The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1914-12-27
Before the War Want Was Almost
Unknown and Waste Was
Rare wish the French
People.
rs A SAVING NATION
Has High Percentage Of Savings
Bank Deposits But the Wage
Scale 10 Very Low
One.

France. the wealthy, enlightened. con
tented garden-land, where want was
almost unknown and waste was rare;
the strong, thrifty. art-iovtng France
OF just before the war. ~ described
with intimate detail and contrasted
with the United States, its great sis
ter republic, by Major General A. w
Greedy, United States army, forms
the subject OF q statement prepared
by the National Geographic society.
1t says:
Paris can no longer be looked upon
as France. The repository and guar.
dian Of art treasures which In extent,
variety and beauty are elsewhere un-
surpassed: enriched with historic
material Of priceless value: adorned
by artistic monuments and noble
structures; beautifed by broad streets
and perfect parks; the center Of cul-
ture for the nation the fashion die
tator for the world; the seat OF gov
eminent and so of power; scarcely
surpassed elsewhere az q financial
center-Paris is at once the envy and
admiration Of France, as indeed Of the
world. Still. 1t is not France.
The real France is q country OF
industry Of scientific application, OF
aforesight and comfort, and Of rich
resources. General prosperity is best
shown by the caisses d'eparsns tFe.-
ty banks, which. numbering 2.400,
receive only limited sums from It's
clientele-wage-earn petty trades
men, etc. The depositors annually In
crease. in 1911 being 21.7 Of the popu-
lation. Despite the rising standard
OF living. the accumulations In these
small banks had reached STA .405. 900.
averaging 1885 TO each man, woman
and child In France.
"A recent essay by DR.. H. S. VIII
liams treats of the savings Of the
four leading commercial countries.
He says: France has the lowest
wage scale and the highest percentage
OF savings bank depositors. 34.6.
America has by far the highest wage
scale and by far the lowest savings
bank depositors, 81
Vastly beneficial are cooperative
operations In agriculture, commerce.
trade. insurance and other lines OF
public utility. Rural credit. road sys-
tens, and wnrkmen's houses are fac
tors OF prosperity and producers OF
comfort I. We were wont to pity the
down trodden laborer OF Europe in
contrast with the free, individual
workman at home; vet The French
workman enjoys advantages of no
mean order over the American rs re-
CARDS unemployment, employee insur-
ance. compensation for injuries. old
age pensions. and last, but not least,
frugal living through low rents, CO.
operation. and vastly superior market
facilities
"The United States initiated this
year its first concerted movement to
solve the serious problem of nnemploy-
ment. fby bringing tho joblees man to
the manless job France has for years
had q central employment bureau,
which now numbers 126 well-distribut-
ed exchanges. Small individual work
shops, fast disappearing with US. IN
crease steadily. though slowly. In
France. thus indicating the progress Of
personal prosperity-the best guaran-
tee OF the stability OF democracy.
"The elimination of religious in
struction from the national schools
has been pursued to a successful end.
though bitterly contested. or the s.
s29 .e06 pupils in 1909. only percent
were taught in authorized religious es-
adjustments. Primary instruction Is
obligatory between the ages of and
Is. The announced aims OF the public
school system are to cultivate patriot
ism. to instill morality, to teach toler-
ance. to make French language uni
form, to develop accurate observation
and to enlarge spheres of interest. OF
the IS technical schools. no less than
81. covering all branches OF modern in
dustry, devote their efforts to ground
ing their 10000 pupils in the mainten-
ance OF artistic standards, in the per-
lection of methods, and especially to
the training Of managers"
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