NEW ZEALANDERS IN FRANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 August 1917, Page 8

NEW ZEALANDERS IN FRANCE.

PEN PICTURE OF THE PEOPLE. Sergeant C. C. Medlicott, a New Zealand infantryman, writing from Franc-, says:—'-Mv job takes me into the homes of the French people—for I have been buzzing about out of range on billeting business most of the time since I got the smack that nearly makes me go a bit, hoppy in the .stride. There is in these French homes a viveeily absolutely unknown to us, who are u douv lot. and who. with all our do\irn»sa. do not yet compare as fighter* with the French 'poilu.' Everywhere Igo the old Madame is brisk, bright and sanguine. Everywhere I stay the grizzled Monsieur says, 'Leave it to "le bon Dieu" —he knows.' If you could see these French girls, whom wo in New Zealand are taught to believe aro addicted to tight dress and loose morals, working harder than any Xew Zealand man knows bow to work, from daylight in the mo.'iiing till dark at night, he would be convinced that we in New Zealand know nothing whatever about work. 1 have seen the-e girls come from the wet fields at, hull past eight in the evening, their 'sabots' live inches thick and mini, turn to the household duties till eleven, and go to feed singing the •Marseillaise.' I lell this to you to try to convince you thai these unfaltering, happy, vivacious people, whom we have called decadent, are alive, vivid, optimistic, and will not allow square-headed savages to rule them.

•'Jn the village of , where T I,ad to (mil billets for men, it struck me tlLat if wo ill New Zealand could faintly copy the niceties of manner of those people, how much easier life »■ 'God's Own' would be. To tlie siio'i-keeper it is the customer whol is convmug the .distincaion. A New Zealand shopkeeper abhors the customer, to whom lie is invariably rude. A French vi_>;ierim with whom I had a hailing couvevsaton hi lliv 'very best' French, verv r.h'i'ly said to mc. 'Monsieur, the thanl--_, of France to votir so I rave compatriots' of Ken Zealand who are winning for us France.' It is impossible for a French gentleman to surest anything' else, than that 50.000 New Zealanders were libora i - iliir France, and that, the other uncounted millions were twiddling their thumbs. It is remarkable In me to iind how many Frenchmen have British wives, niul vice versa, also how diliicalt edue'led Frenchmen find it to understand English county dialects and to understand colonial colloquialisms, fine old French colonel in said to irie when 1 was apologising for the bad English of the English, *Ali, hut mon ami, vim of New Zealand shall teach your new friends the English, the !an«i..ig-; of vonr country, is it not? iou are related to tie English? I)o you icnov.n I begin to think the French colonel niny perhaps have been pulling 'my ley."