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Bought with the income of the
WiUiam C. Egleston Fund
19 V,^i

A
FRENCHWOMAN'S IMPRESSIONS
OF AMERICA

A
FRENCHWOMAN'S IMPRESSIONS
OF AMERICA

BY
COMTESSE MADELEINE DEBRYAS
AND
JACQUELINE DEBRYAS

ViSM««

NEW YORK
THE CENTURY CO.
1930

Copyright, 1920, by
The Centdby Co.

PubUshed, April, 19S0

INTRODUCTION
Les impressions de voyage en Am^ique, que
publient aujourd'hui " deux soeurs frangaises,"
meritent I'accueil chaleureux qui les attend : car ces
impressions se sont form6es et d6veloppees dans un
tenace et courageux effort au service de la France.
Quand la Comtesse Madeleine de Bryas et sa
soeur Jacqueline sont parties en 1918 pour les
Etats-Unis, elles repondaient k I'appel du Comity
Americain pour la France devastee, k la t^te duquel
Miss Anne Morgan et Mrs. Dyke ont taut fait pour
nos pays d6truits. II s'agissait, par un t^moignage
frangais, de soUiciter de nouveaux concours et de
reunir de nouveaux moyens.
Les deux voyageuses se sont brillamment acquit-
tees de leur noble tdche. Mais, k peine arrivees h
Washington, elles en ont, k ma demande, accepts
une autre, qu'elles ont remplie avec un 6gal succus.
C'etait I'heure du troisi^me " Emprunt de la
Liberte." Tout le pays americain, pour ce grand
effort financier, avait 6te mobilise. Les Allies,
pour qui les Etats-Unis travaillaient en m§me temps
que pour eux-m6mes, apportaient k la campagne la
cooperation de leurs representants.
Un detachement de chasseurs k pied, m^dailles et
V

Introduction

chevronn6s, appele par moi k New-York, avait
ouvert le feu parmi les acclamations. Tons les
soirs, mes coUaborateurs et moi, ainsi que nos col
logues allies, nous prenions la parole, sous la presi-
dence de nos amis americains, dans les clubs, les
eglises, les th64tres, les usines.
D'accord avec mon ami, George Creel, President
du Comite d'Informiation Publique, je demandai
aux " deux soeurs frangaises " de mettre au service
de la grande cause leur gr^ce et leur d^vouement.
Deux jours apres, elles partaient pour une tournee,
d'abord consacr^e k I'emprunt, ensuite etendue k
I'ceuvre immense d'education populaire, qui a et6
une des sources de la victoire.
Six mois durant, elles ont parcouru les Etats-
Unis, faisant plus de 200 Conferences aux quatre
coins de I'Union, parlant le jour, parlant le soir,
sautant d'un train dans un autre, r6sistant en
souriant k r6preuve physique et morale d'un sur-
menage dont demeurait etonne le peuple le plus
resistant du monde, et recueillant — ce chiffre vaut
mieux que tons les eioges — pour plus de 5 millions
de souscriptions.
La Comtesse Madeleine de Bryas 6tait I'orateur
de la " troupe," dont sa soeur 6tait le directeur.
Parlant I'anglais aussi facilement que le frangais k
son arrivee — et, au depart, elle le disait du moins,
plus facilement — riche des souvenirs rapport6s par
elle des regions martyres, elle excellait, par un
vi

Introduction

simple recit, k saisir les auditoires les plus divers et
qui mieux est, k les convaincre.
Un soir, dans une usine du Middle West^ tons les
ouvriers — plusieurs milliers — voulurent defiler
devant elle et lui serrer les mains : beaucoup pleu-
raient. L'un d'eux lui dit : " Mon fils est en
France. Maintenant que je vous ai entendue, je
suis content qu'il y soit."
Jamais meilleure action — non point de propa-
gande, ce mot est haissable, — mais d'information et
de sympathie frangaises n'a ete, pendant la guerre,
exercee aux Etats-Unis. Pendant pres de deux an-
nees, mon personnel a prononce plus de 15,000
discours en anglais, pour montrer aux Americains
la vraie France et la situer k sa place dans la grande
bataille. Nous sommes fiers d'avoir compte parmi
nous ces deux charmantes " volontaires " si gales k
la besogne et si efficient.
Le r6cit de leur voyage est alerte et franc, comme
elles-mSmes. II n'y manque que la constatation des
r6sultats obtenus et qui leur font grand honneur.
J'ai plaisir k r^parer I'oubli, qu'a voulu leur mo-
destie, et k leur exprimer mon affectueuse recon
naissance.
Andre Takdieu
Haut commissaire des affaires de guerre
franco-amerieaine.
D^legue francais t la conference de la
pais.

Vll

INTRODUCTION
The impressions received by " two French sis
ters " while travelling in America, and now pub
lished, will certainly meet with the warm welcome
that they deserve, for they are the impressions
formed and matured while engaged in strenuous
work for the cause of France.
When the Comtesse Madeleine de Bryas and her
sister Jacqueline went to the United States in 1918,
it was in response to the request of the " American
Committee for Devastated France," at the head of
which Miss Anne Morgan and Mrs. Dyke have ac
complished so much for our destroyed districts.
It was deemed appropriate at the time that some
French witness of conditions in such districts
should solicit further help and means of continuing
the work.
Brilliantly, indeed, did they discharge their
splendid task. Also, almost immediately after
their arrival in Washington at my request they
agreed to undertake additional work, in which they
acquitted themselves equally successfully.
This happened at the time of the third " Liberty
Loan." For this huge financial effort the whole of
the United States had been called to action. The
ix

Introduction

Allies, for whom America was working at the same
time that she was working for herself, eagerly en
listed the services of all their representatives for
the campaign.
A detachment of the famous " Chasseurs k pied,"
with their medals and chevrons, sent for by me,
opened fire in New York amid frantic cheering.
Every evening, my collaborators and I, together
with colleagues among our allies, spoke at meetings
held by our American friends in clubs, churches,
theaters, and factories.
It was agreed with my friend George Creel, Presi
dent of the Committee on Public Information, that
I should ask the "two French sisters " to place their
grace and their devotedness at the service of the
great cause. Two days later they set out on a lec
turing tour, in the first place to speak for the loan,
and then continued as a means of carrying out the
huge work of popular education, which proved to be
one of the sources of victory.
For six months they travelled from one end of the
United States to the other, giving more than two
hundred lectures, speaking both during the day and
the evening, and to do this they had to dash from
one train to another, but they smilingly bore up
bravely against all fatigue both physical and men
tal, against overwork and strain great enough to
astonish even the Americans, who are known to be
the hardest workers in the world, and gathering in
X

Introduction

for the cause — and the figure is the most eloquent
of praises — more than five million francs in sub
scriptions. The Comtesse Madeleine de Bryas was the
speaker, while her sister acted as her manager.
She arrived in America, speaking English as flu
ently as French, and left it,— or so she affirms,—
speaking it even more so, — her memory stored with
her many souvenirs from the martyred regions of
her country, by the simple relating of which, she
excelled in riveting the attention of the most varied
audiences, and, what was still better, in convincing
them. One evening in a factory of the Middle West all
the working people, numbering several thousand,
wished to approach and shake hands : many of them
were in tears. One said : " My son is in France.
Now that I have heard you I am pleased that he
should be there."
There has not been better activity — not propa
ganda, the word is a hateful one, but information
and French sympathy — exercised in the United
States during the war. During almost two years
my staff made more than fifteen thousand speeches
in English, in order to show America the real
France, and to give her her right place in the great
battle. We are proud to have counted among us
these two charming " volunteers," who were so gay
and withal so efficient at their task.
xi

Introduction

The narration of their travels is vivacious and
frank, as they are themselves. Yet, owing to their
modesty there was something which had been omit
ted — to state the results of their work, which are
of great honor to them. It is with pleasure that
I now repair the omission, and at the same time
express to them my affectionate gratitude.
Andre Tardieu

Secretary for Franco- American War Affairs.
Plenipotentiary of the French Republic at
the Peace Conference.

XU

INTRODUCTION
It would perhaps be well to explain to possible
readers that the " We " of the following pages re
fers to two sisters who have collaborated in writing
down their experiences while travelling in the
United States.
Although born, educated and having always lived
in Paris, in addition to the fact that our father is
French, we are proud of being able to claim direct
descent from two Signers of the Declaration of
the Independence of America. George Clymer,
our mother's great-grandfather, and George Read,
both being not only signers but also framers of the
Constitution of the United States.
As already mentioned in this book we have tried
to narrate in a very simple form our impressions
of the wonderful country our good star led us to
visit for the first time in 1918. We set out for the
United States with the greatest love at heart for
all that is American and we have returned to Paris
with a still deeper admiration, an even greater sym
pathy if that were possible, and a more profound
gratitude towards our sister-nation for all it has
done for France.
Some of our impressions may perhaps seem
rather frivolous to Americans. If so we ask such
xiii

xiv Introduction

of our readers kindly to remember that French
minds often have a funny twist to them and that
the French have a decided tendency to look upon
life with lightness of heart, good-natured amuse
ment and an unshakable optimism.
Before the war this apparent French frivolity
was often severely criticized by foreigners, but
since then events have certainly proved that these
national traits were capable of becoming stolid
qualities, as for over four years they kept up with
out any wavering whatsoever the morale of a whole
nation down-trodden as it was by a merciless enemy.
We take advantage of this occasion to renew our
most heartfelt thanks to all the Americans who
entertained us with such warm hospitality during
our stay in their country, thus giving us the feeling
of having found a home wherever we went.
We have each written an equal number of pages,
and after that confession are wondering with true
feminine curiosity if our readers will be interested
enough to be tempted to guess " who 's who."

Paris, 1920.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE
I Paris Bombarded  3
II No Submarines  11
III New York "En Guerre"  20
IV "Dry" Washington  33
V American Hospitality  51
VI Speaking for the Third Liberty Loan . 63
VII Experiences in Factories  73
VIII Over the Top  84
IX American Generosity  92
X Touring for Devastated France . . . 100
XI On a Mission for the American Govern
ment ...  109
XII "Proper" America  128
XIII In the MmoLE West  135
XIV St. Louis  151
XV Our Reception at Camp Dodge . . . 168
XVI No Indians and No Cowboys .... 185
XVII A Dip in Saltair with Mormons . . . 205
XVIII The Pacific Coast  214
XIX San Francisco  228
XX Puget Sound  245
XXI Vers La France  254

A FRENCHWOMAN'S IMPRES
SIONS OF AMERICA

A FRENCHWOMAN'S IMPRES
SIONS OF AMERICA

CHAPTER I
PARIS BOMBARDED
EARLY one morning I was awakened by the
sharp ringing of the telephone bell. I
jumped out of bed.
"Hello! Who's there? Ah! c'est vous, chere
a'.nie! " It was the Duchess X  " What is it?
You want me to go to America? You must let me
think it over ! For it 's a long way off, you know —
quite at the other end of the world, in fact. But
what will my parents say? And so Miss Anne
Morgan is looking for a platform speaker to tour
her country on behalf of the ' pays devastes '! And
your husband has told her about my lecture trip
to Spain two years ago. Yes, perhaps after all I
could manage it, and, moreover, I have always
longed to go to the United States."
Perhaps it is owing to the fact of my mother be
ing an American born that it comes natural to me

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
to decide rapidly ; for I believe it is better to learn
and maybe suffer through experience than refrain
from acting. And so it happened that at two
o'clock in the aftemoon I met Miss Morgan for the
first time. And it was decided that I should go to
B16rancourt (Aisne), as soon as a permit could be
obtained, and spend some time there in order to
get thoroughly acquainted with the work of the
Civilian Division of the American Fund for French
Wounded. (It was many days before I could rat
tle off with any ease this interminable name.) I
was then to start for America, to speak on behalf
of the sixty villages that the French Government
had placed under the superintendence of this organ
ization. " Don't say * yes,' " was Miss Morgan's parting
advice, " until you are quite sure that you appre
ciate the relief work at Bl^rancourt thoroughly.
Now I want you to understand from the beginning
that in America you will have to play the part of a
theatrical star. Yes, I really mean it," she added,
as she caught a look of amusement in my eye.
" Over there everything is different ; you will travel
with a manager, speak from the stage, pose for
photographers, be interviewed incessantly, and live
entirely before the public."
My ideas were already beginning to dance a cake-
walk through my brain! I had never dreamed of
being considered a " theatrical star." What fun !
4

Paris Bombarded

The war had certainly contrived to turn the whole
world topsyturvy! I can imagine what my Paris
ian friends would have thought if before the war I
had ventured to show myself daily on a stage and
get talked of in the papers — quite an unheard of
proceeding for a French feinme du monde! Society
would have ostracized me at once, and my friends
would have been at home to me only when they were
sure of having no one else in for tea. But now
everything is allowed if only it be inspired by true
patriotism, and even the deepest-rooted convention
alities seem to have dissolved into thin air.
There was only one drawback to the proposed
expedition : I felt incapable of traveling alone in a
far-away land without growing homesick. French
people invariably get the blues when they set foot on
foreign soil, and I was sure I should die if I could
not occasionally have a real " Frenchy " conver
sation. " Why don't you come, too? " I asked my sister,
after searching in vain for a suitable companion
who would face the submarine risk. " We will
chaperon each other, and you will do better work
for our country over there, with me, than by tak
ing care of blind soldiers at home."
My father and mother, who are perfect dears,
and who have nobody in the world to care for but
their two daughters, agreed to our plans with the
.stoicism which has characterized parents during
5

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
this war. So the die was cast. We were to spend
a few kaleidoscopic months amidst reporters, pho
tographers, managers, " Easterners," " Middle-
Westerners," and " Pacific-Coasters," and see all
the wonders of the new continent.
We were not the least bit excited over the thrill
ing prospect. We looked upon it rather in the
light of a big and fatiguing undertaking after more
than three years of strenuous work, but at that
time only one thing counted in our hearts — that
the Allies should win — and every individual effort
that we made was a small stepping-stone in that
direction. So as soon as we got our passports from military
headquarters, we set off for the war zone. How
many times had I already traveled and motored
through those devastated regions behind the firing-
lines! My first tour of this kind was a week's
sojourn in the Marne Valley in March, 1915, after
which my aunt, the Marquise de Ganay, and I
founded the society called " Le Bon Gite," of which
she is president. It is the largest French relief
organization of its kind, and has never ceased to
supply furniture to thousands of families in the
ruined villages.
Miss Morgan's and Mrs. Dike's organization at
Blerancourt was very remarkable. The founders
were assisted by twenty energetic American women
and girls, who looked very trim in their neat hori-
6

Paris Bombarded

zon-blue uniforms, and accomplished a tremendous
amount of excellent work. They are all in love
with the old Frenc<h peasan/ts and the darling little
children living amidst the ruins, and these in their
tum are filled with the deepest admiration for the
braves demoiselles americaines, who live in wooden
barracks as they do, and yet look to them like
Olympic goddesses.
Time passed and March was soon upon us and we
traveled down to Bordeaux a few days before our
sailing-date. The last week in Paris was terrible.
Gothas rained bombs on us almost every night, and
we scarcely closed our eyes. The train was over
crowded with people leaving on account of the air
raids. Such raids, even though made every twenty-
four hours; could have no military value whatso
ever. As everybody knows, Parisians kept admirably
calm, but I must admit that from time to time the
scaremongers contrived somewhat to upset our
equilibrium. As, for instance, when we were in
formed that enemy submarines were to visit in Paris
that evening by way of the main sewers. " Why
not? " asked some. " Nothing would surprise us
now from the Hun." And so we waited, wondering
with a smile whether our night would be spent in
the cellar or in the attic.
Bordeaux had by that time become fairly Ameri
canized ; khaki uniforms were to be seen everywhere,
7

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and the English language was more generally heard
in the streets than French.
After an undisturbed night, my father woke us
with these unexpected and terrible words : " Paris
is being bombed by big guns ! "
It seemed incredible. Had the Germans ad
vanced with such speed that they were within reach
of the capital?
" No," answered the prefect, a friend of ours,
whom we rushed off to see at the prefecture, " Paris
is being shelled from the Aisne by the most power
ful long-range gun Krupp has yet invented. I have
just got the news directly from the Government,
as I have the only civilian long-distance telephone
allowed in Bordeaux during war-time."
My parents, who had come to wish us farewell, —
for this was our first crossing of the Atlantic, —
left at once and returned to Paris. They wanted
to be among those who set the example to the popu
lation to show that they would not desert their
town when in real danger. So we waited patiently
in Bordeaux for the Chicago to sail, getting worse
and worse news from the front every day.
That afternoon, on getting out of the lift, we saw
an American officer trying vainly to manipulate
the little knobs.
" I can't make this confounded elevator rise an
inch!" I said to him quietly : 8

Paris Bombarded

" May I show you how to manage it? "
Whereupon he put down his hand-bag, gasped,
and exclaimed : " My goodness, you speak English !
Isn't that just wonderful ! I guess you 're the first
woman speaking to me in my own tongue since I
crossed three weeks ago. Do you mind if we just
have a little talk together? It 's fine to be able to
speak to women ! "
We dined with him and a friend of his, who also
was an American officer. He showed us a little
book he was learning by heart, the jolliest little
book imaginable, called " Five Minutes' Conversa
tion with the Ladies." I opened it and read :
" Permettezmoi de vous serrer la main.
Per-mettay moa devoo serray lamainn.
Allow me to squeeze your hand."
What a delightfully unexpected English transla
tion! I wonder what compiler had the happy
thought that shaking hands meant squeezing; and
I suppose it is preferably taken literally! Fore
warned, I slipped off my right-hand ring, the one
that always hurts so, when we said good night.
There is also in the book a delightful farewell
phrase (after five minutes' conversation) :
" Our happiness has been far too short."
After dinner we strolled off, the four of us, to
get a glimpse of Bordeaux by night. The streets
were poorly lighted, and we found that walking
about was no easy undertaking. As we stepped off
9

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
the pavement, I suddenly felt a hand quietly taking
hold of my elbow. I wondered in what words I
should reprimand the audacious officer. Then
as we reached the opposite pavement, the hand
dropped my arm like a hot potato. Every time we
crossed a street, the same thing occurred, and I
suddenly understood that this must be ordained
by American politeness.
And so it is. In America, any man with whom
you are walking takes your elbow in a discreet
fashion when you cross a street, or walk in an un
steady way along a rough road. But if you want
to do anything as enterprising as to go up a fiight
of stairs on foot in the land of " elevators," the
man in charge of you takes hold of your elbow as
if you were the most precious and incapable para
lytic in the world, and he almost carries you to the
top. In France we rarely trust our elbows to men,
probably because they would never feel satisfied to
stop there, but would soon want an additional part
of the arm.

10

CHAPTER II
NO SUBMARINES
AFTER six days spent in Bordeaux we at last
went aboard the Chicago, the twenty-fifth
of March, and steamed out of the harbor in
the night. The following day we reached Le Ver-
don, and we cast anchor and waited patiently at the
mouth of the Gironde for the destroyer that was to
escort us for the first thirty hours. During that
time, the captain tried the gun, and the marines
exercised their skill on a distant barrel, supposed
to represent a submarine. Brr! It sent a little
creepy wireless message down our spines, and it
had the excellent effect of reminding us very forci
bly that we were at war, as we were presently
to enter the danger zone. Some of the saloon win
dow-panes were shattered to pieces, owing to the
tremendous vibration caused by each detonation.
At three o'clock we were marshaled up on deck,
and the order was given for us to appear with our
life-belts on, that we might be shown our places in
the life-boats in case of danger. We all rushed to
our cabins and reappeared immediately looking like
a race of strange sea-monsters. Not one of the
11

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
life-belts fitted its wearer. Some of us " swam "
in them, whereas others could n't manage to make
theirs meet around their bulky forms! I think
nothing ever excited our hilarity more than seeing
what a ridiculous-looking lot of people we had be
come in the span of a few seconds. The next quar
ter of an hour was spent in exchanging protective
belts and trying to make some of the more rebellious
ones fit with the help of a few safety-pins.
In our cabin we found a notice to the effect
that in case an alarm were sounded by the siren, we
should repair immediately to life-boat Number Two.
On deck a placard with a big figure "2" was fastened
to the railing, and there we should have to step into
the boat and wait until it was lowered into the sea.
All through the danger zone we all prayed silently
that no periscopes might rise on our horizon. In
fact we all shared a healthy optimism, as do the
soldiers in the trenches : " Other boats may sink,
but not ours; we are immune." Why, and where
fore, were questions that we did not try to answer ;
our faith was born of an intuitive conviction that
nothing could ever happen to a ship of the French
Compagnie Transatlantique.
Sometime the following afternoon the anchor was
raised and we steamed out into the big ocean with
a destroyer at our side, prancing up and down, and
tossed on the rough waves like a small toy.
There were very few women on board and these
12

No Submarines

were mostly dressmakers going to sell the latest
Paris models in the big American cities. Nearly
all the men were in uniform and belonged to various
military missions. We also had fifty Spanish pas
sengers of the laboring class, and we considered
them our mascots. The Spanish Government had
wired to Washington announcing their presence on
the Chicago, and as the Germans always seem to
know everything that is going on, we felt secure
with these neutrals on board.
Among the passengers I met an ardent American
suffragist. Needless to say, we became acquainted ;
for, being born with an inquiring turn of mind, I
always enjoy the company of those who live for an
ideal and out of the ordinary trend of existence.
My clever suffragist had been sent on a six-month
tour around the world and was then on her way
back to the States after having investigated the
woman's-rights question in Japan, Siberia, Russia,
Sweden, England, and France. This woman had
certainly given proof of indomitable will and
moral courage. All alone she had faced the perils
of Siberia in a period of greatest unrest, and the
grave dangers of the revolution in Petrograd.
" Did the results of your investigations come up
to what you expected? " was naturally my first
eager question.
" Yes," she answered, " Japan astonished me, and
Russia also ; the women in both these countries are
13

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
far more progressive than I had expected to find
them. England's women I knew all about, as they
have made themselves more prominent than have
their sisters in any other part of the world. But
the French women have disillusioned me."
" And what has caused this disillusionment? "
I asked, som"ewhat astonished.
" Oh ! they are the least feminist of all."
" Well, is it because they desire only to be fem
inine? "
" Yes, perhaps. The French woman does not
want ' rights ' ; she is satisfied with managing men.
Tell me, don't you want the vote? "
I laughed.
" The vote ! Why, the enemy is on our soil and
there is no time for feminism. Men and women,
too, have first to win the war."
" And when the war is over? "
" Ah ! French women have no intention of re
maining behind their epoch; they will no doubt
ask for the vote, and I imagine they will get it
when they want it."
" By a smile ! " answered the suffragist, with a
sigh, "as they obtain everything else. In France a
smile is woman's strongest weapon, I have ob
served ! "
Life on board was very simple. Nobody thought
of dressing in the evening, and no one undressed at
all during the first few nights. Our captain kindly
14

No Submarines

asked me to be seated on his right at table. How
ever, he did not put in an appearance at all until
the danger zone was passed. We met him for the
first time on the fifth day.
" Two nights ago," he told us, " we had an S O S
call from a sinking vessel, but it must have gone
down extremely rapidly, for it had not time to
indicate its position."
"And suppose the wireless had given more ac
curate information, would you have gone to the
rescue of the wrecked victims? "
" Certainly not ! We have strict orders to refrain
from any interference, because sending out false
SOS calls is one of the methods by which German
submarines decoy passenger-boats; attracting to
them in this way the ships that they want to tor
pedo." " Have you ever been in the immediate vicinity
of a torpedoed boat, mon commandant? " inquired
a French colonel across the table.
" Yes, once last year. We were sailing at night
with all lights out, when we suddenly heard the
most ghastly shrieks and cries of distress arising
from the dark waters at a little distance from us.
It was one of the most nerve-racking experiences
I have ever undergone." The captain was visibly
moved at the awful recollection.
" And what did you do? " we all exclaimed.
" What could we do? So many passengers' lives
15

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
are entrusted to my care. It is a grave responsi
bility, and I have to obey orders. We sailed care
fully through the horrible zone, and for days and
nights I could still hear the cries ringing like a
death-knell in my ears."
" Do you think all the people were drowned? "
asked some one, in a breathless undertone.
" I don't suppose so, as the war-ships always go
to the rescue as soon as the signal of distress is
wired through space."
The captain then changed the conversation.
The sun went down at about seven every evening,
and the sailors screened the sides of the deck with
a large canvas sheet that prevented the light of an
open door or even of a cigar from being visible out
at sea. In the cabins and the saloons all port
holes were covered over for the same reason, and
we spent the rest of the night in an atmosphere
of sultriness and smoke. It was almost impossible
to remain on deck on account of the total darkness
reigning there, and the difficulty of getting about
and finding the entrance doors from the outside.
There was one man on board who had a strange
and haggard look in his eyes. I was told that he
was the captain of a foreign ship and was crossing
to New York as a passenger. His story was rather
a curious one. He had been shipwrecked three
times since the beginning of the war. On the last
voyage he was taken prisoner with two others by
16

No Submarines

an enemy submarine crew, and their life-boat was
attached to the periscope. Two days later the Ger
mans spied a British vessel in the distance and for
some reason of their own they released their pris
oners and abandoned them in the small launch,
whilst they themselves disappeared hastily into the
depths. The captain and his companions waved their
handkerchiefs to the English ship, but no one on
board noticed their signals, and the big boat slowly
disappeared beyond the horizon. Their hearts
grew heavy as they faced the wide ocean where no
one seemed likely to save them from starvation
and thirst. Five days they fioated in this way,
without food or water, till at last the little life
boat drifted to the shores of Madeira, with the three
men lying half-dead within it.
After a week spent on board I thought we must
surely have met all the charming people there, so
what was my astonishment when an American, who
was one of the passengers with whom we had con
versed the most, asked to be allowed to introduce to
us an Ex-Governor of Massachusetts. Massa
chusetts is a very difficult word for French people
to pronounce. A Parisian lady after hearing this
name tried to repeat it, but managed only to say,
"Met ses chaussettes ! " The sound of the French
is nearly the same words but the phrase means,
" Put on his socks ! " 17

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
We found the ex-governor, who is a bachelor, per
fectly charming, and we enjoyed his company very
much. " Do you intend coming to Boston? " he asked
us. " We certainly intend going there. We should
be extremely disappointed to miss the intellectual
center of the United States."
"Will you let me know your plans? For I
should like you both to stay at my house."
I probably looked puzzled and astonished, for he
immediately added:
" You can accept, you know ; in the States it 's
perfectly correct. Many young women come to
stay with me; even when I am not at home, I put
my house at their disposal, as I always leave my
servants there."
" Do you mean to say that you invite us even
if you are out of town? " I inquired, astonished at
this splendid hospitality.
" Wihy, certainly ! I have a very good cook, and
you will enjoy her bacon."
We got very tired of the water after a fortnight,
and when at last we saw the wonderful statue of
Bartholdi's guarding the port of New York we
hailed it with delight. Then we caught sight of
the skyscrapers, in the distance looking like aerial
cathedrals. I will not attempt to describe them: they have
18

No Submarines

already been portrayed well and often, and I feel
utterly incapable of writing in an adequate literary
descriptive style. All I can say is that nothing is
more impressive. New York makes me think of a
city composed of innumerable towers of Babel, God
this time having allowed men to build up to the
skies without punishing them by the confusion of
tongues. I suppose it is because America is made
up of people of all nationalities, and that as a re
ward for their all having leamed English God has
let them attain almost to the heights of His own
kingdom.

19

CHAPTER III
NEW YORK "EN GUERRE"
THE landing formalities are long 'and tire
some. We had filled in any number of
legal papers, affirming among other
things that we were not bigamists and had no in
tention of becoming so. Fortunately the chief de
tective, an amiable and clever-looking official, came
to our rescue as soon as he discovered us on the
Chicago, and we immediately obtained from the
port authorities, who held council in the saloon
like Pluto and his associates, the permission to
land. " Where is Miss Morgan? " we asked anxiously.
" She has just sailed for France."
This answer was given by Miss X — , a friend of
Miss Morgan's, Who had come to greet us at the
dock. " But when did she leave? "
"A few days ago, on account of the offensive.
She wanted to be over there with her unit. All her
friends here will take good care of you."
But already, as we were speaking, we saw several
reporters coming toward us.
20

New York "En Guerre

" What do you think of New York en guerre? "
"!!!!!!!!??????? ?."
This was our first acquaintance with American
reporters, as we had never before crossed the At
lantic. They seemed very polite and asked only
a few questions while an employee unlocked our
trunks. Mr. Sharp, the American Ambassador in
Paris, had very kindly given us a letter for the
Custom-house. Every one was most courteous and
after a simple formality, which consisted in open
ing our trunks and shutting them up again without
even inspecting what was inside, we were free to
leave the dock.
" When is my first talk. Miss X — ? " I asked,
imagining that as Americans have the reputation
of acting with lightning rapidity I might be taken
immediately upon a platform.
" In a few days' time, but I must first tell you
that the new name of our organization is ' The
American Committee for Devastated France.' "
This conversation led us to the exit door, where
Miss Morgan's motor-car was waiting for us. Its
owner had most kindly put it at our disposal for
our stay in New York; and she also asked us to
look upon her studio as our own.
We drove to the Vanderbilt Hotel, where we
had a suite of rooms on the fourteenth floor, and
I assure you we felt that we had finally entered
upon the way to heaven ! At last we were to know
21

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
what New York life really was like. We had
heard so much about it that actually to live it
filled us with excitement.
I rang the bell; the waiter came in and took
my orders. He spoke with a very pronounced
foreign accent. Pushed by curiosity, I asked, " Are
you American?"
" No, ma'am ; I 'm a Pole."
Then the telephone rang again; it had already
rung several times since our arrival.
" Hello ! Hello ! Is this the Countess de Bryas,
who arrived on the Chicago? "
" Yes."
" I 'm a reporter from the Y — paper, and should
like an interview."
" Very well, I will see you to-morrow moming at
eleven o'clock, at the studio."
The porter brought up our luggage. He, too, had
a decidedly foreign accent.
" Are you American? "
" No, ma'am ; I 'm a Swede."
Then the maid came to ask us if she could help
us. "Are you an American?" I asked, hoping at
last to see a real American.
" No, ma'am ; I 'm Irish."
" But where are the Americans? " I exclaimed
to my sister. 22

New York "En Guerre

" I 'm beginning to wonder whether we shall ever
see any," was her reply.
Then a friend came in to see us and was still
there when the waiter entered to remove our tea-
tray. I signed the check and let the man go, hav
ing rewarded him with nothing more than thanks.
" But you have forgotten the tip," said my friend.
"We tip each time they bring us up anything —
a meal, a parcel, fiowers, or telegrams."
" It is fortunate that you told us I " I exclaimed.
" In Europe we tip only at the end of our stay at
the hotel, as each fioor has its special servants."
It took us some time to get over the effects of
our voyage, and for hours the walls of the room
seemed to waltz around us. I felt as if I were
tipsy, a strange feeling for me, truly ! Both people
and things performed a wUd jig in front of me.
The dance was so fast and so furious that the only
remedy was to go to bed. But even that was what
the Americans would call " quite a job." For a
bed in motion is no end of trouble to get into, but
I finally managed to get ahead of it and jumped in
with a sigh of relief. My eyes closed, and the
dance was over.
With what a thrill, after a good night's rest, did
we wake up to the knowledge that we were really
in New York ! For many seemed the years we had
been waiting to see that wonderful city, with its
23

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
sky-scrapers and its intensely active life. And
when at last one finds oneself in it, the feeling is
a marvelous one indeed. But the ringing of the
telephone soon put an end to my happy dreams and
brought me back to earth.
I had never before in my life heard the telephone
ring so often as I did then, for in France the tele
phone is less in use than in the States.
" Shall I ever manage to get dressed ! " exclaimed
my sister.
" I hope so," I replied," for we have an appoint
ment with the reporters at eleven o'clock."
However, we arrived punctually at the studio,
and there we met a number of reporters, who all
immediately asked the same questions — whether
we had seen a submarine, and if we were in Paris
when the long-distance gun was bombarding the
city! Our chagrin may be better imagined than
described at having to answer that we left Paris
just five minutes before the first shell fell into the
city, en route for Bordeaux, to sail on that un
lucky boat that missed all the submarines, every
one of them !
I was then photographed many times — sitting,
standing, looking out of the window, first with my
hat on, and then without it — and, as I afterward
found, I kept on smiling through it all despite the
fact that I had never in my life been photographed
so often in so short a space of time. We then left
24

New York "En Guerre

the studio and were taken to a photographer on
Fifth Avenue, where we both had to pose in order
to have other photographs ready for the press, hop
ing in this way to avoid being snapshotted in every
town by each local paper. While I was talking to
the photographer, two more reporters came in and
asked for an interview.
I was much struck by the great sympathy all
those I had spoken with felt for France. They all
admired what she has done, the way the men had
fought and the women had helped in the struggle.
The love that unites America and France is one
beautiful feature of this war. America's love is the
healing balm that will help France to recover from
all her wounds. The word " Americain " is
blessed by all the French. It is uttered with love,
with reverence, with admiration, and with grati
tude. There is an affinity between the two nations
from which has sprung this great sentiment that no
human power can destroy, for it comes from the
heart and is a great spiritual love.
Not only do the Americans nurse our wounded
soldiers, but they take care of our civilian popula
tion in the devastated regions and all over the coun
try. The Rockefeller Foundation is struggling
against the terrible scourge of tuberculosis, which
has spread like a plague in my country since the
war. The " Fatherless Children of France," by the
adoption of hundreds of thousands of little orphans,
25

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
is certainly contributing to link the two countries
together by creating a sincere affection between the
young generation of France and all the genera
tions in America, for our children are adopted by
people of all ages and all classes in the United
States. I was told the other day a most touching story,
which went straight to my heart and filled my eyes
with tears. In one of the American camps in the
States a French orphan, a little girl, has been
adopted by one of the cooks of a regiment. He has
taken in his charge a little child living in France,
and through his affectionate care has become her
protector, in fact, her second father. Not content
with having her brought up at his own expense, he
devotes his economies to sending her toys, which
make of her a bright and happy child. He is giv
ing her not only the instruction that will help her
later in life but, what is perhaps more important,
he is, through sacrifice, making of her a normal
child, brought up in a happy home amidst all that
makes children smile and live in dreamland.
As we drove away to go back to the hotel, we
craned our necks to try to get a glimpse of all
that was to be seen from the windows of the motor
car. Fifth Avenue ! And this time we did indeed
realize what New York in war time means. The
Third Liberty Loan Drive had just begun, and huge
bright red-bordered flags were hanging lengthwise
26

New York "En Guerre'

across the avenue bearing the words, " Fight the
Huns," " If you have not bought a bond, you are
a slacker," " What are you going to do to help the
boys," etc., printed in enormous letters. On the
walls of the houses big posters were seen, bearing
expressive and encouraging mottoes to help win
the war, such as " Give till it hurts." Then other
posters were placarded everywhere, representing in
descriptive painting " Pershing's Crusaders."
The war was everywhere — on the walls, in the
windows, where little flags appeared with the stars
indicating the number of men in a household or a
firm who are soldiers. Most cars had the Ameri
can, French, and English flags floating from the
motor and another flag hanging in the window be
hind. Decorated stands were erected in different
sections of the avenue and I could see women ad
dressing crowds of passers-by, and from their ener
getic gestures and the attentive look of their au
diences I fancied they must be "hitting straight
from the shoulder." This was my first contact with
the speaking craze of which I was destined to be
come a victim!
Fifth Avenue looked so bright under its gay-col
ored flags that the town seemed decked out as if for
some great victory. All this was perfectly novel
to us, and we simply stared with excitement. No
women in France ever make speeches out-of-doors ;
few men, in fact, do so, unless they are congress-
27

