The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-07-08
'MercuriaI French Are Cool As CucumberS In War Crisis
BY MILTON BRONNER NEA Service Staff Correspondent

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 Paris, July 8-The nervous, high strung. exitable, mercuria" French faced by European situation in which war is always grim possi- bility-belie all the adjectives so lightly applied to them.
 Today the French seem as cool as cucumbers and as calm as the tops of their mountains.
 Many things have changed since last September when Chamberlain and Premier Daladier made their famous pilgrimage to Germany to see Hitler and Mpssolini
 Shortly after that abortive trip, the French saw some more solemn German pledges broken.
 They saw the end of Czechoslo- vakia.
 They saw Hitler, who said he did not want to absorb non -Germanic clements, take 100000 Czechs with in his grasp.
 APPEAsEMENT FAILURE
 WAS A LESSON
 A chill fell on France. Daladier and "le brave vieux Neville Cham berlair" (good old Neville Chamber lain) had failed in their appease- ment plan. So the French suddenly ended their bitter political feuds. They also ceased the latent warfare between capital and labor They closed their ranks behind Daladier.
 The bulk of the people of France are tither the peasants, who own and till the soil, or the men and wo- men who work in the mills and factories. In both classes there is an ardent love of liberty.
 The French city workers loathe the very idea of Nazi and Fascist ways. The peasants would fight to the death to preserve their be- loved farms from the heels of the invader. With such feelings in the bulk of the people last May, Premier Daladier could say with entire truth:
 "France is vast workshop where millions of men are work ing without pause or respite to insure national defense"
 The Maginot line and all other important defense points are man. ned night and day Recently Gen. eral Vuillemin, chief air comman- der, declared that France is turn ing out warplanes at the rate of two an hour, 20 hours out of 24, 2 days a week. Guns and munitions in abundance are being provided. The navy is being increased.
 BUSINESS AS USUAL,
 DESPITE CRISES
 But the visitor to Paris is im- pressed by the calmness of the peo- pie. A poor tourist business. high taxes and danger of war have not dampened the spirit of the Paris iaNs. Nor their enterprise. The Bal Tnbarin has chosen precisely this time to put on one of the most bril- liant shows of modern times. The boulevard terrace cafes are crowded | with French people taking their areritifs. At night the restaurants are crowded.
 Way up on the heights of Mont- martre, the restaurant known as "In Mere Catherine" has It's open air garden damned with people. The chatter IS gay ana lively. The | people take an almost childish joy in mere living.
 For instance; a youth sits him. self down at a table, has glass | of wine and pulls out of his pock- cts clever toy based upon the far-famed dog -- Pluto. He sings a funny FSench song and makes Pluto do tricks. It turns out he is salesman. He sells Piutos to ths laughing crowd. And that crowd is not animated with the spirit-"eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die" Nor is 1t foolishly forgetful of Nazi Ger many and Fascist Italy.
 The French have simply made up their minds that they may once more have the job of "beat- ing the Boche" and are deter mined to do 1t. But in the mean- time, they are not going to moan or pull long faces about 1t.