The Washington herald., 1910-11-13

In France and has known Frenchmen IN
their homes TO hear them criticised as
frivolous. Volatile they are, gay and
debonair but there is no more stable,
thrifty, frugal, earnest people IN the
world. Their most notable national trait
is thrift. Every Frenehman and every
French woman is a financier. Some
where in every household there Is a
hoard. little or big as the circumstances
of the family allow, put away for a
rainy day and that hoard Is never
touched until the rainy day comes.
Financiers claim that there is more
gold boarded in France than In all the
other European countries combined. Ac-
cording 10 political economists nation
is the loser by having so much money ly-
ing idle instead Of being used as a cir
culating medium. This is not true, how
ever. They hoard their earnings. It is
true, but they have always shown the
greatest faith IN their own public securi-
ties. and these earnings. when they are
large enough. go to buy these public Sc
curities.
France has always had, because Of this
saving propensity OF her children, an i'm
mense amount OF gold and silver 10 draw
upon in her financial extremities. and al
though boarding is looked upon as neither
a private nor a public virtue. it has work
ed well for France and has enabled her
TO maintain a credit IN the markets Of the
world second to none
The uniformed person will ask how.
with labor SO poorly paid as It IS IN
France, can a French family OF the Ia
boring class save? This Is a simple mat
ter TO explain. Every member Of the
family contributes in some way and I'm
some measure 20 the family income. In
America the man OF the house works and
his wife and daughters spend the money.
All Should Contribute.
The American says:
Il am big enough. strong enough. and
capable enough TO support my wife and
children. I will not allow the women Of
nay family to labor for me-" All Of which
Is very gallant. very imposing, but none
the less shortsighted and Illogical. II Is
eyerybody's duty, It should be everybody's
privilege TO work. and a father who
works that his children may idle is an
enemy TO the country The family should
be cooperative All OF It's members
should work for It's comfort and its adj
vancement This is the rule In France.
IL Is the exception here.
Higher wages are paid IN America" Il
the slogan OF both political parties. and
ii Is made an excuse for the high tariff
and the high cost Of living Wages re
higher in America. bur conditions are
such that the actual purchasing power,
the actual comfort in living they bring,
is less Take. for instance. an American
artisan with a family of four, his wife
and three children. whose wages amount
70 hundred dollars a month.
The pioneer women, tho women OF CO.
ionial days, the mothers of the republic
worked side by side with their husbands
They did great deeds and accomplished
great results. Whence has come the alb
surd idea prevalent in a certain class to-
day that II is ignoble for women to work
as long as there is a man In the family
on whom they can hang? What imita-
ton lady first declared work shame. a
disgrace2 Il is not necessary for women
To go into the market place to exercise
her birthright TO work, for work lies
ever ready at her hands
Germany can teach as as many lessons
as France. Tae Germans. those Of North
Germany especially. are as frugal, as
thrifty. as far-seeing as the French. but
thelF economies are not rs SIacelnl, as
artistic, or as interesting as those OF
their southern nelghbors- Their boiled
beef, their sour meats, their national
ulshes lack the flavor OF the pot au feu
But the Frenehnan must take OF his hat
70 their marvellous feats in agriculture
the wonderful results OF their horticui
ture This latter science in recent years
has attracted women. and II has become
a fad in the higher circles. heslthful ans
pleasant means Of earning a livelihood
min, ba Iaxxrar