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
men, and then only at such ceremonies as the un
veiling of a commemorative monument.
The American women one sees in the street are
all apparently lovely, and so well dressed in every
way. Their heads are small and well propor
tioned. Their profiles are a wonder to me for their
beauty, perfectly Grecian and statuesque in their
pure outline. The forehead and the chin follow a
straight line with the nose and nowhere is there
seen the fish profile which is so common in Europe.
(I mean a retreating forehead and a chin swal
lowed up in the neck, which makes the nose stand
out of the face conspicuously.) In fact, after a
little while in America, I began to miss the strong,
commanding, predominant nose, which is consid
ered rather an aristocratic feature on the old con
tinent. Women's noses in the United States are
generally a poem of delicacy, small, refined, and
regular. Almost all the women wear their shoes and slip
pers long and pointed, which gives an appearance
of refinement to the foot. This fashion does not
come from Paris, where the shoes are very short,
with higher heels and round at the toe, but I be
lieve in general I prefer the look of American feet.
I Avas very much struck by the daintiness of the
young girls and young women. They almost in
variably have peach-like complexions, in spite of
indulging in out-of-door sports and exposure to the
28

New York "En Guerre

sun. They have silky hair, which they wear
brushed off the forehead and brought back in a
wavy curl over the ears.
To my surprise, I saw no old ladies about —
not what we call in France the typical vieille dame,
the kind that wears a little bonnet and goes to
church every moming at dawn. Perhaps women
age becomingly in America; maybe they remain
at home ; or very likely they are all dead ! I should
not be astonished to learn that people die off quicker
in New York than elsewhere in the " rush-your-
breath-out " existence. The older women are hand
some, with exquisite silvery white hair, as though
powdered in Washington's time or at Marie An
toinette's court ; their faces are young and purpose
ful. I have a wild theory of my own that God created
the black, the yellow, and the red human races,
and that He then made yet another race of people,
a mixture of the preceding ones, a sort of " rainbow
division," called the Aryans. Now the Aryans de
clared that when they looked black they were only
dark-skinned from the sun ; when they were yellow-
looking, it was due to jaundice; and when they were
red they were apoplectic, and that in all cases they
were the white race. God has been giving them a
famous lesson during the two past centuries. For
He is making a mixture of Aryans on American
soil, and has decreed that they are to be the real
29

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
great white race, and so He makes their hair turn
white while they are still very young and gives
them their pink-and-white complexions.
In retuming to the Vanderbilt, always anxious
about the war news, I got the evening papers and
what was not our surprise and amusement to see
my photograph and an account of one of the in
terviews under this heading:
COITNTESS HEEE TO AID DESTITUTE.
SORRY SHE MISSED RAID ON PARIS.
Mon Dieu ; life is of a sadness ! Think of having to spend
all one's life explaining how it happened that one left Paris
just one hour before the great German gun began the long
distance bombardment! Think of having to smile all one's
life and describe an ocean voyage of the year 1918 without
even a peek of a submarine!
That is the plight of the fair Countess Madeleine de Bryas,
blonde and blue-eyed, who arrived here recently after having
systematically missed all the big shows of 1918.
Two telegrams were brought up to my sitting-
room — one from Monsieur Jusserand, our French
Ambassador, and the other from Monsieur Andr6
Tardieu, our French High Commissioner, inviting
us to luncheon and dinner in Washington two days
later. I looked at the clock and, seeing it was the din
ner hour, we decided for the first time since our ar
rival to take the meal in the dining-room. As we
entered, the orchestra was playing ragtime and a
30

New York "En Guerre'

feeling of sadness immediately crept over me. It
felt like a weight on my heart, as I looked round
and saw the happy faces of people seemingly able to
enjoy that dance music. For almost four long
years France had been invaded, the enemy on our
soil, and all gay music had been silenced. On the
day of the declaration of war the orchestras ceased
playing in all restaurants and hotels, partly be
cause the men had all left to go to defend their
country and also as a sign of respect toward those
who were laying down their lives on the battle
field for the women and children of France.
But such, fortunately, was not the case in
America and I thought it very wise to keep things
going as usual and not depress the nation. It
would have been wrong, truly, to make life gloomy
for those who were going " over there," before cross
ing the ocean. The " boys " all arrived in France
with a splendid morale, and I am convinced that
the fact was partly due to the influence of the last
bright and happy days they spent in their country
before coming to " fight the Huns," and help to de
liver the world from the tyranny of militarism.
We were awakened by the telephone :
" Hello ! Hello ! " " You want an interview? "
" Very well then ; my sister will see you this after
noon at the studio ! "
And yet it had seemed to me that I had spoken
the previous day to all the reporters in the town,
31

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and my sister was of my opinion, whereupon we
concluded that they grew like mushrooms, spring
ing up in a single night. I supposed it was better
to see them all, specially as I could frankly say
that I quite enjoyed speaking to them; they were
such attentive listeners, it was a real pleasure to
give them interviews.
We had spent the evening before in trying to
get into our heads and on the tips of our tongues
the new title of Miss Morgan's committee " The
American Committee for Devastated France." For
English people it is very easy to remember, but for
the French it is a real undertaking to have to
change the name without mixing it up with the for
mer one, " Civilian Division of the American Fund
for French Wounded."
Miss Morgan's motor-car came to take us to the
committee headquarters.
" Give the address, dear," I said to my sister, as
I entered the carriage.
" Please take us to the devastated committee ! "
Then, shaking with laughter, having realized that
she had not yet caught the name correctly, we
started for this new devastation.

32

CHAPTER IV
"dry" WASHINGTON
I SECURED our tickets and lower berths for
Washington, and I was in reality filled with
curiosity to know what my impressions of the
Pullman car would be.
Just a few minutes before eleven o'clock that
evening we went to the station, to find it one of
the most beautiful, certainly, we had ever seen,
splendid in its huge proportions and palace-like in
effect. What wonderful fetes could be held there !
I began to imagine all the artistic entertainments
possible of being given in a building of such vast
dimensions. Then we found ourselves on the plat
form and entered our car.
My first impression! Shall I really say what it
was? I had the feeling of entering a catacomb.
For there before me, in semi-obscurity, were feet,
legs, arms, and occasionally heads protruding from
behind long green curtains. And I thought of
Italy, where one of the attractions offered tourists
is a view of the limbs of early martyrs, all sys
tematically hung upon the walls of dark passages
or artistically exposed to the view of the curious
33

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
public. But here you had the show included in the
price of your railway ticket, and the only extra
was your tip to the colored porter upon arrival at
your destination.
When I was shown the lower berth where I was
to spend the night, my second impression was —
of a tomb ! Surely, I thought, one was even buried
alive in this extraordinary place! And I recol
lected an adventure experienced by one of my
friends on a visit to the Roman catacombs. Ac
companied by his favorite dog, he was shown
through this interesting place by an old monk.
After a long walk amongst the skeletons, he was
amazed to see his dog rushing toward him, wagging
his tail and bearing triumphantly in his mouth the
shin-bone of some time-honored saint, believing
himself in luck at having found a bone !
It is easy to picture the horrified attitude of the
monk, who quickly rushed back through the long
passages with the recaptured shin-bone, endeav
oring to identify the particular " relic " to whom
this limb belonged.
So, thought I, beware when traveling in a Pull
man car ; for What more likely than that you might
some day lose your little toe snapped off by a
passenger's pet!
Early in the moming we arrived in Washington.
Another magnificent station! I was told that the
passenger concourse here is the largest room under
34

Dry" Washington

one roof in the world and that an army of fifty
thousand men could stand on the floor. How thor
oughly we now realized what we had so often heard
that everything in America is buUt on a huge scale,
as if the country were inhabited by a population
of giants!
We went directly to the Shoreham Hotel. It
was crowded with people of different nationalities
who had all flocked to the capital ; for in war-time
Washington was the great center of interest in the
States. " Shall we soon have our luggage? "
" I cannot tell. Countess," answered the man
ager. " Some people who arrived a week ago are
still waiting for theirs."
"But we are lunching at the French Embassy
and we cannot go there in our traveling-clothes."
" I am sorry, but on account of the war the
station is congested, and it is impossible for you
to have your baggage to-day."
I turned toward my sister : " Eh bien, nous voici
dans de beaux draps ! " of which the literal trans
lation would be " Well, here we are in beautiful
sheets," but the English express it by, " We are in
a pretty mess ! "
Madame Jusserand received us with her well-
known amiability, and when we excused ourselves
for coming in traveling-clothes to see her, she put
us at our ease at once by saying :
35

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" It is the war, and I know well that French
women have dressed most simply during these last
four years."
Our ambassadress was herself attired in a charm
ingly sober dress, which indicated well the feeling
of seriousness of a whole nation sullied during
forty-flve months by the presence of a brutal and
inhuman enemy. Monsieur and Madame Jusse
rand have won the hearts of all the Americans who
know them. Madame Jusserand inquired about
" Le Bon Gite," and I was happy to be able person
ally to thank her for the interest she had shown
in it, in sending me frequent checks to help the
poor stricken population of our devastated regions.
The French Government erects the little wooden
huts which the " Bon Gite " provides with furni
ture. On leaving the embassy, we drove through the
town and thoroughly enjoyed seeing the lovely
houses. Washington is truly a very beautiful city,
with its spacious and shady avenues lined with
picturesque mansions. The monuments remind me
of the architecture of Greece, which wondrous land
I visited some years ago. The houses here are often
built of reddish or brown sandstone, but I prefer
by far those painted white, with high windows and
balconies. How we missed balconies in America!
To a French eye houses look undressed without
them, as a woman would without a single jewel.
36

Dry" Washington

What would our Parisian boulevards and our ave
nues look like if there were not galleries or balco
nies running along their f agades like a delicate iron
lace-work, giving them the finishing touch of ele
gance !
Here we saw everywhere, as in New York, the
famous fire-escape ladders; for we were told that
in America houses bum down almost viciously, so
to express it, as if an army of little invisible fire
salamanders were blowing hard, with cheeks puffed
out at sight of the slightest flame, in order to cause
a conflagration. I don't know whether or not any
body ever uses the ladders in case of alarm, but I
imagine burglars find in them a remarkably con
venient means of breaking into houses. Americans
assure me they are never afraid of thieves, and yet
I am told that maiden ladies in Nantucket have a
man come and guard their houses at night. One
man advertised as follows:
" Our job during the day is twenty-five cents an
hour; sleeping with nervous old ladies, flfty cents."
A thing that struck us immediately was the
number of colored people in the streets. In France
we see colored women only in circuses and we go to
look at them as a special attraction. One never
sees them walking about the streets, and it would
be an event to meet a number of them either in a
tram-car or in the subway of Paris. In Washing
ton there are more colored people than white walk-
37

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
ing about. The women, notwithstanding their
somber complexions, are very showy, owing to the
vivid colors they seem to enjoy wearing — in order,
perhaps, to try to look brighter than the white
people. The little negro children were our delight; they
looked so happy and contented with life. They
walk as if they were perpetually dancing — that
is, when not on their roller-skates, on which they
seem to spend the greater part of their lives. When
the family is a large one, the skates are shared
among its members, and it is not unusual to see a
child on one skate, hopping along on the other
foot, with which he pushes vigorously.
Policemen in Washington look very impressive
indeed, and have acquired the most wonderful
knack of making independent and simultaneous
movements with different parts of the body —
somewhat, I thought, in the style of the Dalcroze
system and other rhythmic dances, in which you
have to beat one time with the right hand, and an
other with the left one, while your head and your
legs are called upon to beat yet another in concert.
No time is ever wasted in America; with the one
hand the policeman beckons forward one lot of cars ;
with the other he signals a stop to those coming
from another direction, all the while talking and in
dicating the way to a " footman." (I was most in
terested to learn that a footman in certain parts of
38

Dry" Washington

America meant not only a man-servant, but also a
pedestrian. I well remember the notice on a bridge
somewhere in the Middle West : " No footmen al
lowed in this thoroughfare.")
Policemen, it seemed to me, are the most con
spicuous figures in the city. I was particularly
amused at some of them perched up in a sort of
pulpit, from which they direct not consciences, but
street strategy. They have at their disposal an in
strument composed of metal fiags at the top of a
pole. These, which they show alternately, bear the
words " Go " and " Stop." In this way, the regula
tion of traffic is very easily accomplished. (Occa
sionally policemen also serve as advertisers. As, for
instance, during a Red Cross drive all of them in a
certain town held in their right hands a Japanese
fan with a huge red cross printed on it.) Every
body in America is thoroughly disciplined. When
the traffic manager makes a signal meaning
" Stop," all the cars cease running, with law-abid
ing respect. There are none of those loud recrimi
nations which we hear from our Parisian ex-eochers
de fiacre, who abandoned their old vehicles to be
come taxi-drivers, without leaving behind them
their old vociferous grumbling.
Next moming we determined to go to the Union
Station and fetch our trunks as in the evening we
were to dine with Monsieur Tardieu, head of the
French High Commission. On getting there we
39

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
found a delightful, roguish-looking darky, who
helped us most obligingly in our search, taking us
down somewhere into the mysterious underground
depths of the station in a baggage elevator. When
I told our colored friend that we were French, he
looked at me complacently for a few seconds and
then paid me the biggest compliment he could
think of.
" Gee ! Well, I guess your father is good enough
to be mine ! "
After hunting for some time amid gigantic stacks
of trunks, we spied our own two boxes and had
them sent immediately to the hotel.
" How are you to-day. Captain? "
" Fine ! " answered a woman's voice. We in
stinctively turned around, wishing to solve this
mystery, and were confronted by a young woman in
khaki uniform. Our eyes opened wide in astonish
ment as we contemplated this unfeminine woman.
" How on earth did she manage to get that
rank ! " I whispered to my sister.
" I suppose she has killed at least a dozen Huns,"
she replied in a still lower voice.
For Frenchwomen do not wear uniforms; in
fact, we had no time to think about them! The
war broke out so suddenly that it fell upon us like
a thunder-bolt ; we all set to work in the clothes we
had on, and ever since we have been wearing out
our old stock. The only Frenchwoman I have
40

Dry " Washington

heard of as having a rank — that of corporal — in
our army won it on the battle-field, but she does not
wear a unifoi-m. That distinction we leave to the
warriors. It was only on the day we decided to go to the
States that my sister and I ordered a few new
dresses. We wished to keep up the Parisian repu
tation of elegance ; and, also, we consider that when
one goes to a foreign country, the flrst quality re
quired is adaptability. As we heard that the
American women were wearing grand decollete in
the evening, which we have not done in Paris since
the war broke out, we decided to dress likewise,
although in dark colors.
The house in which Monsieur Tardieu lived, as
did also two other important members of the
French High Commission, is situated on S Street.
It was called the " House of the Bachelors," not
withstanding the fact that two of the inhabitants
are married, though their wives were in France
doing war work. The name is probably due to the
circumstance that these men lived together without
the presence of any ladies.
All the American women we met there that even
ing were pretty and nice looking. They wore lovely
and most becoming dresses of handsome materials,
such as we have not seen in Paris since before the
war, and the bright and gay colors of their clothes
gave great pleasure to our eyes.
41

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
As soon as the last guest arrived the butler came
in with glasses on a tray, which he presented
to each one of us.
"What is this, Monsieur Tardieu?"
" Why, Madame, don't you know this American
custom v/hich assures the success of any dinner
party? "
I tasted it and understood that I had just made
the acquaintance of the cocktail.
" Do you mean to say that this is considered a
good drink? Frankly, I cannot understand its
world-wide reputation." Then looking at my
sister, I saw that her face betrayed no enthusiasm,
either. " Wait, Madame, and you will tell me later What
you really think about it," said Monsieur Tardieu,
with a knowing look.
We then passed to the dining-room, and an
intense feeling of happiness, mingled with in
difference to what I said or did, gradually
grew upon me, and all the other guests were
evidently equally well disposed toward the
world. The conversation was animated, in fact,
very brilliant, and when Monsieur Tardieu, next
to whom I was seated, asked : " Now what do
you think about the cocktail? " I felt more in
clined to get up and dance than to give him a
serious answer.
" The taste is certainly not nice, although I shall
42

Dry " Washington

soon become accustomed to it, I am sure, but the
effect is unmistakable! Life has never seemed to
me more engaging and enjoyable."
My neighbor on the other side then asked:
" Do you know that Washington is a dry city
and that for many months now we haven't been
able to get any wine or liquor? We are living on
old stock, and when that gives out, we '11 have no
more cocktails to offer to our guests."
" Is there any way of getting over that? " asked
my sister, with mischievous intent.
" One can always break any law, you know, and
if you want a suggestion, I can give you a fairly
good one."
" Then we are listening with both our ears ! " ex
claimed my sister and I together.
" You have perhaps already been told that alcohol
is particularly recommended for snake bite. You
can therefore easily imagine how popular snakes
have become in the dry states, where liquor is for
bidden except on a medical prescription. Many
people are now in search of the snake, which has
become a most fashionable pet. I was told the other
day that here in Washington an indignant tee
totaler went to the director of the zoo and asked
him if he had a serpent for hire.
" ' I can't oblige you, sir, I 'm sorry to say, as
the serpent we let out on hire is still engaged for
ten days ! ' " 43

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
By that time the dinner was over, and Monsieur
Tardieu said to me :
" I fear that you have come to America at an
unfavorable moment, for the Liberty Loan drive
has been on now for a week. It will last a fort
night longer and the American Govemment would
certainly look on you with an unfavorable eye
were you to ask for funds during this campaign."
" Then what do you advise me to do? " I asked.
After a moment's reflection Monsieur Tardieu
said, " To speak for the Liberty Loan."
We agreed, and the following moming the
Marquis de X  , a friend from France who was
then on the High Commission, took us to the Treas
ury Department, where we met Mr. Horner, the
Director of the Speakers' Bureau.
And so it was arranged that for the next fort
night I was to work for his organization, speaking
in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and the vicini
ties of these cities, for the Third Liberty Loan drive.
We lunched with our friend the Marquis de
X  and his lovely American wife at their house,
and there we met Mr. George Creel, chairman of
the Government's Committtee on Public Informa
tion, and he suggested that, whenever we might
wish for it, he had work for us to do.
The first lecture arranged for me by the Amer
ican Committee for Devastated France was at
Forest Glen Seminary, in Maryland. The wife of
44

Dry" Washington

the director came to fetch us in a comfortable
motor-car (the motor-cars are "frightfully" com
fortable in America!) and we drove through Rock
Creek Park. Never before had we seen a more
picturesque sight. Washingtonians have let this
park grow wild, without grooming it as Americans
are tempted to do with everything under the sky
— nature or themselves, specially. The creek to
which the park owes its name is a noisy rivulet
which we crossed several times at different points.
The car simply dashed into the water, making a
" splashy-bubbly " noise most refreshing to the ear
in hot weather.
Forest Glen Seminary is a school for wealthy
girls, who come from even the most remote states
in the Union to complete their education and study
art, languages, arid all kinds of sports, besides all
the boresome things that make one seem clever,
like arithmetic, natural history, etc.
We have nothing at all like this for French girls.
In my country girls remain at home, and have a
governess to accompany them everywhere, as they
may never go out alone until they get married. The
war, it is true, has somewhat lessened the severity
of this rule, and I don't know what further modifi
cations it may introduce into our customs later.
Our young girls attend classes, in which they study
strenuously, until they are sixteen. At that age
they often pass an examination and for two years
45

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
longer they continue their education, which com
prises fewer sports than in America but, I believe,
more literature and art.
When they are eighteen they give up most of
their studies and make their debut in society life.
This consists of going to the opera and attending
balls at Which their mothers chaperon them, sitting
in the adjoining drawing-rooms and endeavoring
all the while to secure chairs in the doorway, from
which they can keep affectionate eyes on their
daughters. Parents in France have but one idea and that
is to marry off their daughters as soon as possible ;
and so they look out for some eligible partner as
soon as the girls are eighteen. Some men are con
sidered, as elsewhere the world over, to be real
" catches," with this difference, that in France they
are run after by the mothers and not by the daugh
ters, as is the case in Anglo-Saxon countries. When
the mothers have successfully established their own
offspring in life, they endeavor to marry off the
daughters of their friends, often turning into most
enthusiastic match-makers. I knew a lady who,
when she was interested in a young girl, would
open in a haphazard way a social register and look
up the name of a possible husband. Then, should
it prove a lucky inspiration, she would bring the
young people together; and it happened that some
46

Dry" Washington

very happy matches were brought about in this
way! Is n't marriage a lottery, after all? I suppose
all this must seem to American minds positively
antediluvian !
Naturally, I am speaking of what happened be
fore 1914, as there has been no social life whatever
since, all the women having engaged in war work,
principally as nurses in hospitals. This has prob
ably tended to increase the number of romances,
and there have been many cases where young girls
have married one of the wounded men they were
nursing, or where a soldier has become engaged to
his war godmother, called by us a marraine de
guerre. Forest Glen is well situated in the woods and is
composed of a number of villa buildings. After
dinner we walked along a concrete path leading to
a Grecian-looking temple, the school theater. In
this there are several boxes, an upper gallery, and
a fairly large stage — just a dream of a theater,
well decorated and yet perfectly simple. The girls
were all attired in light-colored evening dresses
and I had spread out before my gaze a real parterre
of bright and fresh-looking flowers.
American girls have an extraordinarily youth
ful appearance, added to a matured decision in
their attitude, as if they always knew without any
47

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
hesitation what they were going to do or say next.
Some of the girls in my audience were knitting
away at socks for the Red Cross, with the zeal that
people in America are apt to show in everything
they undertake. I can still see the energy with
which they made their needles dance up and down.
They listened, also, with the same intentness.
Never before in any country had I met with a better
audience. At times tears rolled down those velvety
cheeks, and again I heard merry peals of laughter,
according to the subject. There was in the room
an atmosphere of youthful vitality and enthusiasm
that would have made a speaker of a mute.
When my speech was over several of the girls
belonging to one of the school's many clubs, called
by a Greek name, enthusiastically proposed to be
come sponsors of one of the French devastated vil
lages, for Which they would collect contributions
from their members. This idea I thought charm
ing, and I was touched to see how America's young
generation generously responds to noble impulses
of the heart.
"All the girls here do their bit for the war," ex
plained one of the directresses — a tall, slim, hand
some young woman with a mass of lovely reddish-
gold hair — " and lately they have had a new idea
for raising funds. As you probably have already
noticed, every time you have your shoes cleaned
in America, you pay fifteen cents to the boot-cleaner.
48

Dry" Washington

Well, here the girls have decided that they will
save this small sum daily and, instead of having
the servants do that work, they patriotically polish
one another's shoes in order to give the fifteen cents
to the Red Cross."
When I calculated (you cannot help counting
everything in America ! ) what sum this would make
at the end of the nine months of the school year, I
was amazed to find that the contribution for the
Red Cross would amount to a minimum of twelve
thousand, four hundred and forty-five dollars.
" You probably will also be interested to hear,"
added the directress, " that the school has started
a drUling-class for the girls. We have an officer
who comes several times a week to teach them to
shoot and to dig trenches, and put them through
the soldier's ordinary military training. This offi
cer also gives them a general idea of modern war
fare. At night two girls volunteer to remain on
guard in the trenches. As there are no tramps in
this part of Maryland, this practice is an excellent
one for learning self-control without incurring any
risk." There is no doubt that in this country girls seem
to combine a perfect feminine appearance with the
masculine temperament.
We were lucky enough to be able to secure a
stateroom on the train for New York, though we
had been told that since America had entered the
49

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
war many of the trains de luxe had been suppressed,
despite the increasing number of travelers on this
line. Another surprise awaiting us was the discovery
of ice-water in the dressing-room. I think Ameri
cans must certainly have a miniature Vesuvius
within, which they are constantly obliged to ex
tinguish with ice-water. In the hotels, when we
ordered coffee for our breakfast, a glass of ice-
water invariably appeared first on the table. Even
in the middle of the afternoon we were sometimes
offered as a great delicacy a glass of cold water.
In France water is the last beverage we should
think of offering our guests ; we should offer them
tea. Perhaps, unlike Americans, we have small
icebergs hidden away in our interiors.

50

CHAPTER V
AMERICAN HOSPITALITY
THE Vanderbilt again! We arrived early
in the morning and found a pile of letters
awaiting our return. These were all in
vitations from various persons in New York, to
whom we had letters of introduction sent on before
leaving for Washington.
Hospitality in America is overwhelming. One
might easily imagine that the Americans have
nothing to do but entertain foreigners ; and yet we
know they are busy people. In fact, I had never
met any human beings giving the impression of
having so much to do in a single day. They receive
one with such great amiability that one perforce
forgets their general reputation of considering time
as money. They lavished their time on us until we
found them adorable.
That morning we lunched at the Colony Club
with Miss X  , one of the members of the Amer
ican Committee for Devastated France, who had
invited a number of her friends to meet us. We
had never before set foot in a woman's club. So
51

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
this one was decidedly a novelty to us. There is
but one club of this kind in Paris ; it counts but a
small number of members and personally we do not
belong to it. Women's clubs have no success in our
Latin countries, as it is thought that they keep
women too much from their homes.
I was interested in getting acquainted with the
Americans' attitude and wished to grasp their idea
of life, which seems to me conceived on another
scale, probably more modern than our own, based
as ours is on much tradition.
This club is certainly ideal for those who feel the
necessity of belonging to it. We met at the lunch
eon many New Yorkers and were confirmed in our
opinion that the women of the new continent have
nothing to envy their European sisters. They are
witty in their conversation, appear to brilliant ad
vantage, and give themselves the same trouble to
please one another as we take to please men. It
seemed really very odd to see all these " hen par
ties " ; they do not exist in France, for the men,
even those who are the most deeply engrossed in
their business, always come home to lunch with
their wives.
The food and the drink are excellent (we swal
lowed a "Bronx!"), but naturally some things
appeared rather quaint to us. First of all, we
had placed in front of our plates a small dish of
salted almonds and nuts, which were delicious, and
52

American Hospitality

which we were supposed to nibble at all through the
meal ; then on the left-hand there was a plate with
a little knife, for the butter and the bread. Nobody
ate any but war-bread, and in no house to which we
were invited did the mistress fail to exclaim as we
sat down at the table, " I am strictly Hooverish."
We were to understand by this that the bread con
tained the exact amount of wheat allowed by Mr.
Hoover, the great food administrator. We were
offered substitutes of all kinds, which we had never
tasted before, including rice-bread and corn-bread,
which is very good, but crumbles to pieces almost
from being looked at.
There was yet another thing that astonished us :
we had to eat so many different courses on the same
plate — meat with sauce, then spinach, beans, corn,
potatoes. These you make up into separate little
heaps, and you are finally puzzled to know which
to try first ! The salad, also, is quite different from
ours at home. It is eaten with a small piece of
cheese, a special kind of jam, and a little salt bis
cuit. This sounds very odd to French people, but
I thought it perfect, and I only wish they would
adopt this custom in France, as well as the cock
tails. For people preferring a lively life ours in Amer
ica would have been perfect. Day was invariably
ushered in for us by the ringing of the telephone.
It woke us up, and from then on my sister, while
53

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
in our rooms, scarcely ever left its vicinity, and I
would hear:
" Reporter of what paper? — Impossible to see
you now. Can you come later? "
Frew, frew, frit! At this unusual sound I turned
around and saw our letters pushed in from under
the door. While I was reading them the telephone
rang again.
" Yes, we have already been photographed," etc.
" Good-by. Thank you."
I gave the letters to my sister, who attended to
all the secretarial work. She sat down to answer
them, but hardly had she taken up her pen to write,
" Dear Mrs.  : We are so sorry," when again
the 'phone rang.
" Oh, it 's you. Miss X  . Very well ; then
you are coming to fetch us at eleven o'clock? "
Another attempt at the letter — " not to be able
to accept your kind — " Dring, dring, dring! The
telephone again!
Frew, frew, frit! More letters were thrust under
the door. Many of these were invitations for lunch
eon next day. I read and passed them to my
sister, so that I might go into the bedroom to try
to finish dressing, and — there were more letters
half-way under the door — more invitations for
luncheon next day! I read them and passed them
to my sister.
" But what will become of us to-morrow, my
54

American Hospitality

dear," she exclaimed, " if we are to eat all these
meals? "
We were overwhelmed by the vast proportions
of American hospitality. " Telephone, telephone,
when will you stop?" was my constant wail.
"Hello! — All right. Thank you." The car
was already waiting, and we had n't even break
fasted! And this was considered a typical New
York morning!
We dined out that evening, and were invited
afterwards to the Metropolitan Opera House. As
the motor-car took us through the streets we were
fairly dazzled by all the lights, the more so because
we were no longer accustomed to such brilliant
illuminations. For months — nay, years — as soon
as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, Paris
had been plunged into darkness. Not a single
streak of light was to be seen through the windows ;
few street-lamps were lit, one or two in each street,
and as soon as an air raid was announced these
were extinguished. Here, in New York, every
effort was made to remind one of the Third Liberty
Loan. Huge luminous posters, scintillating with
inscriptions, urged the passer-by to subscribe. The
city was lit up as for a royal reception; it seemed
to be offering a gorgeous f^te to its inhabitants.
I was told that in the daytime some of the most
famous singers in the city — Geraldine Farrar,
Caruso, Muratore, and others — sang in the open
55

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
air to attract the crowds. Then speakers would
address the mass of people and the subscriptions
would be taken by elegant women who devoted their
time and their energy to this patriotic work.
The Spanish singer Barrientos, who has a world
wide reputation and whom we had often the pleas
ure of applauding in Paris, sang that night at the
Metropolitan in Rossini's " Barbiere de Siviglia."
The sight of this opera-house, all illuminated as it
was, and filled with handsome women in low-necked
gowns and men in full dress, made me feel at least
three years younger. In our Parisian theaters the
house was almost in complete darkness, the stage
alone being well lighted.
Even in our private houses we lived in compara
tive darkness, owing to the fact that fuel must be
saved for the war factories. Light was rationed
and we had to take great care not to burn more than
the amount of gas and electricity allowed in the
household, for fear of having to do entirely with
out for a whole week, the penalty inflicted on those
who squandered.
We were lunching out, dining out, spending the
entire day rushing about wildly in feverish excite
ment. It would have been perfectly impossible to
rest quietly in our sitting-room. New York streets
have an irresistible attraction possessed by no
streets anywhere in Europe. In America the worst
mishap that can befall one is to miss something.
56

American Hospitality

Americans all seem to have the faculty of being
everywhere at once.
I talked at the Colony Club one Sunday afternoon
at half-past three o'clock, with the lights turned
on. A fashionable gathering of men and women
crowded the big reception hall, and people were
even standing in the doorways. In America the
speaker always goes up on the platform empty-
handed and stands in full view of the audience.
No one would ever attempt to give an address sit
ting, as is usual in Europe, reading notes from be
hind a table on which stand a decanter of water
and a glass. The public is so indulgent in America,
that extemporaneous speaking is easy. People
never expect speakers to quote what some one else
thought in the fifteenth century, but they are anx
ious to know all about the personal experiences of
those they are listening to. This induces the lec
turer to use the magical " I did," " I saw," " I will
tell you," which have a magnetic influence over
crowds in this country, where audiences have the
rare quality of sensitiveness and an amazing facil
ity in seeing a joke almost before it is uttered.
The next day I received the following letter from
the editorial rooms of one of the principal maga
zines of New York:
Dear Countess db Bryas:
When several ladies asked me what I thought of your ad
dress, I said that so far as I could see it had but one fault:
57

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
namely, that your English was too good. You made just one
error in pronunciation and one in grammar. I was afraid
you were not going to make any, and when, toward the end of
your speech, you said distribwted I involuntarily exclaimed,
" God bless you ! " Thereupon you followed it with " woken
up." I want to add an expression of my hope that you wiU
— if you can — be not so perfect in our lang^uage! There
is a certain human appeal in a foreigner's speech in one's
own language which is never attained by " one of ourselves."
Of course I agree that French and American people ought to
be — as they are — so united in a common work that to each
the language of the other will become easier and easier. I
cannot fancy any one of us, however, speaking Ftench so
spontaneously and idiomatically as you spoke English yester
day. I cannot but feel that your address might have an even
humaner appeal, if you would only make some little mis
take on purpose, now and then !
I have never felt so flattered in my entire life.
When I think that my dear father does not know
a word of English, and that my English is purely
Parisian! Nevertheless, as the hint was a good
one, I never altered my error during my tour and
always said " distriftttted " and " woken up," when
ever those words occurred to me. And I think I
will keep on " distriftttting and " wokening up " all
through life as a pleasant souvenir of America.
One evening I dined seated next to Mr. Gerard.
The dinner was given by friends, who have a lovely
house, with a rare collection of Chinese screens and
tables in lacquer. It was the first house we had
seen so far in New York furnished with so many
58

American Hospitality

Chinese works of art, which have been the furor
in Paris since thcv. war. The former American
Ambassador to Berlin is very entertaining in his
conversation about the kaiser, and he advised me
to see the film made from his remarkable book,
" My Four Years in Germany."
" In some parts of the film," he explained, " the
kaiser really appears on the screen, but naturally
the action part of the drama is played by an actor
who impersonates the emperor."
Some friends took us to see Wall Street and the
" curb market " in Broad Street, near by. The
market is one of the funniest sights in the world —
a real Babel of confusion. Men in the street shout
as if their very lives depended on the volume of noise
they produce, and Americans have no humming-bee
voices! They shout to other men who are looking
on from the windows of adjoining buildings; their
bodies protruding so far out in their excitement,
that they look like creatures who are independent
of the laws of gravitation.
When the men in the street have tried in vain,
in all the notes of the scale, to make themselves
heard by their window accomplices, they try move
ments of the hands, arms, head and legs for com
municating information, in the nautical style of
language ! Never in my whole life had I seen any
such wild gesticulating — a regular St. Vitus's
dance en masse. 59

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
I always thought that being a business man meant
remaining quietly seated in a comfortable arm
chair, but then I realized that nothing so inactive
could ever please an American, and that, therefore,
out-of-door exercise has been introduced as part of
the game. Stock-broking is almost as agile a fol
lowing as base-ball.
After that we went through New Street, where
the houses so nearly scrape the sky that walking
there seems like walking in a canyon. In the street,
which forms the hollow of the gorge, it is dark and
depressing. The wind, held captive between the
high walls of masonry, blows wildly, and revenges
itself on the feminine sex almost as much as it does
in front of the Flat-iron Building. Indeed, its
antics are very amusing to others, much less to
oneself, when one happens to be a woman. It is
true that : The devil sends the wicked wind
That sends our skirts knee-high,
But God is just and sends the dust
That gets in the bad man's eye.
Fortunately, it was a very dusty morning.
Afterward we visited the " Cathedral of Com
merce," which we admired when we sailed into
New York Harbor. It is a most exquisite piece of
Gothic architecture, and its perfectly straight and
pure lines reminded me of the interior of the cathe-
60

American Hospitality

dral of Leon in Spain. This Woolworth Building
is a city in itself, sixty stories high. Twelve thou
sand people work daily in its offices. I have read
somewhere that the top part of the sky-scraper al
ways oscillates, and no wonder.
Men in this country take their hats off most
politely when they happen to meet women in ele
vators. But this custom does not extend to all
parts of the town. In New York, the same man
who will remove his hat in the elevator at the Plaza,
the VanderbUt, the Ritz, or the Biltmore, as a sign
of deference to womanhood, will keep it on when
he is " downtown " — that business realm of the city
that he considers his own particular kingdom.
We were astonished, therefore, to see all the men
keep their hats on as we set foot in the " express
elevator " of the Woolworth Building, which shot
us up past innumerable floors without a stop.
When we came down, after having admired the
wonderful panoramic view of New York, we heard
a great noise of air rushing between the elevator
itself and its steel shaft. We were told that this
was the result of a clever idea of the architect, an
ingenious arrangement of air-cushions which would
uphold the elevator in case of accident.
An experiment, it seems, had been tried and the
elevator was loaded with a seven-thousand-ton
weight and a glass of water filled to the brim ; then
the cables were removed and the cargo was dropped
61

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
through space from the forty-fifth floor ! It is easy
to imagine what a horrible smash-up there would
have been had the experiment failed ; but the seven
thousand tons came down perfectly smoothly, owing
to the resistance of the air, and when the elevator
reached the ground floor, not a drop of water had
been spilled from the glass.
As I was told this reassuring story my eyes rested
on two mammoth women who were going down with
us, and so great was my feeling of security that it
was not at all affected by this sight. What wonder
ful things we do hear in America!

