The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-01-28
II Bit of france
and French /:
BY Mrs. Byrd Trego.
December IS. 1918

December lS, 1914
Il looked into a French school
room today. 1t was in a bit of a
country village five niles from
Saumur. The mayor was the school.
master. One one side the little boys
on the other the girls. They lid the
old fashioned group bench system
insfeaG of individual seats, eight OF
ten on a bench, using the same desk
TIE children were delighted At re
interruption caused by our visit, and
all gave out a sort Of humming
sound; they giggled and showed us
samples Of their work.
"You know, most Of the Dest things
over here belong only to few large
cities, of which Paris of course is
the chiefest. Out in these smaller
places whenever you tell the natives
about the modern improvements and
conveniences we have in America
they usually come back with" les,
they have such things at Paris
mo doubt at Paris also, one finds
all these elegances for which the
French are so noted in America.
When you talk to the returning SOL
der boys you will hear them deny
ing fatty that: 1. The French are
the best hammered people in the
world. 2. Americans are money
chasers. 8. The French are a more
musical people than Americans or
more artistic. 4. French dancing is
worth the effort.
"Of course soldiers are not going
to know much of the upper layers of
French life. They will know about
their own kind-our kind. Their
customs are different from our and
our customs are as reasonable as
theirs. In high class cafes you may
see French men and women. eating
with huge napkins tucked under
their chin. Also you may see Ameri-
can soldiers eating two orders of a
single course, which is decidedly not
French.
Americans will walk in and
merely nod pleasantly at acquaint-
ances. A Frenchman will enter and
speak to everybody, touching his cap,
then he will shake hands with his
acquaintance. Americans take off
their caps when they enter a house,
while generally a Frenchman wears
his cap indoors and out. We were all
mad one day to see a handsome
French soldier striding carelessly
along the road and a pretty girl
trailing behind, just keeping up. Be-
lieve me we would have shown her
more attention"
December 10.
Getting along towards Christmas
and all our first class mail seems to
be side tracked for the pesky pack
ages.
"Wtather still the same as Sep
TENDER ought to be. trust the
French will have their winter all
to themselves-in February and
March.
81 went on sick report this morn
ing. l had a cough. We report by
divisions and have our names on the
sick book. The Doctors sergeant
opened door and said, d division
nda about dozen Of us went in. He
examines according to the order in
the book and tells the sergeant to
mark the man quarters or duty or
hospital Everyone wants to be
marked quarters, but few are
marked. Finally he came to me and
turning his head toward the other
medical sergeant said: Clean him
out, sergeant thought the SER
geant hadn't paid very close atten-
ton, so when he poured me out a
half tumbler of oil, only took 1t in
my hand while l asked him what it
was for. 1t was for diarrhoea. Need
less to say | didn't take it. One ad-
vantage of light sour wines is they
serve as laxative; while using
few glasses day one never needs
medicine.
II have been inquiring about
music and art and find it here as in
America; only here with all the ma
tional habit of making use of every
thing, one who receives musical
education is supposed to become a
professional. l find just as few per-
sons who can draw as in America.
Their great advantage is that the
capital city with it's stores Of ma
terials, it's museums and cosmopoli-
tan collection of artists and music
ians, an inspiration is easy to keep