The evening times., 1900-03-08
Definitions Presented by a Lecturer
and Book Writer.
Views Entertained by Max O'ReH,
offence often Prevented by Telling
the Truth i'm LudicrOus Way
Admiration for the American Girl.

! lists, serious and grave in manner His
1 face is lined into sadness and he talks
slowly, seldom with laugh, though often
! with slight and rather melancholy smi e.
| What he said in an interview yesterday
was marked by a hesitation to express ex-
| treme opinions and a kind and humorous
! perception of the truth of the other side.
Perhaps am little graver than usual
today be said, for | have a stomach
| ache-a good condition TO be ip. perhaps.
now that 1 am preparing my Studies of
CheeIfulness, which will partly form the
subjects of my lectures on the present
tour.
But am always serious he continued
Il do not think there is any humor with
out seriousness. Humor without pbiloso-
ply is an impossibility. or course, there
are men who tell funny stories who have
no philosophy, but they are not hume. lists.
Humor deals with truth with reality
In my books and lectures | tell the truth
| about the people. and they laugh because
the likeness is correct. | think ! have
made the best picture of John Bull, and
the Englishmen laugh at the truth OF ii.
The Prince of Wales, after reading John
Bull, laughed and said: Max o'RelI knows
too much about us
"Of course" he resumed "humor is not
merely a statement Of fact. IL you say to
dnotHtI fOu q II Is not
humorous. even if he be a liar But il you
say. What you have said does not entirely
coincide with the absolute truth you are
getting nearer humor. One definition of
humor might be an apparent distortion of
truth. / am not sure IL is a good deflni-
tion, but il illustrates what | mean. You
play about the actual fact always suggest
it. but never directly state it,
Another element of humor is the kind
lures. for instance ] often put the Amer
lean girl on her pedestal. ! leave her there,
too but tell the truth about her, so that
people smile. She remains what she is a
noble creature. but one laughs neverthe
less You must go about TO do it. and take
In the indefinite suggestions of her posi-
tion and character.
Il am enabled. with humor, 10 tell the
truth without offence | can tell every
thing. without fattery and without insult.
make no enemies. and when I come back
to the people | have written about they
welcome me II Rabelais that great man
my countryman had said what he did
without humor. he would have been tied to
the stake. Wit. on the other hand is bit
Ter. Voltaire's wit helped to bite France
into a revolution La Rochef0ucauld, our
wittiest writer. has done more harm with
his witty cynicism than any writer OF
France"
NJ Blouet spoke enthusiastically OF Al
phonse Daudet not only as a serious, but
also as a humorous. writer. and again en-
phasiZed the connection between truth
and rumor.
What We French, as indeed most OF
the writers OF Europe aim at. he said,
lis the truth, even If it is disagreeable"
In this connection the French writer de-
clined to give an opinion of English and
American contemporary literature. He
spoke with sympathy. however, of the
Anglo Saxon's desire 10 have the women
read all the novels and magazines. and
was not prepared TO say whether he
thought that the production of the best
literature was limited in England and
America by the fact that il was written
largely for the women.
we have no popular magazines in
France he said. and our magazines and
reviews are consequently serious and not
fitted TO be read by great many people.
The Revue de Paris was started with
the idea that a portion of it would be de-
voted to something light. in order TO OBJ
tain wide circulation. but the Revue de
Paris, too, is intelligent and wei writ
ten.
Il find" be continued. that the Eng
lish writer's often deal with the unpleas-
ant subjects with which Zola for instance,
occupies himself But the Frenchman more
often handles this subject with grace and
we in France are willing TO read anything
which is true, if it he well written. But
the Englishmen when they tackle such
things dt it so club-footedly that il is often
Moore, for instance"
Here NJ Blouet drew in his breath with
a slight hiss. as il his taste was panied by
an ugly picture.
1T is true" he proceeded, that many
people read Zola and others because of
their subjects, but there are also many
who read them in spite of their subjects
for these writers are attractive. although |
they do not make vice attractive, which. if
they did. would be immortality"
NJ. Blouet, although naturally in SYM
pathy with the genius of the French race.
deplores the actual situation in Paris.
NO great writer he said can come
from those who live constantly in that city. |
They write in thoughtful and polished !
style, but are not great. j. X. Huys- |
manns indeed, one of the most thought |
ful of them, is half crazy and l believe !
will die in the retirement OF a monastic |
order
But what does a little literary talent !
count" he exclaimed lin comparison to !
what forms the backbone and strength OF /
millions of dollars as the price of !
peace, and We could never have paid il but I
for the women. 1t was the millions of I
women all over France who saved, who /
stored up francs In the toes of stockings !
and in a corner of the cupboard. who saved |
our country. The French woman always |
holds the purse and furnishes the practical |
sense. The peasant woman controls the |
finances of the menage, and in the cities
the wife is the bead of the small shop
business and has the money under lock and |
Key. Even in big financial transactions the
wife is the constant adviser of her hus
band. 1t is the French woman who looks
TO the main chance and really enables |
France TO exist as nation. The difference
between the French and American woman
IS that the American woman stays at home |
while the French woman follows her hus-
band TO his place of business and takes
control of things.
"Of course" said NJ Blouet in answer
to the inevitable question, call Europe
admires the American girl. She has the
style and assurance of the French woman
and a piquancy and freedom of her own
The women of France and the women o.
America are similar in the fact that they |
ire superior relatively to the French men
md the American men-to you and me-
When il was suggested to NJ. Blouet that
he French men were superior to the wom-
IN in certain things such as literature,
ri apd ba lad f,,II, |