PARIS AND LONDON : A FRENCH- WOMAN'S VIEW [To the
Editor of the SPECTATOR.] have followed with great interest the article about " An Unrecorded Revolution in Manners " in Paris, and the answers of your readers, which appeared these last weeks in the Spectator. I was glad to see that some of your countrymen defended Paris and said the right things about Frenchmen.
I am French, and I am in an English family in London to teach my native language to children. Although every body is very nice for me, I often noticed that when I am always ready to admire London and like England, English people miss rarely the opportunity to say something disagreeable about France, specially Paris, and generally its theatres or music-halls. I am afraid it is a long, long ago prejudice you have against our " spectacles " and it will be difficult to remove it. So I was not surprised when I read the letter of your correspondent, who expressed the same things I often hear when talking with English people.
Although I had been in music-hall only once or twice, I think, after the opinion of same well known French, that the spectacles in that kind of theatres have quite changed (like every thing) since the War, but to their avantage. Very much more luxury than before is brought in the realization of certain plays and scenes. Wonderful sceneries, tremendous show of splendid dresses ; lights placed with art, every thing is set to give you the impression of looking at the picture of some extraordinary fairies' "toile." And if the decency, that seems to please so much to English people, is not always observed, what harm is there in seeing in such a " cadre " the most beautiful thing in the world, the perfection of the human body ? If one has a wholesome mind and a taste for what io beautiful and harmonious be must feel something like when he is looking at a marvellous tableau. I do not think anybody was never blamed for admiring some perfect Aphrodite sculp- tured in the times when beauty could be shown without shame. I do not mean by that, that all the music-hall and spectacles are good in Paris ; there are spectacles of every sorts and I have spoken only of the best. If there are some bad in Paris; there -are, too, bad ones in every! country, even in England; even in London 'On* judgehyrkiiiii advertieethents seen in the streets). What I want to point is this : the most part of our entertainments are as clean and moral as those of all our neighboms, in spite of what may be said.
But, atter all, if they are so prude and easy shocked, I wander why so many foreigners arrive every day in Paris; crowd in our theatres, and seem quite enjoy themselves in this town "de perdition ou fleurit in debauche," as they say. That is all very well to have prineiples, but one must practise what he preaches, or then; not being surprised when mocking Frenchman laughs at him sometimes, or perhaps gets angry. In short, I should like, and many other French too, -that English learn to know us better before judging us.- If we are quite different of you,-it is not a reason to think we are worst. We allow, perhaps, things you would detest, as I read, in one of your letters, but there are other things that we bear with difficulty living in England. We are more fond of gaiety and amusement than you are ; we are greater lovers of Beauty, and what can delight one's eyes. (It is easy to notice it when you walk along the streets of central London and compare what you see with what is seen in Paris.) We look at the life and pass through it with a mind quite opposite to yours. We like mockery and fun and we have the quality, or the default, to be too frank with everybody.
I don't want to make here the portrait of Frenchmen. But I wish that those who spend a long time with us, and come " chez nouS " not only for seeing the Casino de Paris or the Moulin Rouge, know France as it is, and not after Paris' music-halls. - May them have of their stay in our country a recollection as pleasant as mine when I leave London and England.
Apologizing for my very bad English.—I am, Sir, &c.,
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