The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-20
GALLO PRIDE
IS CAUSE OF
FRENCH UPSET
Ascribe Naval Demands to
Temperament that Desires
Petting Americans Good
Humored But Firm.
NATION IS NERVOUS
by MARK SULLIVAN

It's merely the Gallo tempera-
ment"
We don't pretend that we wholly ap-
prove this Gallo temperament, or even
understand it fully, but we find it use
full as kind of blanket explanation
for things that are otherwise inexplic
able. In that role the phrase is called
into useful service rather more often
than be regarded as ideal. The other
cay an entirely serious writer in one
of the Paris papers, replying to a for
eigners comments about the spirit of
Paris, said:
France wants to be petted" 1t was
rather unusual thing for a mature
person of the male sex to say about
his country, but that seems to go along
with the rest as a part of the "Gallic
temperament"
Although their most recent blowup
has caused a good deal of plain speak
ing both to the French and about the
French, ] suspect the American dis
position continues to be one of good
humored patience, coupled with COM
plete firmness
Undeniably, Mr. Hughes and Mr..
Root and Mr.. Lodge are pretty elderly
persons. II must bore them trifle
10 be called on to include among their
diplomatic duties that of petting a
nervous and excitable nation with a
feminine temperament
Carton Version
If that prince of cartoonists, 81. n.
Ding" should care TO cover this re-
hA dN
so more concisely than to picture our
most bewhiskered American official,
Mr.. Hughes, going dutifully but re-
luctantly through the, probably for
him, awkward motions of stroking the
excited hair of that much more be
whiskered Frenchman, Admiral Lee
bonn, who seems to have brought up
this matter of the French navy and
who happens to be about the most
bewhiskered, the most altogether
hirsute, the most goldfaced, and gen.
orally the most ornamental and orna-
mented son of either Neptune or Mars
that has struck town since the wal
began.
We all use the words France" and
''the French" as convenient collec
tive term to describe the French gov
ernment and the French officials here
at the conference, but when we try
TO be more accurate we all make dis
tinctions between these individuals
and, on the other hand. those sturdy
millions Of the plain people OF France
who have made more sacrifices in wal
and are more interested in ending
war than any other nation on the
face of the earth The French peo
pie haven't lost any OF the good opin
ion of America, but if some of oui
American officials and observers fel
free to talk about some of the French
politicians there mil ght be some toler
ably plain speaking.
Odd French Psychology.
These French officials and polite
ians seem too much disposed to inter
pret things on personal basis. With
i'm a few weeks after the Wilson ad
ministration had gone out of powe
one OF the Frenchmen attacked th'
Viviani mission that came to Amer
ica last spring and spoke publicly il
exceedingly unpleasant epithets abou
Mr.. Wilson and several of his assoc
iates who had worked themselves al
most to death trying to help Franc
during the war. If the French psy
chology thought this sort OF thln
would help them with the new admin
stration, then the French psycholog
failed to 20 hand in hand with Amer
ican psychology
The French psychology is inaccul
ate again if it assumes that the re
ribbons and other decorations whic
they have distributed among prom
nent Americans should move the pos
SCISSORS from a strictly impersonal a
titude in public affairs,
Fear Misinterpretation
There are signs also that some c
the French have misinterpreted tn
college degrees and other honors W
heaped on Marshal Foch as signs of
willingness on our part-to give symps
thetic support to Frances dispositio
to maintain large army and to he
militaristic aims generally,
Some American officials, who mus
manage the intricate business detail
involved in untangling our allianc
with France might conceivably fin
it difficult to reconcile the Cali
pride" which insists on a larger nav
than it can possibly pay for, wit
some other aspects of Frances mai
agement of her financial affairs.
To Make Allowances
Nevertheless. the net of IL all
that America is determined to col
llluS 10 lHdhe allowances lOi NhatIN'
france does as the not wholly to
blamed actions of a nation not "
free from the ysteria moi war an
fear.
But while we remember this in e.
tenuation of Frances failure to
helpful in our effort towards preven
ing future wars, we ought not to 10
get the fact that Great Britain, Japa
Italy, and the other nations have gor
the limit to be helpful, and in doin
so have remained silent about man
things concerning which they migl
reasonably have protested
Frances course has been not on
\ embarrassing. TO us. but more so, q
most. 10 Great Britain and Italy. Whe
the whole story is told, it will be foun
that Italy is entitled particularly
the good opinion and sympathy
America-Copyright 1921 by the Ne
York Evening Post. Inc.