A FRENCH VIEW OF AMERICA.* ' This is a spirited

translation of an interesting book. A few oddities of expression and spelling—always, for instance, " discrete " for "discreet "—seem to suggest that the English version may have been printed in France. Otherwise, the printing is singularly good ; and the same may be said for the binding, now so often a reasonable subject of complaint. The book lies open in a way that is both rare and delightful.

M. Paul de Rousiers appears to have paid a long visit to America, with the object not of recording his personal adven- tures, but of learning everything there was to know. This was a large undertaking; for it often seems as if the know- ledge of America—of the United States alone—had this in

common with knowledge generally, that there is no end to it. It is almost impossible for a single traveller to give a fair and complete idea of the whole of the United States,—climate, crops, industries, trade, politics, religion, daily life, manners and customs. When each district, each city, large or small, has a definite character of its own, the most versatile writer may well shrink before such an infinite variety. He feels that any attempt to write about it all, to give any kind of general impression, must result in confusion. And confusion means a lack of interest, for the first thing an intelligent reader wants is to have facts set clearly before him. No one, however, can complain of any confusion or lack of in. terest in M. de Rousiers's book. There may be, perhaps, a little repetition; but, on the whole, we have never met with a general account of America which was clearer and better arranged than this. It is also interesting, as it shows the nature of the impression made by American institutions on the logical mind of a Frenchman,—one, we may add, who is moderate as to theories and bien pensant as to opinions.

The year 1892, as everybody knows, is the four-hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America. M. de Rousiers begins his book with a few general remarks on the marvellous development that these four centuries have seen, the changes in America itself, the transference of power and prosperity from South to North America, from Virginia and Georgia to New York and Chicago. Now, the student of what is called " America " must divide his attention between the Eastern and Western States, and it certainly seems reasonable that he should begin with the pioneers of the West, with the breaking up of new territory, the great cattle and wheat farms, passing on to the Eastern provinces, with their com- merce and manufactures, a progress which almost means becoming acquainted with a different race of men and a

different kind of daily life. Neither the East nor the West could exist without each other,—with all their separate pecu- liarities, certain characteristics are the same throughout the United States. One of the chief of these is the love of inde- pendence, and, as a means to this end, " business " occupies the thought and speech of both native and colonist. The impres- sion that M. de Rousiers gives of American life and thought is disagreeable, from its hurry, its ambition, its materialism.

He does not quite intend this; for he has a real admiration for a wonderful country and a still more wonderful people, whose future greatness and supremacy impresses him quite as strongly as themselves. But his whole book is only a working out in detail of the picture he shows us at the beginning :—

" Were I to give, in a few words, a general idea of American life, I should say that it greatly resembles a ladder up which everybody is climbing, hanging on, falling, and beginning the ascent after each tumble, without wasting time in whining or deliberating on the decision to lose not a rung. Nobody thinks of stopping ; nobody rests contented on any step ; every one is

climbing ; none are settled It is precisely this that an American understands by life He will not accept mediocrity he must be manager of vast undertakings. If he desires riches, it is not to enjoy in old age the fruits of his earlier labours, but to try still bigger undertakings."

M. de Rousiers proceeds to show us the American on his way up the ladder, in the midst of his "undertakings" o every kind. He begins in the Far West, with the opening of new territory ; here we have stories of wild adventure, and find ourselves among the early romance of railroads, and in " cities " such as Oklahoma, not yet three years old. We pass on to Nebraska and the great cattle ranches, which bring us to the cattle markets, cities such as Chicago,—here the details will be a little too realistic for most people, but valuable, no doubt, to those who wish to study the subject. The wheat farms in

* American Life. Translated from the French of Paul de Rousiers, by A. J. Rerheeteon. Paris; Firnun, Didot, et (no. London; Omen and Co. 1892.

