The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-30
FRANCE NOT SO FRIENDLY.
CHANGE OF s~EETIMERT SHOWN
TOUzRD AMERICANS.

,,,er. and Among the Peepie-The Change
Due Partly to Commercial ant Political
rou.es and Partly 60 - New Pstnt or View.
PANS. Jan. 2l.-Pcrhaps one thing moro than
,rv other which will surprise tho American who
,t,vs long enou III In France to get an idea of
sondi,ions beneath the surface will DO the dis.
soverv ot the sentiments entertained for his ma
tL,, nv n certain class OF the French. Indeed. IL
ho ho An assiduous newspaper reader, choosing
his journals impartially. u long stay will not DO
necessary tho sentiments spoken OF arc not
rent In tho background. They are OF such q
tsnor that hc is at first surprised by them, then
sbockel: he has. II may DO assumed, been
taught to regard France MS the traditional friend
ofAmerica and ten to one he has mental visions
NJ FRANKLIN and OF Lafayette before his eye when
\. masses through the French custom house.
Tho question then arises within him az to
vhethcr the French press, when II gives voice
In tho opinions he reads in 1t, really reflects
,onnlar feeling - tho feeling of France for
America.
when, for instance. he sees French papers Of
avery class giving open, or but half-vciled, sup
mort to Spain in the Cuban question, defining
possible American interference as preposterous
and impertinent; whom he sees them advise
spain to declare war upon us. assuring her OF
the sympathy and support Of all Europe, and
maintaining UnuU tno tnSk VI tuThon1nB ub WOulu
DO but half q task; when he sees them seriously
oounsclling o league Of European powers to
COMBAT, now tho Monroe doctrine, now the
Dlngley tariff, again just American presump-
tion"; when he secs in nearly every issue of
half the French journals, whether they DO of
Paris, Of Lyons, of Bordeaux. OF Marseilles.
or Of q country village. sncers at American
honor, American honesty, American intelli.
rence, American civilization, American society,
or American what-not-then he begins to won
der where this traditional friendship of France
for America keeps itself. He may epend weeks
or months searching the columns Of the press
for q single favorable or appreciative word Of
America, and no seeks In vain; IL there 10 any
thing at all to DO said by the French editor. 1t
is always something evil-something Of %ridicule,
Of spite, or of disdain. 1t may De but o sneer or
q slur, but it is there all the same.
Americans who have lived long in France say
that this attitude Is not confined to the press.
because tho press has taught the people but
that 1t is all the growth of the last ten years.
They hold that the change In France since the
Franco Prussian war is not moro radical than
the change in French character. The French
people have been soured by adversely and tax
alton; once they hated only the English; then
came the Germans to occupy q place on the
wrong side of them, then the Italians, then tho
Austrians, then tho BelRians, and last the
Americans. In all these dislikes commercial
grievances played no small part, and politics did
the rest. The Dingley bill, these people soy. has
only brought to q elimination all that has been
brewing for the last decade.
It does not seem 80 long ago, certainly, since
Edouard Laboulaye used to make the Chamber
OF the Deputies ring with his panegyrics of
America and American institutions. They
called him the "Americo-maniac" then, but
too. Nowadays a mention Of America In the
Same place Is received In dead silence; some-
tim s,t Tiih , sare EranoS Sm nniisjo, Il Is a, mot 80 ,o Long
and America in tho Revolutionary war. The
recalls only the incident Of the days Of Maxi.
milan, when Napoleon III. received a demand
our navy, found it to be the most formidable
forces from the American continent. That is
modern French politician.
There is great discomfort in France. said q
wanted to know something about this national
change Of feeling. The masses. so-called. are
want . monarchy again and those who want
mn ssS,is sS5ss e, ana Nd s NIX. aS s,S sSn.T si1ss. i Sy vi sss s, s;
United States. and that country gets the blame.
because the FreSnch Republic. Is lot a
good one. These malcontents argue that
sSre it .m NOT for % the nc EXAMPLE lsRHo'i Of the II tfa1si
sy the Roy"iists and the ffmHperislists they liked
the United States as long as they were a minor
power. and as long as France was safely a mon
archy. These things breed resentment. FL
may be called upon to govern, are jealous of the
prosperity Of the United States. feeling that that
P PrSs. Of Fsa rs az ' and c ths;y a are Sa Also N jealous %nn Of the dS,
growing power of America as a nation. Just as
Germany and other European nations are jeal-
think that the feeling against America in France
Is widespread, but l think 1t is very genuine"
self of views very similar. When asked II there
were not also a social side to the question, he
In adelicate matter Of that kind I can only
pc general. In the first place. you must remem-
Der that American families in France, even
not often become acquainted with French fam.
HES: We are expansive. but. for some reason
single instance Of an American family bocom.
The American eoiony, q Paris. as you know. Is
bers. plus a large contingent Of French un-
married men, who, OF course. go everywhere.
when one Of their young men marries an
American girl. because tho young, man
often Sss d is tb rsss scns 81 . e. a w fsssf he a asssn :
an American girl he ia. usually very much In
debt, and finds himself unable to get o girl in
~ Y Supitui " pay. ~ 10 u
commercial transaction purely, and Is so re-
Rarded by the French. That 10 why the huB.
5and's relatives receive the girl as a matter of
duty and draw the line at her family. Outside
Of these cases, where the American wife takes
her place in the social scale Of the husband,
you could count on the fingers Of ono hand
eoiyed into what is called good society.
and these few are mostly men. The Ameri-
S Gan diplomatic representative and his, fam.
ny, II he have any, are, of course. always
received officially; but he never is able to &c
pure the social connections that. say, the Brit
TN and German Ambassadors have. Yes. ! be-
.ieyei II must be admitted that there is a strong
sociai prejudice against Americans In France.
Shd IL is growing rather than otherwise. Per-
naps n is because the Americans we sec mostly
IA ms country have little to them
eut their wealth. France. as you know. is dit
Ierent from England in that respect; money
meyer opens the doors Of good society"
Ihree other Frenchmen-a merchant, an edi-
tor, ana a diplOmatist-were asked to answer
dhe same question: Do the French, as a nation.
aislike Americans The merchant was cautious.
e. H. thought that perhaps a good many ParIsians
eiu, oat he could not say why. The editor was
more frank. lie said yes. nobody liked Ameri-
cans; they were ~boastful. dishonest. untruthful,
SSstsntatious; He had never met any Americans.
however, The diplomatist denied that there