New-York tribune., 1908-06-28
lie R0UX ON AMERICA
French TraUeller and Writer Calls
1t Country of Ertremes.

Paris, June 19-Hugues le Roux, the French
traveller who several months ago returned from
an extended trip through the United States, Is
writing his impressions in well known French re-
view
He has decided that America is the country Of
extremes in everything and in support of his
clusion he takes up first. the climate. European
going TO America for instance, in April, he says,
writes to friend in New York for advice as to
the clothes he should bring. He receives a reply
that blizzard is raging and that he had better
bring his furs- A week later, when he disembarks
at Hoboken. he might imagine he had taken the
wrong line and he had really sailed for Rio de ia
neiro. The is burning from copper heaven
and New York is like furnace.
The people," he goes to say, ARE like the
climate which goes from winter into summer by 81
series of bounds and recoils Their ideas. sent,-
ments and energies-physical, psychic, moral social
and political-swing from extreme to the other.
The thing least known in America is that mar
vellous mean and that average of temperature,
culture, idealis, poverty riches, etc. which during
generations have made France and the French
Every one" he says. knows that the founders OF
the United States were passionate lovers of lib
erty. For that the principle of the equality
OF man has become there q dogma. Yet President
Roosevelt seriously applied this principle and IN
vted the celebrated negro, Booker Washington,
to lunch at the White House, and almost lost MS
popularity in consequence.
"A few days later white chambermald in a
New Orleans hotel refuses to make Mr.. WashfTlS-
Ton s bed on the ground tndt lie Is q negro Ait~
hotel manager puts her out. She complains to tne
newspapers. A subscription is opened In the
evening she receives a comfortable sum, and me
next day she is married"
NJ le Roux then comments the splendid phys
ica development of the youthful students at Amer
lean colleges, but says that when the young men
rushed the recruiting stations during the war
with Spain fully SO per cent were thrown out by
the medical examiners.
The American only enters business to fight with
out quarter to conquer his enemy, NJ. le Roux
says. He recites the story that young Mr. Wander
bilt was quick claim 800 due him for driving an
automobile in contest in Europe but that 1e"
weeks later he gave $1,000 TO peasant woman IN
France because his automobile had broken the
shaft of her donkey cart.
Certain scandals in the American financial world
NJ. le Roux says, might create the impression III
Europe that when there is lack of vigilance men
snatch at every opportunity offered but whoever
has travelled in America will tell you OF lnnu-
merable cases of public probity unknown Ill the
Old World. He cites a case that came under MS
observation at Rochester, where an old woman
who kept a shop habtually left it open when she
went to dinner, leaving displayed the notice: Help
yourselves The price of each article Is marked
You will find change in the till The woman de-
clared she had never had cent or an article
stolen.
With regard to the American woman. he says the
world knows what a terrible ransom of dollars the
| American wife exacts from her husband to main
| tain her luxury Yet" says NJ. le Roux, America
most surrounded by admirers. They refuse them
one after the other prefer TO work rather than
| live with whom they DO not love-that IS TO
say. who does not correspond with their ideal An
excess of idealism alternates with the sharpest
| common sense 1t is the with everything that
touches sentiment The United States, the country
par excellence of love marriages, is also the place
where there is the greatest percentage or ol-
! vorces Extremes. Extremes! How else can you
! explain that the Americans who comprise the
largest number of free thinkers ever gathered to-
gether in any country give voluntarily to the dit-
feren religions established there the largest sums
| ever contributed to worship IN any epoch of his
! tory?
In spite of the fact that New York Is the largest
Jewish citv in the world the second German city
after Berlin and the third Catholic city after Paris
! and Vienna il has retained its character as a
| Protestant city and its American aspect. 1t mat
ters rot that regions been created where only
| French italian, Greek Syrian languages are
! spoken The visitor has not the impression Of a
| city given over to foreigners
The on-existence of classes (as understood in the
Old Word) he attributes to the fact that Ameri-
can believes himself destined to live and die in any
condition position The perpetual hope exists OF
| doing better Get on" he says. is the watch
word There is no place in the United States for
class barriers. The fact is that all in America
| resemble one another in strange fashion. Even
age does no. seem to make difference. They are
! neither boys nor old men. They young because
they live on hope. Hope? 1t is in the air. The
man who lands breathes it. He gets drunk it.
and in this intoxcation he the arrival OF the day
before yesterday, makes the same gestures. utters
! the same words. as his brothers of election.
/