The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-02-07
Our Writer in France
Camp Genicart, Jan. S, 1919
BY Sgt. F.. g. Kutnewsky

The French people have been
noted around the world for their
polite manners. The French court
was once the worlds model of court
Illness. The difference in manners
between nations is simply matter
of temperament, and the best man.
ners OF one can not be justly COM
pared with the best manners Of an
other, because there Is no ground Of
comparison; what is mannerly in
England may be considered overdone
in America, and what Is perfectly
good hammered in America may seem
rude to the French. But whatever
finds universal acceptance in one
country is certainly good for that
country or else there is something
wrong with the whole people.
Americans are against all things
superficial; where a nod will suffice
they do not go to all the trouble of
crossing room to shake hands.
They simply assume a little closer
comradery than the French, who al
ways shake hands where nod would
seem to them too distant. Ameri-
cans are not sensitive as rule and
they do not fear offending others by
abrupt manners; they favor down.
rightness. Frenchmen are motor
iously careful of the feelings Of
others. And yet among themselves
they have spirit of kinship that
belongs only to France. Watch a
crowd Of poilus in some coy little
estaminet; they are like a family,
and the patrone will treat them as
SO many big brothers. In France
folks inhabit one locality, where they
are well known and where their an
tecedents are konwn. Everybody is
more or less Of a fixture. 1t is the
national way of living, so that tho
strangers meet they do not neces-
sarily consider each other transients. |
In America there is that constant
moving about that makes every man
a transient who is not actually en-
gagged in known business in the
locality.
Americans take off their hats when
they go inside. French men wear
their caps inside and out. Ameri-
cans, when they are good folks, are
more chivalrOus toward women than
Europeans; perhaps they are too
much so. 1t Is simply custom. Wo-
men like it. Perhaps 1t is because
there is more competition for wives
in the new country than in an old
one where the young. folks have the
help of the old folks in getting mar
ried off.
Yet a Frenchman would never
commit the blunder of wounding his
lady's feelings thru lack of tact, as
Americans often do. The French
are much more apt at sensing an
others point of view. They will
strain point to agree and be affable
while an American would think that
were hypocrisy, and therefore more
often strains point to differ in
opinion.
When Frenchmen argue politics
they sometimes grow very excited
and furious, but not fighting mad;
they dramatically defend their opin-
ions to the last ditch. But when
Americans grow heated in such diff
ferences they are liable to continue
right on into free-for-all. 1t is a ,
difference of temperament entirely. ,
French women are not so affected
as American women. They have the 7.
knack of dressing artistically with /.
out being unnatural. They walk
with ease, as tho they were not I'M !:
used to it. Their natural grace
seems sufficient; they do not try to t
walk like lady" or anything like t
that. A friend Of mine describes the 1
French girl walking as being similar G
to bird poised to take fight. At d
the same time they are not erect and j
military. Even French soldiers c
have none Of the American stiffness O
and Observation-Disclosures. They z
swing along at their ease generally.
They do not look so military or pre-