Morning journal and courier., 1893-03-29

home, and where the same persons who
saluted but yesterday on bearded cheeks
may salute to-day with clsshtng swords
aad eyes aHArne with hatred
That there 10 . great contrast between
city Life and country life viii readily be
believed. This Is true IN every nation,
though, for obvious reasons, It is especial
ly true In France. There Ia only one Paris.
and whatever Its eIcellences or failures
otherwise, all will sgree that for ea,ety.
for wine and song and dance, and for ali
the other arta and diversions which, by
the worldly minded, are thought neces
sary to drive dull care away and to kin
time pleasantly, this city by the Seine
has no rival In Europe or America But
from Partisan boulsvards to the quaint,
sleepy hanlets of France, what 9 chAnssi
You can find rural hooks where even the
Parisian language would not be undsrstood
and as TO Partisan habits and MANNER.
II Is q happy fact In some respects that
rural life as whole In as different from
Paris life as one could either desire or i'm
sgine. II the best authorities are to be
credited, country life In France In as
much distinguished for dullnsss as city
life Is for gaiety. 1t Is said, too, that In
the former of these cstegoriss must be
olassed the sort of life to which French
men are accustomed In the general aver
age of their good sized towns
Rsturning again to q subject of com
manding sttractiveness, IL is the boast of
Frenchmen that they are devoted admir-.
ara OF the fair eek. Woman is their
Idol, thsy tell rs. We quote only that
which Is common In both their conyer-
sation and their literature when we SAY
tnat as regards the generality of French
men, sit Is case of woman worship.n
II, however, we admit this, and then
look around for the evidences of such
worship, how many things we see which
stagger usl If the French are true wor-
shippers Of woman, how strange 1t seems
that everywhere In the lower classes she
is an equal participant with the male
species In the drudgery of daily toll,
Why is 1t, too, that French law makes
the wife sharer with the husband in
the expenses of family life, and that
French custom drsgs her 60 often into
an active partnership with him In stors
and msrketi One would think, too, that
q nation of woman worshippers would
make laws for the protection of women
against tie treschery and bAseness Of
men. Instead of this, however, we find
that betrayed girl in France is not al
lowed even the poor solace of an sction
in court against her teducsr, and has no
claim upon him for the support Of her
dishonored offspring What this means
in country reporting 73, ,9S6 cases of H.
Legitimacy for 1891 the reader may imsg-
Inc for himself. We only note these
facts as affording another instance of the
wide discrepancy one SO often fnds be-
tween French sentiment and French prac-
toe
Extending our observations to the de-
partment of politics, We still find extrsmes
meeting and contrasts of various kinds
obtruding upon our notice. But within
this realm greater charity Ia called for
France is trying an experiment In her
political life. She is on a comparatively
new tack; whereas socially and religious
ly she 10 the finished product of q thou
sand years of steady evolution. In the
latter aspect she challenges criticism; In
the former department shs appeals for
sympathy. 1t is not at all strange that we
should and In France, side by side with
the triumphant champions of democracy,
q set of people animated By pride of
birth and warmly attached TO monarch
cal institutions. Perhaps, moreover, one
of these classes Is ss reasonably excusa-
bic for it's love Of the old forms ~ the
other Is presumptively right In its msinte-
nance Of the new. In any case, Glass an
tsgonism Of this sort is only what we
might expect, considering that II is yet but
twenty years since the republic experienced
Its third resurrection. Pity 1t is, though,
that the real sristocrscy should have SO
many shoddy imitstors-thst 60 many
Freuohmen as they get rich, finding no
king to ennoble them, should, as MI.
Hamerton ssys, "feel justified in emo
bling themselves" aud should be 80 ally
as to think that by putting the de be-
fore thsir names they blossom at once
into Q Sc; of beings for whom q replbli-
can government is not good enough.
We could also wish that the French,
having committed themselves to republi-
canism, were less fond of decorations than
they are. The red ribbon Of the Legion
of Honor Is as common on PsriEsan thor
oughfares as gsshed cheeks are In Berlin,
and is given away, one would think, with
almost ss free a hand as degrees are Law
ished upon American clergymen.
As practical illustration of what France
can afford MS in the way Of political con-
trasts we note two recent occurrences In
the French capital One Was the decree of
the municipal council of Paris, condemn.
ing to destruction the unique looking
"Chspelle Expistoire," on Boulevard
Hsusmann, erected by Louis XVIII to the
VI A1aAo a VI AAu AhIAc AuND4-
nette, and the other was when, a tew
weeks later, upon the centennial Rnniver-
sary of Louis XVI, most of the churches
/ Of Paris held services, and were draped In
| mourning In his honor, the service at the
fashionable Church of st. Francois Xavier
being attended, as the papers told us, by
"the entire sristocrsoy of Fsubourg Sain,
German" and BY many representatives, OF
French royalty. Here was contrast In
deed, and perhaps there Is food for refse.
/ ton in IL.
Among all the nations where shall we
| fnd one more welded than the French
to the love of glory, or q people more
given than these formerly were to the
| worship of great names. II would seem,
/ though, as if all the heroes of France were
now dead. Certainly there Is no living
| greatness which commands worship or
| even permanent respect. Popularity In
these days Is the sure precursor of de-
struction. Here sgain do We see the vsri-
ance which exists between French senti-
ment and French practice. The national
heart pants for great leaders, but French
| jealousy, like the unkindly frosts of spring,
seems determined to blight the budding
sprouts of genius before they have time to
ripen. This tendency Is as distinctly rec
ogniEed by thoughtful Frenchmen as by
students from the outside, and we do not
wonder that they ses awful possibilities OF
| mischief In It.
Spite of the publicity which they give
on church and tchool, and town hall, and
everything else, to their national motto,
the French are far from enjoying to the
full either liberty, equality or fraternity.
There is less liberty for Ae individual in
France than in England. As TO equality,
there Is q better chance in France than in
England to acquire property, and partiou-
larly land. Perhaps, too, the Frenchmen
are more equal than Eoglishmen before
the law and in the enjoyment of political
| rights. But social equality Is no more to
be looked for In one country than In the
other, and in regard to fraternity, nation
which Is ceasing to believe In the father
hood of God can hardly be expected to IL
lustrate In any marked degree what lie
meant by the brotherhood of man. Here,
then, Is another contrast, but we torbear
/ to dwell upon 1t, for, after all, the people
of France, in their political aspirations,
and In the bold experiment of self govern
ment they are making, deserve charity and
comnendation far more than censure or
even friendly criticism, and IL Is quite GER
tain that their greatest dangers lie, not in
this department, but within social and
moral realms. b. T.
II