62

CHAPTER VI
SPEAKING FOR THE THIRD LIBERTY LOAN
FROM this day on until the end of the Liberty
Loan drive we were under the orders of the
Treasury Department of Washington. The
first city to which we were sent was Boston, but as
we did not know in the least what the committee's
plans were, we had not the slightest idea whether
we were to remain there for one lecture only or for
several days.
We left by the one o'clock train and much en
joyed the comfortable seats of the " parlor-car,"
which is an unknown luxury in our country. As
we settled down we ventured a few joking remarks
to the colored porter, having already realized, on
the other trains, the negro's keen sense of humor
We were immediately rewarded by the sight of two
rows of perfectly white teeth smiling at us to the
accompaniment of a twinkle in the eye. I suppose
it is due to the contrast of the black and the white
that their teeth seem much whiter than those of
the people of our own race.
As regards the colored porters I should like to
say here what a blessing I consider their color is
63

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
to them, for they are the only travelers on the train
who to all appearance remain unsullied by the
smoke and the dust. Truly, nature seems to have
created them specially for their work, and what a
boon they are!
In France, once the traveler is settled in his com
partment, no one comes to look out for him. In
America the porter not only takes you to your seat
and settles you down comfortably into it, but is
every ready with many other little services, such,
for instance, as bringing you a paper bag in which
to put your hat. For the American women take
their hats off when in the train, letting their hair
get all the dust and carefully protecting their hats.
Perhaps the time may not be far distant when
Americans, who are such clean and hygienic people,
will also give travelers paper bags to put on their
heads. Well, once comfortably settled down, one can
either sleep or abandon oneself to reading, knowing
that the smiling colored man will be sure to come
in time to prepare one for the arrival. Porters
seem especially endowed with marvelous memories
and never by any chance let you pass your destina
tion. Then before you get out of the car they brush
your dress, rub the dust off your shoes, clean up
your hand-luggage, and help you generally to look
your best. In fact, one might go straight to a party
on getting out of the train and feel perfectly assured
64

Speaking for the Third Liberty Loan
that one's dress was quite right and one's hat and
shoes quite free from dust.
We were met at the station by the chairman of
the Boston Women's Liberty Loan Committee and
told on the way to the hotel that we were expected
to remain in Boston several days. Whereupon we
remembered the ex-governor's kind invitation, and
from the hotel my sister called him up on the tele
phone. " Why, what are you doing at that hotel, you
independent women ! On the boat I invited you to
my house."
So we moved our quarters to his home and I im
mediately sent word to my mother, saying : " I am
writing to you from the house of a bachelor, with
whom we are staying here in Boston. Don't be
startled, it is very comme il faut in this part of the
globe for two young women to stay at a gentleman's
house, though an impossible and unheard-of pro
ceeding in France."
If only my relatives could have seen us in those
days they would have been in fits of laughter and
thought nothing on earth more entertaining than
the " job " I had taken up ! Every day brought me
fresh surprises, and circumstances made me- do
things that even in my wildest dreams I had never
pictured myself doing.
I was taken from the stage of a theater to the
pulpit of a Methodist Church, from which solemn
65

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and eminently ecclesiastical position I talked to the
congregation. My sister told me afterward she im
agined the astonishment and amazement that would
have been expressed on the faces of our friends
abroad had they seen a woman and, above all, a
friend of theirs speaking at a religious gathering
in our country; for in our Catholic churches in
Paris women are not even authorized to sing as
soloists. The next day it was perched on the table of one
of the most important shops of the town, something
like the Bon Marche in Paris, that I addressed the
crowd of purchasers and salespeople, at least eight
hundred persons, and urged them to subscribe to
the loan.
I was "scheduled" (this is the American word
for " appointed ") to speak twice a day, one lecture
being in Boston, and the other in a neighboring
town such as Georgetown, Newton or Worcester.
Those four days spent in Massachusetts, going
from one set of people to another, seeing both the
poor and the rich, the working-classes as well as the
intellectuals, showed me that there was still great
need of Allied propaganda to counteract the influ
ence exercised by the Germans. The United States
is a difficult country to manage ; many and various
problems seem to arise at each step, and I marveled
greatly at the power that commands it all. I was
told that this war is making out of the inhabitants
66

Speaking for the Third Liberty Loan
of the United States the American Nation ; through
it, unity is being created. It is bringing together
under the same flag the various nationalities of
which the country is composed, but which up to the
present had lived independently in this hospitable
land, which ever welcomes adventurous spirits.
Nothing was of greater interest to us than the
way in which the Third Liberty Loan drive was
conducted here. One thing worth mentioning was
the organization known as the " Four-Minute Men."
Its members worked with incessant activity and
patriotism for their country. They had thirty-one
thousand members.
In each town a committee was formed called
" The Four-Minute-Men Organization," composed
of volunteer speakers who gave their services to
the government for the duration of the war. They
partly gave up their business and devoted their time
and their energy to speaking wherever it was judged
necessary to be in touch with the masses.
They were then speaking for the Liberty Loan
and when that loan was fully subscribed they un
dertook another campaign on behalf of the Red
Cross, after which it was to be for the War-Savings
Stamps, and the War Chest. In America, public
opinion is formed largely through speech-making
and personal contact with the people. I have seen
nowhere else such eager listeners, always anxious
to hear and understand what those recognized as
67

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
capable of giving out information have to tell them.
I don't know how this educational method would
take in my own country, but it would be interesting
to put it on trial, for it might give unexpectedly
good results; although I wonder whether our la
boring classes would wish to listen to any speaker
other than an advanced socialist. The press is the
principal educator of the masses in France.
In the United States during the war the Four-
Minute Men were, I should say, almost the principal
factors in the moulding of public opinion. Their
speeches, although different in form, were founded
on the same basis, the fundamental ideas coming
from the one source, The Committee on Public In
formation at Washington.
The members of the Four-Minute-Men Organiza
tion were liable to be sent anywhere, to any town
where their services might be required. One saw
them wherever one went while the loan drive was
on — in hotels, theaters, shops, in the open air, at
factories. They are requested to speak during four
minutes only, as their name implies. But imagine
how impossible for a patriotic human speaker fac- '
ing an eager public and with no one to call, " time 's
up," limiting himself conscientiously to the two
hundred and forty seconds!
I myself must confess to having failed, although
one evening I was nearly a " four-minute woman,"
and missed it only by three little minutes, and
68

Speaking for the Third Liberty Loan
proud indeed I was ! This is how it happened : It
was in a theater, and I, with another speaker, had
been asked to speak from the stage between the acts.
We had made a bet as to which of us could make
the shorter speech, limiting it if possible to the
required four minutes. The other speaker, being
a man, certainly thought he would win; for, re
membering woman's reputation as a talker, he felt
sure I was incapable of stopping in time. How
ever, I had the happy surprise of winning, speaking
only seven minutes, whereas he talked for twelve.
Monsieur Tardieu telegraphed, asking us to be
present at a big meeting in New York in order that
I might speak with him for the loan. We dined
with him at the Plaza, at a very big dinner-party
given by the French colony of New York. My
sister and I were the only women present, and I
was completely ignorant of what was expected of
me in the way of a speech.
" You are to speak in French to-night, I hear,"
my neighbor told me confidentially. " I suppose it
is to be done as a surprise, and I am delighted, for
a part of your audience will be composed of your
own country-people."
" In French ! " I exclaimed. " Why that is the
first news I have had of it ! "
A stately and delightful elderly gentleman, who
looked as if he certainly held a very important posi
tion in life (what we call in French a " big bonnet "
69

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
or a " fat vegetable," and you " a big gun," I be
lieve), spoke to me across the table:
" I am very glad to hear you are speaking in
English to-night, for otherwise a part of your audi
ence would not understand."
And turning to my neighbor, who had heard this
remark, I suggested:
" Well, don't you think I had perhaps better try
Esperanto or Volapuc?"
Monsieur Tardieu and I decided to speak in both
English and French, so that all might be satisfied.
The meeting was held in a crowded hall, and I
could see the boxes in the gallery filled with people.
The speakers of the evening and the members of the
French colony took seats on the platform; but my
sister — who is, I may say, of a somewhat retiring
nature — went into one of the boxes and was much
amused when the lady next her, to whom she had
been introduced, suddenly remarked :
" I wonder what that girl is doing, sitting on
the platform all alone with all those men ! "
" It is my sister, and she is going to address the
meeting." " Oh ! " exclaimed the lady, seizing her opera-
glasses at once.
Mr. Myron Herrick, whom I had known as a most
brilliant ambassador in Paris, and who gave such
striking proofs of his moral courage during the
memorable days that preceded the great battle of
70

Speaking for the Third Liberty Loan
the Marne, was the first speaker; and he won the
hearts of his hearers by his charm of manner. Mon
sieur Tardieu, who had studied English for only
a year, was convincingly optimistic and carried the
audience away with his absolute faith in victory.
Then came a brilliant and witty American orator,
and finally I spoke in both languages.
Monsieur Tardieu, next whom I was seated, whis
pered to me:
" I must take French leave and run off to make
another speech for the loan, in a Methodist Church,
and I will be back here in half an hour."
During that time a group of ten or twelve Amer
ican soldiers, who had just returned from the front
in France, were ushered upon the platform. The
feelings of the crowd rose to the highest degree of
enthusiasm and they applauded frantically.
One soldier, a mere lad with a boyish and very
engaging countenance, was pushed forward to the
front of the platform, the public shouting to him,
" Speak to us in French ! " He had evidently never
been asked to make a speech before; and certainly
his knowledge of French was very limited, which
made his talk all the more amusing. The crowd
was in fits of laughter, and he himself joined heart
ily in the general hilarity as he struggled with his
words and ended by explaining in English that he
was greatly indebted to Frenchwomen, as one of
them had once given him a piece of soap at the
71

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
front — a gift that he was needing badly at the
time and that he had cherished as the most precious
thing in the world.
Then a tall and magnetic-looking man mounted
the platform while the soldiers were marching out.
He had great talent for convincing his audience,
and he was remarkable for the manner in which he
could induce them to subscribe.
" We want to get sixty thousand dollars to-night,"
he shouted; and for half an hour he never ceased
talking, making jokes, telling stories, compliment
ing generous subscribers, until he had so dazzled
the public by his brilliant personality that almost
everybody in the room felt under a personal obliga
tion to please him and buy the bonds. When the
thirty minutes were up he exclaimed triumphantly :
" We have gone many times over the top to-night,
and I have the pleasure of announcing subscriptions
to the amount of two hundred and fifty thousand
dollars." And, indeed, I felt as we drove back to the hotel
that one million two hundred and fifty thousand
francs would provide many munitions for the sol
diers in the trenches over there, and that the eve
ning had truly not been spent in vain !

72

CHAPTER VII
EXPERIENCES IN FACTORIES
WE took the train for Philadelphia in the
early moming, and as soon as we arrived
there several representatives of the Men's
Liberty Loan Committee, under whose orders the
Treasury Department of Washington had placed
me during my stay in Pennsylvania, motored us
to Chester.
" You will give an open-air address to seven thou
sand workmen to-day at noon. Not only are these
men making munitions, but the Chester plant has
already sent over to France the biggest gun manu
factured so far in America, and is ready to send a
second one in a few days."
After an hour's drive we reached the plant and
as noon had not yet struck, the director took us to
visit various interesting sections of the factory.
Then we were taken to a large open-air space and
asked to get up into a brightly decorated and artis
tic-looking stand, all covered with the flags of the
Allies. A government official, three Canadian officers,
and I were the speakers of the day.
73

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" You will certainly receive a very warm recep
tion from our men," said the director. " They are
wonderfully patriotic in their feelings, and this, I
believe, is largely due to the influence we have ex
ercised over them by trying to teach them what the
war really means to America. You will, I dare
say, be astonished to hear that six months ago not
one of these workers could sing the ' Star-Spangled
Banner,' nor did they even know that America had
a national anthem."
As he was saying these words a bell rang, an
nouncing noon, and the factory band, composed
exclusively of workmen belonging to the plant,
marched forward and took its place beside the
stand. Then the seven thousand men came flocking
out from the adjoining buildings, and I could see
their eager faces expectantly turned toward us.
The band conductor through the megaphone in
vited every one to sing " God Save the King." We
rose to our feet while it was played and sung, and
the Canadian officers addressed the crowd in turns.
Then the man with the megaphone announced the
" Marseillaise " and it was my turn to speak. Never
in my whole life had I experienced such profound
emotion as at that moment. The seven thousand
workmen went almost frantic in their cheering of
my country; and stretching far away before me I
could see eager and honest faces lit up by the great-
74

Experiences in Factories

est enthusiasm. Some of the men sent their caps
flying high up into the air ; others waved their little
flags as a sign of rejoicing, while they all shouted,
applauded, and whistled for fully three long min
utes, as I stood waiting to speak, with heart throb
bing — oh ! throbbing teiTibly hard, from emotion
and true happiness! for I thoroughly understood
the depth of feeling underlying this demonstration,
and what it really meant for France in the very
near future.
Then I spoke from heart to heart with these men,
not eloquently, by any means, but very simply, tell
ing them what was going on " over there," and
urging them to work hard at the munitions that
were to protect the lives of their own boys fighting
in the trenches, and to help deliver the suffering
ones in my country.
After that the government official made a stirring
and patriotic speech and every one of us sang the
" Star-Spangled Banner " at the end of the meeting.
Then before I had time to leave the stand I heard
the men shouting : " Don't go yet ! We must shake
hands with you flrst," and they rushed forward to
the platform. My sister and I bent over, and our
hands and arms were clutched by innumerable
hands grasping for ours. I think every one of
those seven thousand workmen came up to shake
hands with us. 75

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
When I speak in public, I almost invariably
take my gloves off, because I am sometimes fool
ishly tempted to think that in this way the contact
between my public and mj'self is more quickly es
tablished — almost as though through the tips of
the fingers. But at Chester I had forgotten to
observe my usual custom. Some of the workmen
had such pei'fect manners that they exclaimed
apologetically :
" We have spoiled your light gloves with our
black hands ! Is n't it too bad ! "
" Why, I am more proud than I can say of the
color you have given it," I replied gaily. " It will
seem as if I, also, were making munitions for the
boys." The director then took us to luncheon in the
factory and as we sat down at the table he said to
me : " May I formulate a wish expressed by my
workmen? "
" Pray do ! I am ready to do anything to prove
my delight at having found such a marvelous audi
ence as the one I have addressed this morning."
" Well, they have asked that you will part with
your glove and give it to them. We will have a
frame made for it and it will be hung in the place of
honor in the factory as a souvenir of France."
As can be imagined, I felt prouder than ever
before in my life, I think, when I handed my glove
to the director after having signed my name in-
76

Experiences in Factories

side it, together with the signatures of my sister
and the govemment official.
" After luncheon," said the director, " we will
ask you and your sister another favor, that of sign
ing your names on our big gun; for it will leave
Chester in a few days, en route for the front, where
I hope it will accomplish a bit of excellent work
for France."
Tie thought occurred to me that our host and his
workmen resembled very closely in some of their
manners the medieval knights of King Arthur's
Round Table!
To be able to witness in France the sight of six
thousand colored men and women gathered under
one roof, we should have to organize a huge negro
congress and have them come from Africa espe
cially for the great occasion. But over here, a
Liberty Loan meeting is all that is required to
afford such a dusky sight!
One evening the chief of the Four-Minute
Men, with another well-known speaker, came to
fetch us to attend a colored meeting. When the
motor-car stopped at the theater door, a dark crowd
was gathered there, awaiting admission. A " cop,"
as the Americans call the policeman, came to es
cort us from the car to the entrance door of this
moving-picture theater.
Within, six thousand colored people were already
77

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
assembled. We sat with the speakers of the eve
ning, who were mostly colored men, two or three
only being of our own race.
The meeting opened by an invocation by a colored
preacher. The reverent and profoundly religious
attitude of this throng was most impressive. The
colored band then played with a wild cadence that
nearly made one jump to one's feet. Negro music
generally affects me in the feet and the shoulders,
giving me an intense desire to do a cake-walk.
While this music was being played the room was
momentarily lit up by the happy smiles of the
negroes, who thoroughly enjoyed their band.
" There is no difference between the colored
troops and the white ones. They are all alike, and
your boys are the best fighters of all ! "
One of the speakers, turning to the band, ad
dressed them thus: "And when the Allies enter
Berlin, it is you, the colored band, who will precede
the troops, playing the march just heard, which
will fill our boys with enthusiasm as they enter vic
toriously into the German capital."
The enthusiasm aroused by these words was tre
mendous. The men applauded, and the women
manifested their joy by the fluttering of their white
handkerchiefs, waved in token of contentment and
approval. Of the many places at which I was asked to speak
during the Third Liberty Loan drive, none seemed
78

Experiences in Factories

to me of greater interest than Hog Island, the larg
est shipyard in the world.
Hog Island is situated outside Philadelphia and
is of a marshy nature, which at the outset presented
many difficulties to the establishment of a plant.
Perfect miracles were accomplished, however, by
the government's Shipping Board, and despite much
criticism, the plant had grown in six months to the
size of a large city, consisting of wooden buildings
where twenty-three thousand men worked day and
night. Before delivering the address we were taken to
visit the Aquizconza, the first ship to be launched.
The ceremony took place a few months later in the
presence of President Wilson. At the period of
our visit the future vessel was in the rudimentary
stage. All along the river innumerable sheds had
been erected, roofing in the wooden nests in which
the ships were soon to come into existence.
The chief of the Secret Service was our guide,
for we had been placed in his care. He took us
to visit one of the four fire posts established on the
plant. We found the firemen all equipped and
ready to start with their engines at three minutes'
notice in case the alarm were sounded.
" Have you ever had a fire? " I asked our guide.
" No, not so far," was the answer. " But we
have to be particularly careful, for notwithstanding
the strictest surveillance, we might have German
79

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
agents introducing themselves here in the disguise
of workmen and setting fire to the buildings, which,
being nearly all made of wood, could quickly start
a conflagration that would reduce Hog Island to
ashes. " I will now show you," he added, " by what
means we guarantee the plant against such a dis
aster. Not only have we this equipment of firemen
and engines, but the Shipping Board has introduced
a new idea — that of building a tower from the
summit of which it is an easy matter to survey the
entire plant — and if you don't mind climbing, I
think it will interest you to go up."
So we mounted into the tower by a spiral stair
case that led us to a platform lighted by a window ;
and here we found the guardian.
We had to go still higher up to reach the summit
of the tower, and the only means of access to this
part was a ladder. Our guide, who was extremely
nice and full of American thoughtfulness, preceded
us in our ascension, telling the guardian meanwhile
to look out at the window. When I had climbed
almost to the top, I looked back and saw the good
man with his face still glued to the panes, and the
thought passed through my mind that a Frenchman
would certainly never have obeyed the order as this
guard had done !
Then from the open-air platform we had a com
plete view of Hog Island, stretching away for miles
80

Experiences in Factories

in every direction. From here the slightest sign
of suspicious smoke could very easily be detected by
a vigilant observer.
" Only two nights ago," said the chief of the
Secret Service, " we discovered a German agent,
who had surrounded one of our principal wooden
buildings with straw, over which he had poured
kerosene. We were fortunate enough to catch him
just as he was lighting the match to carry out his
infernal plot."
" I suppose your police must be numerous? " I
inquired. " Yes, but most of my men are disguised as la
borers, and no one suspects that they belong to my
organization. This plant has twenty-three thou
sand workmen, and in the first six months of its
existence, up to date, one hundred and twenty thou
sand laborers have worked here. This will give
you an idea of our difficulties, and also of the ex
traordinary way in which our workmen in America
shift from one plant to another in the hope always
of getting higher wages."
Our guide called up the guardian and this time
the two men followed us in our descent of the
ladder. After that we were taken to the platform, situ
ated in the open air, from which I addressed several
thousand workmen at noon, and I found them, like
the audiences at Chester, most enthusiastic.
81

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
Among the speakers was an English captain who
had made his escape from Germany, where he had
been a prisoner. He had a wonderful way of re
lating anecdotes, and when he finished his speech,
the men called out to him : " We want another
story ! "
" Very well," said the clever Englishman. " I
have another one that I know you would enjoy, but
I will tell it only if twenty of you subscribe for
more bonds."
And in a flash twenty hands went up in the air.
" And now the story, we want the story ! " shouted
the crowd again, like children.
And so the captain described in his most vivid
manner how an American in the trenches had
fought with a German soldier and killed him.
" The American saw the Hun coming stealthily
toward him, so he took off his coat and rolled up
his shirt-sleeves as if he were going to play a game
of baseball." And the captain took off his own coat
and rolled up his sleeves by way of demonstration,
the workmen gazing at him spellbound.
" Then the American gave a big leap and bounded
empty-handed over the parapet in this way ! " The
captain gave a leap himself — without, however,
jumping over the edge of the stand.
By this time the crowd was gasping.
" Then he rushed madly at the German, like a
tiger, and caught him by the throat, holding him
82

Experiences in Factories

tight, and tighter, and still tighter, his fingers dig
ging into the flesh and sinking deeper and deeper
until. . . ." The captain's hand shot out into
space as if he were strangling the German, and as
his fingers slowly closed on the imaginary throat,
the workmen yelled with savage delight, some of
them closing their eyes as if the better to enjoy an
emotion that was stirring unsuspected depths in
their natures.
That day closed the Third Liberty Loan campaign
and I learned afterwards that there was not a
single man among the twenty-three thousand la
borers of Hog Island who had not subscribed for at
least a fifty-dollar bond.
Patriotism is blossoming like a vigorous plant
on the new continent and not only in the souls of
native Americans, but equally in the souls of
those who emigrated only yesterday from the vari^
ous parts of the old world.

83

CHAPTER VIII
OVER THE TOP
THE Third Liberty Loan drive ended, and
the United States was " over the top ! "
Several billion dollars had been subscribed,
and of this sum I am proud and delighted to have
been the means of obtaining from subscribers one
million dollars.
" How high is the top? " will probably be the
question of my Parisian friends. " Never too high
for the Americans to go over," I will answer.
" They are capable of climbing any heights in such
a cause, and if the Germans could but have thor
oughly realized this, they would that very day have
laid down their arms and stopped the fight."
All through the Union, every town had sub
scribed far beyond the quota assigned to it by the
Treasury Department at Washington, and as soon
as each city had reached the financial goal a liberty
flag was hoisted as a public sign of recognition that
its citizens had done their duty and were ready to
surpass themselves in their patriotic efforts.
In whatever they take up Americans always con
centrate all their energies on success. It is as
84

Over the Top

though they looked upon every enterprise as a splen
did game to develop muscles or mental powers, as
the case may be. The way they do a thing does not
matter half so much as the result obtained. They
mean to succeed and they almost invariably carry
through even seemingly impossible plans by sheer
force of will, allied to an indomitable self-confi
dence. And once they attain their goal, they make
themselves a fresh one in order to attain fresh suc
cesses. The very essence of their natures is the
love of struggle, and it makes them enter gladly
into competition not only with one another, but
also with themselves, in order to break their own
records. I believe they are right ; we spend too much time
perhaps in Europe thinking exclusively about the
manner in which a thing is to be executed, rather
than the result to be obtained; and after all it is
results that control the world.
In France public speaking is an art in itself,
whereas here it is considered as the most rapid
method of handling masses of people and educating
them. The Liberty Loan campaigns are teaching
the people to save money, a thing that was formerly
not understood in the United States, that country
where money is made and spent in one and the same
breath. So a good Liberty Loan speaker may not
be the one who makes the most finished speeches,
but the one who gets the most money out of his
85

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
audience. As an example I relate the follow
ing. At the moving-picture show which we attended
one evening, a man mounted the platform and
showed an obviously new straw hat and called out
in a powerful voice :
" I just bought it to-day, and had hoped it would
spend the summer with me. But for my country
I am ready to separate myself from my new acquisi
tion. So for a thousand dollar bond, I will offer
you the diverting sight of the wilful destruction of
my new hat. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I will
stick my fist right through it. Now [and he
raised his voice louder than ever] who will sub
scribe for a thousand dollar bond? Who will give
the thousand dollars? "
" Five hundred dollars," called a voice.
" No. I want the thousand dollars. I won't
spoil my new hat for less. Come along now, a good
bid. Who '11 give it? "
"A thousand ! " shouted a man's voice from the
balcony. And the speaker, with a happy smile,
thrust his closed fist vigorously through the crown
of his straw hat, shooting it straight toward the
generous subscriber.
America was certainly becoming more and more
wonderful to us. We had gone to a theater expect
ing to see the " movies " and, instead, we found a
man inviting bids on his new hat and another giv-
86

Over the Top

ing a small fortune just to enjoy the sight of its
destruction. All this was comic, though it was in
spired by true patriotic feeling.
During the war a very large number of the
women in the United States wore uniforms. Each
town and each relief -work society had its particular
uniform varying in color and design. Nothing was
more puzzling for a European than to make out
what they were intended to represent. I suggest
that a guide book called the " W-U " or the
" Women's Uniforms," presented gratis to foreign
ers arriving in the United States, would certainly
be of great help. A brief description and explana
tion of all the different uniforms is all that
would be required for understanding what work
these women are accomplishing.
American women look very smart and alert in
their uniforms, having a particularly business-like
appearance. At the first glance one feels sure that
they carry out the work confided to them splen
didly. But being myself a French woman, I must
confess that I have no personal interest in women's
uniforms and, generally speaking, we have not, ex
cept in the case of a limited number of Red Cross
nurses, wom other than civilian clothes during the
war. In France, a woman always looks unmistakably
feminine. But in America it often happened that
I could not make out to which sex the wearer of
87

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
the uniform belonged ; it became a sort of guessing
game, a living puzzle.
I remember one morning in the New York sub
way looking at two people standing up in a very
crowded car. I could only see the upper part of
these two khaki-clad travelers. One of them had
apparently not followed the American fashion of
wearing the hair cut away from the ears, the neck
and the temples and I was criticising his hair as
being a little too long for this new American fash
ion. His companion, whom I then took to be a
blond, had hidden all her hair under her military
cap. It happened shortly afterward that I found my
self standing close to this couple, and to my utter
amazement, the " woman " had a man's voice, and
the " man," a woman's. Yes that was it. The
woman proved to be the man and the man the
woman. The man was very young and perfectly clean
shaven, his smiling face looked childish and gentle,
which accounted for my terrible blunder in taking
him for a possible suffragette. This was a lesson
for me and I made up my mind henceforth to wait
until I heard people speak before classifying them.
I suppose Christopher Columbus was as puzzled
as I was then when he landed on the New Conti
nent, wondering which were the Indians and whicli
were their wives. 88

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It is always interesting while traveling to meet
the various celebrated people who fill or have filled
prominent positions in their country. And so we
were extremely pleased at receiving an invitation to
the home of Colonel and Mrs. Roosevelt. We had
been given a letter of introduction to them, and
they very charmingly invited us to luncheon at
Oyster Bay, their country place, an hour from
New York. We went there by train and found
their motor-car at the station. We drove along
lovely roads to the ex-President's home. On our
arrival the car door was opened by a smiling gentle
man of charming manners, and we soon recognised
him as Colonel Roosevelt himself.
We entered the house, which is built in the
colonial style, and were greeted by Mrs. Roosevelt,
who received us with the most delightful simplic
ity. Before luncheon we visited the grounds, from
which we enjoyed a lovely view over the sound.
The meal being strictly " Hooverized " was a
short one, few dishes were served, and throughout
it all we were entirely absorbed by Colonel Roose
velt's brilliant and animated conversation.
After luncheon we admired the wonderful col
lection of animals shot by our host in Africa. The
trophies decorate various rooms of the house and
principally the big hall where the President and
his family spend much of their time.
Colonel Roosevelt showed us his precious and
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
unique collection of autographed photographs, one
signed by a world-known personage none other than
Wilhelm II, German Emperor.
We recollect that Colonel Roosevelt was received
at Potsdam by the kaiser several years before the
European conflict. The emperor entertained his
guest with the greatest hospitality and invited him
to Ide present at the review of the German troops.
Photographs were taken of these two personages
conversing together on horseback, and these are
the ones we were shown at Oyster Bay.
Wilhelm II presented the autographed photo
graphs to Colonel Roosevelt with a selection of in
timate thoughts written on the back of each one.
Bethmann-Holweg, his famous chancellor, came
the next morning to ask for his sovereign's gift to
be retumed. He evidently did not then seem to
consider it a " scrap of paper," and he was very
anxious to get it out of Colonel Roosevelt's pos
session on account of some of the very imprudent
declarations made thereon.
Colonel Roosevelt also showed us a caricature of
himself and the kaiser that appeared in Punch.
They are represented making faces at each other.
Colonel Roosevelt is seen with a thin face and the
kaiser's moustaches, whereas the latter has a round
face and energetic jaw resembling that of the ex-
President of the United States.
A friend of Colonel Roosevelt, who was also a
90

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guest that day, read us those wonderful words on
our dear beloved France written by the ex-President
the previous year, and published separately on the
fourteenth of July, " Bastille Day."
They are certainly beautiful and heartfelt words,
and I recall them with great emotion.
France embodies all of loveliness and of valor. Beauty
is her handmaiden, and strength her shield-bearer, and the
shining courage of her daughters has matched the courage
of her dauntless sons. For three and a half terrible years
she has walked, high of heart, through the Valley of the
Shadow. Her body is in torture, but her forehead is alight
with the beauty of the moming. Never in history has there
been such steadfast loyalty in the doing of dangerous duty,
such devotion to country, such splendor of service and sacri
fice, and great shall be her reward — for she has saved the
soul of the world.

