WHAT MONEY CANNOT BUY IN PARIS

...It occurred to me that she might be attributing to the war difficulties which resulted from her own lack of understanding of the French temperament...

...But although Elise had such a fundamental and individual appreciation of relative values in important matter's,' she was extremely tenacious of tradition in the small details...

...This practice is a protection against unwelcome late intruder?, but there are circumstances, which we leave to the reader's imagination, when it may be an annoyance...

...And the thought that in this vale of tears a possible gaiety might be lost for want of a fire, was too much for his fete loving French heart...

...It was Elise who instructed me in the intricacies of French tips...

...She explained that because T was a foreigner, he evidently thought I would not understand about the sou du franc, and feared that if he gave it to me she might never receive the money...

...I should say that they are like the proverbial little girl with the curl, when they are good they' are very good, and when they are bad they are horrid...

...Every one must die some day," she often said, and she felt that being an excellent cook was far superior to being a mediocre pianist...

...Maria had lived for over thii ty years in the old apartment house where our studio was...

...This was admirably illustrated for me one bitterly cold afternoon in Paris...

...But in a modest home, where only one servant is employed, everything from expenses to peace of mind depends on the particular maid who presides over one's domestic destiny...

...Victorious over night and death, thou shalt renew thy youth...

...It is so entirely accepted an arrangement that if for any reason, such as the maid's illness, the m" tress should make an occasional purchase the merchant might easily give her the five per cent to give to the maid...

...I hurried down the six flights of stairs and sought out the stove doctor...

...But when she has merely yielded to temptation because of some pressing financial emergency, or because of a childlike longing for a new ribbon or hat which her wages did not permit, she will take the hint and be more careful in the future...

...For, counting on the pre-war basis of exchange, that is five francs to the dollar, the wages of a French general houseworker are less than here, although she does more work with fewer conveniences than the American servant...

...And French people will tejl you that concierges are a sale race...

...And this is definitely recognized by the custom of le sou du franc, a five per cent commission which the merchant gives the maid who shops for her mistress...

...She was an omnivorous reader with an unerring feeling for style in life and literature, and enjoyed serving dinner to authors whose works she admired...

...Of course in a large household where there are a great many servants, the relations are naturally more impersonal—even in France...

...My maid was out marketing...

...But there she would have been a "vraie domes-tique," and she preferred to work for artists and writer folk at less wages because it yielded a more interesting and agreeable life...

...However, one may know all the rules of the game and still find life exceedingly difficult unless he realises the central fact that there are moments when a spontaneous appeal to the personal equation will transcend all formulas and dissolve all fixed regulations...

...Certainly they often order these matters better in France...

...It did not take me long to learn that this temperament, male or female, will never find life agreeable in Paris...

...But the absence of elevator, bath tub, and central heating plant never made me sigh for American "comfort," though it sometimes taxed my ingenuity as it did on this particular afternoon to which I referred...

...Her husband, who was sitting in the rear of the shop, overheard my long drawn out tale of discouragement, as I had hoped he would...

...Employer and employe can shift easily and harmoniously, without embarrassment, from the formal, attitude expected in the discharge of duties, to one of mutual human interest...

...And wi*.h those whom she 'lad once decided possessed th's quality she would permit a most human relation, ranging from an exchange of ideas on life in general, to a commentary on the excellence of her cooking...

...I dilated on the impossibility of being merry in the cold, and lamented that instead of festivity I would have a funeral on my hands...

...In fact our abode realized completely the book loving American's dream of a studio in Paris...

...It had abundant historic atmosphere and no modern conveniences...

...Most Americans fee too little or too much, and in either case they win contempt...

...WHAT MONEY CANNOT BUY IN PARIS By FOLA LA FOLLETTE DURING the first few weeks of my two years stay in Paris it happened that I frequently met an English writer who had been living there for over three years...

...A guest must always signify on whom he is calling and the tenant too must give his name as he passes the concierge's door on returning late at night...

...The French are willing to work hard, but they save for old age and a rainy day...

...Here was a diverting problem in internationalism, and with an innocent air I asked the author whether at breakfast she greeted her maid with a cordial bon jour and a-few genial comments on the weather, or if, from time to time, she inquired as to the health of her domestic's relatives...

...A long experience in-household service had not undermined her sturdy peasant independence, ami, although she had work--i f.:r "the best people," she hael never become a su-p'ne domestic servant...

...a smiie or a witty remark will often bring forth a response and real service which gold cannot elicit...

...Whereas the fact of the matter was that a French maid would feel she had justification for leaving a place if she learned that her mistrt-was interfering with her traditional right t this commission...

...Many a domestic difficulty e well as international misunderstanding is base on just such conflicts of custom...

