THE EXCURSION OF M. Aron into liberalism is not the
only symptom of unrest with noire beau pays that Figaro has had to face; I was amused to read their chronicler 'Nicole' this week on the subject of the youth of France, with its supposed cyni- cism, insolence, and refusal to respect anybody or anything. Could it be, Nicole asked, that youth had simply been listening to its parents? And she listed about forty parental remarks with which anybody who has lived in France recently will be familiar : among them— La France : pays fini.
Les ouvriers: ces gens-la ne veulent plus travailler.
Les patrons : des incapables. Tous des fils a papa.
Le peuple : ne comprend que la trique. Les bourgeois : ne comprendront jatnais rien a rien, La philosophie : du vent.
La litterature : du blablabla.
Le cinema, la radio, le theatre et la couture : tous des invertis.
La vie : 'c'est la vie!' formule generalement citee a propos des catastrophes et des morts.
Le pays : a besoin d'un chef.
Les hommes : plus de chef.
Le chef : plus d'hommes.
Bref, c'est la fin.
Naturally, Nicole concluded, it is the same people who make these statements who claim they want to see youth with its head held high, with frank look and gay smile, working confi- dently and ardently for the future of the country. Come to think of it, such parents are not unknown here.
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