The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1910-10-27
Vol. XXIV.-No. Is.
French Peasants
And Their Ways
Mr.. N. F., In a Very Interesting
Paper Relates His Expert
ences In France.

Paper Read fsefore the Cha,aauqua Circle:
A few years ago, being connected
with an import and export house, l
was fortunate enough to be selected
as my firms European representative
in business deal and having brought
the affairs to a satisfactory conclu-
sion to all concerned, / asked for
and received two-months' vacation,
which / utilized in becoming better.
acquainted with the people and GUS
toms of my native land, from which
Ideparted in my early boyhood.
While the French nation, which
is generally admitted to have for
centuries stood at the head of the
Latin-speaking peoples, Intellectual
ly as well as politically, that is, of
those southern and western Euro
peans and their kindred beyond the
seas, such as Italians, Spaniards,
Portuguese, and the Central and
South Americans, who are all Of
Latin speech b e inhabitants Of
some of her provinces are in other
respects, to my observation, rather
sadly far behind the present age.
The French language may be said
to be divided into two dialects, that
of the langue doll in the north and
the langue doc in the south, (the
high and low French }, the dividing
line being about the middle and
and lower part of the River Loire.
1t is scarcely possible to speak Of
common French racial type, but
rather of a common French nation
atty unified by the same speech, re-
ligion, social institutions, an d
patriotic sentiments.
In the north one observes a tall
and erect statue, both in men and
women, long head, fair or light
brown hair and color, gray and even
blue eyes, while in a rather marked
contrast the southern inhabitants
of Auvergne Province, Gascony and
Lauguedoc are of short, stocky
stature; have an olive brown sort OF
tanned skin, roundish heads and
dark brown or black eyes and hair
These traits are more observable
among the inhabitants of the rura
districts, while the citizens of the
larger cities, such as Paris, Lyons
Rouen, Marseilles, Bordeaux an c
others, show the tendency to more
uniformity.
The more marked of these rura
inhabitants are, the talkative anC
tricky Gascon, the plant and tickle
Rasque, the slow and weary Nor
man, the dreamy and fanatical Bret
on, the quick and enterprisins
Burgundian and the bright and in
telligent Tourainian- the latter, b.
the way, rather the typical French
man, if it may be said that ther
are such.
The moral sentiment of the aver
age Frenchman, (referring to tn
middle classes and peasantry), is il
my opinion somewhat deplorabl
undeveloped, as l noticed marke'
love for show and glory, which
certainly more pronounced than tn
sense of duty. While again tn
artistic feeling and intellectual qua
tiles are very conspicuous, the cor
yersational knack and all matter
pertaining to taste, etiquette, tao
and all social amenities, for whic
the French peoples are renowned
are conspicuously noted even anon
the peasantry and lower classes.
The substantial qualities of ps
tience, economy and love OF labor {
the peasantry are an observable COZ
trast to the extravaganza and frlvol
ties of city jewellers, who by hoardin
their small savings and by domess
thrift have made France one OF tt
richest countries in the world, Ell
abling their country to recovt
from any overwhelming disastel
quicker than most others. To thes