...Each understood the other, but there was no unpleasantness about it...

...The vigilant guardian of the house learns to recognize the steps of the inhabitant so accurately that there is no possibility of deception...

...My persona...

...It was the dark eyed little lass of Basque heritage who initiated me into the mysteries of Parisian housekeeping, and I shall always feel that it washer loyal and cartful guidance which contributed greatly to my understanding of the many subtleties of French life and relationships...

...For there are certain unwritten laws about tipping...

...I therefore questioned her as to how she handled her servants, and she replied that she treated them just as she was accustomed to do in England...

...the maid understands perfectly what this means and adapts herself accordingly...

...For all visitors and tradesmen must pass her door, and after ten o'clock at night both guests and tenants must ring the concierge's bell to enter the house, since even the tenants have no key to the outer door...

...Personally I never encountered it...

...THRENODY Madison, Nov...

...At first this seems rather curious since it cannot be explained on material grounds...

...Through the generosity of a<tist friends who were spending the winter in Italy, my husband and I were Stalled in a studio on the sixth floor of a two-liunjfed-yc-itr old building in the heart of the Latin Quarter...

...If she is really dishonest and only wishes to have a place where she can exploit her employer, she may seek another situation where the housewife is less alert...

...A wise friend had given me a hint as to the importance of the personal note in solving one's problems in France, and that may be one of the reasons why I found Paris a housekeeper's paradise, while my English friend discovered only an inferno...

...Yet thou shalt reign again, waters run free, Songs fill the air, gay tulips wave and dance in glee...

...ALICE WHITNEY BURTON, Deephaven, Minn...

...Elise herself was an example of this constant weighing of outer and inner value which goes on in the French...

...I pay them to work, not to talk...

...She complained that they took no interest in their work, were utterly unreliable, and that she couldn't keep a maid or even a charwoman for more than ten days in succession As she spoke French fluently, and had lived so long in Paris, I was interested in learning why her experience differed so radically from that of a more recent arrival who was handicapped by an inadequate monosyllabic command of the anguage...

...And yet I am certain that she would have given notice after twenty-four hours to my English acquaintance who paid servants to work and not to talk.' The relation of the French servant to his employer in fact differs greatly from that of the English...

...The gift of a flower may win~enduring devotion, while five hundred francs would gain only an immediate attention...

...With her exceptional intelligence she could easily have earned much more money as a first femme de chambre or a gouv-ernante in a large and important household...

...This doubtless accounts for the fact that one gets such diametrically opposite impressions from different foreigners who sojourn there...

...The French bonne a tout faire (general houseworker) expects to do the personal washing and ironing for the family, she polishes the shoes, cleans the .windows, cooks and serves the meals, and does the marketing...

...The workmen were all out, and the wife of the owner told me that they were too busy to attend to any repairs for two weeks...

...She knew she couldn't help it...

...The maid who does fhe buying becomes a personage of importance to be considered by the merchants of her quarter...

...Problems of Expense THE problems and expenses of housekeeping in Paris vary of course according to the quarter in which one lives, the size of the household, and the numbw of servants...

...There is a definite relation between the amount of service rendered and the tip that is expected...

...Later one of my American acquaintances, who did not know of this custom, told me that she had just discharged a jewel of a maid because she had found her "dishonestly" taking commissions from the butcher and the green grocer...

...On the other hand, should the employer find that this is not a temporary lapse, but a confirmed habit, she will then carefully weigh the monetary loss against the general capability and value of the maid and decide whether she finds it more advantageous to keep the maid or let her go...

...For in France, to a greater degree than in most countries, the tone and cclor of life depend on the personal equation and how it is handled...

...Thy triumph rests on nature's law, his on God's truth, And sure as thou dost climb the heavens on thy all-conquering way Stirring-the pulses of the earth, waking the buds of May, So surely will his power anel worth ejuicken the marching years...

...standards of judgment were always inner ones and not based on material externals...

...I implored her to do something to help me out, and went into all my difficulties in great detail...

...During the first few weeks she conveyed to me in her own subtle and delicate way the importance of being on good terms with the concierge of the apartment...

...The most liberal brandy cordial or the enchanting view of old Paris from the balcony could not be relied upon to offset the penetrating chill of a December Paris night...

...I had succeeded in arousing his personal interest...

...Servants are Careful IF A French woman, a lady who has been accustomed all her life to having servants, suspects that her maid is juggling the accounts and arranging with the butcher or the grocer to mark things at a higher rate than the market price she quietly informs herself as to the current prices of various staples in her quarter...

...She was a wonderful cook and an absolutely faithful and honest employe in every other respect...

...It is a much more flexible thing...

...Or she may receive the sum for the entire week and kc-e an itemized account in a little book which submitted to the employer...