Dakota and Kansas form a pleasanter subject, and we have an interesting account of the settlers, some of them French and Scandinavian, their homes and families, followed by descriptions of the grain cities, St. Louis, St. Paul, and Minneapolis. After this, we pass to a very different region, Denver, with its gold-mining and its other attractions. We are then introduced to some of the great industries and manufac- tures,—to Mr. Pullman and his city, to Pittsburg and "natural gas "—the subject of Mr. Carnegie and his works is of special interest now—to the great Baldwin locomotive works at Philadelphia, and the iron and steel works of Sellars and Co. Of course these are only instances. Thus M. de Hoosiers works gradually on from the West to the East ; but no slight review can give any idea of the mass of information he has collected on the subjects mentioned above, and many others. He goes deeply into the questions of Labour, of wages, of Free-trade, and Protection. In spite of the high wages, and of much outward appearance of prosperity, he wishes to put his readers on guard "against certain too optimistic views of the condition of American workmen." He evidently thinks that a great Free-trade reaction is likely, even necessary, and that in this direction real well-being lies. Recent events are a curious commentary on his remarks here.

In some ways the latter part of the book, including the description of New York, its banking and commerce, is the most generally interesting. It is fall of lively and amusing particulars as to American education in independence, with stories of children and boys which are worth quoting. The life led by young girls cannot fail to be a matter of amused interest to a well-bred Frenchman. Evidently M. de Hoosiers has no wish that the young ladies of his own country should be Americanised more quickly than the march of time com- pels. He has no admiration at all for the manners and customs of this great country ; finds boarding-house life

detestable, and shows, by various odd anecdotes and descrip- tions, how extreme civilisation and extreme discomfort may be one and the same thing. Also, being bien peasant, with a good deal of respect for American morals generally,

he cannot endure the system of divorce—" the scourge of divorce," he strongly calls it—for which he sees no remedy but that which is to be found in religion. On the whole, as we have said, though he hardly means it, M. de Hoosiers gives an unpleasant impression of America and her ways. He feels her defects keenly ; the want of that balance which is given to older countries by their aristocracy, the rottenness of her politics, the selfishness of her trade, the lack of refinement which lies behind all her civilisation. It may be said that these are all the faults of youth ; but it is a youth that has grown up without authority, and such a one will always have the defects of his qualities very strongly developed.

Perhaps M. de Rousiers does not quite appreciate America in the matter of literature, art, or music. Size and noise have their effect there, no doubt ; but a better taste is growing, and stories of the supreme want of it are becoming a little unfair. Still, a Frenchman is naturally struck by these things, as well

as by the general ugliness of dress throughout the continent. Among special instances of the development of that "go- ahead" spirit which interests him so much, the case of the North-West Magazine is worth quoting :— " Whenever a new city is founded, a great mining exploitation created, or a railway constructed in Montana, Washington, Dakota, Utah, Oregon, Sm., the North-West Magazine immediately gives a detailed description of it, accompanied with plans, maps, photographs, and drawings. In order to perform his continual investigations, the editor, Mr. E. V. Smalley, passes part of his existence in an immense railway-carriage, built from his designs, and specially adapted for himself and his family. This carriage, a real house on wheels, includes several bed-rooms, a dining-room, drawing-room, and kitchen. A photographer and one or two draughtsmen travel in it with Mr. Smalley, often for six weeks at a time, stopping wherever an important novelty calls for attention, moving on again as soon as they have collected the necessary documents. This certainly is a very modern, very American fashion of editing a review."

M. de Hoosiers speaks well of the state of religious feeling in America. He gives a fair and very lively sketch of the many sects; but of course, being himself a Catholic, the state of the Catholic Church there interests him most deeply. He finds it "very national and very orthodox." The State never interferes with it ; it inspires no jealousy, developes freely, and being both "efficient and healthy "in the present, inspires hope and confidence for the future. In fact, M. de Hoosiers is almost enthusiastic on this subject, and sees nothing un- reasonable in the idea which he heard expressed, that the Church would one of these days be ruled by an American Pope :—

"It is quite possible that an American may be Pope before the end of the twentieth century. An Italian Pope, in a united and centralised Italy, will soon be as inconvenient as a French, German, or Spanish one The Conclave will probably turn its eyes towards America, the only nation with a numerous body of Catholics where the Church is quite independent of the State."

This will seem to many minds a curious conclusion and crown to the most modern nation's race up the ladder of material progress. But anything is possible in America ; and in great uncertainties like these lies her chief, perhaps her only real attraction.