The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1926. FRANCE.

Hokitika Guardian, 6 March 1926, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 1926. FRANCE.

In a recent review it is remarked that Mr Sisley Huddleston lias for man.v years resided in France as the special correspondent of various London journals, and is therefore well qualified to write “Franco and the French,” a most; interesting study, which falls into two parts. Tho first deals wit' the social and intellectual aspects of French life; the second with political

and economic conditions. The latter gives a most lucid explanation of France’s financial problem since the war. .Sho lias been in a dilemma .She has desired security, and she desired reparations. But tho measure she took to gain security impaired Germany’s capacity to pay. Nevertheless France continued to budget on tbe assumption that tho maximum in reparations would bo forthcoming. To complicate matters further the French have stubbornly refused to tax - themselves. They are not singular in

their aversion to taxation. The lino, lish, the Americans, the Australian* hate it just as much. But they pay—reluctantly, no doubt - yet they pay. whereas no French Government has hitherto dared to make the French disgorge an adequate amount. However, there are signs of a mors resolute attempt to face the position, and. provided the French keep their heads, there is no need to fear a financial debacle .such as Germany and Austria experienced. At bottom French credit is sound. The country is self-contained. The imports are exceeded in value, by the exports, consisting in the main of “objects deluxe 1 ’ and articles of fine workmanship, in the production of which Frame excels, lit the first part of tlio book Mr Huddii.‘stoii corrects several popular misconceptions. France, lie says, is the easiest country in the world of which to form a false impression. One visitor may come to the superficial conclusion that France is gay, light-hearted, reckless, given to eating and merry-making. Another may he struck by “the ugly greed, the subordination of everything to acquisitiveness, the detenuiinvt ion to be drab and mean and miserable.” Yet both views are wrong. Generalisations are always dangerous, and, in the case of such a highly individualised country ns France quite misleading. Nor is is correct to say that a new France has come into being. On tbe surface apparent changes may lye discerned. Immediately after the war France passed through a phase of excitement and

unrest which manifested itself in various ways. But essentially France remains the same. The national fibre is unaltered. And it should lie remembered that for the hectic pleasure-seek-ing and extravagance which travellers havi? observed in Paris and other cosmopolitan haunts, foreigners are very largely responsible. Although the author admires the French, be can be critical on occasions and he is not afraid to disagree with conventional estimates. An example of his unorthodox?- is given in his remarks upon French thrift, which is usually regarded ns a virtue. Mr Huddleston differs. Fp to a point frugality is meritorious, but it can be overdone. The French are simple in their needs. They aro unpretentious, and devoid of

snobbishness. They do not spend money merely to cut a finer figure than t-iipir neighbours. So far, so good. But there is another side of the picture. Thrift carried to excess panders to selfishness. The dearest ambition of the ordinary frenchman is to put by enough to allow him to retire as soon as possible. He does not ash for much, a bare sufficiency that will enable monsieur and madame to live modestly, and monsieur to have his game of piquet or dominoes at the cafe, To this end. everything is subordinated. Children arc costly to rear. Hint would interfere with the pia.ll, and so they do not arrive. Mr Huddleston believies that the low birtli-rat-o in Franco is in some measure attributable to the habit of thrift. On grounds of economy people avoid parenthood. And when the dream is real Fed ihe rentier becomes a drone. The author is acquainted with several cases in vhich petty tradesmen and the like have retired in their early forties. The rentier contributes nothing to the national output. He does not give Ids share of labour to the community, lie provides no money for the development of industry, for his savings are invested in Government stock. For the same reason he escapes taxation. This class, in Mr Huddleston’s opinion, constitutes a, national burden, and its .size is nor. an encouraging symptom. In literature, and the fine arts France has not been untouched by the freakish fads and philosophies invented by the self-styl-ed “advanced spirits.’’ Some of the most perverse of them—indeed, such as Dadaism originated in France. But this predilection for the bizarre is by no moans a novel phenomenon. Ever since there was a Latin Quarter eccentrically garbed, wild-haired young Bohemians have eagerly taken up some new craze, proclaimed it to be the true aesthetic gospel, and dropped it iucontiniciitlly when another creed, still newer and crazier claimed their fickle allegiance. In all fields of art there has been a wave of “Bolshevism,” but a. reaction has set in. In painting, says Mr Huddleston, most of the work that, has been done since the war is appallingly poor, and much of if, to judp? from appearances, the product of disordered minds, hut the outlook is improving. Tn literature, also, there has been a revolt against the artificial, the morbid, and t-lic‘pa-thological: a growing number of French writers stand above all for health and sanity.