The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-10
ssss. FIutterlr ON War.

D<1SS Oh w
Among the Americans whom Charles
Battell Loomls met abroad was one who
furnished him with the substance of a
paper in the April Century entitled Lit
tie Miss Flutterly's Dissertation on War"
II was on shipboard that he met her,
and he was pleased by her pretty face
and soft Southern accents.
When do you suppose the Boer war
will end?" she asked.
Before / could reply she went on
swiftly and softly and irresistibly: Don't
you think wars are cruel! I'd hate to see
French war. because the French must
be awfully cruel, judging by their cab
men. My! their horses did look so tir-
ed out. So different from the horses in
Amsterdam and The Hague. Didn't you
love Holland? So awfully neat. The
vegetables were piled up so prettily on
the carts. That reminds me that l saw
i'll a paper the other day that sweet po-
tatoes are unknown in England. Just
fancy! well. they're only just beginning
to use ice, they're SO conservative. You
know, they think it's bad for the stom-
ach. heard pa say that he thought gin
was much worse. 1t must be awful stuff,
almost as bad as absinthe. l never
tasted absinthe, but in Paris my brother
Tom wanted to see what it was like, and
he had to be brought home, although
there isn't any word for home in French.
l wonder how they can sing Home,
Sweet Home But did you know that
we haven't any word fer country? You
know, the French say patrie, but we
can only say country and of course
that might mean the place where you go
on your vacation.
"Oh, dear me, hum, my vacations all
most over, and have had the loveliest
time. I'll have to begin school the week
after we land. / tell mother I've learn
ed more about foreign countries than
all the arithmetics and grammars in the
world could teach me. What country
did you like best? I thought that Bel
GUM was next to Holland 1 don't
mean geographically; of course 1 know
that; but 1t was heater there than in
Paris. But Holland was the neatest. I'll
never forget the vegetables piled up on
the carts. But Holland was the neat
est. Don't you think it is shocking for
a mother to smoke? Like as not when her
sons grow up they'll take to smoking,
too. I think it's kind of fun, don't you
know, but awfully improper. But aren't
the French improper? 1 wanted to go to
some of those queer places but ma said
it would never do that we might meet
somebody there that we knew. You know,
we were always meeting somebody that
we knew. Why, it seemed as if you
couldn't go to any large city without
seeing Americans. Awfully nice to meet
Americans, 1 think. There aren't any
people as bright as Americans. Don't
you think so? And what is your candid
opinion of German girls? Don't you think
our girls are prettier? And the Dutch.
They aren't pretty, but they are so neat
1t seems pity that the Dutch and the
English should be fighting, for the
Dutch are SO neat, and the English are
our cousins, and blood is thicker than
water But wasn't the water awful in
Holland? 1 had to drink mineral water
all the time. 1 think they must use all
their best water to keep the streets
clean. Paris seemed dirty after Hol-
land and then the French horses did look
so thin and abused. So did the Bel
gians think they must have French
blood. They are SO cruel, those French
But the women certainly are stylish. On
ly / can't say as much for the men.
Their bushy, long hair, and their baggy
trousers, and their ridiculous hats, and
the girls with boomers on wheels! Oh,
I think they were anything f1t stylish.
The English never wear boomers. 1
will say that for them, although I'm
no Anglo-maniac. But 1 do like Lon
don. Awfully dirty, but awfully fascinat-
ing If England were as clean as Hol-
land I think I'd like it better than Hol-
land, because you can understand the
language; but they don't make any at
tempt with their vegetables, and they
don't use sweet potatoes; but they GER
tainly are great fighters, only I think 1t
is a pity that the roor little Dut-.
Oh, here comes Miss Standish. l prom
Used to play shovel-board with her, so
l must 60 I've been awfully pleased
to talk about the war with you-and the
trip. Awfully jolly to travel. don't you
think? 1t makes one keep ohe's eyes
open. Hello, you dear thing 1 know you'll
beat me all to pieces. CTo mel 1 really
think that conversation is more intellec-
tual than games. You must tell me some
more about that horrid war tomorrow"