91

CHAPTER IX
AMERICAN GENEROSITY
IF with X-rays one could see through the
Americans, I should not be astonished if their
hearts were found to be larger than those of
the people of other nations. Providence has cer
tainly endowed them with a greater physical or
ganism, knowing that their power of expression
would be superior to that of other people. For
truly, Americans seem literally to lavish their
hearts upon one, pouring them forth freely and yet
having a reserve to the point of overflowing.
Their reputation of being above all business-like
is quite wrong judgment, given by foreigners who
have certainly seen nothing beyond Wall Street.
But a whole nation cannot be judged by one street
of one city. France cannot be judged by the boule
vards of Paris, Montmartre, and the Moulin Rouge.
These are the great attractions purposely organized
for foreigners, but they are not at all typical of
French life.
Americans are dominated by their hearts and
easily carried away by their emotions and their
92

American Generosity

ideals. A New Yorker said to me the other day:
" Business for us is a fascinating game. The
gambling side of it attracts us much more than
the possession of wealth. We like coming out of
it victorious and we enjoy the emotion that it pro
vides for us. When we have the money we spend
it freely and like to have others share our pleasure.
Think of what our millionaires have done with
their money. They have contributed to the great
ness of the nation and through them schools, uni
versities, hospitals, museums, libraries, have been
erected. The whole race has benefitted through
their wealth."
I admire also the way in which Americans take
to heart the embellishment of their own particular
city. It is a splendid spirit that undoubtedly con
tributes to the greatness of the country and keeps
it perpetually progressing. The emulation be
tween the towns obliges the citizens to take a
greater interest in the one they live in.
I often had examples of this public-spirited
feeling and it reminded me of an American lady
who told me that she had some beautiful old family
heirloom lace which she was going to present to
the museum in her town.
" But don't you wish to keep it for your children
and their descendants? " I asked.
" No ; I want my town to benefit by anything I
can offer it that will add to its value."
93

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
Mr. George Creel came to see us at the Vander
bilt one Sunday afternoon as we were passing
through the city. He proposed that I should ex
tend my work and that I should become an agent
of the American Govemment and make an exten
sive tour through the States for war propaganda.
This idea pleased us intensely as we realized that
the work accomplished in this way would be far
more helpful to our country.
We at once spoke to Monsieur Tardieu about this
proposition and he advised us to accept. Then a
committee meeting was held at which some mem
bers of the American Committee for Devastated
France met Mr. George Creel and the arrangements
were made.
We had, however, to go to Washington for a day
to decide several important questions for our tour
for the Public Information Committee. So far this
branch of the American Government had not yet
sent any women on a special propaganda mission
through the country and it was a new experiment
that they wanted to try. My work was to consist
mostly in making speeches to spur on war-work in
shipping plants, labor temples, and in factories en
gaged on munitions, aeroplanes and various other
war productions.
We spent but a few hours in Washington travel
ing two nights back and forth from New York, and
once more I had the opportunity of admiring the
94

American Generosity

American generosity that has become proverbial
the world over.
Before taking the midnight train we were invited
by the Shipping Board to a big dinner given at
Chevy Chase in honor of Monsieur Tardieu, who
was leaving that night for France.
Chevy Chase is a very fashionable club situated
in Maryland, a state which is not dry as the Dis
trict of Columbia is, and that accounts for its
popularity. I happened to be seated next to our French High
Commissioner but the chair on my left remained
empty all through the dinner. The famous Mr.
Schwab was to have been its occupant, but he had
missed his train and did not reach Washington in
time. So my nearest neighbor was Mr. C — , an im
portant member of the Shipping Board. He leant
forward toward me and most charmingly said :
"Allow me, Madame, to drink to your health,
and to France's victory in this war."
Whereupon I immediately raised my glass and
replied :
" Let me express my thanks herewith to France's
generous ally, the great American nation which in
this struggle represents the weight in the balance
that will assure victory in the cause of Freedom."
Once started, both Mr. C — and myself might
have gone on exchanging patriotic compliments
" ad etemum," but I was to discover that evening
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
that Americans do not merely express their feel
ings in words, but far more efficiently still do they
express them in generous actions. My neighbor
concluded :
" Not only do I drink to your country's glorious
cause, Madame, but I wish to contribute to-night to
alleviating her sufferings. I am happy to ask you
to accept five thousand dollars to be used by you as
you think best for the children and women of
France." I was almost speechless at such generosity; all
the more so that I had not mentioned my work in
America. Suddenly a young-looking man seated at
the far side of the table, Mr. P — of the Shipping
Board having followed the conversation with in
terest, raised his glass and drank to my health.
I replied gaily, returning the compliment.
" No, no ; I won't allow that ! " cried Mr. C — ,
with conviction, and, turning to Mr. P — , " You
shall not be allowed to drink to our guest's health
unless you also give her five thousand dollars for
France." " Nothing will stop me from raising my glass in
honor of a Frenchwoman. Madame. Here are the
five thousand dollars I owe you."
And Mr. P — sent me a paper with his signature
across the table.
It would be hard for me to analyse my senti
ments at that moment. I don't know whether I
96

American Generosity

felt proud or filled with gratitude or moved to tears
or what were my true feelings; but whatever it
was I felt, I felt it most intensely.
I like to note down any little incident that may
show the fraternal feeling between America dnd
my own country — a feeling of which I get con
stant proof.
My sister had been suffering from her foot for
a week, and only found time to have it attended to
on our arrival in Philadelphia. A clever and cele
brated surgeon, a friend of our cousin's, came sev
eral times and finally cured it. While conversing
we had told him about our experiences at the hos
pital where we had volunteered as nurses at the
beginning of the war. On his last visit I had
begged my cousin to inquire how much I was in
debted to him. He refused any fee, and when my
cousin insisted, he replied :
" In America you know nurses have all medical
treatment free."
Many touching instances of American kindness
of heart came to our hearing, and we marveled
much at the spirit of sacrifice and self-abnegation
we met with almost everywhere.
To them the war was not only a war, but it was
a crusade, and they entered upon it with quite
a religious feeling. The Americans have the quali
ties that youth alone can give. They are idealists,
they are generous and impulsive; their emotions
97

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
are easily aroused, and they are in love with France
with much the same sentiment as that which gives
the school boy the desire to lay down his life in
the cause of his first lady-love, filling him with
dreams of adventure in which he becomes the " Red
Cross Knight" rescuing Una from the hands of
her enemies.
Amongst many other stories I remember hearing
that there exists in Washington a charitable insti
tution created for the purpose of housing old ladies
of good Southern families which have fallen into
poverty. The inmates of this organization possess
no means whatever, being entirely provided for by
this charitable society. When the war broke out
these kind-hearted women were particularly dis
tressed at not being able to come to the help of
the many war misfortunes in Belgium and France,
and then they had a most touching idea. They all
voluntarily gave up taking sugar in their tea and
coffee so that their sacrifice might make some one
else happy across the ocean. Let us hope there
may have been many among them who had no lik
ing for sugar !
Not only do the Americans extend this kind-
hearted goodwill to their fellow-mortals, but also
to animals. In the big national parks the animals
are never shot down, and they are allowed to live
a free and undisturbed existence; in the Eastern
cities the squirrels approach the visitors in the
98

American Generosity

public gardens, and come without any shyness to
eat from their hands.
Better still, this general amenity of the American
people extends itself also to nature, and I was
very much delighted at the sight of a placard that
an old Washington gentleman had placed on his
lawn. Instead of the usual " Trespassing will be
prosecuted," he had written, " Please give the grass
a chance ! "

99

CHAPTER X
TOURING FOR DEVASTATED PRANCE
AMONGST the many interesting people we
met in New York, none seemed to me more
remarkable than Colonel House. His
worldwide reputation and the atmosphere of mys
tery that seems to surround him made me all the
more desirous of meeting him.
I had already made the acquaintance of Mrs.
House, and her charming manner had quite won
my heart, when one day I received a word from
her inviting us to meet her husband.
Their home in New York is most attractive and
yet simple, without any ostentatious excess of lux
ury. As we entered, the first thing that attracted
my attention in the anteroom was a very good and
fairly large photograph of the Victory of Samo-
thrace, of which the original statue is in the mu
seum of the Louvre in Paris. This picture seemed
to me a good omen of what Colonel House, with his
prophetic insight into the politics of the world was
perhaps already foreseeing for us in the near fu
ture. As soon as we had drunk our tea, our host invited
100

Touring for Devastated France
me into his study, where we might be more at
leisure to talk. The room is a small one almost
entirely lined with books; the furniture is simple,
consisting of a large writing-table and two or three
comfortable arm-chairs.
I had ample time to study the countenance of
this celebrated man who is one of the truest pa
triots, in the broadest sense of the word, that has
ever lived ; for unlike many others his motives seem
to be absolutely free from any ambitious desire for
personal honors or worldly attainment.
Few men have impressed me as being of such
sincere simplicity, with such complete lack of any
desire to " show off," or to create a sensation of
any kind. Colonel House does not apparently
care to make any impression on his visitors, but
rather he seems to study them, to weigh their ca
pacities and their abilities, to penetrate their men
talities and their very souls with his keen search
ing gaze until they feel that his clear mind has
judged them impartially, without either over-in
dulgence or over-severity.
His manners are extremely affable. Physically,
Colonel House is fairly tall, slight, with refined,
good features of which his eyes are the most re
markable. It is often noticed that painters are possessed of
eyes that seem really to study you, seeing what may
escape less observant people; but their glance is
101

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
generally material or superficial, and I always have
the impression that they are merely comparing
values or noting contrasts in coloring. On the
contrary. Colonel House's glance has the exceed
ingly rare quality of a singular penetration, and
though outward details may escape his observa
tion, I should be astonished if his appreciation of
the personality he is studying was not remarkably
accurate. As we were leaving I told Mrs. House that we
had accepted Mr. Creel's offer, and would make a
propaganda tour through the States for the
American Government.
" I am delighted to hear this good news," she
answered amiably, " and remember my words,
Madame de Bryas, you and your sister are now
going to make the trip of your lives."
So with this pleasant prospect before us for the
near future, I set to work to accomplish what had
to be done for the object for which we had originally
come. During the next fortnight this work consisted of
speaking for devastated France and our program
once more took us to Boston, then to Providence,
New Haven, Springfield, and again to New York
and its neighborhood, Newark, White Plains, West
Point, where we saw a parade of the cadets, and
nothing was more picturesque than these young
men in their lovely gray and white uniforms in
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Touring for Devastated France
clear outline against the wonderfully green scenery
along the Hudson river.
After that I lectured at Princeton, in Alexander
Hall, then in Philadelphia and in several towns of
Pennsylvania. Then after a trip to West Virginia
we reached Washington, where we made the final
arrangements with the Chairman of the Committee
on Public Information for our tour " Out West."
In the preceding three weeks I had lectured in
fifteen different towns, and we were so exhausted
by the time we reached Washington that the mere
fact of being quietly seated in a comfortable arm
chair for a few minutes was enough to send us di
rectly into the arms of Morpheus.
We had had many various and unusual experi
ences during those fatiguing days of rush. But
many opportunities were offered us for doing and
seeing things out of the ordinary routine. For in
stance, in Pennsylvania we had the distinction of
sleeping in an insane asylum. You will perhaps
think that by a few manifestations of the necessary
symptoms we could have had the same privilege in
our own country. But if that had happened to us
there we could not have gone to America, which to
us seemed of vital importance. The motive of our
stay there was not to lecture to the inmates, al
though had our stay coincided with a Sunday morn
ing, the doctor said he would have asked me to
talk about the war at their religious service.
103

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
We had rarely met with more charming hospi
tality than that accorded us at the asylum. We ar
rived there in the evening and when we were shown
into our rooms, we glanced at the door and found
that the key was missing. We called the doctor's
wife and asked whether we had not better lock our
selves in, as the doctor had told us that the insane
patients had their quarters at the end of the pas
sage. Never before had a key given me such a
feeling of security, and it was with intense relief
that I turned it vigorously in the lock. However
no sound or cry disturbed our restful night. We
woke up without any feeling of internment.
Everything was so peaceful ! We might have been
in the Garden of Eden.
On leaving our room we met one of the doctor's
patients, an insane woman without means who
earned the little she had by working in the house
hold. When she was told that we were here on
behalf of the poor suffering women and children of
France, this good-hearted creature thrust into my
hand fifty cents. Her gift so spontaneously of
fered was certainly one of the most touching ones
I had yet received, and it proved to me that in their
moments of lucidity the hearts of these unfortunate
creatures overflow with warm sympathy for the
sufferings of others.
We visited the house and walked through the
gardens from which we admired the asylum, a fine
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Touring for Devastated France
piece of architecture of vast proportions, and very
well situated.
We met several of the doctor's " special friends."
This is how he spoke of some of the patients when
introducing them to us.
One of the insane men to whom we spoke had
just been nursing one of his asylum comrades, who
had had the unlucky idea of jumping through a
second floor window, and had alighted in a some
what damaged condition on the ground. The man
had carefully attended to his friend and faithfully
carried out the doctor's orders. He always noted
down what he had done for the sick man and daily
handed to the doctor a bulletin signed " Holy
Ghost." Then we went over to see the women's section
and were received there by one of the insane who
addressed me thus:
" I would like you to take back a message to
France. Will you tell them over there that we "
(and she turned round with a large sweep of the
arm indicating the insane patients) " disapprove
of the war."
And so I am happy to be able to tell my com
patriots that the only people I found in the United
States disapproving of the war were the female in
habitants of an insane asylum.
During this frenzied traveling we had time to get
accustomed to the Pidlman cars and we cannot
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
understand why so many Americans complain of
them, declaring them a horrid, uncomfortable, in
decent mode of locomotion. We found it enter
taining and full of the unexpected and we should
have regretted had it been different as we should
have been deprived of many amusing traveling ex
periences. On one of our journeys I witnessed a scene of a
highly comic nature between a white woman pas
senger and a colored porter.
It was toward midnight that this woman entered
the Pullman car after I had taken possession of my
berth. She was visibly out of breath, puffing and
fussing considerably, and owing to her very de
cided plumpness experienced much difficulty in
climbing into the upper section above my head.
This accomplished, I heard her say to the colored
man: " I may ring you up later on."
Then I went to sleep, but not for long. For soon
after I was awakened by some rumbling noises in
the berth above and the sound of the porter bring
ing the ladder.
Getting down was difficult as the train rounded
many curves and more than once I feared a catas
trophe. However, our stout fellow traveler got
down safely at last and went for an airing along
the car.
I could see her ample form clad in its white
106

Touring for Devastated France
wrapper, her black pigtail hanging down her back,
walking up and down the passage like some bulky
ghost. Presently she returned, still short of breath
and managed with the help of the darky to reach
her perch on high once more. And again all was
quiet. This, however, did not last long.
I was not destined to sleep that night for the
bell above my head rang unfailingly every quarter
of an hour or so. And the same tactics were gone
through. Toward three A. m., the summons being
somewhat tardily answered by the porter, I heard
the lusty breathing of my upper-berth neighbor, and
through a slight opening between my curtains I
caught sight of two legs dangling over the edge
in close proximity to my head in the well-known
posture of an angler fishing from a dock. Then an
almost irresistible temptation came to me to tickle
the soles of her feet, but I resisted with an effort
and lay back wondering what was to follow.
A few seconds later I heard the darky approach
ing and the train rounded another curve. There
was a piercing shriek and a fearful noise that made
me sit up quickly. I looked through my curtain
and there before my gaze lay a black and white
jumble of human forms endeavoring to extricate
themselves and get on to their feet again. The
fidgety passenger of the upper berth, in trying to
climb back to her elevated position as the train
made a sharp tum, had lost her balance and had
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
collapsed, dragging the colored man along with her
in her rapid and violent descent; and there they
lay, white woman, black man, ladder, and all, a
heap of confusion and shamefacedness, on the
ground, while from eveij berth appeared the
amused and inquiring heads of the other passen
gers, utterly incapable of restraining their hilarity
in watching the desperate struggle of black and
white to recover their natural position.

108

CHAPTER XI

ON A MISSION FOB THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT

BEFORE starting on our long journey for
the Committee on Public Information we
spent ten days in Washington during which
the following schedule was planned for us :

July 2-4 —

June 21-22-
23-27- 28-29-30-1 -
2^ 5-6 ¦
7-8 ¦
9-10-
11-14-
15-17-18-19-20-21 -
22-24-25-26- 27-29 -
30-6 -
7-
9-10-
11-12 ¦
13-17-

August 7-8 —

Harrisburg
Pittsburgh Columbus
DaytonCincinnatiIndianapolis
LouisviUe Evansville Saint Louis
Kansas City
Des Moines
Sioux City
Omaha
Lincoln DenverColorado Springs
Pueblo
Salt Lake City
Ogden
Los Angeles
109

Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania OhioOhio Ohio
Indiana
KentuckyIndiana MissouriMissouri
Iowa IowaNebraska
Nebraska ColoradoColorado Colorado
UtahUtah California

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America

August 18-19 — San Diego

California

20-24— San Francisco

California

25-26 — Berkeley

California

27-28 — Sacramento

California

29-31 — Portland

Oregon

September 1-2 — Tacoma

Washington

3-5 —Seattle

Washington

6-12 — Spokane

Washington

13-14 — Butte

Montana

15-16 — Great Falls

Montana

17-18 — Helena

Montana

19-20 — Fargo

North Dakota

21-22 — Grand Forks

North Dakota

23-25 — Duluth

Minnesota

26-27— Saint Paul

Minnesota

28-30 — Minneapolis

Minnesota

October 1-2 — Madison

Wisconsin

6-10 — Chicago

Illinois

11-14 — Detroit

Michigan

15-16 — Toledo

Ohio

17-20 — Cleveland

Ohio

21-22 — Youngstown

Ohio

23-25 — Buffalo

New York

28-29 — Syracuse

New York

30-31 — Albany

New York

A charming lady who took an interest in our
work, was appalled at the length of the trip we
were about to undertake.
" Do not overdo it, my dear Madame de Bryas.
You do not realize that in America we are quite
capable of killing our friends through the intensity
of our hospitality and our . . . curiosity ! "
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On a Mission for the American Government
" Is my life in danger then ... at last? " I
inquired, much amused. " Oh ! how exciting !
Have I so far escaped bombs and submarines only
to die now in the heat of the American plains from
exposure to the overenthusiastic kindheartedness
of the crowds? "
" I see that you have never heard of the casualty
list of foreign guests we have f§ted in America.
We hastened Rachel's death, but that, I think, has
been our most conspicuous social crime. Many
others besides your great tragedian have been vic
tims. Not long ago an English lady was so much
entertained and f^ted and called upon to make so
many speeches in this country, that she died almost
immediately after landing in England. In the
case of our own countrywomen, we raise a monu
ment to them, when their death is due to our exag
gerated sense of sociability. Last year such a
monument was erected in Los Angeles to the mem
ory of a young suffragist who died suddenly from
overwork during a lecture tour in California. So
please beware, and remember my waming."
" Why ! " I exclaimed, " you are certainly tempt
ing me to become an American citizen, for then I
should really have a chance of obtaining my statue,
with the inscription, ' She talked herself to the
grave,' raised in one of your squares filled with
their lovely flowers and merry little squirrels ! "
In the meantime, before setting out on our tour,
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
friends frequently took us out motoring, and thus
we had the pleasure of admiring the country about
Washington. The Potomac Falls are a beautiful sight, and we
were highly interested in seeing the river, having
once heard the story of some British ambassador
who slightingly remarked that he could throw a
shilling across the Potomac.
" Oh ! That's an easy task," answered a witty
American, " compared with what Washington did
in throwing a sovereign across the Atlantic."
About this time we received a proposal to write
a book of our impressions of the United States.
That sounded very interesting, and we went out
for advice about how to make a contract in
America. We met our friend Jacques de Neuflize, the repre
sentative of the Bank of France in New York, who
was in Washington for the day and who should
know something about big contracts.
" By all means," was his answer, " make a verbal
contract. You can rely and sleep on the word of
an American. On the contrary, if you make a
written agreement, it is up to you to find out what
is written in it ; this is fairly easy if you can read,
but to find out what it means is a more difficult
proposition for an unsophisticated French intel
ligence." Having said this, our friend could not resist the
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On a Mission for the American Government
temptation of delivering a lecture on this subject.
" You see, in France as in America there are, 'of
course, honest and dishonest people. Dishonest
people are dishonest in both countries. But hon
esty is based on conventions, and the conventions
may be different. In France a verbal contract is
always more or less tentative. In America it is
binding. A written agreement in America is ex
ecuted literally without regard to previous con
versations; in France it is executed faithfully, but
in accordance with the ' spirit of the contract,'
which means that due regard is given to the original
intentions of the parties, even if some sentence has
slipped in the redaction of the contract unnoticed
to one of the parties.
" This is what has brought about the curious
situation that, between two countries where cer
tainly the standards of honesty are of the highest,
there have been some misunderstandings on busi
ness transactions, due only to this fact, that the
American and the Frenchman did not understand
what the other meant."
Not having had an opportunity of going out for
a walk since we landed on Ameri'can soil, we de
cided to stroll out together unaccompanied one
evening after dinner.
It was a clear, beautiful night, and our steps
led us to Washington's monument, white in the
bright light of a full moon. It was visible all over
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
the city, and to us it seemed like the symbol of
Washington's pure soul protecting the capital of
the great nation which owed its birth to his in
spired and patriotic genius.
This obelisk is the loftiest achievement of ma
sonry in the world, and one feels a pigmy indeed
when standing at the base, towering as it does to a
height of 555 feet.
We walked all around its square base, guarded
by a man in a dark blue uniform. Two other tour
ists, American soldiers, questioned the guardian
with: " Well, what are you doing here? "
And the man answered:
" Why, I 'm on guard !. "
" Do you mean to say that you are here to guard
this thing? " The soldier indicated the monument
in amazement as if any one would ever think of
walking off with it hidden in his pocket.
" But I guard many other things besides," in
dignantly replied the man, and with a wide sweep
of the arm he indicated the grass, the benches, and
the few wild fiowers trying hard to blossom.
The guardian then came up to us, visibly ex
periencing the feeling of a host receiving all visitors
coming to admire this unique monument. He said :
" Good evening, ladies. It is a beautiful night.
From what State are you? I ask you this because
forty States have given memorial stones which are
114

On a Mission for the American Government
set into the monument. If you care to come back
in the daytime I will show them to you."
" We are not from the United States. We are
French and have just arrived from Paris."
At these words the man took off his cap in the
most dignified manner and saluted us with a sort
of reverence.
" Then you belong to a country that we love
and admire, ladies. Honor to France and to its
heroes ! "
" Your own country is a great one, too," we
answered. " And your boys are doing splendidly
over there. They fight like lions, and the French
adore the Americans."
Washington is filled with darkies, and we be
came extremely interested in the negro question.
Life is specially hard for the mulattos. When
they are not jet-black, the negroes reject them as
not being of themselves, and the white people can
not bear contact with them if there be just a speck
of black on the nails. No one wants them, and
they can marry only among mulattos. I can
imagine how difficult it must be for a woman to
choose the right shade of husband, one whose color
will just match hers. Mulattos, even those of the
lightest cream-coffee complexion, are incorporated
in negro regiments and are never allowed to enter
the white ones.
" Some of these laws," a lady said to me at a
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
luncheon-party in Washington, " must seem very
unfair to you, and I know that in France you have
no racial prejudices, but you must understand that
the negro problem is one of the most complicated
ones in America as the black race increases in
about the same proportion as do rabbits in
Europe. In the South the darkies have their own
street-cars, their churches, and their special movies.
In these parts of the country you find much less
mixing up of whites and blacks than here. I am a
Southerner myself, and my feelings toward them
are complex. I loathe them as a race and they are
physically repulsive to me, and yet there are few
human beings I love as well as my old colored
nurse who brought me up, and I am glad even to
this very day when she puts her arms around my
neck and kisses and hugs me in her own dear
motherly way."
A handsome lady at the opposite side of the
table, hearing that we were talking about the
South joined in the conversation.
" I am a Southerner, too, and I have always
had negro servants around me. They are loyal,
but so terribly childish that you never know what
mischief they will get into next. This winter my
old cook fell ill while I was in South Carolina, and
I had to take an extra colored cook for a few days.
The day after her arrival she sent up to the dining-
room the most elaborate and extravagant-looking
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On a Mission for the American Government
'pktet de foie gras, with the strangest looking orna
ments on the pastry. I was so curious that after
luncheon I went down to see the new cook and ask
her how she had achieved such a result. 'Why,
Sally, what did you use for decorating the p^t^? '
Sally looked down nervously like a scolded child.
and to my amazement I saw she was going to burst
out crying. I insisted this time more pressingly.
And Sally with big tears on her eyelashes and a sob
in her voice, said, ' S'cuse me, ma'am, but I took my
false teeth. ' "
This reminded me of the Hindu servant who was
caught putting the finishing touches to his most
excellent toast by buttering it with a tooth brush,
to the horror of his English mistress.
We were launched on the subject of negro stories,
and my sister and I were very much interested as all
this was perfectly novel to us. All the people in
that part of America seem to have darkies as
servants. Another lady after luncheon told us that her
mother had been for many years an invalid, and
that her only pleasure was receiving visitors. One
winter she was laid up for months with severe
bronchitis and could see no one. But each evening
she read with the greatest interest the names of the
people who had called in the afternoon. Her de
voted colored butler, having noticed this and want
ing to please his mistress, gathered some old visit-
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
ing-cards, and presented them on the tray so as to
multiply the number of calls. Among them were
those of several friends long since dead, and the
old lady, not wanting to hurt the colored man's
feelings, conscientiously read them every day with
out ever betraying her intense amusement.
" Have you noticed the new fashion that is
spreading with a ' furore ' amongst the negro
women? " asked a bright and charming young girl
in our party. " As you all know, white women
are crazy to have their hair frizzed up and kinked
like darkies, by the electric ' everlasting waver.'
Whereas the poor darkies are now trying to get
their hair straightened out fiat and unkinked so as
to look more like white people. It is absurdly pa
thetic, and the clever woman who has invented the
' unkinking ' for the blacks is making just as big
a fortune as the man who thought of frizzing up
the whites ! "
We were much impressed in D. C. by the sight
of so many women driving their own motor-cars.
Here it is an achievement which they seem to con
sider the finishing touch of a good education. Be
fore the war no women in France drove cars, but
so many customs are changing on the old Conti
nent, that I imagine we will very soon adopt this
one when the war is over.
But shall we also adopt with this driving craze,
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On a Mission for the American Government
the fashion of sitting at the wheel bare-headed, as
I see so many women doing in Rock Creek Park,
or in Fairmont Park in Philadelphia. They are
pretty to look at, and their hair is held in by a net
which keeps it tidy. Neatness is one of the char
acteristics of the American women.
But what can be their reason for driving with
only a net on their heads. Is it a war sacrifice to
economize on hats and buy Liberty Bonds, or is it
done for toning up the hair, or does it come perhaps
from the simple desire to feel the cool breeze fan
their foreheads? It is still a mystery to me.
In order that our acquaintance with all things
American might lack nothing in completeness, one
of our Washingtonian cousins took us to a drug
store to introduce us to the ice-cream soda fountain.
The simple fact of going to the druggist's to find
an enjoyable drink threw a new light upon pos
sibilities of such shops. For until that day we
had supposed, in old world fashion, that only
liquids possessing a more or less beneficient action
on the health were to be found there.
This once more proved to us that Americans know
better than others how to sugar the pill, a gift
which certainly contributes to make this planet a
more enjoyable place to live upon.
Customers climb upon high chairs round a
counter and so, once more an inch or two nearer
119

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
to heaven, we enjoyed the blissful beverage — in
the hot American weather a real drink for the
gods. We were glad to have been taken to a place con
sidered " most proper," where we had found a de
lightfully refreshing drink in a dry State.
Prohibition is a serious problem, which the drug
gists, better than others, may know how to solve
in the States. I was told that one of them had
advertized in one of the Prohibition States a re
markable " tonic " wine named " Peruna." The
people, deprived of cocktails and other such " pick-
me-ups," felt greatly in need of something strength
ening to help them to get over their physical and
moral depression.
" Peruna " was the greatest success and seemed
truly to possess the essential properties of an al
coholic drink, and might safely be approved by
all. Even the most hardened prohibitionists ec
statically absorbed any number of bottles of this
chemical product that advantageously replaced the
strongest of the cocktails.
But, alas, for the prohibitionists! It was later
discovered that " Peruna " owed all its charm to
its being a special preparation containing ninety
per cent, of alcohol.
And more strongly still did we realize the bond
of friendship between our two countries when we
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On a Mission for the American Government
made a picnic with Miss Margaret Wilson, young
est daughter of the President of the United States.
We set out in two of the White House motor-cars
together with some of the President's intimate
friends. As is well known President Wilson is
surrounded by a few such chosen friends, and his
daughter also seems to enjoy their company.
Our party was a very merry one, and Miss Wil
son's lively and charming disposition contributed
very largely to enlivening the dinner, which we
took under some beautiful old trees, and very com
fortably seated on the cushions of the White House
motor-cars. Before starting on our mission we visited the
offices of the French High Commissionner in Co
lumbia Road. Like the Broadway branch office in
New York it is a veritable bee-hive where much
wonderful work is carried out. One thousand, five
hundred people are under the direct supervision of
the " Haut Commissaire."
Monsieur Andr6 Tardieu is to-day one of the
most promising political men in France, and his
organization in America brought to the fore all his
extraordinary gifts of energy, adaptibility, clear-
mindedness, and practical efficiency. He is also
endowed with remarkable physical endurance,
which enables him to work easily fifteen hours a
day. The entire responsibility of the French Govem-
121

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
ment's war purchases in the United States, rested
on his shoulders, and his representatives were in
intimate and close relationship with the various
war departments of the American Government.
During Monsieur Tardieu's absence Columbia
Road was under the direction of the general dele
gate, Monsieur de Billy, who was most kind, and
extended to us the support of the French Govern
ment. In this way we were making our tour under
the very best auspices.
On the eve of our departure Mr. Creel told us
that if we cared to go to his office the next morning,
we should have the opportunity of meeting Mrs.
Pankhurst, who had an appointment with him.
We were extremely interested at the idea of seeing
this well-known woman, who has certainly acquired
a world-wide reputation, and we did not faU to
keep the engagement at Jackson Place.
Truly we were never more astonished than when
we saw Mrs. Pankhurst enter the room. I had
imagined that the instigator of those extreme meas
ures of violence employed by certain of the suffra
gists — such as throwing flaming chairs from a
theater box upon the people below, or fighting with
the police like desperadoes — would be a " tower-
of-strength " type of womanhood.
Whereas Mrs. Pankhurst appeared to be a small,
refined, middle-aged woman, with delicate features,
clear and sweet blue eyes, a low, subdued, and well-
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On a Mission for the American Government
modulated voice. She was very elegantly attired,
with an evident desire to produce a distinctly fav
orable effect on those who cross her path. There
was in her whole attitude a certain reserve even
verging on timidity. Timidity! This was cer
tainly the most unexpected feminine quality I had
ever dreamed of finding in Mrs. Pankhurst. It is
true that celebrities are often a mass of contra
dictions between their inner selves and their out
ward appearances.
Before going any further I want here to express
my admiration for the way in which Mr. Creel or
ganized our tour for us. To each town through
which we traveled, orders were wired from Wash
ington to the different societies or government
agents in whose charge we were and not once dur
ing our long trip did we experience the feeling that
anything for our comfort had been neglected.
The Committee on Public Information attended
most kindly and with the greatest consideration to
our smallest wishes such as ordering our apart
ments beforehand, and so making our traveling as
easy a matter as possible.
Mr. Creel has sometimes been " accused " of being
a poet, but as a French woman and, moreover, a
Parisian, I cannot help deeming that an artistic
temperament is the greatest gift God can bestow on
a human being. Besides, the Chairman of the
Committee on Public Information is not only an
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
artist, but he is also a creator of practical realiza
tion, and he proved it by the efficiency with which
he organized this new branch of the American Gov
ernment, which rendered great service during the
war. It was on the morning of June 21 that we took
the train for Harrisburg, where we spent only two
days. We much admired the Susquehanna River,
of which we had a lovely view from the Civic Club
House where we stayed.
There, too, I had the satisfaction of beating my
own record. Truly I am becoming very American !
I was asked to speak nine times in twenty-four
hours. This was the program of my work :
1. Red Cross Auxiliary
2. Pipe and Pipe bending works
3. Pomeray and Stewart Shop
4. Red Cross Class
5. Pine Street Church
6. Central Iron Steel Co.
7. Finishing Mill Works
8. Blough Manufactory Company, Textile
Workers
9. Civic Club House
My sister hoped this would be my only record,
for otherwise she feared my skeleton alone would
retum to Europe. 124

On a Mission for the American Government

We had gathered the curious impression from
what some Americans had told us about Pittsburgh
that it was an ugly city, very black and fearfully
smoky. We were beginning to think that colored
people alone would be able to inhabit it or those
not minding to be taken for such after half an
hour's walk through the city. Now that we have
been there I can affirm that we are still of the white
race, and belonged to it all through our stay iu
Pittsburgh. The town contains some most attractive shops,
with dresses of the very latest fashions in their
windows. American women dress with so much
taste amd always look so very up-to-date that it is
a real pleasure to watch them going about. They
all seem attractive, and have an inborn elegance
that Paris itself would be proud to acknowledge as
its own.
We stayed with some very charming cousins of
ours, who live in a pretty house outside the city,
and there we never had to suffer the inconvenience
of soot from the factories.
One of the great attractions of Pittsburgh is to
drive in the evening on the hill that dominates the
city and get a view of " Hell with the lid off,"
as that place has been called. It certainly is one
of the most remarkable impressions I have expe
rienced, to see those many blast-furnaces belching
forth flashes of fire that illuminate the whole city.
125

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
They look like giant fire- works on a Fourth of July ;
the town seems to be in full festivity — and what
a feast ! ! !
In contemplating this gorgeous fairy scene, it
seemed to me that I could somewhat understand for
the first time in my life, the Roman Emperor Nero,
who set fire to Rome for the beauty of the spec
tacle. But unlike Nero, I had no lute to play upon
while contemplating the scene, and my sister had
left her flute at home. Had I omitted to say that
she plays this instrument?
In the day time the town does not present the
same artistic attraction, but it is splendid in its
ugliness, it is, if I may use the word, the most co
lossal sight I have ever seen. I never thought it
possible for one single town to contain such a
number of factory chimneys. I am told they suc
ceed each other without intermission along the
river for 48 miles.
I spoke three consecutive mornings at the West
inghouse factories, encouraging the men to work
harder if possible, and endeavoring to make them
realize that their war work was as important as if
they were in France fighting in the trenches.
Truly if these men were to stop making munitions,
their own brothers and sons would get killed with
out even having the chance to defend themselves
against a well-armed enemy.
The workmen were so responsive and patriotic
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On a Mission for the American Government
and, although so far away from the battle-fields,
I found them most eager to hear what was going
on over there, where their sons, brothers, and
friends were fighting for the right cause. The men
of the Westinghouse factories had all bought Lib
erty Bonds in the last drive, and they certainly
won my admiration.
These meetings were generally held out-of-doors,
and my audiences varied from several hundred to
seven and eight thousand men and women.
I shall always remember one man, a workman,
who came up with many others to shake hands with
me when the talk was over. Tears were streaming
down his weather-beaten face, and he took my
hands in his two big ones, and his whole heart was
in the grip he gave me. His emotion was such he
could hardly speak.
" God bless you, my dear little lady," he mur
mured, " and God bless your brave country." And
with bent head he walked away.

127

CHAPTER XII
"' PROPER " AMERICA
WHEN we sailed for the United States we
thought that we were going to the land
of liberty, where its happy people could
quietly enjoy life and do just as they chose. I be
gan to wonder whether this was not an illusion
when, there in free America, I read on the table in
our room, in one of the best hotels in the Middle
West: " The X — Hotel calls your attention to the fol
lowing fifth rule : ' It is customary to have the
door open at least six inches when entertaining
some one of the opposite sex in private rooms. ' "
How fearfully moral ! I suggest that if the X —
Hotel wishes its guests strictly to comply with this
rule, a yard measure be attached to the door to
insure the correct measurement.
Our great French writer of the nineteenth cen
tury, Balzac, says in one of his novels entitled " La
Peau de Chagrin," that liberty gives birth to an
archy, anarchy leads to despotism, and that despo
tism brings back to liberty. 128

Proper" America

" Millions of men," exclaims one of his heroes,
" have perished without being able to bring about
the triumph of any of these systems. Might we
not admit that human thought perpetually evolves
in circles. When mankind believes it has pro
gressed, it has but turned toward another pole."
America in many respects is to-day steering for
her moral pole toward despotism. Although a de
mocracy, this country is going through a phase of
imperialism such as few other nations have been
able to attain.
This crisis is most likely due to the state of
war, and it will probably be followed by a phase
of reaction. But the United States such as I have
known them in 1918 are governed by a President,
dictator or imperator, who himself is governed by
a power above him called Public Opinion, con
trolled partly by his own agents.
Personally, I have always held the opinion that
the best form of govemment — thereby I mean
the one that gives the best results — for periods of
unrest, which so far seem to be the normal con
dition of most countries, is that of a monarchy ad
ministered by a clever, though broad-minded, ty
rant. Here I am using the word monarchy in its
broadest sense, the one that a French philosopher
gave to it when he declared that there existed three
forms of government — the monarchy or the state
ruled by one man ; the oligarchy, ruled by several ;
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and anarchy or the result of the state ruled by the
masses. In 1918, America, England, and France,
were proving once more that a nation rises to its
maximum of strength when its whole power lies
virtually in the hands of an efficient, clear-minded,
and energetic man, such as are President Wilson,
Lloyd George, and Clemenceau.
As I wrote before, America was then undergoing
a period of moral despotism, which, I believe, will
bring remarkable results to the country and help
to carry it to the zenith of its power.
Although I have mentioned several times in this
book my favorable opinion towards cocktails and
my finding them personally of highly satisfactory
effect, yet I do believe that the suppression of al
coholism in the United States will help in genera
tions to come to build up far stronger, far healthier,
and far more beautiful physiques than any other
race on this planet has known.
One of our biggest wine merchants in Bordeaux
was lately interviewed by American officials on this
subject :
" True, the wine trade," said the Frenchman,
" will suffer considerably when America goes dry,
yet when alcoholism has been eradicated from your
country, no other nation will be able to compete
with you."
I also remember an American telling me that the
States in the Union which have voted prohibition
130

Proper " America

have already risen in industrial and commercial
production far beyond the others.
One of the ideals that Americans seem to have
most at heart is that of improving their race by
every means. And it is apparently with this object
that they are endeavoring to stamp out alcoholism
and the absorption of all drugs of the nature of
stimulants. I heard, although I cannot vouch for the accu
racy of this statement, that Califomians were seri
ously investigating the question of suppressing
coffee and even tea as producing a baneful influence
on the nerves. This may possibly be an exaggera
tion. Again I remember having more than once
been requested to enlist as a propagandist against
the " poisonous influence " of nicotine. But I was
forced to reply that I feel no inclination toward
the suppression of the pleasures of this world.
After one of my lectures in Indianapolis a lady
drew me mysteriously into a corner, declaring that
she had a communication to make of the utmost
importance. One may imagine my astonishment
when she drew out from the depths of her bag a
pamphlet entitled " A Puff of Smoke," which she
thrust into my hands, hoping therewith to convert
me and to make me renounce those highly danger
ous and pernicious cigarettes, capable of bringing
to pass all the disasters under the sun. I found
out afterward, when I had perused the contents of
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
this little book, that the " Puff of Smoke " was a
real league with headquarters in Chicago.
Another lady one day remarked to me while I
was traveling in Montana that cigarettes were for
bidden in that state, though cigars and pipes were
allowed. And she added to my amazement :
" When I send ready-made packages to the boys
who are fighting in France, I carefully take out
beforehand the tobacco they contain." Poor boys !
This poor lady certainly had not the remotest
idea of the soldier's life in the trenches, when for
hours, days, months in the long winter time, he
has to remain waiting and watching in the mud,
the wet, and the cold.
If I appear to be criticizing " Proper America,"
yet I do believe that the whole nation is funda
mentally right in trying to suppress any drug that
weakens the organism; and this war has certainly
proved the value of physical resistance.
Some medical authorities hold the theory that
the decline of nations is due largely to the poor
state of health of a great percentage of the persons
in a country. They have tried to prove that the
decline of the Greek civilization could be traced to
the result of malaria, which the Persians brought
into the country during the Median Wars. This
fever is also supposed to have been carried by the
Greeks to Italy, and to have played a great part in
the downfall of the Roman empire.
132

Proper" America

So the experiences of the past are lessons for
the future, and America, I suppose, is but strug
gling for her life when she tries to protect her
people against the dangers of Europe or the Far
East. But it all depends on the articles that fall
under the prohibition laws. The suppression of
wine, opium, cocaine, tobacco, may make the coun
try healthier, but what will become of great
America, if she is ever tempted to prohibit kissing?
The following humorous article, published by a
Seattle paper, is an indication of the present rather
puritanical tendency prevailing all through the
Union. REGULATING THE KISS
New York is so busy with other matters that it is a marvel
that its people have any time for war. At Coney Island it
has been made unlawful to kiss. Four persons were ar
rested for this high crime last Sunday and twelve people
were wamed. The feUow who stands at the front door of
his home and kisses his wife good-by for the day, may not be
back for several days if the policeman on the beat sees
him. Out in the parks the police have acquired the habit
of watching couples who exhibit any tendency toward kiss
ing, waiting for the crime to be committed. If the couple
hold hands it is regarded as probable that an arrest may soon
be made. The ban, of course, is entirely in the nature of a
sanitary regulation.
In New York proper, it appears, the health department is
willing to permit a variety of denatured kiss. Its advice to
the public is not to kiss "except through a handkerchief."
But the whole business is confusing. A Coney Island couple,
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
who thought the metropolitan health board's advice was good,
and were trying to employ a bandana, got thirty days. No
doubt any couple that would sit in a public park and delib
erately try to kiss through a handkerchief deserves thirty
days. However we cannot understand what all this has to do
with tbe winning the war. New York appears to be perfectly
willing to go without wheat bread to whale the Hun, but when
it comes to kisses, it is necessary to make it a matter of
police regulation.
When the Spanish infiuenza spread like an epi
demic over the world, I remember reading the fol
lowing advice printed on the windows of a tram-
car in Washington :
" Cover your mouth, smother your cough,
don't sneeze, no kissing allowed."
I may be unobservant, but I have never yet seen
any creatures so homeless as having nowhere else
to kiss in but a tram-car. Have you?

