Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-11

~ - ING GRAPE. euthroned in
~ ~ the Midi since the days OF
Caesar of Caesar? No:
4 y since the days when Thoe-
u'c!an C8ll.ys "Nacted
tr!but, of the Greek c!:y MarseIe before
Rome was thought of-tIrr.s uuoas.ly upon
his regal sea: and MS sGspicous.y about
10 detect a possible usurae~. King Grape
IS uneasy about his crown. for his swarthy
people OF the Midi are growing tickle.
There is a general impression hat French
people are hayward. eXc.;aale, changea5le,
but no greater mistake could be made.
Down under the ebuIient manner. the
superficial gayety. is a deep conservative.
almost rnOrusc teracity which holds to
things as they are. And Paris not
France, and with all its changes of empires.
Kingdoms and republics. it is well TO note
she Napoleonic code still obtains. They
ho.G hard there to the underlying things.
And when /, comes to south France.
where the people are not in any
France of ti- Seine. and no, Spanish. but
Pyranean or men of LaHEUedoc and Pro-
vence. it is not wise to generalze on &C
cepted traits They are really not we'll
known.
; Not by any means Is the Midi TO be under
stood IN the terms OF DauIet alone Tar
boastfulness may be one aspect OF the race
but Tarascon is full In the valley OF the
Rhone with Lyons at one end and Mar
BELLE at the other. whence opens the coast
with Nice. Monaco. Monte Carlo and the
entire French and Italian Riviera. But the
Md Goes not lie within this accepted
Stream of travel from London and Paris to
the south. The Influences which tend TO
pake cosmopolitan the highway do not
fo"ch the byway valleys of the Aude.
= On either side Of the Rhone is a still 10 be
discovered country. The French Alps from
Gyenoble down to the coast of the Mediter-
fanean are stu the sentinels of country
bf ancient Roman roads. with walled towns
hnd villages where the tourist has not pene-
Grated. There only the omnibus and dill
gene assists the explorer. on the Au-
Sersne side of the Rhone the habits and
CUSTOMS of years ago still obtain with q
religious tenac!ty which would put York
eh!re peasant TO shame And what more
Gan be said?
: 1t IS no small wonder. then. that in the
-four provinces which have been concerned
IN the recent medieval revolt o! these
people of the south II Is somewhat difficult
TO treat the inhabitants with any modern
tsrms.
The Midi IS not modern.
The revolt itself like a page out Of
Some chronicle OF the middle ages. To
gather GO0.CoO people in small town like
,Edontpellier and TO have them there make
Only a manifestation OF their resentment
1Rf conditions which are bringing them face
70 face with hunger and still to go no
further than to sing songs. fly flags and
Parry transparencies in procession about
ffhe streets without attempting to use their
bower is an anackronlsm. II belongs to
the thirteenth or fifteenth centuries. In
France and in England It was then not
Unusual for the people to rise and assert
fheir rights There was Jack Cade. who
appeared before the gates OF London town.
There have been hundreds OF others. whose
names have been forgotten. who lead
Seople's revolts. revolts in which il was
only necessary TO make demonstration OF
latent power in order 10 make the lords
ahat ruled tremble in their chairs OF state
pud conCede something.
The Midi is stu medieval. but. in a
pense. 1t Is changing and 1t is becoming