...If, however, on certain days when there ar" guests the expenditure exceeds the daily allotment, then the balance is struck by arranging a less expensive menu for the next day...

...I learned this after I had been in Paris for some time when I inquired of my maid why our green grocer always insisted on waiting until the following day for his pay if it happened that on my way home I stopped to get some fruit which took my fancy...

...And had I made an issue of it before she was convinced by a demonstration she might have left me, for she had the obstinacy as well as the pride of the Basque peasant...

...Cometh the moon of darkness, frost and snow O'erwhelm thee and the north winds blow...

...Below lay Racine's garden which bordered on the house where Balzac's first printing press was established...

...There was merely a philosophical acceptance of the facts of human nature as they actually existed in this particular personal equation...

...she wanted the composition balanced...

...In either case there is a regular budget and the amount for the week is definitely understood...

...It is particularly true when one lives in Paris en artiste or in a relatively modest way...

...Education in French Housekeeping IT WAS Elise who began my education in French housekeeping, and it was the elder woman, Maria, who completed it, if a foreiggnes may ever speak of his education as completed in France...

...experience during two years in Paris was confined to one quarter, and two different maids...

...They have a realistic measure of the value of money, and distinguish sharply between a generous individual and a spendthrift...

...This five per cent commission on all purchases is a time honored custom and is understood by the French employer...

...Despite the testimony of my pessimistic English acquaintance, I think that it is possible to find excellent domestics in Paris and that, on the whole, the type of person engaged in this occupation is far more responsible and capable than one finds in these United States...

...Certain individuals she judged possessed sufficient tact to meet on a human plane without violating the essential dignity of her place in life, whereas there vere cjthers with whom it was not safe to let d^wn the barriers for an instant since they cot...

...Both were artists and philosophers in their way...

...This is doubtless due to the American assumption that whatever is right in his own country must be correct everywhere else...

...Intricacies of Fench Tips 1DO NOT mean to suggest that this alteration of accounts is universal by any means...

...And woe betide the foreign housewife who does not master these distinctions of French domestic economy...

...Abundant Historic Atmosphere THE FRENCH are an ancient people, firmly rooted in an environment mellowed by time...

...Relation of Servant IT WAS not that Maria thought herself in any way inferior because of her work, for she considered herself 'the equal of any other human beings who fulfilled adequately and with dignity his situation in life...

...In the event that she dismisses the servant she will probably say nothing about the cause, but both employer and employe will understand perfectly why diplomatic relations are being severed...

...But her main grievance appeared to be domestic servants...

...Her English blue eyes turned upon me in astonishment, and in a tone calculated to remind me that she belonged to the classes and not the masses she replied: "No, of course not...

...Her favorite topic of conversation was that the war had undermined French politeness and completely destroyed the charm of life in Paris...

...I knew if I waited for her return that there would be no possibility of getting it repaired before dinner time...

...And from the inevitable little balcony we looked out over ancient gray roofs, dotted by gay terra-cotta chimney pots that seemed to be impishly flirting with the majestic dome of the Institute beyond...

...I asked the maid about it since his conduct appeared in striking contrast to the habitual cash system of the French, for charge accounts are very little used for household shopping...

...The conception that money will get anything in France is most erroneous...

...d never be trusted to regain gracefully th...

...In France, if all else fails, conjure up the individual human interest and the closed door usually opens...

...She does not accuse her maid of stealing...

...Every American city dweller knows that the janitor can make one's life disagreeable enough, but his powers are infantile as compared with those of the French concierge...

...The smartest couturiere in Paris could never have deceived her as to what she considered essential breeding...

...Whether the shopkeeper retains the patronage of the household where she is employed depends largely on her...

...The two maids whom I employed would no more have been tempted to alter a bill than I. One of them was a proud and spirited young girl from the Pyrenees, the other was a woman of sixty from Picardy...

...I elaborately and amiably explained that if I were not giving a dinner I would contentedly wait two weeks, that in fact I didn't mind in the least freezing myself, but 'that I was concerned about my guests, and my dinner party...

...Her tales of woe were endless, and she cited innumerable instances of rudeness and exploitation by taxi drivers, plumbers, and shop-keepers...

...And the foreign housekeeper is likely to lose the spect of her servant if she does not take this into account...

...Then if she finds her suspicions confirmed she suggests to her maid that perhaps it might be a good idea to change the butcher or the grocer as she thinks he is over-charging or giving them an inferior quality...

...It resulted in a firm conviction that even a female of the species who is not domestically inclined may find housekeeping in Paris a joy if she has the fortune to secure a good maid...

...One French friend of mine had a faithful cook who doctored her accounts for over two years...