134

CHAPTER XIII
IN THE MIDDLE WEST
AMERICANS have very original ideas about
their town-buildings, and as they have had
to construct a great number during the
past fifty years, they have had several generations
of engineers who have devised and perfected the
best plans of laying out a city according to all the
latest principles of hygiene.
So far as I have been able to judge during our
rapid traveling, I think that Americans in the
Middle West begin by building a town, to the center
of which they confine all smoke, noise, firemen, busi
ness, factories, and street-cars. Then around this
town they build another one, in which are their
dwelling-houses, wives, children, friends, pet ani
mals, and there they return every night.
The central town is as noisy, as ugly, as inhar
monious, as intensive in its traffic, as the surround
ing one is beautiful, quiet, peaceful, full of fiowers,
green lawns, picturesque mansions, and lovely chil
dren. Some papers in speaking about my speeches men
tioned the fact that I had the " quaintest accent,"
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and I discovered that by that they meant the " Eng
lish accent." It is too delightful for words, for I
expected that a " quaint accent " would at least
be a French one.
" I know a celebrated singer in this country,"
said a friend to me, " who, although of Polish
origin, was born and lived all her life in America.
Her voice was wonderful, but she failed at first to
win public favor. " Try and sing with a Polish
accent," said her singing master. So she studied
very hard to change her pronunciation, her " Th's "
and her " O's," and she won tremendous success
by simulating the foreigner. When after many
years she again met her former master, she ad
dressed him with a frightfully strong Polish accent.
Putting his hands over his ears he cried : " Stop it,
stop it ; it 's no good with me, for I taught you the
trick ! "
The Middle West reminded me of my own beloved
country; the landscape is very like certain parts
of France, and this made it very dear to us.
In Dayton, I spoke twice at the Cash Register
Factory, which was manufacturing great quanti
ties of Liberty motors for aeroplanes. After hav
ing spent a night in President Patterson's home,
where we were allotted a wonderful room with
twelve windows looking upon the gardens, we were
asked to attend a meeting held by our host in his
factory. 136

In the Middle West

Many hundreds of workmen and head employees
were present at the lecture. The subject of the talk
was profit-sharing, and Mr. Patterson not only de
veloped his theme very cleverly, but in turns called
upon several of his employees to explain the benefits
that could in this way be reaped, both by the capi
talists and the workmen, and to give their personal
appreciation of the question.
An immense poster was placarded on the plat
form in full view of the audience with the following
thirty suggestions :
Benefits of Being a Peopit-Shaeee

1. Stops waste.
2. Makes you think.
3. Develops character.
4. Increases your loyalty.
5. Stirs ambition within you.
6. Gives you more initiative.
7. Makes you part of the company.
8. Gives you more responsibility.
9. Pays you more for working more.
10. Makes you dissatisfied to stand still.
11. Gives you more incentive to co-operate.
12. Brings nearer the real brotherhood of man.
13. Makes an inspector out of each profit-sharer.
14. Creates more persistency in your daily work.
15. Increases a man's confidence and self-respect.
16. Gives you more personal interest in your work.
17. Makes your wife more interested in the company.
18. Gives you the helpful association of strong men.
137

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
19. Gives you greater incentive to stay on your job.
20. Changes the critical attitude of some outsiders.
21. Makes you more free to offer helpful criticisms.
22. Is the connecting link between Capital and Labor.
23. Enables you to get projects from the company's capital.
24. Enables you to share in the company's opportunities.
25. Makes you a better workman and more useful citizen.
26. Gives you more reason to put your heart in your work.
27. Makes company loss your loss, and company's gain
your gain.
28. Enables you to share in the democracy of a big
organization. 29. Creates contentment with things company considers
necessary. 30. Enables you to share company's good wiU, which is
more than wages.
Honest effort and capital are both necessary to success.
I do not doubt that when profit-sharing has been
made practical of application in most factories, the
great problem of capital and labor will have been
solved, because it will create a bond between them,
— and, I believe, the only bond that can exist be
tween these two antagonistic groups of humanity,
— that of a common interest..
But it is true that in the present state of condi
tions the system of profit-sharing cannot be finan
cially applied to all factories, as, naturally, it can
not be undertaken except by those that are particu
larly prosperous and offer a stability and a steady
growth in their affairs. I wonder how the work
men would like to share the losses.
138

In the Middle West

We were incessantly traveling at meteor-like
pace. As I wrote to my mother :
Our life is a strenuous one, and my thoughts are entirely
given up to two ideas: the cause, the work, talking to thou
sands of people to help them to understand the war and fan
their patriotism.
And, secondly, trying to snatch every moment possible for
rest and keeping fit for the many months' work ahead of me.
I have just been counting that in six days I talked to over
thirty thousand people of all classes and distinctions. The
number of my speeches varies from flve to six a day.
In this way the message spreads like oil on the ocean.
And audiences in America are certainly the most responsive
I have ever found.
We met so many people every day, that both my
sister and myself had the greatest difficulty not only
in remembering, but also in catching names.
Introductions are made here as in France. The
mistress of the house will say :
" Mrs. Smith, allow me to introduce to you Mr.
Brown." But what ensues is not quite as it is at home.
Mrs. Smith and Mr. Brown shake hands vigorously,
or rather with a decidedly muscular expression of
sincerity, and Mrs. Smith pronounces the stereo
typed phrase, " Very glad to meet you, Mr. Brown."
And Mr. Brown declares as if they were performing
a duet, " Very glad to meet you, Mrs. Smith."
Unfortunately I have a very bad ear for foreign
139

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
names, and I never felt sure enough of myself to
get beyond, " Delighted to see you." Invariably
the name escaped me.
My sister suffers from the same defect as I. One
day, however, I was perfectly astounded to hear
her say :
" So glad to meet you, Mr. Springstrait-Getup."
And she rang out the Springstrait-Getup with a
triumphant look at me. I felt very small indeed.
(Mr. S  G  was the president of some works
we had visited.) When we got back to the hotel
I congratulated her.
" What progress you are making, dear : were you
not afraid of catching that queer name wrong? "
She eyed me maliciously.
" I knew you would be astou4ided at my clever
ness, but now I'll confess the name was written up
on the office door."
On the other hand I suppose many Americans
who have never been abroad would be greatly
amused if they witnessed our introductions in
France. "Allow me to introduce to you Monsieur de
T  , Vicomtesse de N  ."
Monsieur de T  would bend over the lady's
hand and kiss it.
" Madame, I lay my homage at your feet."
This is the height of politeness, as many French-
140

In the Middle West

men do not kiss a lady's hand, but they always
show this — to foreigners — exaggerated deferen
tial attitude toward women in society. Even a
little boy of four years old in France, if he is
brought up in the right tradition of polished man
ners, will always kiss a lady's hand, so that when
he grows up this habit has become second nature.
I have known some men who even kiss their
mother's hand in deferential greeting. Girls, from
their childhood until the day of their marriage,
make a curtsey to the married women whom they
meet in society, not a mere bob, but a real court
curtsey for which they have been specially trained.
One evening at a dinner-party in Cincinnati I
expressed my admiration of the intelligence of the
average American, which is certainly very superior
to that of similar classes in Europe.
" Do you know," answered a doctor, next to whom
I was sitting, " that in lower Kentucky there are
three million people who cannot read or write, and
who speak the English of Shakespeare's time? "
" I am very astonished to hear this," I answered.
"I thought that education was compulsory in
America." " It is," explained the doctor, " but not in all the
States. In the South, for instance, the percentage
of illiterate people runs very high on account of
the colored race." 141

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" I think," he added, " that you will be interested
to hear some of the answers that a soldier gave me
the other day in Camp X  , where I was lectur
ing and doing some Y.M.C.A. work. As you
know, the ignorance of some of the enlisted men is
sometimes amazing.
" The question asked by me was :
" ' Who is commander-in-chief of the American
military forces in France? '
" A soldier raised his hand with a ready answer.
" ' I know,' he said. ' It 's Wilson.'
" After this enlightening reply, I questioned him
again. " ' Are we fighting with the Italians or against
them? '
" ' Against them.'
" ' When you get to France,' I asked, ' are you
sure that you will be glad to give a thrashing to the
Italians? '
" ' I sure will thrash all those I am told to, and
will be right glad to do it.'
"And the soldier emphasized his words with such
vigor that there was no denying he had in him the
stuff that makes a good fighter, although he was so
lamentably lacking in knowledge of the politics of
the world."
One of our greatest surprises in the United States
was finding how much the young generation of the
142

In the Middle West

country loves to get a dipping in water. Americans
are an amphibious race. Swimming, diving, and
plunging, come to them instinctively. Never in my
whole life have I met so many people in bathing
costumes. It is almost a summer uniform — and
truly a very becoming one. Almost invariably the
men wear short black tights, which display their
supple and muscular bodies to the greatest ad
vantage. In France we rarely swim except at the sea-side,
whereas here you almost fall into a crowded swim
ming-pool at every step you take, in the public
parks, at country-clubs, and very often in hotels
and in private houses. In many private tanks in
the West the water is heated in winter so that it be
comes a delightful bath in the open air.
I am often tempted into believing that the Ameri
cans of to-day, and specially the " Pacific Coast
ers," are reincarnated egos of the ancient Greeks.
They have the same love of nature, of out-of-door
exercises, and the same cult for the beauty of
healthy physiques.
We were dining in Cincinnati one night on the
terrace of the country-club, enjoying the sight of
a glorious sunset that illumined the whole sky.
Three to four hundred people were dining there,
as I had been asked to deliver an address during
the evening, and this was to be followed by a dance.
143

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
At the table next to ours I noticed a group of ten or
twelve young men and girls, the latter in lovely
evening-gowns and looking as fresh as flowers.
They mysteriously withdrew at the end of the meal,
and a few minutes later the sound of merry peals
of laughter and noisy splashes caught my ear.
Leaning over the balustrade, I recognized the group
of young people, now in bathing suits, disporting
themselves in the swimming-pool just below the ter
race and having high fun in the water.
Half an hour later they reappeared once more
in their evening clothes, ready for the dance, the
girls looking lovelier than ever owing to the brisk
exercise they had taken. This proved to me that
our European doctors are a trifle timorous in affirm
ing that you will probably die of congestion if you
plunge into cold water after a heavy meal.
Before going to the United States I had heard
many Americans complaining of the personal way
in which they were spoken of in the papers of their
country. My impression on the contrary was quite
the reverse; the articles that were published about
our tour and ourselves were all, without any excep
tion whatsoever, extremely courteous, even over-
complimentary, and the personal touch in them
invariably amused us intensely.
We were particularly delighted with one reporter
in Indianapolis who gave the following account of
his interview with us : 144

In the Middle West

Reporter's debut with Countess
Trying event. Discovers she speaks English and uses an
American Fountain Pen

You can't always tell. Armed with a dozen or more bro-
midic French sentences picked up a long time ago in a remote
college, a reporter for " The Times " walked with fear and
trembling into the Severin Hotel this morning to interview
a countess. A regular, dyed-in-the-silk countess.
First of aU the correct pronunciation of her name had to
be acquired. Printed, her name reads Comtesse Madeleine de
Bryas. Says the clerk, "Her name is Dee Bry-us," — just
like that.
Next, what does one call a countess to her face. Is it
" your grace " or " your worship " or " your excellency," or
what is it? The reporter could not remember to save his neck.
Never had seen a countess before, to say nothing of talking
to one.
" I '11 just call her countess and take my chances," said the
newspaper man. Golden-haired vision appears

Over the telephone a date was made. Up went the re
porter. On the eleventh floor of the Severin in the northeast
comer is a fine little suite. Walking through the plush the
reporter found a seat. Stumbled only once. Into the room
came a vision, golden-haired and smiling. The reporter is in
Class IV, but was rattled. He had seen an old-fashioned
ink-weU on an escritoire or writing-desk they call it in the
United States.
" Ha, seventeenth century atmosphere," thought the reporter,
spying a quill pen in the ink-weU.
The vision with the golden hair sat down, stUl smiling.
145

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" II fait tres chaud," said the reporter, meaning, " It is
mighty hot." Had to say something quickly, and he re
membered that.
The vision smiled, and said in the finest possible English,
" Yes, it is warm."
There was perhaps five minutes of talk. Reporter arose to
go. The vision said :
" Would n't you like to see the countess before you go 1
She 'U be dressed in a minute.''
Not her maid, only a sister

" Oh boy, have I been talking to the maid or something, all
this time?"
Out came another vision if not more so. Her hair was
golden, too.
They looked alike. No wonder; they are sisters. The re
porter had been talking to Mile, de Bryas, who, by the way,
pronounces her name as follows, " Duh Breeah." Not that
she insists; only that is correct.
The countess shook hands. Not up in the air like she was
reaching for something, but Indiana fashion, just like she was
glad to see you.
. . . The countess speaks in factories, in theaters — every
where. She will go to the coast before returning to France.
She does not bother with a maid. Her sister is her companion
and secretary. Early in the war the countess caught the idea
of war service. She applied herself at once and has worked
constantly since. Her love of France and America is re
ward enough, she says.
The countess and her sister had an engagement. Before the
reporter left he could not resist speaking of the quUl.
"Do you write with that?" he asked.
" Goodness, no," the countess rephed. " I write with this,"
146

In the Middle West

She jerked from somewhere a perfectly good American
fountain pen.
The publicity for our tour was directly con
trolled from Washington by the Committee on Pub
lic Information, which sent on photographs and a
few notes of information to the various towns to
which we were scheduled to go. Our arrival was
always announced in the local papers a few days
before we made our appearance, and we generally
wired to the authorities the time of our arrival.
Then we would buy the papers on the train, and
read what the local authorities had planned out
for us. The number of speeches I was intended to
deliver always appalled me, and reading what I
had to do in itself made me collapse. Each town
seemed to think it was the only one I was to speak
in, and therefore prepared as huge a program as
the one I had just filled in the cities I had pre
viously visited, and as the one I knew in all cer
tainty was awaiting me to be gone through at my
next stopping-place on the route.
We were generally greeted on the platform by a
delegation of the city authorities. This was al
ways done so heartily that we never had the im
pression of being in a foreign land. We felt that
we were of them, and after the formal introduction
considered them as old friends. In fact the only
sad point in the journey was having to part from
147

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
them just as we were getting to know them and be
coming true friends.
However, I sincerely think that at first sight
we puzzled and disappointed many of those charm
ing people who greeted us at the stations of the
different cities we went to, and this is why : French
women have the reputation of being small and dark,
and so that was the type looked for on the arrival
of the train. Therefore, when two tall and fair-
haired sisters descended from the Pullman car, a
puzzled expression was clearly visible on the faces
of the welcoming group on the platform.
Afterwards we had to explain that America was
the cause for this "error of type," oiir mother being
a tall and blond American of English descent.
" Why, you are only a girl ! " several ladies re
marked to me, sometimes almost with a sigh of
relief. " But what did you expect? " I inquired.
" We really thought you were going to be an old,
old lady, looking tremendously imposing, some one
whom we should have to treat ceremoniously."
And they laughed over their mistake.
The vision of the French vieille dame fiitted
across my brain, the kind that wears a little bonnet
and goes to church every moming at dawn. Will
that ever happen to us I wonder.
Joined to the welcoming group were often sev
eral reporters and photographers, and it can easily
148

In the Middle West

be imagined that interviews had to be granted im
mediately to these eager news-seekers.
The photographers also wished to publish our
photographs in their papers. So to that effect we
had had some photographs taken in New York.
But then we found they generally preferred pub
lishing their own particular snapshots; therefore,
on coming out of the station, even after twenty-
four hours of Pullman-car traveling, they would
insist on taking our pictures.
We often had to pose in front of the station while
the photographers, as busy as bees, were buzzing
around us, making any number of suggestions to
get us at our best, such as : " Raise your head ;
turn a little; smile ; now to the right; to the left;
stand sideways; not so near, please; there now, I
think it will be all right this time ! "
And the next day we had the joy of contemplating
in the local papers two grinning old women with
dark hair, quoted as having arrived in the town on
a mission for the Committee on Public Information.
But, strange to say, they bore our name, and
stranger still, they had given an identical inter
view with ours ! The main difference was that we
are young and blond, and have not yet been accused
of tuming our smiles into grins of the Cheshire-Cat
nature. Notwithstanding this, the photographs were
often very good, and good or bad, we always en-

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
joyed opening the papers to see what the camera
had been willing to make of us.
There was never any need to ask if a State were
" dry " or not ; — it was very easily discovered and
in this way.
" Would you like to stop at my house before
dining at the country-club? And I will mix you
a cocktail ! "
Then this undoubtedly was a dry State!
At the country-club of such states non-alcoholic
drinks only were to be found, so for this reason
the forced-prohibitionists had stocked their cellars
with plenty of the necessary ingredients for the
making of violently strong pick-me-ups !
In the non-prohibited states we were never offered
cocktails, this beverage probably being looked upon
as a necessity of daily life, and so one of the easiest-
provided for. And frankly we will confess that
it certainly was in the " prohibited " states that
we most enjoyed cocktails, and this after all is but
natural, when we remember " forbidden fruit."
This leads me to the conclusion that if ever it
were my lot to govern a country, I would immedi
ately set to work to prohibit all virtues on the prin
ciple that the people, urged by the spirit of contra
diction, might the more readily attain perfection.

150

CHAPTER XIV
ST. LOUIS
i'"!^ "yOW tell me how it is that you two young
^^1 women can travel from coast to coast
-i- ^ alone, in a country unknown to you, with
out either a maid or a manager? "
We were asked this question by a charming
American lady, who added that she herself would
never have dared undertake such a trip under such
conditions. I then explained to her that alone I should never
have been able to do the journey, and that it was
my sister's r61e to look after everything apart from
the speech-making. She was my manager, inquir
ing about the trains, taking the tickets, reserving
seats, telegraphing ahead to announce our arrival ;
keeping up an important correspondence with the
different governmental organizations, with my pub
licity agents, with the various committees I was
founding for the benefit of Miss Anne Morgan's
work in the devastated areas of France.
When I was too exhausted to see the reporters
myself, my sister gave the interviews; she also
had to look after more material things, such as
151

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
having our dresses pressed out so that we might
always be presentable, and getting our laundry
work done, which in the circumstances was often a
difficult problem. These seem to be very trivial
details, but they certainly were important, as we
seldom remained more than forty-eight hours in
. any city.
Another of the important things she had to at
tend to was answering the telephone, which from
seven o'clock in the morning until late at night
might be expected to ring at any time, and which,
in fact, generally rang incessantly.
So owing to my sister's splendid help, it was pos
sible for me to keep my thoughts entirely centered
on my speeches, and to deliver from three to six a
day — which is an unusual number — although we
had to spend almost every other night in railway
traveling in the intense American heat.
As we were traveling from town to town it was
impossible for us to let our people at home know
where to address our letters. Therefore we asked
Morgan's bank in New York to forward our mail
to the different towns we should stop at, and so we
often received shoals of letters all on the same day.
I remember in St. Louis receiving twelve letters
from home, among them letters from our father and
mother, who were writing under the bombardment
of " Grosse Bertha," the long-range gun.
And then we leamed that a shell had fallen at
152

St. Louis

the end of the avenue we live in, into a square where
a market was being held. Our own cook had had
a narrow escape as she had been buying vegetables
from the very women, who, five minutes later, be
came the innocent victims of the Krupp gun.
Such news increased our anxiety, and from that
time we were always wondering in what part of
Paris the shells were exploding, and whether our
parents and friends would come out of the bombard
ment alive. Nevertheless, we preferred to know
what was really happening in our dear country, so
as to be able to give direct news from " over there "
to the Americans, and so bring the war stUl nearer
to them.
The spirit was such in France that although the
guns from the front could be heard from our house,
our parents were most wonderfully optimistic and
had the greatest faith in the final victory. But
mingled with the joy of getting news from home
was often the great sadness of learning of the
death of many friends. In almost every letter we
were told of the loss of one or several of the boys
we had been brought up with, friends we had al
ways known, and whom we never thought of having
to part with so soon.
But we could not allow ourselves to get depressed,
and so we tried to remember only such phrases as
the following one written by my father :
" I am writing to you under the bombardment,
1.53

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
shells are falling all around us, but we are still
optimistic. Paris has the smile ! "
The effect those words produced upon us was
magical ; we felt we had no cause to doubt the issue
of the war when those who were close by had such
faith and moral courage. And so our parents were
over there in the heat of the struggle, and we, their
daughters, struggling for the same great cause, —
although only in the heat of the plains of the Mid
dle West, — could sympathize with them as though
we, too, had been there.
We were beginning to be exhausted by the hot
weather, the rapid traveling, and the very crowded
programs to be carried out in the various towns.
Despite the war, the trains were filled with pas
sengers. Americans travel with amazing facility;
a two days' journey is a short trip to them, and a
night in a Pullman-'car almost a rest, for in this
way they are far from telephones, social and busi
ness friends, and offices. The inhabitants of the
United States are certainly the most daring and
reckless people in the world, and yet to my great
astonishment they are mortally afraid of — files.
Poor, tiny, stupid flies !
" We loathe them," an American tried to explain
to me in the train. " They are responsible for the
spreading of so many diseases, and besides that they
are hateful, hateful, hateful ! " he concluded with
great energy. 154

St. Louis

To us this hatred seemed almost out of propor
tion. Fancy a strong, powerful Middle- Westerner
in fits if a tiny, wee fly buzzes in his direction !
This reminded me of a humoristic drawing that
appeared in one of our papers at the beginning of
1915. A Red Cross nurse was seen picking up her
skirts, jumping in terror to a chair, and staring
down at a mouse which was scrambling away over
the fioor.
" Oh ! " said the trembling Red Cross heroine,
" I 've been in the battle of the Marne, but this
mouse is more than my nerves can stand."
" As you have noticed," our traveling companion
added, " all over America, the railway companies
have metallic window-screens put up in the trains
during hot weather, as is done in most houses, in
order to keep out those terrible files."
The service in the Middle Western trains, as in
the East, is still performed by darkies. On leaving
Evansville, Indiana, we went into the dining-car.
At the same moment a man from Missouri arrived
in the restaurant, holding a five-dollar bill in his
hand. " I want to reserve a table," he declared loudly.
" Who 's the head nigger boy? "
A darky came up to him and, with the most amus
ing dignity, he said in a freezing voice :
" I wish to explain that there are no nigger boys
here, sir. There are only colored gentlemen."
inn

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" Very well," answered the Missouri man, " if
there are only colored gentlemen on this train, I
suppose I will have to put this back in my pocket."
He looked down at the bill he was holding ostenta
tiously. " Wait a minute, sir; oh ! please wait a minute,"
said the darky, speaking with volubility. " I 'm
the head nigger boy, and all this black trash here
will tell you it 's true."
On arriving in St. Louis, my sister's first pre
occupation was to see that I should not have to
speak more than three times in the same day. The
Committee on Public Information had also wired
from Washington asking that my speeches be re
duced to that number. But, alas ! reduction seems
an impossibility in this country where everything
is made to increase and the spirit of the whole na
tion is progressive. And so I was introduced to
the public by the chairman of the chamber of com
mence, a very kind-hearted and witty man, with
these words :
" We have* had strict orders from Washington not
to let our guest speak more than three times a day,
and so as we all have the reputation of being
very obedient, we will not allow her to address the
public oftener than five or six times in twenty-four
hours." I sometimes felt tempted to copy an American,
who, being asked one day to make a speech, got up
156

St. Louis

and recited the following little piece of verse to his
amazed audience :
" A wise old owl lived in an oak.
The more he saw, the less he spoke,
The less he spoke, the more he heard.
Now I shaU be like that wise old bird."
Then very coolly he sat down again. I am quite
convinced that Americans are the greatest lovers
of speeches I have ever known ; no other race in the
whole world can equal them in their capacity for
listening to a talker. It has been said that a
Frenchman, when drunk, makes love, an English
man fights, a German sings, but that a true Amer
ican will never hesitate to make speeches. As
suredly there is profound psychology in this state
ment. St. Louis is one of the principal German cities
in the States, therefore Allied propaganda was
greatly needed, above all as the Germans living
there are very wealthy, and occupy the first posi
tions in the city. We were shown the German
quarter as being one of the attractive sights, and
we admired the beautiful houses separated by green
lawns; they were distinctive evidence that the in
habitants had been successful in their business
enterprises. The German question was a very difficult and
complex problem to solve, and tact and intelligence
157

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
were needed to make the German-Americans enter
the confiict against their own race. The number
living in America is very great, and it is easy to
see why the country did not sooner enter into the
war, for it must be remembered that many Germans
living in the States had members of their family in
Europe fighting against the Allies.
Therefore it required a special education of the
masses to make them realize that it was not their
own people, those of their own blood, that they were
to fight, but German militarism — that powerful
organization that was spreading death and bar
barity over the face of the whole earth.
The German propaganda for many years past
had been so wonderfully carried out by German
agents that it was often thought in the United
States that German art, German kultur, German
philosophy, in fact, all that was German, was far
superior to any other kind, and that Germany was
the superior European country. Considering this,
one can understand what a difficult task it was for
any government to destroy an ideal that had been
brought about by years of such active propaganda.
In a conversation on this subject I remember say
ing to an American :
" The German-Americans seem to be very patri
otic if we can judge them by their actions."
" Certainly they try to prove their patriotism,"
was the reply, " by subscribing to the Liberty Loans
158

St. Louis

and giving large sums to the governmental organi
zations such as the Red Cross and the War Saving
Stamps." " But are they sincere? " was our next question.
" The first generation established in this coun
try," answered my informer, " generally emigrated
to avoid military service in his own land. And
most of them are willing, even glad to fight for the
destruction of German militarism."
" Are those of succeeding generations as eager
to fight against the Vaterland of their parents, as
those of the first? " I asked again.
" I do not think so, and this is why. The fol
lowing generations, having made large fortunes,
cross the Atlantic to visit the Old Continent. They
naturally feel attracted to the land of their fathers,
and visit it with filial feelings. There they are
often received by the notabilities of the country,
even by the kaiser himself, and naturally retum
with the satisfaction that such a reception could
not fail to have produced. Bu.t on the whole they
are all accomplishing their duty and backing up
the Govemment."
So it may be concluded that the unity that
reigned in the States during the war was worthy
of the greatest admiration. For the nation was
like one single man behind the President, ready to
support him to the end. We speak in France with
pride of our "Union Sacr6e/' but the unity in
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
America was, if possible, still greater, and the coun
try derives its tremendous power from that fact.
I spoke in several war factories during my short
stay in St. Louis, and found the working class very
responsive and patriotic. In one of them, which
was almost exclusively composed of women, I was
told that they had .gone on strike the week before
for higher wages. I was introduced to them by
Mr. X  , who made a charming speech, which
had the most successful effect.
" Who has subscribed to the Liberty Loan? "
asked the speaker. "All those who have done, so
are asked to hold up their hands."
And every arm was raised with enthusiasm.
" Who has subscribed to the Red Cross? " was
the next question.
At least three-quarters of the hands were waving
in the air.
" Now I would like those who have husbands,
brothers, sweethearts, in the army to raise their
hands." Many arms were lifted, and many eyes filled with
tears. " This is going to be my last question," went on
Mr. X  . " How many of you would want your
husbands, brothers, sweethearts, to return before
the war is ended? "
All the hands were frantically raised.
" You have certainly not grasped the meaning of
160

St. Louis

my question," said the speaker, " I will repeat it
over to you. Now listen well."
An intent expression was marked on the women's
faces. " Would you want your husbands, brothers,
lovers, to come back home without having thor
oughly licked the Germans? "
This time there was not a movement in the au
dience, and the speaker had a satisfied look on his
smiling face.
The women composing my audience listened with
interest and sympathy to the sad stories I told them
about the women and children living in the devas
tated areas in France. Many eyes were filled with
tears as they heard about the sufferings of the poor
stricken people of my country.
One evening when we were dining in our sitting-
room before going to a meeting we heard a band
playing near our hotel. On looking through the
window we saw about thirty young women march
ing up and down the street, preceded by one of
their number carrying a long stick with which she
was beating time. We were much surprised at this
unexpected sight of highly disciplined girls, all
looking very serious as they blew into the wind-
instmments or beat the drums. On account of the
oppressive heat the majority were wearing white
blouses, colored skirts, and were bare-headed.
" What band is that? " I asked the waiter.
161

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" I don't know. Ma'am," he answered. " Prob
ably some more than usually active women wishing
to get rid of their superfluous energy. I suppose
they 're having a fine time."
The following evening a rally, in celebration of
the 120th anniversary of the nation's military ma
chine, was preceded by a parade through the busi
ness streets.
At eight o'clock the procession came to the hotel
to fetch us. It was composed of members of the
French Society of St. Louis, members of the Home
Guard, drafted men, marines, Curlee's Drum Corps,
Kresge's Marinettes, and the Elks' Band. Four
marines detached themselves from the procession
and marched two on each side of our motor-car,
escorting us to Twelfth and Olive Streets, where
I was intended to speak.
Two bands were playing in the parade, one mili
tary and the other composed of young women clad
in khaki uniform ; these we recognized as the ones
we had heard rehearsing the previous evening.
As we passed through the streets we were saluted
by many people, one person, in particular, attract
ing our attention. This was a woman who took off
her flower-trimmed hat with a most dignified ges
ture as we passed by, saluting thus the representa
tives of France.
Then we arrived at Twelfth Street, where a stand
had been erected from which the speakers were to
162

St. Louis

address the crowd in appealing for marine recruits.
A pretty young woman sang the French patriotic
hymn. The band played to gather the crowd, and
after the speeches were made and the " Marseil
laise " sung, to my amusement, Mr. Y  , chair
man of the chamber of commerce, made the follow
ing announcement:
" The countess will shake hands with the men
who enlist in the marines ! " And I am happy to
say that I shook hands with thirty-seven volunteers,
who at once jumped on our stand with the nimble
ness of young tigers.
Then without consulting the person in question,
Mr. Y  followed his first statement with the
following :
" The young lady who has sung the ' Marseil
laise ' so beautifully is willing to kiss the next man
that mounts the platform ! "
But when an extremely dirty man came forward
as the next, the young singer exclaimed, hiding her
self behind my skirts :
" Oh, never ! Not that one ! "
But the man had only wanted to explain that on
account of having lost two fingers of his right hand
he could not enlist. And the young singer felt
very much relieved.
Having to catch an early train next morning for
Kansas City, we had packed our trunks and suit
cases before retiring. Being tired out, we rejoiced
163

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
at the prospect of a restful night. But, alas ! two
hours later we were awakened by a terrific noise
that made us jump out of bed as though shot. Run
ning to the window, we saw from all directions
fire engines tearing through the streets at a speed
that seemed to vie with that of aerial craft. Some
of the engines were motor driven, but the majority
were horse-drawn. Then against the sky we saw
lurid flames th^t seemed to come from the left wing
of our hotel.
For an instant we thought the house on fire and
wondered if we had not better dress and be ready
for any emergency. However, we concluded that
the hotel management would have warned us in
case of danger. And then we realized that the
flames and the dense smoke now filling the air were
coming from a building opposite the left wing of
the hotel.
It was most impressive to watch the firemen,
who worked until seven-thirty in the morning, try
ing to master this huge fire. They were wonderful
as they rushed from one fire-engine to another,
carrying out orders with a discipline and dexterity
that we most enthusiastically admired. Our night
was far from being a restful one. It can easily
be imagined that eight or ten fire-engines all work
ing at a time are not calculated to soothe one's
nerves, but have the opposite effect of a lullaby.
On inquiring next morning as to the result of the
164

St. Louis

conflagration, we learned that the house had been
burned down, but there had been no loss of life,
two dogs being the only victims of the disaster.
We spent this day in the train, reaching Kansas
City in the evening, still very tired and hoping for
a more restful night than the previous one. We
decided not to let the authorities know of our ar
rival until the next morning, and settled down at
the hotel.
At eleven o'clock, just as we were getting into
bed, the telephone-bell rang in the sitting-room, and
my sister went to answer. It was a reporter from
the X  paper, who wanted an interview.
" But I cannot see you now," I heard my sister
say. Nevertheless, the man insisted on getting an in
terview by telephone. Then we shut our eyes and
got to sleep at last.
Suddenly we were awakened by the well-known
telephone-ibell, and I glanced quickly at the clock.
I found it was one A. M. My sister, thinking the
hotel was on fire, rushed to the telephone. It was
a reporter from a rival paper, who also wanted an
interview. " You cannot refuse giving me some information
as you have spoken to the other reporter," said this
man. And my sister, although falling from exhaustion,
gave him in his turn the politest of interviews.
165

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
Had we not been sent officially by the Committee
on Public Information, we should probably have
hung up the receiver. But we considered it as
part of our mission always to give the information
demanded, even at such an unearthly hour as the
above. And the next •morning not a single word
about our arrival appeared in the papers. All
this trouble had been given us for nothing.
In every town we went to I always held a meet
ing at the Red Cross rooms, where hundreds of
women were making surgical dressings for the hos
pitals, and garments for the refugees.
To my mind, the Red Cross organization was
another proof of the extraordinary unity that
reigned throughout the whole country. The amount
of work accomplished was stupendous from what
I could judge when, after my lectures, I was taken
to examine the work accomplished by these devoted
women. Almost invariably I had to go through the rite
of looking at the famous electric machine that can
cut through many thicknesses of stuff, and at in
numerable jackets and skirts for the women and
children refugees in France.
" Oh, yes ! " I always esclaimed. " I know all
about it, and have made it work at Y  town, and
Z  city, etc. It is truly wonderful."
Then bewitching eyes would look at me and
plead : 166

St. Louis

" But won't you try ours? "
How could I refuse?
" Very well," and I would grasp the machine and
cut, cut, cut along with a vengeance, carefully fol
lowing the outline of the garments traced with
chalk. It had a real fascination to it. The sort of work
one would take a wild fancy to for a week, getting
up every morning at five o'clock and forgetting
one's meals to do it. I have become an expert after
touring the United States and having been asked
in most towns " just to try theirs ! "
America was thoroughly awakened to the war,
and was carrying it out on the most gigantic scale
any human mind could conceive.

