The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-20

Why the French Are Weaker Than TIT
Anglo Saxous

Why the French Are weaker Than b
Anglo Saxons
New York Tribune.)
No more cruel criticism Of France has
ever been printed than that contained In
the remarkable book just published by
the w~ell-known French author and scien-
fist. Edmond Demolins. and which bears
the title Reasons for the Superiority OF
the Angio-Saxon Race" 1t is a book
which. wonderful TO relate. Is ~arousing no
anger or irritation on the part OF the
countrymen Of the writer. On the con-
trary. his statements are accepted as
true. though sad. and the Partisan press
abandoning for once in the way its bril-
liant frivolity. discusses the book with an
altogether unusual sobriety and earnest
ness, declaring hat no matter how pain
fuf the perusal Of its pages will be to
patriotic Frenchmen, it Is the bounded
duty Of the latter to swallow to the las,
drop the u~npalatable desc contained in
NJ. Demolins'S cup of bitterness.
The things that NJ. Demolins tells US
writes Jules Lemaitre, of the French
Academy, in The Paris Figaro. I'VE knew
already. and if We did not know them,
we at least suspected their existence.
But he has assembled them together. and
given concise expression thereto. and from
his essay. which is as convincing as it is
uiStI tSSlHS, We are placed lace 10 race
with our own weakness and our own in.
feriority as compared with the immense
social, political, commercial. industrial,
financial and moral superiority of the
Anglo-Saxon race. For it is not the &C
knowledged superiority of our cooks and
of our playyrights which will ever
save US, and 1t is probable that our SUI
periority in all artistic matters is nothing
more than a mere useless luxury
The eminent academician agrees with
the author Of the book that one of the
main causes Of this superiority is the fact
that the French nation is a communal or
ganization-that is to say an organiza-
ton where every one relies upon his
neighbor instead of himself. whereas the
Anglo-Saxons are a race or particularistic
f"ormation-that is to say, a race each
member which relies upon himself in
stead of anybody else. Another person is
to be found in the schools which,, accord
ing to Messrs. Lemaitre and Demolins.
turn out nothing but government officials
in France, whereas in the United States
and in England they turn out men in the
full sense of the word" Our system of ed
ucation tends to impair the growth of the
population. For, as govern
ment offices are not sufficiently remune
rative to constitute a means of livelihood,
the parents are compelled to save as many
Independent fortunes as they have chill
dren. Not only does this lead them to
have as few children as possible, but Ike
wise has the effect of withdrawing from
trade and industry money which would
otherwise be used for the development
thereof. instead Of being invested in bonds
and stocks that are often those of a for
eign government, and of no productive
ness whatever to France. In America
and in Great Britain, on the contrary,
gle of life and for enterprises of an in
dustrial, commercial and agricultural
character, rather than for underpaid gov
service. The consequence is that
money, instead of being boarded, circu-
lates, that there is no dread of an
abundance of children and that the home
lacks that tendency toward avarice which
Of the the f m i OF and an many lSw or the ela raml'if in
France"
BLIGHTING INFLUENCES OF POLL
TICS.
NJ. Demolins and his eminent reviewer,
the Academician Lemaitre, then go on to
show that the preference of the French
for public service over agricultural, in
dustrial and commercial pursuits results
in the a~bsurdity of having a national leg
ment officials, the balance being composed
of journalists, lawyers and DOCTORS, h
for the most part are far from being the
cream Of their respective professions;
which they would not have abandoned
for politics had they achieved success in
their various callings. Compared to this
the English house Of commons is compos
ed to the extent Of four-fifths Of great
landowners, manufacturers and mer-
chants, men representative, in one word,
Of the trade, the industry and the agri-
culture OF the empire.
It is thanks to this and to other analog-
Gus considerations enumerated by the
author of the book in question hat the
United States and Great Britain are more
free than any country from socialism n
from the most reactionary and backward
of all organizations, the organization
which, of all, is the most fatal to activity,
development and to individual dignity.
No wonder, then, that the Anglo-Saxon
race is destined to become before long the
master of the world. 1t has supplanted
n subjected all other races in North
in India, in Australia, and in
Africa and the remainder Of the world
that is to say, South America and that
portion of Asia not comprised by India,
through its and it's industry.
That is why the conviction is held that,
no matter what the outcome of the pres
ent imbrogliO in the Orient. it is the
Anglo-saxon race which will profit the
most thereby.