Evening star., 1898-05-14

these countries are ordinarily either friend
ly or wholly Indifferent to us. Only race
sympathy, stronger among the Latin and
Celtic than the Saxon races, as being more
clannish, would make them actively hostile
now, and whatever they do would be by the
initiative of their governments rather than
by the urgency of the popular will
But when we come to the question Of the
position of France we find altogether diff
ferent and grave conditions. The tradi-
tional friendship existing between the
United States and France, springing from
the distinguished services of the latter in
our hour of need, is greatly to the credit
of American feeling. but scarcely as much
can be said of American discernment. This
pretty sentiment has served it's time. intro
duced in gracefully srounded diplomatic
phrases on the arrival of every new en-
voy at Washington or Paris. So far as
France is concerned it can be frankly af-
firmed that it has beef1 hollow mockery.
We have absolutely nothing to gain by
avoiding any longer to look the plain facts
in the face.
Real Attitude OfiFrance.
France aided US IN lour revolution.
Granted. But it was done solely to break
the power of England, which had just dis
possessed her of Canada Her despotic
government her rotten aristocracy, had
not the slightest interest In the establish
ment of a new republic beyond the At
lantic. Lafayette was probably the only
prominent Frenchmantwbo aided us for our
selves. The French themselves took an es.rly
opportunity to show in what light they re-
garded us. We have only to consider. for
example, Volney's il-natured book about
US, followed by many similar French
works; the bullying conduct of the French
government and the course of Genet and
Napoleon. In the latter case we had to
whip several French frigates to check this
open unfriendliness. Louis Napoleon threw
the weight of French influence against us
in our civil war. How is that for friend
ship! The French press has almost uni
formly mentioned US in a tone quite the
reverse of friendly.
France is the fact that 1t is inherent in the
people, and is chronic. In most other coun-
tries the foreign policy is shaped by the
government. But in France it is dictated
by the people, vivacious. restless, witty,
tickle except in their prej1dices, and high
iy intelligent, II unbalanced. There. is no
people so generally talented, acute and
brilliant as the French, although the fact
remains that in few departments have they
achieved excellence of the first order. Ad-
mirable soldiers, their race has yet pro-
duced no Frederick. Marlborough or Well
ington; Napoleon was an Italian, the lineal
representative as Taine has shown, OF the
condotierri of the middle ages. In the navy
they have had no Nelson, De Ruyter, Perry
or Farragut Suffren alone comes within
the category Of the naval tacticians OF the
northern races. In literature they have
had no Dante, Shakespeare or Goethe. In
the arts no Raphael, de Vinci, Velasquez
or Rembrandt; in music, no Beethoven.
But intelligence with the French is more
widely distributed through the nation than
with any other European people, and they
are sufficient unto then.selves-resourceful,
and possessed of amazing vitality to rise
above crushing reverses. When minglfng
NIylf N ha Ar0 Sn IN 10 oCa Nf
Hrguenots in England and America, they
produce a racial blend Of unrivaled excel
lence. 81
French InsuInrity.
On the other hand, these qualities have
swelled their craniums, causing a colossal
coneeit, phenomenal chauvinism, an i'm
penetrable belief that no one can teach
them anything, and that what they do
not know is not worth knowing. They cam
not easily understand civilization differing
from their own: hence, what they do not
comprehend they despise or ignore. Victor
Hugo during the siege of Paris summons
the world to come to the aid of the focus
Of civilization Montaigne hints that q sim
liar notion existed in his time. De Stael,
Tocaueville, Guizot, Lataulaye and few
others have honestly tried and with mark
ed ability to do justice to Anglo-Saxon and
Teutonic institutions and character. But
their writings have produced no sensible
English and the Germans they dislike. but
respect; they have felt them power. Amer
leans they both dislike and despise, not
having yet apprehended the essential re-
fnement, energy andtintelligence of our
people any better than EMb6 Charles Elliott
Norton of Harvard University. Practically,
they know nothing about us; Lands End
Is practically the LIMIT OF their informa-
ton. Numerous instances OF this fact could
be cited. They know Jdst enough about US
to make 1T unnecessary; if their opinion,
to pursue the subjece!! enough to suggest
coarse Jokes to their sfunhy columns and
srriy paragraphs in the plate of solid news.
But, being intelligent, theyare not without
reasons. such as they" "ure, for their preju-
dices against America, according to the
class III which they move, which only
makes their prejudice more difhcult to re-
move and more serioIs. The republicans
resent our assumption to precedence in the
our inheritance of such principles from the
sturdy revolutionfsts and reformers or
England and Holland. hey claim the honor
of founding popular liberty and government
for Rousseau. Diderat, Voltaire, Mirabeau
and the bowling canaille who worshtped
legitimists, Orleanists and Napoleonists
ahke, spurn US because We are republican
upstarts. The old noblesse scorn us as
low born bourgeoisie, and the socialists, an
arcnists and laboring classes detest us as a
ration OF plutocrats. The psasantry, priests
and ana many Catholics regard US with suspi,
cion, imagining that we have strengthened
Protestant civilization; they forget that the
most advanced civilization has no state re-
hgion but should represent in practice the
GOOD that Is common to all religions. The
hterary classes, scarce reading any Ameri-
can BOOKS, sneer at US as illiferate: the
arusts. who have fattened on paintings
sold to AmaricapS vanilla nfacfnc a J