New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-15
INTR0DUCTI0NS
England, as Seen by a French
Woman Novelist.
THE UNKNOWN ISLE BY Pierre dc
Coulevain. Translated from the French
by Alys Hallard. Svo, pp 4SA Cassell
& Co., Limited.

Pierre dc Coulevain is a novelist, and
she brings to this Interpretation Of Eng
land to France the technique Of her
craft. She clings to the surface, not be-
cause she is superficial, but because she
has faith in her readers ability TO look
deeper wherever she points with her
trained, entertaining pen. "Glissez,
n'appuyez pas" Is her motto. This is the
day Of the Anglo French entente cor
dale. yet Of what prudent. practical, log
ical France most needs to be Informed
about she tells her nothing. Hardly a
word about English domestic politics,
which French statesmen are no doubt
watching with misgiving; nothing about
the country's social and economic up
heaval; not a word about its military
establishment or the bearing OF its
budgets upon the financing of possible
wars Nine. de Coulevain's study IS
social and psychological. She would dis
pei the wofully ignorant notions Of the
mass of Frenchmen concerning English
life and character, and dissipate their
many prejudices. Incidentally, she lect-
ures the English once in while on the
subject Of their no less unenlightened in
sularity toward France, as toward the
rest Of the world. And last, but not
least, her book on England is in many
Of its pages sane, frank and enlighten-
ing criticism Of France and the French.
op he
Englishman quite as much as he ap-
proves Of himself, yet, on the whole, he
may well be satisfied with the virtues
she comedies to him. His less admirable
traits-from the French point Of view
are but the shortcomings Of his qualities.
Only he is the vainest Of men, the pea
cock among the nations, attaching to
clothes, to correct" personal adorn-
ment, an Importance given 1t nowhere
else. and-he IS a snob. Snobbery, in
deed, according to Pierre de Coulevain,
is the keynote of his social life, its very
basis. Also while he has trained him
self TO facial immobility, he bushes
with amusing ease. Whatever his per-
eonal conduct. he is clean-clean-minded,
IS a rule. 1t is unjust to accuse him Of
hypocrisy. And he is perfdious only
when he Is a statesman, in his foreign
policies, just as the Frenchman is per-
fldious in his domestic politics. Other
wise the Englshman is fundamentally,
innately honest and square. The Eng
lish woman, while lacking in Latin
fnesse and emotional complexity, is an
admirable. dignifed creature on larger,
broader lines.
Home life, family affection, the indi-
vidual unit Of Anglo Saxondom, as dis
tinct from the family unit Of the Latins;
environment. the atmosphere that shapes
the national character. ell these are in
terpreted. The author is very much
taken with her theory that the Latins
and the Slavs are the feminine element
Of the white race, Anglo Saxons and all
| other Teutons its masculine constituent.
She sees this distinction even in the ma
tional flags OF the two countries: "The
| English flag Is severe and masculine;
! the French flag is gay and feminine"
! She also finds this cleavage in the re-
ligious beliefs and practices Of the two
nations:
| As regards the Bible, II is tho Old Tes-
! lament more particularly that works on
the soul Of our neighbors, the English.
! Their language brings out the beauty or
! its rough. violent poetry, whilst our Ian
guage Weakens 1t and makes 1t almost ri
| diculous on the other hand, ours trans
lates the Gospel exquisitely The
English soul is Old Testament, and ours
New Testament.
Nine. de Couevain went to an English
church, and found there a gentleman
in q frock coat reading aloud, and with
great gusto. the list Of the presents that
the Queen Of Sheba brought TO the Wise
King. She came away wondering what
satisfaction that could possibly have
given him. or his listeners. After ell,
the English remain very much Of a
puzzle to even those French people who
know them well, wherefore this book
deals freely in paradoxes. There is, for
! instance, the intercourse between Eng
/ lish masters and English servants. In
| France, in Italy, in aristocratic Austria
even, servants are part Of the family.
In England they are only part OF the
| household, yet they are better lodged
there. better fed and better treated
than anywhere else. AS for the English
stage. nothing is spared in the putting
on OF play, English players are ad-
mirable, especially the men. who are
Z 4f,,g eTi r4a1 10 - Ifff
for English plays themselves their
/ chief fault is that they are badly con-
structed childish I'm conception, full Of
| gaps" But they suit the English pub
| lie which seeks IN the theatre pleasure
| for the eye rather than for the mind"
1t must have sentiment and kisses, but
viii have nothing Of emotion.
The muddied oaf at the goal and the
fannelled fool at the wicket do not In
spire Pierre de Coulevain with the dark
forebodings they called up In Mr.. Kip
ling's breast. English people" by the
way, really never look what we call
English except on the Continent" The
streets Of London are sad not gay like
lIIose Vi ! NlIS' Oui hut!IOI hppioNtS WI
the English Sabbath. II is so essentially.
so convincingly, a part Of English life.
All this and much more Pierre de
Coulevain saw chiefly from London
suburb. Her nctional hostess lived in
H. but was not OF 1t. On the contrary,
she was county" and to be county
means to possess a mixture Of aris-
tocratic pride, Of rustic gOod-humor, and
Of provincial small mindedness." The