167

CHAPTER XV
OUR RECEPTION AT CAMP DODGE
BEFORE leaving for the new continent we
had become acquainted with one of the
American habits, that a woman has her
elbow taken by a man whenever she wishes to un
dertake such very perilous enterprises as going up
or down steps, getting in or out of a motor-car,
crossing a street, walking along a crowded road, etc.
My sister and I were soon to discover many other
customs besides that particular one. For instance,
American men will push your chair up to the table
for you at dinner. Women have to do that for
themselves at luncheon, as men are never at home
for that meal.
Then the mistress of the house, contrary to what
is done in France, is served before the guests. I
have seen this custom in use everywhere in the
United States except in the Eastern cities, such as
New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington,
where European modes of living prevail. I sup
pose it comes from the ancient idea that by tasting
and drinking before the guest does the mistress
of the house proclaims in this way her firm convic-
168

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
tion that the meal will be an inoffensive one. And
after all it is angelic of her to be the one in the
family to take all the risks.
Another habit that struck mp in America is that
the host nearly always precedes you in going
through doors or up-stairs, in order to show you the
way, which is, to my mind, a cleverer way than
ours of urging our guests on with encouraging ges
tures that generally fail to indicate clearly the di
rection they should take.
One thing that we found delightful in this coun
try, and had for us quite a patriarchal flavor was
the way in which husbands and wives address each
other as " father " and " mother; " very often, also,
they call their son and daughter " brother " and
" sister." I suppose it is because they try to look
at life from their children's point of view, which is
not astonishing, if one considers how progressive
America is !
This makes me think of an old lady whom I once
knew. She was nearly ninety years of age, and still
lived so much in the future that she invariably
dated her letters at least three days in advance.
We were now at Des Moijies, after having left
Kansas City in a rush, which, in fact, had by that
time become our way of doing everything. I had
lectured at a big luncheon given by the chamber
of commerce, and had hurried away to catch the
train. 169

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
The heat for some weeks past had been appalling,
so the first thing we did on arriving in Des Moines
was to go to the dining-room and get some iced milk.
On the table was a pink newspaper spread out
before us, and my gaze was attracted by the head
ing, " Countess arrives," and a photograph.
" But this does not at all resemble you. What
have they done? " said my sister, with a puzzled
look. And on reading it we found that the article
was not intended for me, but for the Countess of
X  , who was touring the United States on be
half of the disabled Irish soldiers, and who had
arrived that day.
As no one knew we were in the town, our arrival
being announced only for the following day, we de
cided to spend a peaceful night. In order to obtain
this result we had our telephone blocked with paper,
so as not to be disturbed as we had been in the
town we had just left. And now when our tele
phone-bell rang it was capable only of a muffled
sound something like " Brr-brr-brr," which we
found much less irritating than " Dring-dring-
dring." May I offer this as a hint which may be
helpful for nervous people or for those on the verge
of a nervous breakdown?
Having seen in the papers that I was not ex
pected to speak before the afternoon, I decided to
rest all morning, and, in consequence, gave strict
orders at the desk that we should not be disturbed.
170

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
My sister, whose work generally began when mine
was ended, or when I had a rare minute for rest
ing, was in the sitting-room wading through the
correspondence when at about ten-thirty a knock at
the door caused her to turn round, and she found
herself facing a lady who said:
" I was told down-stairs that you had given or
ders not to receive, so I thought I would take my
chance." Then a few minutes later there was another knock
at the door and a young girl came in :
" I 'm a reporter and would like to see the Coun
tess." " She is resting and cannot receive now."
" I was told so at the desk ; so I thought all the
same I would try to see her."
Is this how orders are respected in the country
of liberty ! However, the young girl was charming,
and my sister gave her an interview which appeared
in an afternoon paper. But that brought upon her
later the following remark from a reporter who had
tried all morning in vain to reach us : " Why were
you so exclusive? "
She explained that she had been taken by sur
prise; he simply smiled and wrote a nice article,
which appeared the next moming in one of the local
papers. We visited Camp Dodge, one of the largest camps
in the United States, constructed on a site seven
171

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
miles in length to accommodate forty thousand
men. It was, moreover, to be enlarged for an addi
tional twelve thousand men.
In reality, it is a stupendous wooden city built
in three months. The Huns would certainly cry
out, '^ Kamerad/^ were they to see how hard at work
the Americans are, and with what thoroughness
they decided to carry the war to an end.
The general commanding the camp received us
most courteously, and put his car at our disposal
for visiting Camp Dodge under military escort.
The heat was intense, there not being a single tree
to afford shade throughout the entire camp. It
was so hot that even the brain seemed to melt away
with the rest of one. An effectual " cure " for fat
ladies !
We were shown all over the camp and visited the
hospital, the Hostess House, the Y. M. C. A.,
Knights of Columbus, and Salvation Army build
ings, then the dormitories and the refectories,
where we were offered a most delightful and very
refreshing beverage, and then we went to the
bakery. It was so hot in there that we wondered whether
they had taken us in to show us the first wheat
bread we had seen in the States, or if it were that
by comparison we might find the hot rays of the sun
cool after our visit.
A wonderful invention is the wireless telephone,
172

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
which was explained to us by a colonel. He pro
posed to give us a demonstration, and sent one of
his officers out of the building, telling him to give
us a message when at some distance away.
Presently we heard a ghostly voice pronouncing
in a whisper:
" I 'm a German spy. Donnerwetter! I 'm keep
ing an eye upon you ! "
We were then convinced of the efficiency of the
instrument. Before dining with the French officers sent to the
camp as instructors, we were shown the carrier-
pigeons. In the evening I addressed the boys in their mov
ing-picture theater. It was a real pleasure to speak
to this enthusiastic and most sympathetic crowd of
splendid young men.
The next day we were told that our photographs
had appeared in the papers. So my sister went out
to try to get a few copies. At the comer of a street
a man was selling papers, and she asked him for
several numbers of yesterday's issue. The man,
astonished, looked at her, then slapped her on the
shoulder, exclaiming:
" Why, I saw your picture yesterday. You 're
in it! You 're in it! D' you want twenty of 'em? "
He kept slapping her on the back. Then he called
a friend of his and said, " This is one of the Coun
tesses." 173

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" How do you like Des Moines? " was the in
evitable question. Whereupon followed a grand
conversation about the United States, France, the
war, and all parted the best of friends.
That moming. Lady X  sent us a note in
viting us to luncheon. My sister wrote her an an
swer and then telephoned for a bell-boy. When he
came up I handed him the letter from our sitting-
room. A few minutes later the boy came back to our
other room, where my sister was, and handed her
the letter she had written herself.
" Oh ! no, this is not for me. There is another
countess in the hotel and you must find her."
He looked as puzzled as if she had spoken
Hebrew. Now I must say a word about the chewing-gum,
otherwise United States citizens might suspect us
of not really having been to their country.
It may be said that chewing is a very important
feature of their daily life, and that the people chew,
chew, and better chew ! One never can get away
from it, and it surprised me very much that the
Americans, who always want to get ahead of every
one and everything, who always must, to use the
modern war phrase, get over the top, should like
this chewing-gum, which is as everlasting as ever
were the everlastings of the old-fashioned gardens.
The whole country is swayed by its rule ; the only
174

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
way to get 'rid of one's gum is by laying it aside.
And in connection with this necessity surprises
often awaited us.
I remember one afternoon, sitting near a table in
a room in which I had never been before, when my
eye was attracted by a little ball peeping out from
under the edge of this table. On looking closer,
to my great amazement, I discovered that this little
round thing was the remnant of a piece of chewing-
gum, which some worthy citizen had not been able
to vanquish. I suppose that in his defeat, on see
ing us enter the room, he had deposited his too-
faithful friend under the table; for the chewing-
gum is certainly the truest and most abiding
companion of any American — it sticks to him
" closer than a brother," and is ever ready to be
chewed. On arriving in the States I was quite unaccus
tomed to the chewing-gum habit. It was in an
elevator that I was first made acquainted with it.
There were six of us in the elevator. As we were
all going to the higher floors, I had plenty of time
to contemplate the other people. They were men.
Pityingly I concluded that one was suffering from
an unlucky affliction of the jaw, so I transferred my
glance to his neighbor. But he, too, seemed to have
the same affliction. So I thought I would rest my
eyes by looking at the next one. Good heavens!
He was no different from the other two, and when
175

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
I looked at the fourth I was astounded to find that
he also was making his mouth move in the same
rabbit-like manner. But we fortunately reached
our destined fioor just at this moment, and stepping
out, I involuntarily exclaimed:
" But surely have all these poor men got jaw
disease, and are going up to some specialist on a
higher floor for treatment? "
One of the most remarkable traits of the Amer
ican character is their spontaneous friendliness.
Often on meeting an American for the first time
you will find him eager to tell you all about his
life, what he has already accomplished, what he is
at present carrying out, and what he is endeavor
ing to undertake in the future. For as the Amer
ican rarely keeps to the " same job " all his life,
he often indulges in thinking of the one he will next
be able to take up.
And then if you have enough time to listen, he
will tell you all about his relatives, so that after an
half hour's conversation you feel perfectly well ac
quainted with his whole family.
I remember once, when on a train, being ad
dressed by a lady who had heard me speak some
months before, and who kept up, not a conversation
with me, but a solo, in which she told me in detail
all about her family. Her son was the leading
topic of the monologue, and now I know all about
this charming young man of twenty years of age.
176

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
I have never seen him, but I was told his life in de
tail, and even informed of the number of pounds
he weighed.
Mystery is an unknown quality in this country,
the Americans are too out-spoken and frank to wish
to hide anything from the public. They are at
tracted to those who are like themselves, truthful,
simple, clean-minded, and easUy moved by the ex
pression of a beautiful thought or action, inspired
by a high motive.
The visitor realizes that the nation is striving
to attain to greater perfection of life, endeavoring
to resemble the ideal type it has created, and which
is quite different from the Latin conception of
saintliness. For a European saint must renounce earthly pos
sessions; he gives up wealth and either spends his
life in administering to the needs of others or re
tires from active life and spends his time in prayers
for the salvation of the souls of the rest of human
ity, so that they also shall one day receive "la
grace " that he has had the privilege of finding.
But the American " saint " could not conceive of
shutting himself up and spending his life in pray
ers. He would mingle with his fellow-men, his
thoughts centered on the realization of physical
and moral healthiness, and ways of attaining gen
eral happiness. His time would be devoted to the
welfare of his countrymen, endeavoring to raise
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
the mass of the people to a higher level, and trying
to make them benefit from the same advantages
that he himself enjoys.
On leaving Des Moines we spent a few hot days
in Omaha, and met there some very charming peo
ple, whose feelings toward our dear country were
so sincere and loving that it gave us great happiness
to be with them. But we had to part only too soon,
as always happened wherever one meets delightful
people, and that was our case in every town we
visited. The Americans were adorably kind and
charming, and we always felt what great friends
we would have made if only we had remained longer
in each place.
On arriving at the Hotel Fontenelle I wrote a
letter to my parents; on the envelope was a print
of the hotel, and above it these words, " Built for
you to enjoy." This again is a distinctive sign of
the hospitable and kind-hearted attitude of this part
of the states.
Although Omaha is not the capital of Nebraska,
its citizens always smile in speaking of Lincoln,
their capital, which is, as they say, a small city of
only fifty thousand inhabitants. It is certainly
smaller than Omaha, but in July it has one thing
greater than the other town, and that is its heat.
We never in our whole lives suffered from com
bustion to such a degree, and we are still amazed
to have come out of the ordeal alive. I really think
178

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
we owe our lives to the great quantity of ice-water
we swallowed, and the numerous ice creams we ab
sorbed, and the cooling motor drives we took be
tween the meetings.
One evening we went out motoring with one of
General Pershing's charming sisters, and his little
nephew. In that climate the motor-car is a God
send and undoubtedly the nicest ventUator yet in
vented. Among the people we met was a lady who told
us that she had been to Europe and had visited
Paris and Rome.
"And what did you think of those cities?" we
asked eagerly.
" Nice, very nice, but I was disappointed in their
size ; they are so small ! " was the unexpected
answer of the inhabitant of a capital of fifty
thousand people!
There are two things we always found in the
hotels wherever we went, a private bath-room and
good food. We became acquainted with many
American dishes, and immensely enjoyed the puffed
rice, quite unknown in Europe. As to the cream,
we had not tasted it since the Declaration of War
in 1914, and we simply thought it a " drink for
the goddesses."
What we equally appreciated was the iced coffee
served in high glasses, and swallowed through a
straw. The way in which it is prepared in the.
179

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
States is not usual in our country, and we always
enjoyed pouring the boiling coffee on the ice, then
adding sugar and the wonderful American cream.
This mixture taken during the meal is certainly
the most refreshing and cooling drink imaginable.
The iced tea prepared in that same way was also
much appreciated by the two sisters, and nowhere
more than in Lincoln, did they enjoy those refresh
ing and non-alcoholic drinks.
In the dining-room of the Lincoln Hotel were
written these words :
"WELCOME THE COMING
SPEED THE PARTING GUEST "
A distinctive peculiarity of the Western Towns
is the width of the streets. They are very broad
and spacious, and this, of necessity, owing to the
number of motor-cars circulating in the towns.
Everybody seems to have one or several cars, which
they undoubtedly all take out at the same time, for
there is not a spare space left in the streets for
putting a car up to the pavement. And even there
they are so numerous, that they are in file, with
scarcely an inch between them and placed head
on to the pavement, the rest of the car standing out
in the middle of the road.
On each side of them again there are other rows
of motor-cars, nearly full length out into the road,
seeming almost like a necessary part of the street.
180

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
Between these lines of cars the traffic must find
place, and the foot-passengers circulate. It often
happened that, wanting to stop at any special
place, we were obliged to go a block or two farther
on so as to find a place to park. I came to the con
clusion that in those towns one has less to walk
if one goes on foot, for one is then spared many
of the superfiuous steps it is otherwise necessary to
take to find one's car again.
And so it is that the car holds an important, if not
the first place of all, in the lives of the Westerners.
We were told by them that " the house was a lux
ury, but the car a necessity." And truly they
live in them, sleep in them, and finally go camping
with their dearly beloved motor-cars. We saw
whole families packed into them, with roUed-up
tents tied to the sides, happily traveling along the
roads untU they found the suitable spot where they
were to put up their tents and spend the night.
I wonder whether living in a motor-car is more
progressive than inhabiting a comfortable house!
In France the home is everything in our lives; we
embellish it with loving care ; we love it, and try to
make it look as pretty and as attractive as possible.
In fact, our whole life is centered in our houses,
and once we have settled in a nice one, we never
think of changing and going into a new one. We
transform the house we are living in; we have it
modernized with the new inventions; every year
181

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
we try to make it more and more comfortable, but
we are very conservative as to the old walls them
selves. They know our thoughts, they have been
the witnesses of sad and happy hours; we have
radiated into them part of our vitality. How then
could we part with such friends? Often the same
house has been inhabited by several generations.
You inherit it with beautiful old furniture that has
belonged to the famUy for centuries past, and that
has its story.
In the West, this could certainly not be, as many
of the towns there cannot number more than fifty
years of existence, and I even think it would not
be congenial to their mentality, which is different
from ours.
For them, houses are places in which they oc
casionally sleep in winter, when the weather is too
cold for out-of-door life, and even then the beds
are generally placed in the open air on a porch.
These homes do not give one the feeling of being
inhabited, but rather the impression of a place
through which one rushes. The people seldom
stay at home, as they scarcely ever take their meals
there, going out to the club or restaurant for them.
The country-club is the great attraction, when
the weather is fine enough to go there, and every
city, every town, has at least one country-club, and
often several for different classes of people. In
these various clubs, which are more or less wealthy,
182

Our Reception at Camp Dodge
the attractions are the same, tennis, golf, bathing,
and dancing. For the great tendency of the West
is that all human beings should enjoy the same pre
rogatives, the same enjoyments in whatever class
they belong. It is truly democracy in the most
beautiful sense of the word, life as it will be un
derstood later by all, but it is a new conception,
which «annot as yet be grasped by, or applied to,
every country.
I remember once reading in an article that " the
first principle of evolution is the supremacy of in
dividuals efflcient in their interests, but that the
first principle in the evolution of the social world
depends not upon individual supremacy, but upon
the subordination of individuals, so that collec
tive efficiency may be attained."
It is, in fact, the renunciation of personal benefit
for the good of the whole. This conception of life
is far superior to that of the rest of the world, for
whom life is nearly always based on favoritism.
By this I mean that certain classes alone have
what the others are longing for.
But in the West the great beauty of their way of
looking at life resides in the fact that the upper
classes wish the others to benefit as much as pos
sible, by the same advantages and joys as they
themselves have. I had never before found that
attitude; nor had I thought that such principles
were applied on this planet ! And it was very in-
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
teresting for us to have come in contact with people
looking at life from this new point of view.
After leaving Lincoln, the country rises steadily
up to the foot of the Rockies, and the slope is so
gradual that it is impossible, when in the train, to
realize that the plains are rising to the height of
5270 feet.
It took us fourteen hours to get to Denver. In
the dining-car we lunched with several notabilities
of the State through which we were passing.
" Won't you have a cigarette? " one of them —
a tall, dark-haired, and strikingly good-looking
man — asked me.
" With pleasure," I answered, " as I don't belong
to any of your frightfully virtuous anti-tobacco
leagues." And the strikingly good-looking man took out a
cigarette from his gold case; then, putting it be
tween his lips he lit it, blew a few puffs, and most
politely offered me the prepared article.
" Oh, no, not that end ! " he shrieked in alarm
when he saw me endeavoring to thrust the lighted
part into my mouth. However, I think he failed to
understand why I was trying to be so original in
my smoking methods.
But afterward I leamed that preparing other
people's cigarettes in that extremely personal man
ner was a well-known and very polite custom in
that particular part of the country.
184

CHAPTER XVI
NO INDIANS AND NO COWBOTS
NOTHING can depict our keen disappoint
ment on discovering that what we had
imagined America was going to be, a coun
try thickly peopled with Indians and cowboys, was
almost a pure invention of the famous American
films that have overrun Europe for several years.
And perhaps, after all, not truly a pure invention,
but only the reminiscence of a past age lost in the
hazy distance of at least fifty years.
Think what a terrible shock it is to realize sud
denly that one is born half a century too late, and
on that account missing what one had so hoped to

see

Indians nowadays have become dull, stupid, in
dolent, and civilized. They live on reservations
situated in out-of-the-way places, and have nothing
of the sharp-witted cleverness that Fenimore
Cooper attributed to them, but perhaps that ex
isted only in his own brilliant brain.
I had thought, in my ignorance, of going to make
speeches in the reservations, to awaken the war-
185

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
like spirit of the Indians to such a pitch that they
would put on all their feathers and war-paint, and
execute their most daring and wUdest dances.
And then I could picture my sister and myself es
caping from their hands in the car, just as they
were going to scalp us. That really would have
been a wonderful adventure somewhat in the
grand American film style ! But anecdotes, I must
add, still circulate in the West and made us believe
that our conclusions were wrong, and that a subtle
poetry and an exquisite refinement still lingers in
the vanishing red race.
We were told the story of a party of American
tourists in Denver, who, having heard that an In
dian tribe was going to celebrate a religious fes
tivity in South Colorado, drove there on the ap
pointed day, taking a guide with them as inter
preter. " \^'hen they got to their destination," our
narrator explained to us, " they found a tall, beau
tiful Indian, with all his feathers and war-paint
on, standing in the center of a large group of In
dians, who had gathered there from the neighboring
mountains. They learned from the guide that the
tall Indian was a high-priest, and that he was go
ing to deliver a speech in his own language.
" ' The soul of the Indian is fearless,' he began
in a deep slow voice, ' no human power has ever
made it tremble, no divine wrath has caused it to
quiver; neither the thunder as it shakes the earth
186

No Indians and No Cowboys

and rolls along the clouds into the skies, nor the
lightning as it lashes the highest fern on the moun
tain-top and splits the bark into bits, nor the furi
ous torrent when it dashes from boulder to boulder,
nor the wicked eye of the evil enemy, can ever
strike dismay into his strong heart; no, nothing
in heaven nor on earth can ever make the true
Indian depart from his calm.'
" ' What 's he saying? What 's he saying?
Translate it to us ! ' whispered the tourists, with
feverish curiosity. The guide phlegmatically
threw away his chewing-gum, and pointed to the
high-priest :
" ' Gosh ! that guy there, why he says he ain't
afraid of anything ! ' "
We were also expecting to see cowboys every
where, taming wild horses, throwing the lasso as
we had seen them do when Buffalo Bill came to
Paris and gave us in our childhood a false idea of
American life.
Another of our hopes was to go to a ranch and,
lead an uncivilized life in a primitive house sur
rounded by cattle. We expressed this wish to
some delightful friends of ours, who immediately
proposed to take us to lunch out on their ranch.
Joyful prospect! Were we at last going to find
" our America" ? It was with a certain amount of
emotion that we started on this excursion.
After motoring for many miles we found our-
187

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
selves facing the most lovely country-house imagin
able, with a concrete tennis-court, on which the
people who lived there did roller-skating. Then
we entered the house and found ourselves in a most
attractive hall, with a piano, a phonograph, and the
most comfortable of furniture. The luncheon was
very well served, and after the meal we went into
the garden, where we found a peaceful and very
tame-looking bear living in a cage.
" What an exquisite country-place ! " I ex
claimed. " Yes," said a visitor. " Is n't this a wonderful
ranch? "
And so this after all was a ranch! Decidedly
our ideas were getting still more mixed up, and
we were beginning to find America much too civi
lized for European tourists. Then I was no longer
astonished at the answer I got when, after asking a
lady of a Western town whether she had ever been
to Europe, she said, " Oh, no ! I 'm too afraid of
roughing it ! "
We had now left the great plains behind us and
found other scenery, more beautiful and imposing,
as we approached Denver, situated in the Rocky
Mountains. The aspect of this town differs from that of most
Middle-Western towns, which all resemble one an
other somewhat, the architecture of the houses be
ing all on the same model. This to my mind, makes
188

No Indians and No Cowboys
for taste and distinction. The style most used has
a porch, which is like a balcony on each side of the
entrance door. Some houses are built in the co
lonial style, which is pretty and aristocratic.
In front of each house there is generally a lawn
separating it from the neighboring dwellings, but
which is no protection either from the foot-prints
of the outsiders or from the indiscreet glances of
the passerby.
In France, on the contrary, we would be more in
clined to begin buUding the wal'l around the prop
erty before constructing the house, so as to be
screened from strangers' eyes, and have the feeling
of being in our own private surroundings. But
over here private life becomes public, and I hardly
see how one could hide anything from the neigh
bors, as a great part of the home life is spent on
the porch.
These porches are certainly very comfortable,
with their seductive rocking-chairs, and the indis
pensable swinging^chair, from which my sister
could never tear herself away so highly did she
appreciate them. They were a novelty for us, as
we do not have them in France.
As to the rocking-chairs, it seemed to us that
the whole country is full of them; and when one
is not accustomed to them, one cannot enter a
room without having one or several of their kind,
invariably thrust their protruding feet into one's
189

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
own when one is innocently passing by. This hap
pens so much that had I not received rather a
polished education, I certainly would have spent
my time swearing at them, as they were constantly
in my way ; and I never did get accustomed to meet
ing the extreme part of a chair so far away from
its center!
We went to a delightful dinner-party in Denver,
at which I answered many eager questions about
what the boys were doing " over there," and, in
tum, I asked to be told " Colorado stories."
" One of the first proprietors of the Brown Pal
ace in which you are residing," a lady informed
us, " was a man who had been attracted to Col
orado by the gold mines. After successfully work
ing for many months, he reaped a big fortune and
he arrived in Denver one day with a shaggy beard,
miner's clothes, and the general look of a man who
has lived a long time outside the pale of civiliza
tion. " ' Give me a room,' he said to the clerk at the
hotel desk.
" ' A room ! Why, no, we won't give you one ! '
The clerk eyed the new-comer suspiciously.
" ' All right, young man ; then you '11 hear from
me.' " And the gold miner went out, found the pro
prietor, and that very day bought the Palace, which
he called ' Brown Palace ' from his own name ; and
190

No Indians and No Cowboys
so he was able to choose the room he preferred to
sleep in that night ! "
I was seated next to a clever business man, whose
conversation was very entertaining, and he gave
me many hints about life as it was fifty years ago
when Denver was only a small village with a few
shanties. He also spoke to us about the gold hunt
ers of the present and the preceding generations.
" In the eyes of a gold-seeker, money loses its
real value," he explained. " It is somewhat like
bank-notes spread out on a gambling-table; more
over the mental attitude of those gold hunters is a
desire to show off and astonish the public.
" One miner who had found a vast amount of
gold arrived on foot in one of the Colorado towns,
and, after searching for some time, finally met a
farmer who promised to drive him to the railway
station. On the way, the exuberant miner asked
the farmer for how much he would sell his horse
and carriage, and without further parley, he bought
it and thrust the requisite amount of gold into the
hands of his new acquaintance.
" Then they drove up to the station, and, getting
down, the miner exclaimed in loud tones:
" ' Bless me ! But I can't take the horse and
carriage I've bought on the train with me. So just
keep it with the gold, old pal ! It 's all the more
for you ! ' "
One of the most remarkable things we saw in
191

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
America was the wonderful organ of the Municipal
Auditorium in Denver.
Every day at noon free recitals are given and
the public crowds into the big hall. I saw there
many children and mothers belonging to the work
ing classes, peacefully enjoying the concert given
by Mr. Clarence Reynolds, the city organist. The
instrument combines an immense cathedral organ
with everything in orchestral effects. It embodies
many instruments such as harps, chimes, xylo
phones, glockenspiel, vibrating bells, sleighbells,
drums, timpani, castanets, tambourines, and a
Steinway grand piano.
At the end of the concert we listened to a remark
able musical achievement called " Military Fan-
ta.sy," also played by Mr. Reynolds. It was a won
derful symbolical expression of the various emo
tions felt by each American soldier as he starts out
to Europe to fight as a crusader.
At first we heard some of the old songs of the
Civil War, such as " We 're tenting to-night,"
played in soft tones as a reminiscence and a legacy
of the past. Suddenly came the sound of a bugle-
call, fifes, and drums — all the sounds of a camp
astir, preparing for action. Then the rhythmic
cadence of regiments marching. The troops em
bark, and softer modulations come to evoke the
sadness of parting ; at this point distant rumblings
give us the impression of a storm at sea, approach-
192

No Indians and No Cowboys
ing closer and closer, while the lights in the au
ditorium grow dimmer and finally we are plunged
almost into complete obscurity, which heightens the
emotional effect. Then peals of thunder resound
through the building, and there is the sound of
waves lashing the sides of the ship ; shafts of light
ning flash across the scenery on the stage. Finally
the storm disappears behind the horizon ; we enter
a peaceful zone, and the lights in the hall are
turned on again; the soldiers are now disembark
ing; they enter the trenches, and the fantasy ends
with the songs of the Allies played majestically as
an apotheosis.
It was truly a wonderful performance, and it
proved to us once again how strongly music reacts
on the emotions of a collectivity, and I saw that
in Denver music was becoming a strong factor in
the education of the people.
One of the things which most attracted our notice
while in Colorado was the extraordinary nature of
the atmosphere. Its subtlety and lightness, due to
the fact that it is highly charged with electricity,
makes one think more quickly and think more beau
tifully there than elsewhere in America, and it has
upon the brain somewhat the same reaction as do
the boulevards of Paris, and Montmartre, where
dwell the " rapins," and again of the " quartier
Latin " of the artists.
Certainly it is bound to become the, American
193

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
cradle of geniuses, and I do think that in genera
tions to come art will flourish here vigorously and
give to the world a new type of beauty.
" Colorado has, I believe, a wonderful future,"
I wrote to my mother ; " here the brain becomes
very receptive, open to new ideas. After the pio
neers will come the day of the soldiers who will
retum to America from Europe as the personifica
tion of the idea of glory — glory which is a step in
advance beyond luxury. This wUl be a new ideal.
And then the wealth acquired by the pioneers will
go to their grandsons, who, thus enabled to lead
more idle lives, will begin to dream — dream of
beauty born of the imagination and infiuenced by
the loveliness surrounding them in this wonderful
part of the country. People will give themselves
more to thinking instead of only to action, and will
become creators of a new form of beauty. For,
yes, beauty is still lacking to-day in many parts
of industrial America ! "
That afternoon we arrived at the Broadmoor,
a newly opened and wonderful hotel in the Italian
villa style, situated in the mountains three miles
from Colorado Springs. It is built on the cos
mopolitan plan, and the rooms are exquisitely fur
nished in the French style.
We spent the evening on our flower-filled terrace,
lounging in comfortable chairs, looking out at the
mountains and the setting sun and at a lovely
194

No Indians and No Cowboys
pink cloud behind which played the summer light
ning; the effect thus produced was magical. Then
gradually the stars began to shine in a dark blue
sky, and the lights of the town of Colorado Springs
twinkled in the distance like diamonds. It was
perfect, yet, no, something was lacking. What was
it? Ah I had it! It was animation.
We had the scenery, but not the human play or
the actors. And I began to conjure up a vision of
an old-world banquet on this terrace, spread under
a silken awning, with costly carpets underfoot, and
rich cushions on sofas and divans; with lovely
women and handsome men sitting about, and a
group of musicians, and wine in abundance (Col
orado has just become a dry State!) and songs and
thrUling discussions on life, philosophy, and art,
and to serve us, negroes in wonderful costumes
like those of Zamor, Madame du Barry's black
page. To my thinking only so would Colorado have a
rightful complement to its wondrous setting. " Ah,
no ! " I hear many good Americans exclaiming.
" Let it ever remain as it is, God's country, a true
paradise of Nature's own ! "
It was late, but I was enjoying our holiday; it
was a rest to the mind. Emerson says, " Dedica
tion to one thought is quickly odious," and it
seemed to me I had experienced it by thinking too
much about my work. 195

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
The Govemment had planned a week's rest for
us at Colorado Springs, where I spoke only twice.
Never did any holiday seem to us so enjoyable as
that one. It was like being transported suddenly
into blissful Nirvana, with the certainty of being
able to get out of it whenever we wanted.
From the Broadmoor we made several excur
sions. One of them was to drive right up in a
motor-car to Pike's Peak, over fourteen thousand
feet high. The road is a daring achievement,
which winds its way quite to the summit. Here we
found an inn surmounted by a platform, from
which we got a marvelous panoramic view of the
Rockies, through the telescope.
We felt frightfully giddy up there and experi
enced a singular feeling of emptiness in the brain,
as if we had suddenly become anemic in the last
degree. Nothing is more impressive, I believe, than the
view of the plains seen from the top of Pike's Peak.
Like a vast ocean they appear to spread to the
infinite, and the changing clouds cast their moving
shadows over them, producing the effect of waves,
of which the crests are formed by masses of white
rocks. This illusion is one of the most remarkable
I have ever experienced, and had we not had the
certitude of being thousands of miles away from
the sea, we would have believed ourselves driving
along the coast. 196

No Indians and No Cowboys
The Garden of the Gods is yet another cele
brated excursion frequented by tourists, and the
huge, bright-red rocks affecting fantastic shapes
seem like the guardian deities of the Indian race.
" This strange scenery," a friend informed us,
" is due to the fact that the wind has blown the
dust from the plains against these rocks for cen
turies, producing in this way the effect of a rough
file, which has slowly moulded the stone into sculp
tured masses. Some fifteen or twenty years ago
this country was still inhabited by Indian tribes,
and they would gather here amongst these rocks to
perform religious rites ; but all this belongs already
to past history, and this man coming toward you
is one of the last vestiges of bygone days."
We saw advancing a tall Indian. His face was
smeared with heavy stripes of paint; on his head
he wore the famous headgear of feathers, and
around his neck I could see long rows of strange
colored beads. Here indeed was a wild Indian in
full gala costume, but nothing of the savage ap
peared in his deportment. The expression of his
eyes was dull, and in them was a look of dreariness
beyond description; the whole attitude of the man
revealed a moral and physical depression that
nothing could ever dispel. It was truly like a
case without hope. All he could do was to sell
post-cards to the tourists. Yes, there is no doubt
ing that the red race will not long survive.
197

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
We also went to visit the Cave of the Winds, and
it reminded me of the Grotte de Han in Belgium.
One of the singularities of these caves is a room
formed by stalactites like all the others, but where
I discovered innumerable little pieces of wire all
stuck into the rock.
" What is this? " I inquired of one of the many
charming girls who had accompanied us on this
excursion. She laughed:
" Those are hair-pins. We have a strange super
stition in this part of the world that if you thrust
one of your hair-pins into this rock, you will be
married in a year."
And as if they were accomplishing a sacred rite,
each girl deposited this feminine emblem on the
walls. I have often noticed that superstition seems
to spread mostly in mountainous countries, where
the people are more in contact with strange phe
nomena, and where they have to protect themselves
against the elements of nature much more than
do the people of the plains. The Cave of the Winds
was discovered by two young boys some fifteen
years ago, and to-day there must be at least several
hundred thousand hair-pins imbedded in the rock.
I wonder whether all those hundred thousand girls
have found husbands !
Colorado Springs is mostly inhabited by Easter
ners who are attracted there by the wonderful cli-
198

No Indians and No Cowboys
mate, and also by many invalids who settle in this
part of the country for their health. In the week
we spent there we had time to make some delight
ful friendships.
We were also taken to visit the Canyon City
State Penitentiary, where Mr. George Tynam, the
director, is one of the pioneers of the honor sys
tem applied to the convicts.
The drive from Colorado Springs is one of the
most beautiful in the world, and from the road,
which winds endlessly around the highest Colorado
peaks, we caught glimpses of the distant chain of
the Rocky mountains, stretching far away into
New Mexico. Snow-slips often destroy the roads
in a few hours, and sometimes open up a wide
chasm into which a motor-car could easily fall and
disappear, and for this reason one has to be par
ticularly careful while motoring, specially at night.
We saw a road that had been sectioned in this way,
and we passed over the new one recently buUt al
most beside the damaged one.
The prison is situated in the center of Canyon
City, but the convicts who have given their word
of honor not to escape, live in a camp in tents,
where they are guarded by a few jaUers only.
" This honor system has worked miracles," the
under-director explained to me as we were visiting
the prison. " Naturally we put on our honor lists
only such men as we believe we can trust, and we
199

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
register but very few instances where the man has
escaped. He knows that he will be arrested again,
and that he will not be allowed to enjoy the com
parative freedom of our camps during this second
period of internment."
" What is the work accomplished in these camps
by the convicts? " I inquired.
" They are generally employed in making and in
repairing the roads of this part of Colorado, and
in this way they have achieved most beneficial work
for the community."
" Have you organized a similar work for your
women convicts? " I asked again.
" No," he answered, " we do not allow them to
live out-of-doors under oath, but they work for the
Red Cross in the prison. Come in, won't you, and
see them."
Each woman had a little cell of her own, with a
window looking out on the prison courtyard, which
was surrounded by high walls of masonry. In the
big central hall, a number of women convicts were
gathered, but only the sound of the knitting-ma
chines could be heard in the gloomy prison atmos
phere. A feeling of depression gradually crept
over me.
" Are some of those women interned for life? "
I asked the under-director as soon as we had gone
out of the heavy iron door that gave access into the
men's courtyard. 200

 No Indians and No Cowboys
" Yes, several of them will never again as long
as they live cross this threshold, guarded, as you
see, by the jailer in the observation turret above
the iron door we have just passed through. He
alone has the right to give admittance from the
men's courtyard into the section where the women
are interned. One or two of the women have
sentences of ten years' imprisonment, whereas the
majority wUl only remain here during a much
shorter period."
" But why don't you organize the honor system
amongst the women, and allow them to cultivate
vegetables and fruit out-of-doors? Nature has a
better influence over primitive souls than thick
gray walls."
" Unfortunately our women convicts here are not
in sufficient number to make it necessary to or
ganize the honor system for them. I will now
show you the men's dining-hall."
The hall seemed immense, and I found the con
victs eating their supper. The door through which
we entered was surmounted by an iron cage, in
which a jaUer was on guard, holding a rifie in his
hands. " We have to be careful and take our precautions
against any eventual mutiny," the under-director
explained to us.
When we had ended our interesting prison visit
I asked our guide whether the convicts were helped
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
when the penitentiary door was closed on them,
and they had to face a free world again.
" Yes," he answered, " we never let a man or a
woman go out of this prison without giving them a
small sum of money for their immediate expenses,
and providing them with employment of some kind ;
moreover, several charitable institutions help us to
carry out this part of our mission, which is to allow
every convict a fair chance of redeeming past er
rors or crimes."
This reminded me of the story a clever American
woman lawyer told me of a convict she had known,
called by the pretentious nickname of Minerva.
Minerva was a colored woman who had spent a few
months in prison because her life was in serious
need of reform.
Miss L — , my lawyer friend, applied to one of
the charitable societies whose special work it is
to reform the lives of disreputable characters. A
situation as servant was found for Minerva, who
entered the household of a doctor.
After the first week. Miss L — got a letter from
her prot6g6e:
" Dear Miss L — I shure don't think the doctor
and his wife is married ! "
Another letter followed the next week:
" Dear Miss L — , there shure is terrible going's
on in this yer house ! "
Third week: 202

No Indians and No Cowboys
" Dear Miss L — , come and tak me way, I'se
feared me morals is gettin' c'rrupted ! "
I imagine, nevertheless, that this case must be
a unique one of its kind.
Although our visit to the State penitentiary was
a particularly interesting one, yet we were glad
to get away from the iron doors and the cells, and
breathe the free air of the wide open spaces
stretching before us. Never before had I under
stood so keenly what freedom means, and I believe
it would be a very wise thing if every man and
woman had once or twice in a lifetime to visit a
prison and realize the full meaning of the word
liberty and all the happiness and joy pertaining to
it. Amid the many varied experiences we had in
our tour, was that of speaking in Pueblo in the open
air, on the square in front of the station, to the
boys who were leaving for France. They were
there with their relatives and friends who had come
to bid them farewell.
I spoke of the warm reception they would receive
in my country, and told them to " Go to Berlin ! "
which they all seemed quite ready to do. Then we
escorted them to the train that was to take them
away, and the departure of those boys was one of
the most heartbreaking scenes we ever witnessed.
Some women clung desperately to the men, who
had literally to tear themselves away; others were
203

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
weeping. One young woman fainted on the plat
form just as the train was steaming out. We went
to her aid and leamed that only a few days before
she had been married to one of the men the train
was now carrying away on the road to no-man's-
land. Alas ! the sorrow this war has wrought in most
human hearts ! But as wrote Oscar Wilde in " De
Profundis," " Where there is sorrow there is holy
ground." And in that station far away in the Rocky
Mountains something sacred had happened that
day — Oh ! very simply, as most great things do
happen in this world — a few hundred men were
going from their homes, leaving behind all that
was dearest to them, everything that their hearts
loved most, because they wanted to save humanity
from the greatest danger that had ever threatened
to destroy it.

