THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



371 



NOT ATE THE) GOOD FRENCH COOKS ARE EMPLOYED IN THE PARIS RESTAURANTS 



'Probably there is not in all the world the equal of the French housewife in economy and 



efficiency" 



There is constant consultation with 

 parents and relatives by sons and daugh- 

 ters of advanced years — a form of con- 

 sultation scarcely ever heard of in an 

 American family. 



If a Frenchman of thirty or thirty-five 

 proposes changing his profession, he may 

 consult not only his father and his 

 mother, but the entire family group ; the 

 proposed marriage of a daughter or a 

 son is often an occasion for a council 

 of the entire clan, including distant rela- 

 tives that in America would hardly be in- 

 cluded in our family tree. 



The world has been fond of pointing 

 out that the French language has no word 

 for "home." It has a word possibly even 

 more tender. What a meaning is in the 

 sound of "foyer"! It includes the con- 

 cept of hearthstone and much more. It 

 brings to the French mind and heart all 

 the ideals, activities, and dreams of a 

 close, inner circle where obedience is a 



joy, respect a willing observance, and 

 love an ever-present radiance. 



The foyer is not for the outside world ; 

 only behind locked doors does it really 

 live and flourish. The father may deal 

 with the outside world of business, but 

 here in the* foyer the mother generally 

 rules supreme, and her influence is every- 

 where seen in it. 



Is it any wonder that when one parent 

 dies the other is immediately taken into 

 the home of the married son or daughter, 

 there to rule as a sort of benevolent, en- 

 lightened despot? 



COURTSHIP AMONG THE FRENCH 



Perhaps some youthful American 

 reader of these pages has already asked. 

 How can there be any courtship in so 

 private a home, where everybody within 

 the charmed circle is consulted about all 

 the affairs connected with that circle ? 



As a preparatory step toward such a 



