The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-09-05
FROM ACROSS THE ATLANTIC.

EhVm AChVS0 4hA AAAShNAA0s
EDITORS INTELLIGENCE In m!
last letter I gave your readers an ac
count of the fashionable Frenchman
In this respect he is not typica
Frenchman. We have to 60 OUTSIDE
of Paris to the peasant to find the typ
that represents the virtues that hav'
made this the first nation of the world
Devotees to amusement and pleasure
from all parts of the world come to thi
city to satisfy their tastes. These
are but the froth; that which is mos
solid lies deep down in the peasaRtry
have been struck recently more
forcibly with this fact, having in the
last few days made two excursions il
the country; the first to Chartres, al
old cathedral town IS miles southwest
Of Paris, the second to Fon tain bleau
where are situated the palace of the
Kings of France, and the celebrated
forest,
The journey to Chartres was a most
delightful trip-a pleasant morning
san of two hours. Our route lay
through grain district, where the
crop is being harvested. 1t would
have delighted the farmers Of Ander'
son county to have teen such a harvest
Herr, they would have found intensive
farming in the true sense Of the word.
The waving wheat, high and thick,
was a trembling mass Of gold. The
large shocks Of that which had been
harvested literally covered the ground.
Orchards, whose fruit was ripening;
fields Of turnips, whose green made an
excellent complement to the yellow Of
the wheat; gardens, whose products
were destined for the markets Of Paris,
Versailles, or Chartres; hamlets of
farm houses, all white washed, and
many thatched; herds Of COWS and
sheep, grazing in the fields; flowers
growing about the doors Of even the
most humble cottages, showing that
thrift and the love Of the beautiful
had their abode there; all these were
passed in quick succession.
I had often wondered how this coun-
try could produce enough to support
its population. The whole of France
contains an acre less than the State of
Texas and has population of thirty
seven millions, nearly two-thirds that
of the whole United States. Perhaps
a still more striking example of the
productiyeness Of the soil is to be
found in Belgium, where the people to
all intents and purposes are French.
It is the most densely populated coun-
try in the world, yet it produces more
than enough grain for home consump-
tion.
T have thought sketch of the
French farmer might be Of interest
and profit to your readers.
In the first place, he is very indus
trious; lazy one is phenomenon.
He, is economical, and does not try to
keep up with the fashion. He has
not time to initiate the rich; if he had,
he cannot afford, it.. One who does
not know the customs Of the country
would suppose that all Frenchmen
dressed in the latest style. Nothing
could be greater mistake. The
country people dress neat and clean,
but plain, many of them wearing wood
en- shoes. You would not hear Of one
of them buying Western buggy on a
credit to take pleasure drives in.
They have their yfetes where they
enjoy themselves in true French style,
but for the most part they walk to
them.
! The French peasant makes all that
it is possible for him to make at home.
He produces more than he consumes,
and consequently always has money.
This makes it so that the wealth Of
France is better distributed than in
any other country of the world. A
bright illustration of this was seen
after the late Franco-Prussian war,
when the French government had to
pay Prussia the sum of one billion
dollars. The working people brought
their gold and stood in line for hours
where the bonds were sold in order to
take them up.
/ have thought what contrast there
is between the small farmer here and
in the South. Here he is prosperous
and happy on few acres. With us
he scratches over 25 or 80 acres with
one horse! goes to town after his sup
plies, and by his manner of living
makes others rich, and himself poor,
blames the government for his poverty
and is unhappy generally. The rene
dy for the Southern farmer lies at
home, with him individually. With a
virgin soil, naturally fertile, he ought
to be the most prosperous in the
world.
If the South we're to raise half the
cotton that it now does, l believe it
would realize as much money for the
crop as it does, on account OF the sim
pie rule of supply and demand. This
could very easily be raised on one
fourth the land now cultivated. An
other fourth could be devoted to grain
and other supplies for the farm
Lie oo,,1d he