhere.
when il comes To statements that includc whole
race in one sweeping condemnation. In France
danagcH for an insult would hc given - the
poor, in England the implication is that they
wound be carried 10 the bank. The author adds
with bitterness 1t is not ut the Abbey Of
Westminster, il is on the facade Of The Bank Of
England that there ought 10 hc written Here
England shows her gratitude 10 her great men
But France is Possessed by the demon Of change
She is dragged about INCREASINGLY rs Paris, and
the banterng wit Of the Gaul leaves no tradition
untouched. hardly even word without I'M |
pleasant associations :" 1t viii soon b" impossible
to pronounce the word file in good society. -
says the author. except 10 express relationship
Yet in spite If skill in sarcasm and senstivcnrs,
10 II. the Frcnchnar never thinks Of APPLYING
~ 10 hiS po1tlcs Whcn he cOntriycS public |
demonstrations Ill honor Of some ism 10 which !
he has fancy. he takes himself seriously and hr
is not happy until tie Government also has taken !
him seriously. When the authorities interfere |
with him he enjoys his grievance with added |
zcst. One cannot help wondering what the r. |
suit would he # Max O'RcIl's advice were ar |
ccp:cd. and the Minister OF the Iutcrior were |
TO act upon profession Of genial ind ference |
toward people who insist on marching about |
with a red nag and on b'owng up persons whom |
they do not ike with dynamite bombs. Possibly |
III his love for rural France and in his admiro |
ton Tor the stcady-gOng middle classes and |
pcasantry OF the country, the author has for |
gotten the inference naturally 10 be drawn from |
bis own criticisms, namely, that Paris is not |
France.
IL is here that one comes upon vital defect |
III NJ Boucts method Of COMPARISON lie |
insists upon taking the reader away from Paris
ilp rnfirpl unnl.S IL L.