Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-06
An Interesting Conversation
With Mr.. Russell.
NATIONS CONTRASTED
AMERICANS ASSIMILATE WELL
WITH THE FRENCH.
Characteristics Of People Renowned
for Thrift, Taste and Love
Of Family.

Charles W. Russell. special assistant at
torney general Of the Department of JUS
tice. spent four months in Paris in the last
year in studying legal matters for this gov
eminent connected with the Panama canal.
He Is one of the best-posted men in the
country on France and her beautiful cap
ital. Paris The other day, in talking with
representative OF The Star. he dropped
into an interesting analysis Of the French
and the errors of American ideas as to the
French people and their country.
"Of course" said Mr. Russell. as he lean
ed back In his chair at the Department Of
Justice. Paris and France are old SUBJ
jects and much written about. but unfor-
tunately. people are given to saying pretty
and frivolous things about them. or if only
casual visitors. describe country and city
that exist. in a way, but not the
genuine ones. The casual visitor gets
Paris that is as much like the real. every
day city as the Frenchman of the American
stage, struggling his shoulders and grimac-
ing, Is like the citizen of the latest French
republic. There is Paris for strangers
and one for the French. Paris for the
new republican French and a Paris be-
yond the Seine. for the conservatives and
old nobility. Strangers have been visiting
the city for centuries: they expect gayety
and life and Wickedness. and the French
are too thrifty to disappoint them. for they
OFTEN carry heavy purses especially the
Americans. Theaters and restaurants and
shops and sights of all kinds for tastes of
all kinds are provided for outside barbar-
ians The devices to separate them from
their money are innumerable, and an
American lady is politely permitted to pay
twice as much for a hat or gown as a
French lady, to the great satisfaction Of
both.
Meanwhile beyond the Seine are quar-
terS where some of the shopkeepers find it
advantageous to receive only money of the
Napoleonic minting. and others where the
money must be of the Orleans regime or
be refused.
Never Smile Openly.
In the strangers Paris they never smile
openly at the stranger; in fact, they may
chuckle over his readiness to part with his
money, but they seldom ridicule him, as
in most countries. If he is drunken Or
boisterous they say to themselves it is the
custom Of people in his country and cv-
erybody cannot be born in France. The
strangers Paris is kind of theatrical per-
formance and soon grows wearisome on
account of it's unreality. The heart of the
French is not in it, Even the poor girls
in tights in the light comedies look BASH
full and stiff. as though they were anna
tours and sorry to be looked at and the
wicked ladies' that seem licensed to do as
they please about some of the theaters are
poor players of their parts. They are bad
that is naughty-but they are not only hui
man, but even lady-like. They are DISC
bedient children. of the church and can do
very saucy things. but they are not rude.
they do not get drunk, they are not brutal.
Some of the sights prepared especially to
crafty the wishes of wicked strangers are
$50 l am told by wicked frienD even pa
tketic in their tameness and one cannot
help saying to himself, This exhibition of
~ t. n,
shows in the best American theaters that
are not considered improper in the least.
There are, l believe, worse sights-I was
willing to take other peoples word for it,
l have a strong suspicion that the innate
and constantly inculcated modesty of the
French girls and their church. which does
not abandon them because they are sinners,
keep most of those gay bad girls far
above the same class in England and Amer
lea as virtue is above vice, and bring many
OF them to higher life when the sparkle
dies out in the wine.
However, this is all a question of the
strar gers Paris and that has been de-
scribed by scores of people.
The Real France.
THE real Paris and the real France.
the Paris and France of the French. at
least what seem to me such. are quite
another matter. France. the beautiful. is
not a mere phrase. and if Frenchmen are
not fond of colonizing and like to get back
to France l think the reason is not far
to seek. If 1t were my country 1 should
certainly be sorry to be out of it. The
little fields. often narrow strips of five or
six acres, cultivated like gardens by the
inhabitants not of farm houses, but of
picturesque villages of tiled and bright
coiored houses, almost always adorned
with flowers. present picture of serenity
and comfort to the eye wherever you travel.
No advertisements other outrageous dis
fy11r the la hoy
would give a Frenchman physical pain.
The roads and hedges. result of centuries
of care and the not too frequent trees.
give the whole country the appearance of
a park cared for to delight the eye rather
than land devoted to purposes Of utility
Utility 1t all Is. as understood by the
French, for they know the uses of art and
flowers and beauty. l have seen the poor
coming out of the narrow streets of old
Paris. and buying flowers as they would
precious relics. The rich and the poor
love flowers and art. and none are too
poor to invest in those necessaries of life
Splendid Qualities.
I'm these hamlets and larger towns live
the French who now, in spite of Paris rev.
olutionists. preserve the stability of the
republic. They and most of the Parisians,
for that matter. are chiefly notable. think,
for the qualities Of thrift and industry,
cautiousness in business, practicalness,
HdtuTdlHeSS anu ooSldDAlity "A tree Is cut
down and the timber taken, the large
limbs for fire-logs, the smaller for garden
poles or the like. the twigs are made into
faggots and even the leaves are saved
for some use. Old and young. male and fe-
male, the people wordsworth early and
late. and save their earnings But they
rest as regularly they work. and If they
save, they are no less careful to spend
on pleasures, prudently and simply. Father
and mother and children are as sure to |
be out together for pleasure as they are
to combine their energies to produce the !
necessary francs. Sometimes the gay and
bad girls of Paris-so strange are the fair |
sex-have gone there to earn in question:
able ways so much money as. Joined with |
what Jean can meantime earn In fields |
will enable them to marry and set up a |
home in their native village. and Jean tolls |
and waits and saves.
II am told there Is more wealth per
head In France than in any country In |
the world You can look that up in books
am inclined to believe it. And in Paris
the business man, even the mechanic Is as |
regular at rest at work. The former
betw cen twelve and two, Is dead to the
working world. and three is often his time
to quit for the day; and the plasterer or
other mechanic has score of rests and |
chats and smokes in the course of his DAVIS
work What is the use of making a liv-
ing" If you never live?
'As to the cautiousness In business