White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-11-14
jean WHEELER WRITES OF
EXPERIENCES IN FRANCE

DenR the result or SCnCldrSnlp won
! last spring at Reed College, Portland,
writes entertainingly of her impress
sions and experiences in the following
communication received this week by
! the White Bluffs Woman's Club:
Versailles, France. 10-26-24.
Dear Friends:
Some of you no doubt remember
my embarrassment one day in Sep
tember when asked to speak of my
plans. Now feel that since you were
interested then, you may be yet, and
perhaps this way I can coax some of
you to write to me.
We are in one of the largest ly-
Gees for girls in France, the atten-
dance is about 1000. Some of the pu-
pills are "day dodgers" others, like our
selves, live in "Maisons d Education"
There arc about 200 girls in our House
OF Jacquefine Pascal" The "House"
is divided into various establishments,
called pavillons, and named Rose,
Green, Blue, Red, White, and Mauve-
that is ours. Each pavilion is super
vised by madame with several assis-
rents are in China, Madagascar, Geor-
gia, etc. Also there are few English,
but we are the only Americans here,
fortunately. Fortunately because we
have to speak more French than all
the American and English girls in the
House of Marie de Lafayette.
The day begins at $3.50 for the
French girls who have exercises first,
then prayers of two kinds. No reli-
gious services, of course, are compul-
sorry. Then we have breakfast at 80
which consists, always, Of bread and
butter and cocoa or coffee. We are
quickly learning to dip our bread in
our chocolate and eat it that way. In
addition VIC are learning to manipu-
late the napkins, which seem to re-
semble small lunch cloths. Some of the
customs are quite amusing-for in
stance, it is not polite to keep ones
hands under the table as we do, they
must be on top. The knife and fork
are not put on the plate, either.
For lunch we always have hors
d oeuvre, such as sardines or olives.
With olives or radishes we have but
ter for our bread. But otherwise no
butter either for lunch or dinner 1t
seems to be quite luxury; bread, on
the contrary is eaten in enormous
quantities. The long loaves are cut into
the kind of thick slices little boys cut
when they come home from school.
Next we have come kind of meat
except on Friday when we have fish
or eggs. Next some kind of vegetable
or perhaps two-today we had carrots
and fried potatoes-and finally des-
sert, which is probably either cheese
or pastry. Do not be shocked when
I add bottle of Bordeaux is always
on each table at noon. In the evening
at seven, we begin with soup, have
some kind Of hash or stuffed tomatoes,
ctc., a vegetable and dessert of fruit
or nuts.
This sounds like diet list, but I
in knowing what the French govern
nent thinks is proper food for its girls.
At four o'clock, the French have bread
and sweet chocolate while the rest have
a roll and butter and tea. Most of
them supply themselves with jam for
this meal.
Lights have to go out at o:30, and
to US who are used to studying at all
hours of the night and morning, it is
very strange. However, regular life
is probably what causes our ever-ready
appetites. Most of the girls take mu-
sic lessons and it is quite usual to
hear three sets of scales being played
at once. At that particular time l do
not try to read philosophy-it is the
only heavy course am taking.
We spend our time principally, try
ing to learn to speak like ratives-
impossible goal!
We had the llumiliating experience
when we first went shopping in Paris,
Of approaching some clerk with ques-
ton carefully thought out before hand
and having him answer in equally
careful English. Really it is quite pos
sible to doubt, in Paris, whether one
is really in France or the United
States. English and Americans con-
SANITY ask us directions and we be-
gin to feel hattered when French peo-
pie do the same thing.
Versailles is town about the size
of Yakima, with very fascinating shops
and book stores. Most of the clerks
do not speak English so we get lot
of practise by stopping land asking
questions about everything. This morn
ing we went to French Protestant
services for the first time. The ser
vices were very easily understood; we
even sang the hymns and followed
the minister who preached very in
tclligent sermon.
But the real thrill of the day came
when we went to concert in the
chapel of the castle at Versailles. We
thought we would 60 just to hear
something in Louis XIV's own chapel,
but we were more than Glad uyc xuept
although it poured both ways and we
were soaked. The concert was sacred,
featuring Beethoven's Mass in c, but
various musicians from rOpera and
an excellent violinist helped to make
splendid program. The organ itself
is not very wonderful but the voices
were fine. Of course our appreciation
was all mixed up with feelings of awe,
at sitting on the same velvet covered
benches and walking over the same
paving stones that once the nobility
Of France did.
It is only just, now, that all the acres
and acres of parks and the castles as
well should be made into. public mu-
scum, always open. One Of the nice
things about France is the way wo-
men sit with their children the gar
dcns OF Notre Dame, the gardens of
the Louvre and Of Versailles. The
children are dressed in bright colors
as rule but their clothes are so very,
very short even in rainy weather that
they make me shiver. Boys wear short
socks, it seems, until they wear trous-
ers. The women wear their clothes
much shorter too, than we did. We
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