The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-12-24
FRANCE BEFORE. I
WAR STARTED
IS DESCRIBED
United States Army Officer
Tells Of Formerly Content
ed French People.

WASHINGTON, D. G., Dec. "a
France, the wealthy, enlightened,
contented garden-land, where want
was almost unknown and waste rare:
the strong, thrifty, art-loying France
OF Just before the war, as described
with intimate detail and contrasted
with the United States, its great sis
ter republic, by Major General A. w.
Greeiy. United States army, forms
the subject of statement prepared
Dy the National Geographic Society.
1t says:
Paris No Example.
Paris can no longer be looked up
On as France. The repository and
guardian Of art treasures which in
extent, variety and beauty are else
where unsurpassed; enriched with
historic material Of priceless value;
adorned by artistic monuments and
noble structures: beautified by broad
streets and perfect parks; the center
OF culture for the nation; the fashion
dictator for the world; the seat OF
government and SO of power; scarce
ily surpassed elsewhere as a financial
+center-Paris is at once the envy and
admiration of France. as indeed of
the world. Still. 1t is not FSance.
THE real France is country of
industry, of scientific application, OF
aforesight and comfort, and of rich
resources General prosperity is
best shown by the caisses l'epargne
lpetty banks), which, numbering
2.400. receive only limited sums
from its clientele-wage-ear
petty tradesmen, etc. The depositors
annually increase, in 1911 being
PIT of the population. Despite the
rising standard Of living. the accu-
mutation in these small banks had
reached s774,405,000, averaging
Sl9,55 to each man. woman and
child in France.
"a recent essay by DR.. H. S.. Will
liams treats of the savings of the
four leading commercial countries.
He says: France has the lowest
wage scale and the highest percent
age of savings bank depositors.
S4.6. America has by far the high
est wage scale and by far the lowest
savings bank depositors, 9.9.'
Vastly beneficial are cooperative
operations in agriculture, commerce,
trade, insurance and other lines OF
public utility. Rural credit, road.
systems, and workmen's houses are
factors Of prosperity and producers
of comfort. We were wont to pity
the down-troddcn laborer Of Europe
in contrast with the free, Individual
workman at home; yet the French
workman enjoys advantages of no
mean order over the American as re-
CARDS unemployment. employee in-I
surance, compensation for injuries,
old-age pensions, and last, but not
least, frugal living through low rents.
cooperation, and vastly superior
market facilities.
Central Employment Bureau.
The United States Initiated thisI
year Its first concrete movement to
solve the serious problem OF employ
ment, by bringing the jooiess nan
to the manless job. France has for
years had a central employment bu-
reau, which now numbers 1875 we'll
distributed exchanges. Small indi-
vidual workshops. fast disappearing
with us. increase steadily. though
slowly, in France, thus Indicating tho
progress of personal prosperity
the best guaranty Of the stability OF
democracy. as s34f
THE elimination Of religious I'M
struction from the national schools
has been.pursued to successful end,
though bitterly contested. OF thel
5,629 ,906 pupils in 1909, only two
per cent we're taught in authorized
religious establishments. Primary
instruction is obligatory between the
ages of and 10. The announced
aims of the public school system arg
to cultivate patriotism, to instill|
morality. to teach tolerance, to make
French language uniform, to devel-
op accurate observation. and to en-
large spheres Of interest. OF theI
eighty-stx technical schools, no less
thanh seven. covering all branches
Of modern industry, devote their e.