The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-03-31
Observations
New Language
Found to be
Great Leveler
Nv Aelen Eaaarv
BY Helen Esssry


great a leveller as death and taxes.
So believes Camille Chautemps,
president OF France before Vichy,
and now a resident OF Washing.
ton.
Chautemps is going TO the
Americanization school, conduct
ed by the District OF Columbia pub
lie schools and the Department OF
Justice.
He is going in order to conquer
the Conversation L'Anglaise, the
noble Language Americana.
But. confesseS this famous
Frenchman informally. it is slow
business, a great travail, this con
quering OF the Eeng-leesh. 1t is a
business TO make you feel that you
yourself are not OF the too great
eem.poortahnce.
For, VOLTA. there beside you in
the schoolroom sect the employees
OF the hotels and night clubs IN
this so beautiful capital Of the
United States.
They, too. are learning the Eens'
leesh. And you find that they
speek il with more-with moro
ah-the word is perhaps "gaiety -
than you yourself do.
500 you must of necessity feel
ashamed OF your own stupidity.
You tell yourself. This is terri
ree.bl." You must learn the Ian
guage. the Esngleesh, some other,
some faster way.
Il will get me a leetle work.
adds the eminent Gaul, in some
or.gani.sashion CONNIE TO Red
Cross. That | will meet the people
daily. Hourly. Soon will be able
to rise superior to this personal
stupidity because OF which | am
indeer greatly embarrassed Ees
this future for me not possihle?'
Certainly il was possible, | told
the man who lately ran France a
delightful and intelligent man.
Camille Chautemps Would that !
could speak the Language Fran
Else as well as he speaks Eeens-
leesh.
Madame Chautemps is excellent
in thees English conversation. Her
husband says he is very proud OF
this talent.
He is also very proud of mad
ame's gift as musician. Madame
Chautemps gives piano recitals
with grace and skill. (You see
I've caught the Gallo manner. It's
my Washington adaptability-Ive
lied in this place too long. IL
you stay in the capital more than
FIVE years you can never again
hope to be a completely honest per-
son. You how of and agree with
one and all 10 a degree that must
necessarily shock and bore all
right-living Americans. There -
10 subject on which you do not
know at least six startling words
five OF which are usually wrong
After this slight depression. |
will take you back 10 another for
engineers effort TO learn the Lam
guage Americana. To the success
ful method OF NJ. Anastase Antonio
poulos. hrst secretary OF the Greek
embassy.
Diplomat Antonopoulos prefers
soda fountains to schools in his
quest for the speech OF the United
States. Every day that II is pos
sible he goes for lunch to one ~
those magnificent American institu-
tions-the drug store. He climbs
up on the high stool beside the
counter He asks for soup-drug
store soup. He has found il is very
excellent. Then he gets one OF
those delicious American sand
witches. (But | hate drug store
sandwiches. said. They make me
ashamed OF American cooking.
They are so dry without butterO
Such had not been hi sey-peeri-
ence. Antonopoulos declared, also
informally. The American sand
witches, and the adjoining CONVEX
sation he had. were OF an excel
lence in avor and substance. More
over. there were-ah. madame-the
word-the right word-they we're
filling. They left you satisfied.
Antonopoulos believes there is no
more agreeable and helpful spot
in all this big United States than
the drug store What Is II that
YOU get there? Why, madame,
You get everything, Including the
Culture Americana.
wonder how ] would make my
self understood in Athens in a
Greek drug store.
I would probably think | was
asking for lipstick and come out
with an asp. Wasn't that the dead
" little creature Cleopatra fast
ened 10 her wrist when the Octari-
ans Roman legions came calling
on an unlimited and strictly mill
tary visit.