JOHN BULL,S WOMANKIND.

Inangahua Times, Volume IX, Issue 1478, 3 December 1884, Page 2

JOHN BULL,S WOMANKIND.

+ Max O'Rell's New Book. Ajeu d f sprit seldom Wens re> titi ti'in, and we do not ."eel sure fi it Max O'Jlell will tnak«asg ; vatahit — iv Eng land at least— with "Lea Pillesde John Ball" which ran through forty seven editions in less than a ynw. As far as the French edition goes, however, thft new book appears in the nick of tim<\ now that Paris is jiißt getting convalescent from the sharp attack of Al4) > phol)ia. There will We enough aulbe left to inake everyone on the Inulavards. want to read the book, but not enough to make every one disgusted when h& finds Balaam blessing in stead of cnrsing. For, on the wholo Max Oft 11 seems to distinctly prefer 'John Bull's womankind '" to John Bull himself, al through he is by no means too exclu sively gallant to be at the same time amusing. Her*, for instance, is a passage on a subject of slight although of general interest, which will give a fur sample of his style : — "Flirting is a purely English pastime. Im France we do not Hirt; we Lake our love affairs more seriously. It is a very innocent little amusement. I have read in ' confession boks' h - lo v^i^g to very well brought up girls : — ' Q, : What is your favorite amu*ement ? A, : Flirting.' The answer is not in very exquisite taste, I admit — even from the Engl : sh point of view ; l>ut no one would dream of taking it in any bad sense, particularly (I onglit to add) as these confessions are not meant too snriously. Young girls who h ivj drawn upon themselves a few 011---plini.'iHs from their partners at a bail will tell ynu they have lieen fit t .g. Flirting is, in fact, to let a young ua+'.i understand that he has been remarked and distinguished (as the Grand Duchess of Gerolstein says), to draw ) him on l>y a few pleasant smiles and prety little ways to quit his reserve and push his gallantry almost to the point iof a declaration of love. This little game wonld be very dangerous with a young Frenchman, for flitting means attention* paid to a woman without intentions (cent aooir p ur hup. /'e.nne des attentions sang intentions)/' A good many people have tried their hands at a definition of flirting. Max O'Rp.ll has a d«cided advantage over most yf them, both in his French ppint of view and in the nuances of French ; language. His account of " sweetj hearting " (the word is shi; is ha-Jly so happy. " Here " (he says) we come to love* taken seriously." i« « j- we»*tliearts 'is the name for two yonng people who have declared their love, and have mnfu l'y accepted each other as Uetrofhed, with or without the consent of their relations. The English word has a kind of rustic perfume in it, and corres >onds to our expressions bon ami and bonne amie. 1 Sweefcheai ting conld'nt exist in France, where the best engaged lovers may only rehearse their vows of love in the presence of a future mother-in law. To sweetheart in England means to pay court openly, to take one's betrothed among one's frifiv's, to concerts, to balls, to go sentimental walks, more or less solitary, in her company— to take many little Upcoming liberties with her ;in a word, it means playing all the comedy of love only leaving out the fifth act." Max O'Rell's account of the 'ov; r'« walk is in his happiest vein. He is speaking here, it should be said, not of the upper classes, but of tae Imrgeosie: — "It is a strange sight in a country where reserve, prudery, and decency are driven to desperation, to see the couples of love/a walking at nightfall, holding each others' hands, waists, or npoks — and, in some little frequented roads, formi r.g veritable proc^sions. Tli« couples walk alone: slowly Jooking languishingly at on« another and without speaking % word. As you pass by and look at them, they seem to say: . ' Yo*t know what we are and what we are doing ; yon hsive gone through the same thing, sir, haven't you? We really need not embarrass each other." 1 One may be excused for turning next to a passage where Max O'Rell raises a laugh at his own countrymen. " I have alwnyß admired," he some* where says, "the stoicism of' young Englishmen" in their love affairs. The following description shows that young Frenchmen aro, in a different way, Kjoally long auflferinf :—

" I have never much admired the way in which declarations of love are made in France. With us the foolish animal has to go on his knees at a woman's fret. With her eyes modestly drooped on us, this little demon of observation makes an inventory of all oar 3>nille3t d-fe:ts— of oar bur, growing sparser; of our languishing «yes, turned np and showing their whites; of a little wart which we thought concealed. 1 pnt it squarely th-it in this little scene it seems to me we have to play a supremely ridiculous part. If any one of my readers is not of this opinion, let him pnt this question to himself: • Should I ever think of being photographed in the attitude al>ove described 1 ' I await his answer. They manage these things differently in England. You sit down comfortably, very much at your easp. You havß thr idorsd obj^e.tof y>iu* d;v>ains at your sid > or at your feet, and yon can ranrmitr svreet whispers of love into her ear without ev«*r dislrcating vertebral column. Yon may even smoke yonr cigar, without any fear o? giving offence, all the time you tell your love and build your castles in { S 'ail. • Tis » yvi i r 3 smithing of a pisha.' T can iraagi'te some emanci- I patid wijnv.n -xc'ai u'ug. Not it all, j raadame ;itis no qn-s'-iou of master and slave; it is a matter 'not of alavnry but of exalted dnty.' Max O'Rell is not altogether laughing in his 9leeve here, as his description of John Bill's wife will show : — J " Her nvs o : s 0 cheer her husba»d in the co n irt of his ho-ua, and j make him forget the worry, annoyance, and heart burnings that beset him out •of doors in hi 3 professio'ial ,or public life; to pr vide for him a retreat m the soothing atmosphere, of which he •can find rest and renovated strength ; to do tho honors of his house with that liberality, that provident and large hearfc I hospitality, which is only to be fouid in S i'»V\'ifl — 3i^iis th« mission of the English woman. The com pan ions and helpmates o"f Join B'lll are beautiful girls, perhaps a trifle too bold ; virtnoug wives, a trifle too muc'i res* p«cted ; excellent mothers a trifle too much 11e3lHute.il ; above, all, worn mi whose ingenious attention to all the minor comforts of existe ne can turn the hnmblest cottage into a little palace of order, cleanliness, and well being." That is not the whole truth, but it is true so far as it goes, and is therefore ono of the pleimntest things in the book. Max O'Rell, by the way. certainly does not fall into the fault he he condemns — over-respect; and we •can hardly agree with the wolMs of his preface to Mistress John Bull that she | niay read this book from begi iniug to •end without finding any iudisjreet disclosnres." Max O'Rell does not confine himself to the domestic side of English women, other chapters being de.voted to London beauties, London shop-girls, actresses (among whom Miss Mary 'Anderson comes in for her fair share of compliments), women's rights, Hallelujah lassses, and so forth. (i> laugh at our re I i 'ions sects was not exhausted in his former book, and he goes out of his way to chronicle a '* net profit of fifteen religions for the year 1884." A>i«&!i<u* miscallanftous topic inolu led in the volume is English pulpit ■eloquence, of which he has not as a rule a very high opinion, although he mentions one particular sermon in Westminister Abbey by ihe present Bishop of Sydney than which he never heard any more graceful discourse. Finally, Max O'Kell ends with a lively postcript on politics. His views on th«- House of Lohds are already known to pur readers ; as for the renti he is couviuced,that. England will fioou have to grant . Home Pule to Ireland, and that Mr Parnell will live to be Viceroy in Dublin Castle. — 'Pall Mall Oazette '