...There is something of the tradition which one sees vividly presented in the Moliere plays that endures even in an age where servants come and go instead of being attached to a household for a life time...

...If the French government could incorporate Elise and sell shares to foreign housewives living in Paris, many international misunderstandings would be eliminated...

...7, 1925...

...It was the woman's only failing...

...She belonged to f n-othtr epoch and had very decided ideas t>s to what constituted a lady and a gentleman, hut he...

...She maintained her place in the scheme of things with absolute poise, and she demanded that others do the same...

...It took weeks before I could persuade her that it was easier to make mayonnaise with an egg lieater than a fork...

...Had I been disposed to distrust her and do the marketing myself, or insisted upon going with her, I would have lost caste in the eyes of the merchants and set up an unpleasant relation between my maid and myself...

...My friend could have left her purse about with any amount of money in it and the cook would never have touched a penny, but she'could not resist adding eight or ten cents a day to the bills...

...The maid took a personal pride in making both ends meet, and this in spite of the fact that she realized the franc represented to me only a fourth of what it did to a French woman...

...Take all the red tape and established traditions into consideration, but never regard them as final bar-, riers if they stand in the way of something you want or need...

...An expenditure, fantastic in relation to one's means, may be permissible, even admirable, if it contributes to the enhancement of life, if it is the result of an imaginative appreciation of inner values, but wanton waste is always criminal...

...My friend once asked her < if she didn't want a raise of wages, specifying a'sum about equal to the false augmentation of the bills, but the cook refused the increase, saying she preferred to continue the present arrangement...

...the ma goes out alone and does the marketing, an brings back the change and the slips for th amounts of the purchases...

...Maid Does Marketing IN A well run small French household the mistress gives her maid the money ea morning for that day's expenditures...

...She will be disliked or exploited if she cannot differentiate between the aesthetic necessity of buying a few blossoms for a festive dinner party, and the reckless waste of not using up all the left overs for next day's luncheon...

...But toward thos*e who for her fell into the doubtful category she always maintains...

...a strictly formal aloofness...

...Many of the tales one hears Americans relate as to their exploitation by French employees are due to their own initial failure to appreciate French thift, and to spond to the employee's personal inteiest...

...For on the whole the French have a deep tolerance and understanding of human weaknesses and prefer dealing amicably with reality to trying to remake human nature...

...And after this hour neither guest nor tenant can leave the house without waking the concierge to open the door...

...Many things which we pay for outright in this country arc only partly paid for in France, and the balance is supposed to be met by the tip or pour boire...

...However, no moral lesson will be delivered...

...Although the daily marketing involves more work, it tends to give the maid a different status, and adds an' element of interest to the otherwise dull routine of domestic service...

...And as the stove was the only source of heat in the studio I realized that my guests would contract pneumonia before they reached the cheese...

...positions which a chance of fortune had allotted them...

...At first I was often amazed, when I suggested a oertain menu to my maid, to have her remind me that, as we bad indulged in chicken the night before, we had better have a ragout or stew for otherwise we should run over our budget...

...But these qualities were manifested in relation to trifles and never interfered with the essential adjustments to the environment...

...And he who carries this fixed attitude to France will have an unhappy time...

...She could shift with perfect harmony from a witty anel philosophical commentary on some current happening to serving a dinner for formal guests as if she had never been more communicative than a well trained English butler...

...My dinner party became his dinner party, and he himself climbed my six flights of stairs to install a new grate so that the studio was warm and cozy by the time my guests arrived...

...For the amenities must always be observed and the individual taken into account as a human being whether he be taxicab driver or cook...

...A few hours before dinner guests were to arrive, the stove grate, apparently weary of long service, followed the famous example of the one hoss shay and dissolved in bits...

...Principles of French Thift IN innumerable little ways Elise revealed to me the underlying principle of French thrift...

...There are established customs, subtle unwritten rules and regulations, which must be sensed and taken into account if one is to make a happy adjustment to his surroundings...

...there is almost invariably a court of higher appeal...

...Shine soft on this beloved grave, November sun, Alike with him who rests beneath, thy course is run, thy work is done...

...Ripe are the fruits, garnereel the sheaves, And sadly earth has gathered to her breast The aster's fading bloom and withered leaves...

...But she did not like to have the relation of people or things thrown out of drawing...

...In every case I found that my interests were more carefully looked after and more zealously protected by my maid than they could possibly have been had I done my own marketing...

...It was a long established habit, which undoubtedly originated in the fact that for many years she had been paid lower wages than she could possibly live on, and it had become a gaine and adventure to indulge in this daily juggling...

...But now— Sink low November sun, grow dim anel bide our tears...

...And in no department of life is this more marked than in that of housekeeping...