Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22

terested? The answer to this q secret
until now, Is surprising and will be
particularly appreciated by all stamp
IL collectors. The French as q nation have
a hobby It Is even more general and popular
with them than bicycle riding. which is the
king of outdoor sports This hobby. it might
he fairly said, Is the king of indoor sports with
the French young and old. rich and poor, in
CITY and country. And until this was written
the great world outside Of France never knew
ANYTHING about 1t. Indeed, II the average
dweller in North America were asked: In what
are the French people most Interested? the re-
ply would probably be 1.-The collecting Of their
war debt from Germany" or the paying OF
America" or having Frenchman equal Lind
bergh's transatlantic flight. But. no. The Sc
cret is far stranger than this, and the answer
was only found by the writer of this after some
two years of residing in various parts OF the
country. and after so many odd experiences,
which by their very nature brought home
strongly to me the amazing fact:
The French nation are most interested In
stamp collecting. They are an entire nation OF
stamp collectors
I'm the year 1927 arrived in Paris and i'm
Amediately afterward went on to the historic lit
tie town of Fontainebcau. At this place re-
ceived at one time some 40 forwarded letters
bearing upon them American and Canadian
stamps. Imagine my surprise when getting my
mail handed out to me, the clerk, with great
eagerness, asked me II I would mind giving him
the envelopes and the stamps. Now none of these
stamps were rare. Yet such is the interest and
the demand that iii this same post Office three
days later, when I got a second batch Of mail, a
second clerk made the same request, all I'M
knowing that had given stamps to one of his
comrades. I told the second clerk had prom
Used to keep the stamps for his fellow worker.
V2,f he cd dcanpOiOtad nOrped in fll-
ture to give him half of what had
This instance struck me particularly because
these men were working in a post Office. One
would naturally have thought they would have
chosen as a hobby the collecting of some OBJ
ject not SO closely connected with their daily
routine. But on two later occasions in small
towns In France, had the similar experience Of
being asked for my foreign stamps, once by
the postmstresS and once again by clerk.
Leaving the town Of Fontainebeau after 3
few weeks I returned to Paris and took q room
in a quiet left bank" hotel. Two days later
the chambermaid having noticed pile of let
tiers on my table when she was cleaning the
room, came back when I was in. and very
anxiously inquired II would do her O great
favor. Experience. as yet had not accustomed
me what to expect. So answered, very puz-
zledly, but naturally with reserve. that would
be glad to do anything In my power. What q
French chambermaid, who had never seen me
before until this minute, could want of me,
could not dream. She noted my reserve and be-
came more apologize than ever. Blushing. beg
ging my pardon again and again for her for
wardness, she finally after about a minute Of
such apologizing managed to stammer out:
Would monsieur perhaps give her one or two
stamps OF his letters?"
Now I, who had been expecting something
like q demand for financial assistance to aid an
aged mother or sick child. in my turn felt like
apologizing It was such little thing to ask,
that is from my point of view. From that day
until l quit the hotel the faithful Julia re-
ceived all my foreign stamps She was fat,
placid Norman girl, uneducated. terribly over