The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-08-24

ing that he knows of but one hospital
in Europe, the Urban hospital, of
Berlin, that can compare with the
John Hopkins hospital, while as to
American hospital nurses he says:
"Not only have we in France nothing
comparable to them, but there does
not exist in our country an institu
ton which can really be said to be an
autominous and complete school of
laic hospital nurses. What has been
done in Paris in this direction cannot
be compared with similar institutions
in the United States" DR.. Baudoin
was also impressed with the dental
schools of Ann Arbor, and in general
pays high compliment to American
universities, ascribing their excellen-
ce to the fact that whereas in France
professors are chosen by competitive
examination, in America they are
chosen for their scientific attainments,
which assures the triumph of special
ization.
In the department of geographical
service Commandant Defuges also
finds much in which America excels,
especially in instruments of Preci-
sion" in the making of which he says
everything in America is constructed
with all the perfection and neatness
that could be desired, while the ap-
paratus of the United States coast
and geodetic survey is pronounced
"the most original that has been
erected up to the present time" M.
Mascart, also, pays the United States
high compliment in the matter of
utilizing electricity, the machines and
apparatus, he says, being always
simple in form and easily managed.
Perhaps M. LIE Soudier, leading
Paris publisher, furnishes the great
est surprise in what he has to say
about American books and printing,
the latter being an art in which, by
general consent, Paris excels. Praise
from such a source is, therefore,
praise indeed. M. LIE Soudier says
in general that "the American people
have advanced with the strides of
giant. Up to the present time
no other nation has offered such
spectacle" American book making
he says, ''is really marvellous, and it
is no exaggeration to say that in this
department the United States occu-
pies one of the first places, if not the
first place, and as legitimate result
of the fact, and the universality of
education he says, "there are more
rich and well-arranged libraries in
the United States than in any other
country of the world, perhaps" The
American way of building great uni
versities, both by State aid and pri-
vate endowment, is also cited as an
other remarkable feature of our edu-
cational growth, as also the generous
rivalry in creating useful and rhilan-
thropic institutions.
There are, of course, scattered
through these volumes some inciden-
tai criticisms of American life and
manners, such as the American deft-
ness in describing parabolas with
tobacco saliva and the ubiquity of
the cuspidor, and these have been
mentioned SO often before that they
cease to interest.
Another and far more serious criti-
cism is that of M. Albert SUISSE, the
bronze artist maker, when he de-
scribes the disgraceful way in which
American bronze manufacturers coun-
terfeit French models. Mr.. Custe,
in his recent letter from Japan, makes
the same charge against the Japanese
as regards American and French ar
tistic manufacture. Could the Japa
nese have learned their art of coun-
terfeiting in American shops2 1t
seems probable, in view of M. Susse's
stern and just arraignment of this
disgraceful practice. M. Victor Le-
grand also declares that Americans
"are as vain as the Castilian, and
that if we possess everything else in
unlimited quantities we certainly
haven't modesty." This latter critic,
however, seems to be American in
this characteristic, for certainly no
Chicagoan so far, has ventured such
a diatribe as this on the glories of
the city by the lake: "The prodig-
eously rapid growth of Chicago is
without example in the history of
nations. Nineveh, Babylon, Athens,
Rome, Byzantium, succeeded in at
tracing the worlds attention after
long years of grandeur and prosper
ity, but none attained SO rapidly
such an extraordinary development.
Its history recalls the tale of The
Arabian Niphts.'"