The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-02-06


characteristics and the leading nontemporane-
GUS events of every other civilized country.
The newspapers, especially the cheap illustrated
journals, are the greatest of all educators For
example, the French gamin who has just cleaned
my boots, knows that Monsieur Taft the
newly elected President of the United States of
America, is one of the latest men in the world,
weighs nearly as much as a horse" and likes
Georgia 'possum. He knows this just as the
plow-boy in Kansas or Iowa knows that Presi-
dent Fallieres of France has Santa Claus beard
and that Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany wears
hcrcely pointed military moustache. When
arose for breakfast on the morning of January
18th, although happened to be in tiny fisher
village on the Mediterranean coast, far from any
railroad line. read in the columns of the Petit
Pr0Uencdi, published at Marseilles and distribu
ted By the rural carriers) that Hon. Benjamin
r. TflIman, on the morning of the 18th, had at
tackled Roosevelt on the floor of the Senate.
The wide circulation of such newspapers, the
possibilities Of self education offered by the in
ventions and institutions of the present day,
render all the more astonishing the general idea
that the word America evokes in the mind of
the average adult peasant or working man in
the south of France. Among the lower classes,
with whom / have recently been mingling and
whose life have been trying to study. find
that the mere words "Etats Unis" almost inva-
riably awaken in their imagination the picture
of primitive half-savage, partially explored
continent, yielding enormous products of fruit
| and grain, but teeming with naked black slaves.
warlike redskins, skyscrapers, trusts. grizzly
| bears, and other monsters equally bloodthirsty
| and dangerous. They have a vague notion that
the territory in the environs of New York has
been reclaimed from savagery, and that colos-
sal fortunes are to be gained there by working
on a railroad section gang or by peddling
oranges.
Nearly decade ago, Col. William Cody buffalo
| Bill, and his Wild West Show. made trium-
| phal tour of France, with real Indians in war
| paint and feathers, herd of buffaloes, gang of
rowdy cowboys. armed with six-shooters, which
they discharged in every direction upon the
slightest encouragement, bucking bronchos.
| desperadoes, "bad men" and long haired trap
| pers Of the plains The peasants are still talk
| ing of that show. 1t was the event of their
| peaceful lifetime, second in importance only to
| the fall of the second empire. They believed,
| and still believe that this bowling, bloody
| massacre-on-wheels was the mild and faithful
| portrayal of daily life and manners in America.
Judging from what 1 have seen and heard it
will take two or three generations of schooling
| and newspaper reading to get that impression
| out of their system.
Furthermore, these bizarre notions are not
always confined to the illiterate peasants. In
totally dissimilar surroundings, in different
| social and intellectual sphere-in club-room at
Avignon-I made the acquaintance of French
man whose views on the subject of America
were no less curious, and who caused no little
embarrassment in calling upon me, one even
ing, to bear witness to the truth of the remarka-
- -. A. f<~k~r
years, he had been RECALLING the ears of his fell
low club members.
This gentleman is nearly 80 years old but still
robust and extremely laxative, especially when
he has absorbed three or four successive tum-
blers Of absinthe. Fifty years ago he was a
mining speculator in California, and the history
of bis early life-the inside history, to which he
never refers, but which is known to all the older
citizens of Avignon-is like page from one of
Victor Hugo's novels. It will bear repeating.
His parents, who were of the nobility, be-
queathed to him considerable fortune and an
ambitious, adventurous spirit. Shortly after
his fathers death the entire world was startled
by the discovery of gold in fabulous quantities
was dazzied by the glittering vision. Convert
ing all his property into negotiable paper lie
took a ship to Bordeaux, reached New York
months later crossed the Rockies in a prairie
schooner" Fortune smiled upon him and a
succession of daring speculations placed him at
the head Of an enormous mining syndicate,
whose chief offices were located at Sacramento,
and his excellent administrative ability enabled
him to hold his ground. At 80 years of age he
was power in the West, and his name was
known from Vancouver to Los Angeles.
A year or two afterward he recrossed the At
lantic to personally superintend the establish
ment of foreign offices at Paris and Madrid, and,
having successfully concluded these transac-
tions, made arrangements for his return to Cali
fornia. Fronting by the rude experiences of
his former voyage he chose another route, and
shipped in a vessel bound directly for San Fran
cisco via Cape Horn. He was in the prime of
life and at the height of his career. Hazard
| willed that certain Spanish priest, a Jesuit,
had engaged passage on the same vessel, accom-
panied by a ravishingly beautiful young woman,
whom he introduced as his niece. Forty years
ago it was long. long way from the English
| Channel to the Golden Gate, and time hung
heavily upon the gallant young Frenchman's
hands, the inevitable happened, he became vio-
| lently enamored with the churchman's charm
ing niece. His courtly fiattery and respectful
attentions were tolerated, but one beautiful
of propriety. The young woman. blushing with
indignation, repused him violently, ordered
him instantly to leave her presence, and from
that moment refusing to recognize his exist
| ence. The following day, when he offered to
| apologies she turned her back and walked away.
Now the handsome financiers superb egotism
and his enthusiastically French idea of femi-
nine morals suggested to his mind only one ex
PLANTATION of the young woman's attitude-the
role which he had aspired to occupy was already
filled. Angry and jealous he sought quarrel
with the priest and one day, at the dinner table,
forgot himself so far to hurl into the Jesuit's
| face the bold accusation: "Your pretended
niece is not your niece"
The priest bit his lips and responded not
| word. The affair made quite scandal on board
the ship, the priest and his companion moved to
another table, the accusation formed the princi-
pie subject of conversation for week, and was
eventually forgotten. Apparently the incident
was closed. Certainly the Frenchman, who, i'm
mediately upon his arrival at Sacramento,
plunged into his accumulated office affairs. forgot
| all about it.
year passed, the mining syndicate had, to all
| appearances. become solid as the rock of Gibral-
tar, and Monsieur X, who had been made its
| president, was rated multi-millionaire. But
in the midst of this increasing prosperity he
| and two or three of his confidential aides sud
denly realized that something was wrong. Ger
| tain speculations which seemed bound to sue
coed fell fiat; certain mutually advantageous
| offers for purchase or sale of property was re-
fused for no apparent reason; in brief, some
| powerful enemy was blocking their game"
Successive efforts to recoup were inexpicably
disastrous; months passed, and one fine morn
| ing came the crash. The Frenchman was ruined
| Not only was the syndicate insolvent, but his
| personal fortune was engulfed.
| And behind it all was the pale little priest
| He too was the son of noble parents he too had
| inherited fortune. In addition, and above all,
he was Jesuit.
Monsieur x, the ruined fnancier, returned to
his native country, opened life insurance office
| In Avignon, and, from that moment until the
evening met him at the club. he has been lead
| ing the peaceful existence of modest, we'll to-
| do bourgeois. His disastrous reverse has not
| left him crushed or broken-hearted. He is not
even sad. Let the Socialists and the Democrats
| scott as they will, 1 maintain that it is worth
| something to be the son of real nobleman, to
| have the blood of kings and crusaders in ones
veins. Monsieur X. is game" to the core.
But have strayed far from my original sub
| ject-have almost forgotten what it was / had
| intended to describe, think, few of this aged
cnaaulafOria m rpO rfli nust0ua and