LIFE IN FRANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 97, 26 April 1930, Page 1 (Supplement)

LIFE IN FRANCE.

STRONGLY INTELLECTUAL

HUMOUR or BUREAUCRACY.

(By MELANIE.)

I suppose it is almost a platitude to say that a nation's mentality is reflected in its daily papers. It certainly is the case with the French, for one can hardly conceive a greater difference between the English and the French Press. Much of the former belongs to what is truly but unkindly called the "twitter-twitter" class, with its passion for gossip of the "upper ten," while practically the whole of the latter concentrates on political chatter, with much, too, on the theatre and books. The French public is constantly entertained with yarns of its foster fathers, and as a rule the joke is taken in good part. It does, however, happen occasionally that a member suffers from swelled head and its consequences. The other day Mr. Le Pavedic, who was thoroughly enjoying a hearty dinner, had liir; dignity rudely shaken when an attendant brought his hat'and coat, saying that as it was nearly 10 p.m. the cloakroom would close. "Get away!" says the city father, with more and more choler as arguments fail him. A journalist, standing near, upheld the attendant, only to be met with: "Eh, you. Mind your own business. What are writers?, No better than rogues and cattle!" etc., etc. "Right," replies the scribe, "I'll show you the beef I am!"— and knocked the other down. It was a surprised deputy (a high official in France) who the other day, on

opening a barrel of would-be oysters, found that some anonymous lover of this delicacy had forestalled him, but kindly replaced the empty shells. He wrote to the railway manager, and asked for a possible explanation, upon which he was told that probably it was done by a porter who didn't like him. Stupified for a moment at the reply, he wittily wrote back that perhaps tlie manager would be good enough to tell him when the porter would like to be friends again, so that he could .receive the next batch of oysters intact! It is hardly surprising that - jokes of this kind are heartily enjoyed when one reads of ridiculous laws such as the following. Matches are generally sold at tobacconists' in France, and are a Government monopoly. The latest regulation provides that, in view of constant dissatisfaction, a buyer can now obtain a refund of his money, but to do this he must take the box to a Government office, fill in a form, and receive a certificate that .at least 90 per cent will not strike. investigation will give him back his original Id! We are all so accustomed to hearing of French intelligence, wit, and so on, that it is a little staggering to find that France is one of the most behind-hand countries in the way of public libraries. Schools are good, and education is absurdly cheap, but, having once grownup, the average person of little means finds it very difficult to keep up with modern thought, except that, mercifully fo: him, the French discuss "high-brow" tilings as a matter of course in trams, buses and cafes. Anyhow, when the present Minister of Public Instruction decided to see about establishing free libraries, he was astonished to learn what was being done in other countries— and in this respect New Zealand can congratulate itself. ' There is not a single public lending library in France, and only one or two small commercial ones, run by private booksellers. However, now we hope things are beginning to move, and that we shall have at least reading rooms.