204

CHAPTER XVII
A DIP IN SALTAIR WITH MORMONS
DISTANCES are tremendous in this coun
try, and we generally had to travel many
hours to get frdm one town to another.
From Pueblo to Salt Lake City it was a twenty-
four-hour journey amid the most wonderful and
gorgeous scenery imaginable, and we would will
ingly have traveled many miles more to be certain
of reaching the famous Mormon city of which we
had always heard such extraordinary tales!
To begin with I must say that to all appearances
the Mormons looked just like all other human be
ings. No particular exterior sign distinguished
them from the rest of the population, although we
had expected to find them dressed in what we
thought would be the Mormon fashion. We ex
pected to see men with long hair and sandals and
long white robes, staves in hand; we expected the
women to be dressed in a similar style, with their
hair braided and low over their ears.
Nothing of the sort was there to be found as the
Mormon men and women were dressed in twentieth
century fashioo. They live in extremely comfort-
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
able houses, just as do the other citizens of Salt
Lake City, for their town is not solely inhabited
by those of their own faith, but also by people of
all other religions.
Our train arrived three hours late, and immedi
ately on arriving we had to attend a reception
given in our honor. Then some of the ladies on
the committee of reception suggested that we
should go to Saltair, the big salt lake renowned all
over the country for its invigorating power.
We had literally to rush out of the reception
room and into the train, by which, in three quart
ers of an hour, we reached Saltair, where we dipped
our tired persons into the lake or, more truthfully,
sat on it. For the water is so charged with salt
that it requires a special effort to really sink down
into it, otherwise one remains fioating on its sur
face like a cork.
Now had we both gone there alone without hav
ing been prepared for what would happen to us,
we could have believed that a miracle had taken
place, and could have thought the blessings of the
Almighty had come upon us in giving us the power
of sitting comfortably on the surface of the waters !
But when several hundred people are all " doing
it," you easily understand that you are not specially
privileged, but that it is simply and only a curiosity
of nature !
An organ rehearsal was given for us in the
206

A Dip in Saltair with Mormons
Tabernacle, which is one of the largest auditoriums
in the world, seating from six to eight thousand
people. It is arched over by an immense vaulted
ceiling of wood, being dove-tailed and so con
structed without a single nail, and this self-sup
porting wooden roof is considered a remarkable
work of engineering.
In questioning some members of our party we
leamed that the reason for this entirely wooden
construction lay in the fact that the building was
erected before the railroads reached that State, and
so wood, on account of its lightness, was chosen
as material. Therefore heavy nails were replaced
by wooden pins.
The acoustic properties of the building are per
fectly astounding and unique. We were told that
a pin dropped on the ground could be heard at a
distance of two hundred feet. As the Tabernacle
was crowded that day we did not try the pin ex
perience, but listened to the wonderful organ that
rises majestically at one end of the building, and
enjoyed the concert. This great organ is believed
to be the most perfect one of its kind, and the notes
resound wonderfully through the huge church.
We were told that at the religious meetings held
in the Tabernacle, a member of the congregation,
man or woman, is frequently called upon to preach
to the faithful ones, and this generally without
having bepn given notice beforehand.
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" For, once in the pulpit, they are always in
spired," explained a Mormon lady.
This sounded so remarkable that we decided the
next afternoon to attend one of these meetings.
We did so, and took seats near the entrance door
at the opposite end from the pulpit. A good-look
ing Mormon was called upon to address the as
sembly, and in a monotonous voice he spoke about
the war and the Liberty Loan Drive. It was a dis
course just like the ones we heard every day, and
were beginning to know pretty well — human
imagination being limited ! But when an inspired
Mormon speaks like the non-privileged ones of any
other faith, the only thing to do is to look for the
door, (which fortunately was quite near) and get
a little airing in the lovely grounds around the
Tabernacle. " Our Tabernacle was planned and erected under
the direction of our pioneer leader Brigham Young,
the divinely chosen successor of the Prophet Jo
seph Smith," we were informed by a Mormon.
" Pray tell us about the Prophet Joseph Smith ;
we are anxious to hear about him," we eagerly re
plied. " Joseph Smith," said our informer, " was born
in Windsor County, Vermont, in 1805, and at the
age of eighteen he had a vision of an angel of God,
who was to appear to him many times during the
next four years. Then this angel of the Lord de-
208

A Dip in Saltair with Mormons
livered to him records engraved on plates having
the appearance of gold, and covered with engrav
ings in Egyptian characters, on which the new faith
was to be founded. These plates when put together
formed what is known as the * Book of Mormon,'
so called from their author whose name was
Mormon, and they give an historical account of
ancient America."
" What is your theory on the subject? " we asked
much interested.
" America was inhabited by two races, of which
the first one came directly from the Tower of
Babel at the time of the confusion of languages."
"Ah! Then this at last explains the natural
American tendency for buUding sky-scrapers ! " my
sister exclaimed. "And what about the other
race? "
" The second one came from the city of Jerusalem
about six hundred years before Christ, and de
stroyed the first settlers. The Indians are the re
mains of this race."
Unhappily we could not that day stay longer to
hear more about the foundation of the church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as the " Mormon
Church " ought in truth to be called.
But what excited our feminine curiosity most
was to find out how all the Mormon wives got on
together, so with a most amiable smile we asked a
member of this faith the following question:
209

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" Do all your wives live together in the same
house? " For which we were rewarded with a
most horrified look and the words :
" I have only one wife, the law forbids us now to
have more than one."
I was later drawn aside by a non-Mormon who
had heard this conversation and who said:
" They all protest that they have only one wife,
but we others are sure they still have several."
" The other day," another non-Mormon whis
pered in our ear, " a teacher received two new
pupils in one of our schools.
" ' Tell me your name and your age? ' he asked
the first boy.
" ' I 'm called Peter Jones, and I 'm seven ! '
"'And yours?' asked the teacher.
" ' I 'm Josephus Jones,' answered the second
boy, ' and I 'm seven.'
" ' Then you 're twins, I suppose? ' inquired the
teacher. " ' Perhaps,' answered one, ' anyhow, we 're twin
brothers by our father ! ' "
What was I to think of all this? My mind was
in a whirl, when a charming old lady entered the
room, looking as if she had just stepped out of an
old picture. She was sweet and smiling and draped
in a cashmere shawl and wore a fascinating little
bonnet. ^' This is Aunt Emmeline," my neighbor said,
210

A Dip in Saltair with Mormons

" Come and meet Aunt Emmeline ! " said an
other lady.
"How are you to-day. Aunt Emmeline?" I
heard a third voice ask.
" But who is Aunt Emmeline? " we asked with
astonishment and curiosity.
And then we leamed that Emmeline B. Wells
was a celebrated Mormon woman, ninety years of
age, who enjoyed great popularity in Salt Lake
and was called Aunt Emmeline by all its citizens.
Her late husband was a pioneer, who had had seven
wives, and she was the last survivor of this
happy — as it cannot be called couple, let us call
it " octuple."
Emmeline Wells had journeyed with the pio
neers from the State of Illinois to find the Promised
Land. After selling all their belongings, they
traveled some on horse back, others in wagons
drawn by horses and oxen, until they reached about
where Omaha stands to-day, and there they es
tablished their winter quarters.
Aunt Emmeline gave birth to a child during this
long and fatiguing journey — a journey made up
of hardships and privations, and during which they
encountered the Pawnee Indians.
We were told that after the cold weather was
over, Brigham Young left these winter quarters to
search for the Promised Land, taking with him one
hundred aud forty-three men, three women and two
211

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
children. This statement brought the thought to
my mind that the problem was just the reverse at
that time, for instead of seven wives for one man
each of the three women had from forty-seven to
forty -eight men — a unique case truly sufficient to
cause a break in a religion ! But in order to avoid
such a complication, I imagine that nine hundred
and ninety-eight additional women soon followed
to allow the one hundred and forty-three men their
normal number of seven wives each! Finally the
pioneers reached the valley of the great lake, settled
there, and divided the land into lots of equal size.
The temple is a beautiful piece of architecture,
and rises majestically, its six lofty pinnacles tow
ering to the skies, seeming to call to itself the at
tention of Heaven. We could not enter this build
ing, as visitors are not allowed to cross its thresh
old. So our feminine curiosity naturally induced
us to ask why the temple doors were closed to the
public, and we heard that inside that impressive
building were performed the marriage and bap
tismal ceremonies and other sacred rites.
" Why are outsiders not admitted to all these
ceremonies? " we asked a follower of that faith,
and he replied as follows :
" Our Prophet Joseph Smith revealed to his fol
lowers that in celestial spheres the marriage rela
tion exists eternally, and it is only in our temple
that this sacred ceremony can be performed in its
212

A Dip in Saltair with Mormons
etemal significance. Those of our people \^^o are
married outside our temple are married for this
life only."
" Ah ! those are the lucky ones," thought I !
And what a revelation! In itself alone this
would suffice to keep away from the Mormon faith
many already married couples, and make bachelors
hasten to take the vow of eternal celibacy ! How
ever divorce is allowed in that church, but is most
rarely granted.

213

CHAPTER XVIII
THE PACIFIC COAST
BEFORE the war we had often heard of Cali
fornia, of its wonderful flowers and lovely
scenery, and to see it had been one of our
dearest dreams; so it was with considerable emo
tion that we left Salt Lake City for Los Angeles.
Here we were met at the station by several officials
and some friends whom we had met in Europe,
who very kindly came to greet us with some of
the beautiful Californian flowers.
Los Angeles is a pretty town, with most attrac
tive shops and broad streets. The architecture is
decidedly different from that of the Middle Western
towns. The houses are built on different models,
and there is great variety in their construction.
The architects seem to have drawn inspiration from
the various European countries, for some houses
are of Italian style, others Moorish, and some Eng
lish. In fact it may be said that beautiful speci
mens of almost every style are to be found here.
Many of these dwellings have a terrace, which
gives them an appearance of distinction, and at
the same time makes a delightful place to live in
214

The Pacific Coast

and sleep out-of-doors in the Californian climate,
which is even better perhaps than ours in the South
of France, on the Mediterranean coast. One of the
loveliest houses we visited was in the Louis XVI
style and perfectly beautiful. I must say it was
a great joy for us to find one of our styles of archi
tecture reproduced six thousand miles away from
our dear country, and it gave us for a time the
impression of being back in France again.
But what can one say in praise of the Californian
gardens that has not already been said ! They are
marvelously lovely, and we saw some very beauti
ful ones, although, as we were there in August, the
best season was over. But we were told that in
spring there was an almost indescribable profusion
of flowers, and we could very well picture the houses
hidden by masses of variegated coloring, giving an
impression of what Paradise might be like — but
a Paradise resulting from man's hard work, for
to our great astonishment we were informed that
nothing would grow in that soil unless planted and
then daily watered.
The climate is so extremely dry in that part of
the country that not even a wild flower can blossom
unhelped in the parched ground. On the other
hand every specimen of plant or flower can flourish
there in abundance if daily watered and well taken
care of; even each one of the trees that line the
streets is watered with the greatest care.
215

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
Thus it is through sheer love of nature that the
Califomians have been able to turn their State into
a wondrous garden. Once more it proves that
man's will, when employed for good, is the greatest
earthly power in overcoming obstacles. But man's
power employed for destruction, which is going
against the laws of nature, is bound to frustrate its
purpose, and that is one of the reasons that we
could have perfect faith in the victorious issue of
the war even during the Germans' drive toward
Paris, and could feel sure that their destructive
militarism could not possibly triumph.
I spoke at various meetings and the last evening
of our stay in Los Angeles we were taken to Kro-
tona, situated near Hollywood, where the moving-
picture stars pose for wonderful films, and where
both matter-of-fact and sentimental subjects are
thrown on the screen.
We were told that the film companies possessed
large plots of land in Hollywood, where they
erected houses, palaces, villages, and cities for their
" movies," and tore them down again when other
" settings " were needed.
" Our stars," a Californian lady explained to us,
" such as Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Rio
Jim, Mary Pickford, and many others besides, are
the kings and queens of Los Angeles and lower
California, and we are very proud of them. When
ever they drive through the streets we always make
216

The Pacific Coast

way for them. The other day one of our most cele
brated movie actresses was invited by the general
commanding X  camp, near San Diego, to pass
the review with him, and she appeared on the scene
dressed up in a wonderful uniform rather similar
to that of a general, with however, certain feminine
variations." "Are many films made at Hollywood?" I in
quired. " Yes, and nearly all the American films are pro
duced in California on account of the mildness of
the climate, which makes it possible to take them
in all seasons. As you have probably heard, it
is very difficult to pass the test and become a good
moving-picture actress ; all the girls here are crazy
to become stars and millionaires in a few years.
It is true their money is well earned, as it is very
exhausting and often rather dangerous."
" What are the special qualifications required in
order to be a good moving-picture actress? " I
asked. " Above all," answered my amiable informer,
"you must have a straight nose. I am told that
a turned-up nose ' k la Roxelane,' or a bumpy one,
looks horrid on the screen, which enlarges every
feature. Then if you are blond, the hair must be
flaxen, for golden hair with much yellow turns
black in the photographs. Secondly, a beautiful
physique is required, but here I mean a ' camera
217

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
attractive ' physique. Sometimes perfect beauties
become very ugly and no one knows why. The
camera is the most hopeless and unexpected instru
ment to deal with. It has its own particular fan
cies, and often without reason turns beauties
into horrors, and semi-horrors into perfections.
Thirdly, an actress must know how to act really
well, how to ride, swim, drive, and cry prettily,
with eyes wide-open and the tears trembling on the
tips of the eyelashes, to fall later one by one down
the smooth cheeks. So you can realize how these
qualifications narrow down the list of the elect ! "
" I suppose you will be interested to hear," an
other lady joined in, " that in many film companies
they have a special agent, who has traveled and seen
much of the world, and whose mission it is to look
to the exactitude of certain details. If the film
represents a Chinese drama, this agent would have
to correct any detail that might not be in absolute
harmony with the manners and customs of China
men. Some weeks ago I saw a film beautifully
played by Geraldine Farrar, and one of the scenes
was supposed to be enacted at Monte Carlo, where
I have spent many winters. I was much amused
to see that Monte Carlo was represented with
houses built in the American style and possessing
any amount of fire escapes, which, however, are
unknown in that part of the world. Such details
as this evidently detract much from the likelihood
218

The Pacific Coast

of the drama, and I realized how necessary it is
for film companies to be guided by a man able
to correct or prevent such mistakes from being
made." Krotona is the headquarters of the Theosophical
Society in the United States, and I was asked to
speak in their open-air theater which is situated
on a hill with a lovely view. On the way that leads
to the theater are houses inhabited by theosophists.
A great impression of peace and harmony came
over us as we passed through the gateway of this
place, and the contrast with active Los Angeles
and its environments was most impressive. One
might have thought oneself transported to a distant
country — perhaps to Thibet.
The Theosophical Society has its headquarters at
Adyar in India, and it was founded in New York
by Madame Blavatsky and Colonel Olcott in 1875.
It is an unsectarian body of seekers after truth,
striving to serve humanity on spiritual lines and,
therefore, endeavoring to check materialism and
revive religious tendency. Its three declared ob
jects are:
1. To form a nucleus of the Universal Brother
hood of Humanity, without distinction of race,
creed, sex, caste, or color.
2. To encourage the study of comparative re
ligion, phUosophy, and science.
219

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
3. To investigate the unexplained laws of nature
and the powers latent in man.
Mrs. Besant, who is the actual president of the
society, in one of her lectures, " A Sketch of Theos-
ophy," says that two of the ideas to be grasped are :
" first, the idea that man as a spiritual being can
know God and develop the divine within himself;
and secondly, that in each of the religions of the
world there is a body of truths common to all the
religions and those truths are called Theosophy."
My sister was beginning to be anxious about my
health, as the heat and the numerous speeches I
delivered daily were thoroughly exhausting my
strength. The people were so eager to hear the
message I was bringing from France that I had not
the heart to refuse to speak often, although I was
now on the verge of a breakdown. Faced by this
situation, we spoke to Mr. X  the chief of the
Four Minute Men of Los Angeles, and decided that,
instead of going by train to San Diego, we would
go with him and his wife by motor-car — the fresh
air and the lovely drive being certainly more rest
ful. We were rejoicing at the prospect of this
charming day spent amid wonderful scenery, — and
then when we returned from Krotona at eleven
o'clock in the evening the telephone-bell rang, and
my sister heard a sharp and most decided, although
feminine, voice ask:
" Is this the Countess de Bryas? "
220

The Pacific Coast

" I am her sister," was the reply.
" And I am Captain Z  and want to speak
to her."
As usual my sister explained that I could not go
to the telephone and asked if the message could be
given to her. This is what followed:
" I am told that you are not arriving by the nine
o'clock train to-morrow moming, but you must be
in San Diego for the Women's Motor Corps Parade
that we have organized for your arrival at the sta
tion ! "
" I am very sorry," my sister said, " but we will
only arrive in time for the lecture, which is to be
given at eight o'clock at the Isis Theatre ! "
Then the voice, becoming more authoritative than
ever, continued:
" The governor is coming purposely for this occa
sion and Admiral Y  , commanding the Pacific
Coast, wUl be there to receive you. If you don't
instantly promise to come by the nine o'clock train,
I will come myself to see that you get into it, for
the countess we must have dead or alive ! "
Before such a threat, both being in an uncom-
bative state of health, we decided not to resist, but
to rise in the early morning. Then we hurriedly
did our packing before retiring.
At seven o'clock the next morning my sister was
called to the telephone by Mr. X  , who had been
awakened at five o'clock — poor man! — by this
221

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
same female Captain Z  , who had driven all the
way from Coronado Beach to Los Angeles, or, to be
more precise, who had made her lieutenant, a young
and pretty girl, drive all night in order to make
sure of the capture of the French countess and her
sister. She would not leave the telephone untU
Mr. X  had made the solemn promise to see
us off by the nine o'clock train. Then she left
Los Angeles, still driven by her lieutenant, whom
she nearly killed by exhaustion, so as to be back
in time for the famous parade. Mr. X  and
his charming wife offered to accompany us to San
Diego, and that thought cheered us up.
On leaving the telephone my sister saw peeping
from under the door a piece of paper, which she
picked up to find that it was no other than a torn
hotel laundry paper, on the reverse of which were
hastUy written in pencil these words :
" Dear Countess.
"I wUl promise you an3^hing for France and Belgium if
only you take the 9 o'clock train. " Captain Z  ."
These words were certainly sufficient to make us
go even to the ends of the world without even con
sidering whether our strength would hold out untU
the result were attained. Then upheld by the
thought of the good luck that was awaiting us, we
took the train and found that it would start late,
m it was waiting for another train on which the
222

The Pacific Coast

Governor of California was traveling. The gov
ernor arrived and took his place in our Pullman
where, once comfortably seated, he took a short
nap, and so did we. After this rest Mr. X  ,
who had come with us, introduced to us the gover
nor, whom we found perfectly charming, and we
enjoyed our chat with him. He told us that he
was making his campaign for the elections that
were to take place two days later,' and that he had
been called for by the Women's Motor Corps Di
vision of San Diego and was arriving without know
ing the purpose of his journey. Mr. X  then
explained that it was on our account that all these
preparations were made, and a good-looking colonel
of the regiment stationed near Coronado Beach
said to us with a delightful smile :
" You will receive a royal reception ! "
We felt most grateful for all that was done for
the representatives of France, and for the spirit
of love and admiration in which it was accom
plished. It was certainly wonderful to feel that
neither the ocean nor the continent itself, equal
in size to that ocean separating France from Cali
fornia, could stop the hearts of the people of two
distant nations from going out one to another in
fraternal love.
We finally reached San Diego and were received
at the station by the Women's Motor Corps Di
vision, all making the mUitary salute in ^ eolemu
223

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and dignified attitude. As we descended to the
platform a military band played the " Marseil
laise." We could see the astonished faces of the
other travelers as they peeped out from the train
windows, wondering for whom the masculine and
feminine army of the Southern Pacific Coast had
been mobUized.
At the station door we found three motor-cars
waiting for us, in which we were to take place for
the parade. In the first one were seated the gov
ernor and the colonel ; then came our car, and after
the third one were two huge military lorries with
the military band still playing. In order that the
music should keep in tune and that the unexpected
jolts of the road should not make discordant notes
we advanced at a tortoise-like pace, which gave
the impression that we were following a hearse.
To reach Coronado Beach from San Diego you
have to cross the bay, and we found that the ad
miral commanding the Pacific Coast had most
amiably put his own lovely white craft at our dis
posal. So in this way we crossed over with our
party and several members of the Motor Corps,
among whom were the admiral's two pretty and
attractive daughters.
On arriving at the Hotel del Coronado we were
greeted by the admiral and his wife, and then taken
to our rooms, where we were allowed to lunch alone
and rest before the afternoon reception. Our
224

The Pacific Coast

rooms looked out on a big verandah, where we de
cided to take our meal, as the view was lovely.
My sister stepped out to admire it, and when I
joined her I found her in tears and, pointing to
the scene to the right, she said :
" This looks just like Pointe Sainte Barbe ! " —
a place at Saint-Jean-de-Luz that we are very fond
of and where we have spent many happy winter
months. This sight was too much for my over
wrought nerves, and I burst into tears, thinking
of my country and of the unclouded days before
the war.
In fact we were now so exhausted that our nerves
were giving out, and simply to think of home and of
our dear friends over there was sufficient to make
the tears rise to our eyes. Even the sight of happy
and healthy children broke our hearts when we
thought of the sad and aged faces of the little ones
of our destroyed regions, who had suffered from
hunger and gone through such hardships that, poor
mites, they had forgotten how to smile and how
to play. In itself that thought was sufficient to
make us feel that we must keep on despite our
exhaustion at the time, in order to let the American
nation know of the sufferings of our young genera
tion. Madame Tingley had kindly put her theater,
called " Isis Theatre," the most beautiful and the
largest in San Diego, at my disposal that night,
225

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and when the meeting was over she invited us to
visit her school the next morning.
Never have I seen a more glorious setting for
a school than the plot of land selected at Point
Loma by Mrs. Tingley, who is the president of the
" Universal Brotherhood and Theosophical So
ciety." It is situated on a peninsula eight miles
long and from one to three miles wide. We were
received in the Aryan Memorial Temple, a gorgeous
building of a radiant pink hue, by two darling
little tots of three and four years old, who came
forward to greet us with bunches of flowers. Then
we entered the temple and listened to a symposium
enacted by the "youngest teachers in the world,"
clad in white garments and wearing wreaths of
fiowers on their head. It was most amusing to
watch those twenty or thirty little phUosophers,
whose ages ranged from three to perhaps sixteen,
gravely arguing about the immortality of the soul
and the necessity of mastering the mind and grad
ually controlling the inferior nature through the
power of the wUl.
The school is a colony of about five hundred mem
bers, who have gathered there from all parts of
the world, and where art, science, languages, philos
ophy, law, and horticulture are taught. The archi
tecture of the various buildings is extremely origi
nal and due to the talent of Mme. Tingley, who
built them fifteen years ago in what was then a
226

The Pacific Coast

desert where only sage-brush grew. The principal
buildings are surmounted by huge domes of green
and pink glass, and clustering around these tem
ples are voluminous masses of palm-trees giving
to the whole surrounding an appearance of gor-
geousness, wealth, and material prosperity.
One of the most beautiful sights in California
is the Greek Temple of Point Loma, built of white
marble, where the Raja Yoga students play dramas.
I imagine nothing can be more picturesque than
to watch the actors seated on the steps or erect
against the Doric pillars, through which, a little
farther away beyond the cliffs, gleams the radiant
blue Pacific.
The Californian climate seems to develop in the
souls of its people a strong tendency toward spirit
uality and the search for divine wisdom. Numer
ous are the followers of all these various spiritual
movements, about which we were given many
pamphlets by zealous persons who hoped to convert
us into active members of their own particular
philosophical sect.
Here my thoughts reverted to Voltaire's witty,
though perhaps exaggerated, words, " When two
people talk together without understanding each
other, then they are spealiing philosophy, but when
the one who is speaking does not understand what
he himself is saying, then is he talking metaphys
ics."

227

CHAPTER XIX
SAN FRANCISCO
THE servant problem over here is another
difficult question to deal with, and it has
become nearly impossible to find servants,
and this to such an extent that we were asked in
the majority of cities and towns through which
we passed whether we could not send to the States
some of our French and Belgian refugees as do
mestic help.
In the West the difficulties seemed even greater
than in the East, and it very seriously complicated
the home life. For instance, the cook is one of the
nightmares of a household, as she generally lives
" down town " in a room of her own, coming to
the house only to prepare the meals. She has her
private telephone in her room, and her employer
is at the mercy of her call, as the following example
will prove.
We were staying with some charming friends,
at whose home we had arrived on the previous day.
In the afternoon we were informed that their cook
had telephoned that as she had prepared three con
secutive meals she wanted a rest, and would not
228

San Francisco

come that evening to cook the dinner. So the only
thing we could do was to go to a club, as no human
power could make that cook budge.
On another occasion we were staying in the house
of friends in quite another part of the States. We
drove there late in the evening, and the next mom
ing a well-intentioned and very young-looking maid
thrust her head through the doorway and in a sten
torian voice, which caused me to jump almost out
of my chair, shouted :
" I say, you girls, if you need to have anything
fixed up, just tell me, and I '11 do it right away ! "
In fact, we wonder whether the only way for the
Americans to solve their servant question would
not be in having, as has been proposed in England,
a corporation of " domestic helpers " composed of
men and women perfectly trained in special schools,
who would go from house to house for a couple of
hours, doing the service required. They would
wear a distinctive uniform, which seems to have
a certain attraction for Americans.
In the hotels we were told that the servants
rarely remained more than an average of five years,
as at the end of that time they generally chose
another profession that they deemed less servile
and more independent. For one of the strongest
American characteristics is the longing to be one's
own master, sufficiently free to exercise one's own
initiative. 229

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
We left for San Francisco, for "Frisco," as it
is called by other States to the disgust of its in
habitants, and were received by most charming
people at the station, and also by reporters and
photographers. In getting into the motor-car we
were informed that we were not to stay at the San
Francis Hotel, where we had engaged rooms, but
instead at the Palace Hotel.
" For all the hotels must have a chance," ex
plained Mrs. X  , who had come to greet us.
"Your General Pan was staying last week at the
San Francis on his way to Australia ; that is why
we have put you up at another hotel."
The next morning my sister was called over the
telephone by six or eight different photographers
who were wanting us to sit at their studio ; and also
several reporters rung up to get appointments for
interviews. We seemed to be duplicating our New
York mornings.
In no part of the States more than here did we
hear so much of woman's suffrage. It is a question
that seems to them of vital importance, and the
women are indeed asserting themselves here fully,
and playing an active part in public affairs.
American women have helped suppress alcohol
and they will probably vote for the suppression of
what many may look upon as the joys of life, to
bacco, for instance, and even coffee. As they belong
230

San Francisco

to the weaker sex we may be prepared to find many
an exaggeration in what they will decide as being
prejudicial to the race. Their excuse is that they
are thinking of the welfare of the future genera
tions, and as an author remarked, " Through the
very necessities of her being the woman subjugates
the interests of the present to the welfare of lives
unborn." I was very much interested in San Francisco and
along the Pacific Coast in studying the difference
of mentality in the Easterner and the Westerner.
" In the West," a lady explained to us, " we are
tempted to believe that old families are like pota
toes, the best part of them underground."
" Do you mean by that," I asked, " that you judge
every man entirely on his own merits? "
" Yes," she answered, " the self-made man is the
type we admire most. As you already know, it is
generally those of the strongest character in their
class that emigrate from Europe to America each
year. Those people are nearly always superior to
their kind in daring, audacity, self-confidence, and
initiative. In the same way the strongest and the
more adventurous characters in the East are pre
cisely those that emigrate and settle in the West of
the United States. The quality that we Americans
appreciate most in a person is strength of character,
whereas in France, I suppose, your admiration goes
231

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
more willingly to the man who is cultured and re
fined, and belongs to the intellectual elite of your
country." Despite this assertion, however, I discovered that
in the West as well as in the East, quite a number
of famUies were not far from thinking that their
" underground ancestors " were worth acknowledg
ing when they happened to be old grandees of the
past. " Many descendants of the kings of France and
England have emigrated to America," a delightful
and witty old lady I met in California explained to
me. " Here many people claim descent from WU
liam the Conqueror, P6pin le Bref, Hugues Capet,
a James of Scotland, or a Henry of England.
Whereas," continued she, " of course, I know that
in Europe such distinction generally comes only
from morganatic marriages or from an illegitimate
branch of a royal family. I am naturally not in
cluding in this classification reigning families and
their branches."
" May I ask you whether you happen yourself to
be a descendant of one of such kings? " I inquired,
much interested.
" Yes," she answered, " and I wUl explain to you
my descent from WUliam. I call him just * WU
liam ' in an intimate way, as he belongs to my
family." She added, with the wickedest look of
fun in her bright eyes: "People are too funny,
232

San Francisco

and you have, I dare say, come across any number
of royal descendants in America! As soon as a
man of the progressive style makes a fortune and
gets into the swim, he at once acquires ancestors;
all he has to do is to knock at the door of one of
the several societies specially equipped with a rare
assortment of old celebrities for him to choose from.
But he generally makes the mistake of selecting the
most prominent old king he can lay hands upon.
Now I want to be perfectly fair; there do exist
some old colonial families here in California, but
specially in the East and the South, descended from
very good old stock, and naturally it is not of these
that I am speaking. I do not pretend at all my
self, to be descended from old William, and if it
amuses you to look at it, here is my family tree
worked out for my special benefit by one of the
above-mentioned societies."
And I read something to this effect :

' WUliam the Conqueror.
Edwige of Brabant.
Count of Normandy.
Brunhild.
Baron of Hastings.
Chevalier d'Artaguds.
Lucy Mincepie.
Jacob Soshort.
Theresa Windpipe. 233

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
Martin Windpipe.
Hannibal Windpipe."
And finally the name of my hostess's father.
San Francisco is a most beautiful city, with a
unique situation on the Pacific Ocean and the San
Francisco Bay separated by the famous Golden
Gate. It is certainly impossible to imagine that
only twelve years ago the town was nearly com
pletely destroyed by what it is considered tactful
to call the " great fire," and the prosperity of the
city to-day is such that foreigners cannot help being
filled with the most sincere admiration for the
dauntless energy of its citizens, who fearlessly re
built it within a few years.
One of the greatest curiosities of San Francisco
is the Chinese Quarter, with its 10,000 inhabitants,
and we were escorted there one night by a charming
member of our reception committee, a clever woman
lawyer, and four detectives in civilian clothes.
We entered a mysterious-looking house, and
waded along narrow and ill-smelling corridors. As
we passed along, Chinese heads cautiously peeped
out from each door, like culprits who are afraid
of being caught in committing illicit acts. Finally
we stopped, and a detective knocked loudly at one
of the doors. An old Chinaman opened it, and
stared at us with a frightened look. We all man
aged to squeeze into the tiny room, and the old
234

