New-York tribune., 1906-08-28
ANCO-GERMAN AMENITIES.

It would doubtless be too much to hope for
anything like an approachment between France
and Germany until another generation has
passed since the terrible year" On neither
side has there yet appeared any general move
ment or even desire for an entente cordiaIe but
IN social, literary and artistic matters as well
as in military. commercial and industrial. a
mutual attitude Of antagonism has been main
tanned Yet now and then some individual voice
Is heard, on one side or the other, speaking
words of peace and reason. and the most hope
ful feature of the whole case is that such voice
is not cried down in a national torrent of in
dlgnant reprOach but is listened to with respect
which may one day grow into sympathy and ap-
proval.
One or the most noteworthy of such recent ut
terances- has just appeared in Free Speech" a
Frankfort magazine, which seems to be apprO-
pr1ately named The writer aims to rebuke his
countrymen for what he regards as their un-
warranted sef-esteem, and also for their too
common tendency to express contempt for
France. He reminds them that the German
victory in 1S1o-71 was won by leaders. not bv
armies, for the French soldiers man for man
were the equals of the German; and he adds
that the present French army, which some Ger
mans affect TO sneer at as amateurish is actually
superior TO the German, in that it lacks the
''barbarism and i'll treatment which mar the
recovered
he SAYS so quickly as France from such blow
as that of the great war. That war burdened
France with a debt which was expected
10 crush her forever; yet within five years
she had so far risen up under it that
Bismarck himself became afraid of her She
has not paid of that debt But IN the ten years
lS92-1902 she increased it by only 414 per cent
while Germany's was increased by 81 per cent.
Socially and industrially, continues this Ger
man writer, France has great advantages over
Germany Her wealth is so well distributed
that her citizens are on the average better off
than those OF any other land Her wOrklngmen
are better dressed and better fed and drink
less than those OF Germany. The average of
life is longer in France than in Germany and
the general standard OF manners and culture is
higher. Moreover France is almost unique
among European countries in producing all its
own breadstuffs and other articles Of food, ex-
cepting perhaps part of its meat supply. and
is of all the largest exporter of food and drink
II is sufficient unto itself. for the supplying Of
It's own wantE, in a higher degree than any
other important country in Europe Finally the
writer argues that Intellectually France is far
superior to Germany. There are, he says, no
sculptOrs historians. critics, nOvests. in Ger
many to be compared with those OF France
Nearly half the literature of Germany is fur
nished by French writers. And while the in
feIlectllal emancipation OF women Is one Of the
noblest features OF French civilization in Ger
MANY 90 per cent OF the women are still In in
teliactual leading strings. We have" he con-
cludes. mo ground for being overblOwn with
sspride toward France We should do better as
axs did hundred years aSo, to go 10 school In