San Francisco

man retired to his couch of Chinese matting, from
which he had risen at our knocking.
" We want to see you smoke," said one of the
detectives. " No got opium," answered the Chinaman, in
broken English.
Then the other detectives began hunting around
the room, searching in vain for the prohibited drug.
" This old man," the woman lawyer explained
to us, " was arrested lately, and appeared in court
charged with opium-smoking, but I pleaded his
cause, and obtained from the authorities permis
sion for him to be allowed to use the drug on ac
count of his great age and the fact that if he ab
stained from this life-long habit, he would certainly
die. You see that in spite of the severity of our
laws we are very humane in their application."
" We will come back in an hour," said the head
detective to the Chinaman, " and by that time you
must find opium, as we have promised these French
ladies they shall see you smoke. We guarantee
that no harm wUl be done to you."
We were glad to get away from the awful atmos
phere of that room and its weird Asiatic smell.
As we walked along the corridors we stopped
before another door, on which the words " Hip
Sing Tong " were written. We entered, and found
a lovely room filled with Chinese works of art.
" This is the headquarters of one of the innumer-
235

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
able secret societies of Chinatown," we were in
formed by a detective in our party. " Secret so
cieties are often dens, in which murders are planned
and crimes cleverly elaborated. Despite a care
ful scrutiny exercised by the police, assassinations
are frequent in Chinatown, where a complicated
system of vengeance is carried on by families who
have to avenge their honor when one of their own
has been murdered by killing the criminal or a
member of his family."
After that we visited a joss house or a sanctuary,
where incense rises like a perpetual adoration in
front of curious divinities carved in wood. Then
we were shown a gambling-den that the police had
discovered only the previous week, and that re
minded me of the " Mysteries of New York," a
famous film that obtained great success in France
during the war.
" This den," one of our guides explained, " is
composed of several rooms, which I will show you,
and which have neither windows nor visible doors.
These rooms are situated in the rear of a Chinese
bar or small restaurant, of which the tenants have
now been arrested, and for a long time we did not
suspect that a gambling-house was hidden away
behind this innocent-looking shop."
Indeed, we found that the only means of access
to this suite of rooms was through a series of doors
so cleverly concealed in the wooden walls that not
236

San Francisco

the slightest aperture was visible when they were
closed. They could only be opened by a string
pulled from the outside of the first room. As we
came out into the street again we saw a group of
Chinamen watching the detectives with anxious
looks. Evidently their consciences were not alto
gether free from some secret alarm.
We retumed to the house that we had first vis
ited, and found our old Chinaman still reclining
on his couch. After much coaxing he ended by
producing his opium, a small heap of brownish stuff
spread out on a doubled-up playing-card.
" They always use playing-cards to carry their
opium about in," the lawyer told us, " because one
side is slippery, and they can get it off easUy with
their needle without having bits of paper sticking
to it."
The old man had taken out his needle, and with
amazing dexterity of fingers he heated the little
ball and thrust it into his long pipe. Then he lay
down fiat on his back and blew a few puffs. After
a few moments he began again, and the atmosphere
of the room was soon saturated with a heavy, sick
ening smell.
" Will he doze off into blissful dreams? " I in
quired. " Oh, no," answered the lawyer. " This man is
so intoxicated that no amount of opium could ever
produce that effect on him. That is precisely the
237

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
danger of the drug. All those who smoke it regu
larly get accustomed to it or rather immune from
its poisonous influence, and in order to obtain a
reaction on their nervous system, they are prog
ressively led into augmenting the dose, with the re
sult that they soon lose all healthy and natural
energy and become useless and unreliable members
of society."
As we emerged into the street a curious noise at
tracted our attention, somewhat like the mixture
of a small jazz-band playing false notes, a company
of cats caterwauling, and a shrill feminine voice
singing chromatic scales out of tune. It was a
Chinese concert being performed in an adjoining
buUding. We hurriedly mounted the stairs and
found ourselves in a room facing flve men and one
woman, the chromatic-scale soloist, striving to mas
ter gruesome instruments on which they were play
ing with desperate energy. No public was there
to listen or encourage them, and they were evi
dently disporting themselves for their own pleasure
— and what a pleasure! They turned around as
we entered and shot fierce glances at us, but when
they recognized our four detectives, they quickly
exchanged looks and resumed their musical efforts.
I remember reading somewhere that when the
tower of Babel was abandoned God left one stone
standing to represent music, the universal language
that all men would in the future understand. This
238

San Francisco

legend sounds very poetic, but in listening to Chi
nese music I realized that it is open to criticism.
For, indeed, this strange music represented nothing
to our minds ; it did not appeal to our emotions in
the slightest degree ; it seemed to our unaccustomed
ears simply noise. Hindu music, the chant of the
muezzin in the mosques of Egypt and Constan
tinople, the nasal and monotonous singing of the
dervish in Asia Minor, have never done other than
arouse my curiosity; they have failed to open up
new vistas to my imagination.
This brought to my recollection the story of the
Persian shah who on an official visit to Paris a
number of years ago was taken to the opera to hear
Gounod's " Faust." His Majesty sat very quietly
through the first act, and when asked how he had
appreciated French music declared that he had en
joyed one part of it intensely and that he wanted
to hear it again. So the singers repeated the waltz
and chorus of the finale. " No, no," said the shah ;
"it was before that." The singers went through
the duo. " No, no ; it was before that too." Fi
nally it was discovered that what had appealed so
strongly to his Majesty's musical taste was the
tuning of the instruments.
We ended the evening in a chop suey, or Chinese
restaurant, very similar to those of New York,
where we ate a horrible mash of every description
of wild and domestic animal cut up into tiny slices,
239

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
and long thin herbs looking like green worms. All
this was served in bowls, and we tried to pick up
the food with two sticks, which one is supposed
to use with the right hand only. This was the
most amusing part of the meal, as we were all
frightfully clumsy at this novel performance. Sit
ting next to our table was a Chinaman, and we
were speechless at his dexterity. He leaned over
the bowl and literally threw the food into his mouth
without ever stopping, the little sticks meanwhile
beating a rapid cadence up and down. It was
ghastly to look at.
Almost every day all through my tour I spoke
at luncheon and often at dinner-parties in the in
numerable clubs that flourish in American cities.
I will now confess that there is nothing I love so
truly in this world as speaking in public. This
has certainly given me much of the greatest joy
I have ever experienced, but yet I must admit that
I never got reconciled to the fact of having to make
speeches immediately after a meal. I almost en
tirely gave up eating at luncheon; those who in
troduced me to the public invariably got nervous
about beginning as rapidly as possible in order to
allow me more time in which to expose my ideas,
and generally I had barely nibbled at a few dishes
when they would ask me to get up and talk.
" Would you mind explaining to me," I inquired
of one of my amiable neighbors at the Common-
240

San Francisco

wealth Club in San Francisco, " how it is that men
never lunch with their wives in America? "
" Our work makes it impossible for us to go home
in the middle of the day ! " he answered, with an
astonished smUe at the naivete of my question.
" Yes, American men say so, but my own experi
ence in this country leads me to the conclusion
that many women don't lunch at home, either.
Every day at noon I lunch myself at a club, and
the public that I address afterward is composed
either exclusively of women or exclusively of men.
I presume, therefore, that it is more a matter of
custom and choice rather than an actual impossi
bility. Otherwise a greater number of mixed clubs
would be organized in your cities, where husbands
and wives might often lunch together."
" Your remark is perfectly true," my neighbor
answered, " but I can refute it with two statements.
Firstly, business men are often so absorbed in their
work that they cannot afford more than fifteen
minutes for their lunch. Secondly, business trans
actions are constantly carried on in these various
clubs, and they afford business men the opportunity
of meeting and talking in a more intimate way to
other people who may be useful to them in their
own affairs."
" Will you allow me to express a personal opinion
that may differ somewhat from yours? " I asked.
" Each time that I have been asked to speak at a
241

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
business-men's luncheon, I have always been invited
for noon and have never been free before two o'clock
and generally two-thirty. You will in all proba
bility answer that this fact constitutes somewhat
of an exception, although since the war such
speeches have frequently been made at clubs sev
eral times a week, and they seemingly have a tend
ency to be on the increase. I do not doubt, how
ever, that your reasoning is based on more solid
ground than mine, and that these luncheons arise
from the fact that in the beginning, when the men
of the country created in the desert those marvelous
oases that are your cities, they left their homes
in the morning, retuming only at night after hav
ing spent the entire day working hard at organizing
a civilized condition of life; their social instinct,
however, making them desire to gather together in
each other's company during the midday meal. Do
you not think that this is probably the origin of
your 'business-men's luncheons'? By degrees, as
the conditions of life became more firmly estab
lished, the women also sallied forth from their
homes and came into town in the daytime, and they
in their turn found their social instinct led them
to organize ' women's clubs.' This is probably the
origin of the feminine movement in your country.
When they gathered, they soon realized the force
of their numbers and their power. Allow me also
to add," I concluded, " that I have met a far greater
242

San Francisco

number of happy married couples in America than
elsewhere in this world, and probably this inde
pendent manner of living their lives contributes
much toward making American husbands and wives
meet with renewed pleasure when their work is
over, and then they can talk over the various in
teresting episodes of their everyday lives."
The largest audience I addressed in America was
at Berkeley, on the opposite bank of San Francisco
Bay, in the wonderful Hearst Greek Theatre, which
can seat 10,000 people. This theatre is an open-
air one, and the accoustic properties are such that
it is not necessary to make any superhuman effort
to be heard by the entire audience, as I often had
to do when I talked out-of-doors in factories, with
machines and engines puffing loudly at my side.
Nothing, indeed, seemed more curious to me than
to watch the public right back in the last rows
laughing heartily when I ventured a few jokes, and
jokes have necessarily to be said almost in an un
dertone, and not as the teller of the comic story who
" does not slur the nub," as Mark Twain indig
nantly explains in "How to tell a Story," "but
shouts it at you — every time. All of which is
very depressing, and makes one want to renounce
joking and lead a better life.
This meeting, like nearly all those we attended,
opened with a musical program that never varied
much, and as one of my fellow-countrymen who was
243

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
sent on a French official war-mission to America
remarked to me one day:
" After ten months in the United States, and any
amount of official banquets, I have ended by asso
ciating in my mind the ' Marseillaise ' with the
entree, ' God Save the King ' with the roast, and
the * Star-Spangled Banner ' with the asparagus."
When the address was finished a great part of
the audience advanced, and we shook hands with
them, as we did each day with several thousands
of people who greeted us in all the generosity of
their great enthusiasm, expressing in this way their
sympathy and love for our country.
I remember in Berkeley one young woman and
her two darling little children, who stood watching
us a long while with big, wondering eyes.
" My grandmother," she said, " shook hands with
La Fayette when he was in America. And to-day
I have brought my children with me so that they
should meet representatives of the country that we
love and admire, the country of La Fayette."
As we kissed these dear little ones our hearts
went out to the children of America, who looked
upon us as bringing over to them some of the soul
and spirit of what they knew was invincible France.

244

CHAPTER XX
PUGET SOUND
UNTIL we reached San Francisco we had
the impression of being similar to two
aerolites whirled through space at a tre
mendous rate, to be arrested, however, before com
plete annihilation.
After this had been going on for some time we
suddenly found ourselves compelled to ask for a
week's rest, in order to " be fit " for carrying out
the rest of the schedule. But the answer came
from Washington that meetings were organized as
far as Seattle on September 5, and could not be
canceled. On getting this news my sister realized the abso
lute impossibility of our fulfilling the whole tour
as planned if we ever wished our family to see us
again in the flesh, and so she sent the following
telegram to the Committee on Public Information :
" My sister's strength not equal to holding out
in spite of her willingness to do the work. In
capable of going on, although meetings reduced to
two a day. Thoroughly exhausted and needs sev-
245

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
eral weeks' rest. So sorry but must give up tour
after Seattle. Sincerest regrets."
And may we suggest here that much wasted en
ergy would be saved for speakers touring the States
if in each city or town the meetings were limited
to one or two big gatherings, which the members
of all the various organizations of the locality
should attend.
We left California for Oregon, and after thirty-
four hours of traveling reached Portland, the lovely
city of roses, where among many other interesting
experiences I addressed on the very evening of my
arrival fifteen hundred workmen composing the
night shift of the Smith, Grant, Porter Shipyard.
It was truly a curious sight to see this crowd of
enthusiastic laborers clustering around the wooden
table on which I stood in the open air talking to
them of what was going on six thousand miles
away. The night was a moonless one, and our out-
of-door gathering was lit by a few electric lamps,
which cast fantastic shadows over the whole scene
^a scene strange enough to tempt a painter to
represent one of the unexpected side-lights of the
war. The next day we motored to the famous Columbia
River Gorge and the Multnomah Falls, which are
among the most beautiful sights in America. It
was a very sunny day, and a small discussion arose
as to whether we should drive there with the top of
246

Puget Sound

the car up or down — a somewhat vexed problem
to solve, when feminine and masculine wishes are
at stake.
" I have often told my son," a clever lady in our
party explained to us, " that when he has a girl
to drive out whom he is particularly anxious to
please, he should always be careful to consider the
delicate question of putting the top down or up.
Don't ask her, is my formula, but look at the skin
of her neck and chest. If it is a beautiful ma
hogany color, don't hesitate ; put the top down ; she
does not mind the sun and the wind. But if the
skin is peerlessly white and immaculate, by all
means put it up, and she will credit you with
good looks, a clever brain, and charming man
ners." Seattle is another lovely city situated on the
Puget Sound in most beautiful surroundings.
From there passengers sail to Vancouver and
thence to Alaska. Here we naturally heard many
Alaskan stories and adventures, which thrUled us
with delight. Stories about the discovery of gold
in the Klondike, about the inhabitants of Nome and
other towns shut in as they are for six months of
the year by snow, with no communication with the
rest of the world except through the couriers who
travel there in sleds driven by the huskies so vividly
described by Jack London.
The inhabitants of Seattle never seem to be em-
247

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
barrassed about carrying out even the most daring
of schemes.
" Seattle is built on a series of hills," we were
informed by one of our charming cousins, who has
settled there. " One of these particularly impeded
our municipal traffic, as the town spread out in all
directions ; so with the help of hydraulic machines
we just sliced the hill right off, and sent it tumbling
to the banks of the sound, producing in this way
a piece of firm land on the shore, where shipyards
have been built since the war."
On the very day after, our arrival we were given
another proof of the irresistible force of water,
which caused us to reflect on the instabUity of life
in new countries. The three-story Russell Hotel
and the personal effects of its seventy-nine occu
pants were totally destroyed by an automobile
bumping into a street hydrant.
One of the Seattle papers gave the following ac
count of how it had happened, and certainly acci
dents are often reproduced on films, to the great
delight of the public, which are far less freakish
than this one :
The collapsing of the Russell was due to an automobile
accident on the corner in front of it. The driver of a delivery
truck for the Three Girls' Bakery attempted to avoid a colli
sion with another automobile, and swerved his machine sharply
to one side. It struck the fire plug on the corner and snapped
it off. A geyser of water shot into the air a distance of
248

Puget Sound

seventy-five feet, spraying over a large number of persons
who were passing at the time, and drenching them before they
could clear out of its radius. A number of the windows in
the Russell house were open, and the water poured through
these. Several of the occupants were soaked through before
they succeeded in closing the windows. The water from the
broken plug settled in the hollow under the building, in a
great pool and undermined its foundation.
Every room in the house was occupied and most of the
tenants were in their rooms when the building began to settle.
A dozen policemen went to the door of each one of the
forty-two rooms and notified the occupants to leave at once.
When no response was received doors were broken open.
Many of the roomers wanted to stop to gather up personal
effects and in some instances the police were compelled to
forcibly eject the occupant. The last of the tenants were
out of the building but a few minutes, when the entire hotel
eoUapsed with a roar that was heard for blocks.
When we visited the scene of the accident we
found that the wrecked hotel had dwindled into a
small heap of wooden debris, and we wondered how
in the world this frame building ever housed sev
enty-nine people.
An original and unique way of helping his coun
try during the war was conceived by an American
acrobat surname d the Human Fly, whom we saw
in Seattle. This name was earned from the type
of performance he gave, which consisted in attain
ing the roofs of the highest hotels, not by the usual
means of the elevators, but by the uncommon way
of climbing up the outside of the buildings.
249

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
It was truly impressive to see this human fly
crawling, so to speak, from stone to stone, from
window to window, from fioor to floor, growing
smaller and smaller to the spectator's view until
the living black spot reached the summit. Then
when the dangerous task was accomplished cheers
upon cheers arose from the delighted public, and
contributions were enthusiastically rained in for
the Red Cross.
I was always " introduced " to the public when
ever I spoke in America, and sometimes these " in
troductions " were a source of infinite amusement
and interest to me, as they varied from the loftiest
and most dignified style, to the most sentimental or
confidential one. But in all cases they always were
what introductions are supposed to be, extremely
flattering, and I remember with a certain emotion
the chairman of one of the organizations in a town
on the Pacific coast, who was so carried away by
his subject plus his enthusiasm, that he declared
that there were at present five hundred thousand
Joans of Arc in France, and that two of them had
brought the message of " For the Right " to Amer
ica, and then he turned towards my sister and my
self, bowing exquisitely.
The only trait of resemblance I could possibly
think of between our national heroine and myself is
that I heard as she did a voice urging me to do my
duty, but in my case it was only the voice of my
250

Puget Sound

friend through the telephone sending me to Amer
ica. Whereas Joan, in the fields where she was
keeping her sheep near her native village of Dom-
remy in Lorraine, heard the Archangel Michael
saying to her in sweet tones : " Fear not, Joan,
thou hast been chosen by the King of Heaven to
accomplish great deeds and restore happiness
to France. Clothe thyself in man's attire, arm
thyself, and thou shalt become the leader of the
War." I can now imagine an Alaskan Joan of Arc list
ening to " The Call In the Wild " ; but instead of
the mellow voice of the archangel, I suppose the
message would be conveyed to her in the metallic
trumpet sounds of a megaphone.
" I bet this don't phase you, Jane ! Be a brick.
Camouflage yourself as a Yank, quit my country,
ride a tank, lead my ' Khaki Devils ' over the top,
and lick the kaiser ! "
I trust my readers will approve of the up-to-date
translation. Americans are such remarkably practical people
that we spent our time marveling at their ingenuity.
For instance, one of the Seattle papers, called the
Times, originated a way of keeping the public
constantly informed of the latest war news. A
series of whistle signals were the means of con
veying the news.
One Long Blast. Whistle at 11 :59 a. m. daily.
251

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
Time ball about to drop, announcing it to be exactly
noon. Two Long Blasts. At frequent intervals. Al
lied forces making new gains.
Four Long Blasts. At frequent intervals.
American forces are driving the Germans.
Five Short Blasts. At frequent intervals. Ger
many sues for peace.
In many towns of the United States one long
blast was also heard at midday, announcing the
noon meditation. And in Seattle as well as in
Washington, D. C, I saw people stop suddenly and
bow their heads in devotion, praying with all their
hearts for the deliverance of the world and that
victory be granted to the Allies. This spiritual
movement in America was largely due to the Inter
national Association of Rotary Clubs, which is a
democratic organization of business and profes
sional men numbering 39,000 members and pos
sessing 524 clubs.
I do not doubt that these heartfelt prayers con
tributed enormously toward the triumph of the
forces of good, because I believe that no words were
ever more true than those of Christ when He said,
" Ask and it shall be given you."
Before we left Seattle we visited a wonderful
ranch, where the breeding of cattle is carried out
on a large scale.
The cows on this ranch are said to be happy
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Puget Sownd

cows, and therefore they give better and more milk
than discontented ones. They are treated like
princesses in fairy tales, get the best of food, con
sisting partly of alfalfa-grass, are massaged and
shower-bathed, and are never allowed to get wet
feet. Their guardians are sympathetic young men
with gentle dispositions, who whisper sweet things
into their ears whilst they are being milked, and
who tend them with as much care as delicate babies.
We were specially filled with admiration at the
results of such good treatment. One of these con
tented and pedigreed cows, called Adventuress Ca
nary ( they nearly all have most honorable and gen
erally prize parents), gave out as much as 409.7
quarts of milk in seven days, or 58.5 quarts per day.
As we left the barn my sister whispered to me:
" Americans really have quaint ideas ! If I had
a well-intentioned cow who actually gave out daily
an ocean of milk for me like this one does, I
wouldn't spoU her reputation by calling her ' Ad
venturess Canary,' unless this name can be satis
factorily explained in the pedigree book ! "

253

CHAPTER XXI
VERS LA FRANCE
"^ T'ELLOWSTONE PARK is only a two-days'
Y^ journey from here, and you cannot 'leave
A America without going to see that mar
vellous place," said our Seattle cousins.
After all, what were distances for us now that
we had already covered so many miles, and if we
did not go we should always regret having missed
the opportunity. So we left for Livingston, from
which place we were to get a train for Gardiner,
one of the entrances to the park.
Livingston is a little town of 2,800 inhabitants,
where we arrived unknown, the first time such a
thing had happened to us since landing in the
States. So we spent the night hoping to " take
things easy," as our train did not leave until 9 :30
the next moming.
But alas! it seems one can never live in peace,
for we were awakened as usual by the telephone
in the early morning, and my sister had to attend
to it.
" Hello ! " I heard her say, and then she turned
around with an amused expression. " Six o'clock !
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Vers La France

That is what I have just been told. The porter
has certainly wakened up the wrong people, for we
had never asked to be called at this early hour."
This made us think of the story of the man who
on getting into a train at night said to the porter :
" Wake me up to-morrow morning at five o'clock
in time to get out at X  . I warn you that I
sleep very soundly and only wake with a struggle.
I will probably swear and kick and be in a fury,
but don't mind, simply turn me out on the platform,
and you '11 get a good tip."
Next morning the traveler woke up without being
called, and on looking at his watch discovered that
it was seven o'clock. His rage was great on real
izing that he had missed the town where very im
portant business was awaiting him. Rushing up
to the porter he shook him by the shoulder, using
the worst of language.
The porter looked at him impassively, and when
his rage was over, said calmly :
" Well, man, you 're some swearer, but you 're
nothing like the man I turned out at X  ! "
When later we went down to pay our hotel bill
they would not take a check, and we had to part
with nearly all our change. Rather worried and
wondering what we should do in the park if they,
too, refused our checks, we set out for the station to
find the train already there and that we had but
sis minutes before its departure. So we asked
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
whether there was a bank near, and when we were
informed that it was at the end of the street, we
left our hand-luggage on the platform, rushed out
of the station, and ran to the building.
" Have you got any papers, a letter, an envelop
addressed in your name, or a visiting-card, proving
your identity ? " asked the cashier.
We had left everything at the station, and had
certainly not sufficient time to run back to fetch
the required papers. Notwithstanding this lack
of proof, that most obliging of bankers cashed our
check, and even the train had most courteously
waited for us, which caused it to leave one minute
late. On descending from the train at our destination,
we found a touring-car in which we took place with
other passengers, and which drove us to " Mammoth
Hot Springs," where we spent the first night. On
account of the war the hotels had not been opened,
in order to economize fuel, and so we lived in
tents, which were comfortably organized, some be
ing for two people, and others, smaller, for a single
person. The guests were waited on by young university
people, who found in this way a remunerative
means of visiting the park and spending their holi
days out of town.
On the second day we were taken to Old Faithful
Camp, where we also spent a night. It gets its
256

Vers La France

name from one of the geysers, which since the dis
covery of the park by the Washburne Expedition
and probably during centuries before has regularly
shot its waters up into the air 170 feet high every
sixty-five minutes, without ever disappointing the
tourist. What if Old Faithful were one day unfaithful,
and missed one or two of his shows ; what publicity
he would make for himself, and how specially in
teresting he would become. But, alas ! one is sure
of him, and watch in hand, one waits for his punc
tual performance.
Besides that geyser there are hundreds of others
to be seen ; some are active every day ; others, like
the Giant, at intervals of nearly a fortnight or,
like the Lioness, only once every two years. One
of them, the Excelsior, is the lazy one of the com
pany, and has not performed since 1888; but what
a show! It would rise to nearly 300 feet for a
duration of half an hour.
One of our American friends, who is a remark
able ventriloquist, told me that when he was visit
ing Yellowstone Park lately he remembered the
story of some unfortunate lady who nine years
ago fell into one of the boiling wells, as she im
prudently was walking backward in order to get
a better view of "Castle Cone," in eruption at
that moment.
My friend, after having narrated this tragic inci-
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
dent to the tourists who were visiting the park with
him, walked to the edge of the pool where the body
of the victim had disappeared, never to be seen
again, and in an authoritative voice asked :
"Are you there, Madam? If you are, I conjure
you to speak to us ! "
A few seconds elapsed, and suddenly from the
very depths of the earth a feeble voice answered:
" Yes, I am here, alone for nine years and bored
to death. Thank you for remembering me ! "
The tourists were seized with terror!
The great thrill of the journey is to live among
the wUd bears that wander in perfect liberty in
the park. It is on the third day that one gets
a vague idea of the feeling of the tamer when left
face to face with wild beasts. Our first precaution
was to inquire whether the bears were dangerous;
to this they answered:
" Oh, no ! Only when they are hungry ! "
" But do they let you know when they are about
to feel like that? " was our natural question. . . .
So after all, here we were five thousand mUes
away from our parents, taking our first pleasure
trip in the States, and risking another danger equal
to that of the submarines, with the difference that
our people at home were unaware of this new proof
of our courage.
Before retiring to our tent, we were shown a
neighboring one, torn to pieces the previous night
258

Vers La France

by a huge bear who had evidently missed a meal.
The innocent inhabitant of this tent had left a few
chocolates on her table, and the bear, attracted by
the smell of the delicious sweets, simply tore down
the whole place, and in a twinkling the chocolates
disappeared. The lady herself, luckily, was away
at that sensational moment.
We were kindly shown this disastrous sight as a
forewarning, and it made us think how happy pas
sengers are to be spared the sight of a torpedoed
vessel before crossing the Atlantic.
However, that night fraught with danger was
spent without any incident, and we considered our
selves lucky at being out of the way of the reporters,
who would once more have written up about the
unfortunate French ladies, who had " systemat
ically missed all the dangers of Yellowstone Park."
On leaving our tent we met a lady whose dress
sleeve had been torn off as the result of her kind-
heartedness toward a bear she had tried to feed
with candy. He took the sweet, but made an effort
to get a little extra nourishment by appropriating
a part of the arm that held it out to him.
Later in the aftemoon my sister and I strolled
out for a walk to the canon, and as we were quietly
walking along and enjoying the peacefulness of the
scene, a huge black bear suddenly appeared, stand
ing still in the middle of the road and gazing at
us with tremendous eyes. 259

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
" Is he hungry and looking for food? " was our
exclamation. Then unable to get any answer we turned rapidly
away and fled for our lives.
After our five-days' holiday at Yellowstone Park
we went directly to PhUadelphia, to stay with
cousins of ours whom we dearly love and with
whom we knew we would be able to enjoy a thor
ough rest.
Our journey back lasted three days, and one
morning in the dining-car as we were lunching, we
found ourselves seated at a table with an old lady
and her unmarried, middle-aged daughter, what
we in France call " an advanced young girl." They
both seemed to be unusually excited, and the old
lady felt compelled to speak to us.
" I must tell you, we are so thrilled by a young
woman sitting in our car, who has just volunteered
in the Y. M. C. A. to go to France and sing for
the soldiers."
" Yes," added the daughter, " in order to go and
sing to our boys she leaves at home her two small
babies and her crippled mother. Is n't this simply
splendid?" " How very interesting ! " were the only words
we found to reply to our enthusiastic neighbors,
and our thoughts went out to the poor babies and
the invalid mother remaining helplessly at home,
without the one who was probably the sunshine
260

Vers La France

and happiness of their lives. And once more we
realized that the daily accomplishment of what may
be called a dull and tedious duty may certainly
be more deserving and harder to accomplish than
the more exciting deeds that bring upon one the
praise and admiration of the public.
We did not mention a word of our own experi
ences " over there," as we felt that these two pa
triotic and enthusiastic American women would
evidently not have let us part without having had
a very long and detailed conversation, which we
certainly no longer had the strength to endure.
So it was after our non-enthusiastic response
and upon hearing us speak a foreign language that
was none other than French, we heard the spinster
say to her mother, with a suspicious glance in her
eye: " I think they 're German. They 're speaking in
German ! "
We had luckily ended our meal, and rushed back
to our seats, into which we dropped, shrieking with
laughter. In PhUadelphia we found that influenza was
spreading its deathly germs over the city, and the
people seemed rather frightened at its terrible
effects. Nevertheless, it was nothing to compare
with the death-rate in Washington, where churches,
theaters, moving-picture shows were closed to avoid
contagion. 261

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
In the streets we saw several women going about
with gauze masks covering their faces. Coughing
was prohibited, contact with sneezers was to be
absolutely avoided, and if you were caught doing
any such terrible things, you were looked upon
as dangerous, and would have more backs than
faces to contemplate.
People were dying like flies, and as the doctors
and nurses had left for France in great numbers,
the civilian population could not get proper care.
The mortality was such that the dead could not be
properly buried, owing to the lack of coffins and,
also, to the insufficient number of undertakers.
I remember talking on this subject to one of
the members of the French High Commission, who
told us that three weeks previously he had sold
one of his horses to a public undertaker in Wash
ington, who had then said to him :
" I have not got the means of paying you now
in cash," and so other arrangements had been
made. " Since this moming," said our friend, " I am
in possession of a check amounting to the total
price of the horse."
The public undertaker had evidently never be
fore been kept so busy, and was doing wonderful
business. And so one can once more say that " 111
blows the wind which profits nobody."
It was in Washington, quite at the end of our
262

Vers La France

stay in America, that we noticed for the first time
one of the novel fads much in honor there.
We happened to meet a friend who had his face
all bandaged up, and we immediately inquired
with solicitude about his health.
" Oh, I have spent several days at a remarkable
dentist's," he replied. " He has unburdened me
of all my teeth."
"Why?" we asked in astonishment. "Were
they, then, in such a bad condition? "
" On the contrary," he answered, " they were
perfectly healthy, but I am told that this treat
ment wUl cure me of my rheumatism."
And when we inquired from other friends about
this strange cure, we learned that " unburdened
jaws" for rheumatismal cures were by no means
infrequent. We had noticed how many lovely American
women " unburden " their eyebrows, which is, after
all, a very becoming fashion, makes the eye appear
larger and gives more height to its setting, but
we could not be made to believe that having one's
teeth pulled out ever would be as esthetic a fad
as the other one, even if it preserved the toothless
ones from rheumatism.
Before leaving Washington we asked to be pre
sented to Mrs. Wilson, and our Ambassadress took
us personally, with a cousin of ours, widow of a
former American Ambassador to London and Sec-
263

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
retary of State, to pay our visit at the White House,
where we were received by the President's wife with
a simplicity not devoid of grandeur.
Mrs. Wilson was attired in a lovely gray char-
meuse dress, and her beauty, her charm of manners,
perhaps, also, her winsome smile, and fascinating,
communicative laugh, contributed to win our
hearts instantaneously. She kindly inquired about
our impressions of the United States, and we were
happy to tell her all about the touching manifesta
tions toward our dear, beloved country, and also
how in many towns we had been received as if
France itself had come over to greet America.
A farewell dinner was given for us at the French
Embassy, and at the French High Commission,
and a few days later, at the end of October, we
sailed from New York on the Rochambeau, with
Miss Wilson, who was giving her talent to the
service of a patriotic cause, and going to France
to sing in the camps.
It was with true emotion that we saw the giant
sky-scrapers disappear beyond the horizon, and a
feeling almost of sadness crept over us as we left
these hospitable shores where we had had the privi
lege of living wonderful hours.
After six-months' sojourn in the States we can
affirm that we sincerely love the American nation.
It was with that feeling in our hearts that we went
264

Vers La France

over, and we hope we may have helped, though but
in a small measure, to strengthen the bond of
friendship and of love that must forever unite these
two sister nations.
It is to La Fayette Americans and French are in
debted for the extraordinary support his noble
deeds of the past gave in counteracting the pro-
German campaign, and setting forth the cause of
the Allies.
La Fayette had fought to help the United States
to gain her independence, and the memory of his
deeds awakened in the Americans the same gener
ous impulse that had prompted those actions, and
it also aroused their sympathy for the oppressed
nations struggling to reconquer their own inde
pendence. Such was the spirit that animated the
people of the United States when, side by side with
the Allies, they fought for the sublime ideal of
winning liberty for the whole world.
Our voyage lasted a fortnight, and once more
it was accomplished " without even a peek of a
submarine ! " I will always keep in memory the
last day of our crossing, as we stood on the gang
way and gazed at a quite unforgetable sight. Be
low us on the steerage deck were gathered the eight
hundred American warriors the Rochambeau was
bearing in her fianks, all khaki-clad, and with the
new life-belt, which is slipped over the head and
265

A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
adjusted like a waistcoat. It has a padded collaret,
as if it were a democratic reminiscence of the
Renaissance costume.
In their midst stood Miss Wilson in her Y. M. C.
A. uniform, with her two traveling companions at
her side, one of them, Mr. X  , singing with her,
and his wife accompanying the artists on a minia
ture piano. The notes of the beautiful melodies
rang out clearly through the bright and serene
atmosphere; on the sea scarcely a ripple ruffled
the smooth surface. Then I heard Miss Wilson's
melodious voice calling to the soldiers:
" Boys ! Let's all sing ' There's a Long Long
Trail.' "
And as hundreds of voices broke forth, singing
the old war song, throwing out over the wide ocean
the inspiring words, we suddenly caught a glimpse
of land, just a darker line on the horizon, rising im
perceptibly into the sky as we approached. One
word arose to our lips, which we repeated over and
over again, as if each time it made the atmosphere
around us grow more lovable and exquisite.
" France ! France ! " we all cried.
That night we reached the entrance to the Gi
ronde River, where a special envoy from General
Pershing came on deck to greet Miss Wilson. His
whole countenance radiated a joy that was the
herald of good news, and as he approached the
little group where we stood with the President's
266

Vers La France

daughter, gazing into the clear night, and watching
the bright stars overhead, he brought his heels to
gether with a sharp click and made the military
salute. " Welcome to France ! " he said with a glad ring
in his voice. And then, very slowly, as if the better
to make us realize the importance of the news of
which he was the messenger, he announced, " In
three days the armistice wUl be signed ! "
And suddenly into my mind came Longfellow's
poem, the words then seeming to me almost pro
phetic : A wind came up out of the sea,
And said, " 0 mists, make room for me."
It haUed the ships and cried, " Sail on,
Ye mariners, the night is gone."
And hurried landward far away,
Crying, " Awake ! it is the day."
It said unto the forest, " Shout !
Hang all your leafy banners out ! "
It touched the wood-bird's folded wing,
And said, " O bird, awake and sing."
And o'er the farms, " 0 chanticleer.
Your clarion blow; the day is near."
It whispered to the fields of com,
" Bow down, and hail the coming mom."
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A Frenchwoman's Impressions of America
It shouted through the belfry-tower,
"Awake, 0 bell! proclaim the hour."
It crossed the churchyard with a sigh,
And said, "Not yet! in quiet lie."

THE END

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