NOISIEL: THE CITY OF CHOCOLATE.
When not disposed to go far a-field in search of pleasure or
instruction, we find plenty to interest us close at hand. Even in this
quiet little village there is always something going on, a _fête
patronale_, a ball, a prize-distribution, or other local event. The
Ecole Communale for both boys and girls has just closed for the
holidays, so last Sunday--the season in July--the prizes were given away
with much ceremony. A tent was decorated with tricolour flags,
evergreens, and garlands, the village band escorted thither the Mayor
and Corporation, marching them in with a spirited air, the entire
community having turned out to see. I had already witnessed a
prize-distribution in the heart of Anjou, but how different from this!
Here at Couilly it was difficult to believe that the fashionable
Parisian toilettes around us belonged to the wives of small farmers, who
all the week were busy in their dairies, whilst the young ladies of all
ages, from five to fifteen, their daughters, might have appeared at the
Lady Mayoress's ball at Guildhall, so smart were they in their white
muslin frocks and blue and pink sashes and hair-knots. A few mob-caps
among the old women and blue blouses among the men were seen, but the
assemblage, as a whole, might be called a fashionable one--whilst at
Anjou, exactly the same class presented the homeliest appearance, all
the female part of it wearing white _coiffes_ and plain stuff gowns, the
men blue blouses and sabots. Nor was the difference less striking in
other respects. These sons and daughters of rich tenant-farmers, peasant
proprietors, or even day-labourers, are far ahead of the young people in
Anjou, and each would be considered a wonder in benighted Brittany. They
are, in fact, quite accomplished, not only learning singing, drawing and
other accomplishments, but are able to take part in dramatic
entertainments. Two performances were given by the boys, two by the
girls, a little play being followed by a recitation; and I must say I
never heard anything of the kind in a village-school in England.
These children acquitted themselves of their parts remarkably well,
especially the girls, and their accuracy, pure accent, and delivery
generally, spoke volumes for the training they had received; of
awkwardness there was not a trace. Of course there were speeches from
the Mayor, M. le Curé, and others, also music and singing, and a large
number of excellent books were distributed, each recipient being at the
same time crowned with a wreath of artificial flowers.
It is to be hoped that ere many years, thanks to the new law enforcing
compulsory education, the excellent education these children receive
will be the portion of every boy and girl in France, and that an adult
unable to read and write--the rule, not the exception, among the rural
population in Brittany--will be unheard of. A friend of mine from Nantes
recently took with her to Paris a young Breton maidservant, who had been
educated by the "Bonnes Soeurs," that is to say the nuns. What was the
poor girl's astonishment to find that in Paris everybody was so far
accomplished as to be able to read and write? Her surprise would have
been greater still, had she witnessed the acquirements of these little
Couilly girls, many of them, like herself, daughters of small peasant
farmers.
It must be mentioned, for the satisfaction of those who regard the
progress of education with some concern, that the elegant bonnets and
dresses I speak of are laid aside on week days, and that nowhere in
France do people work harder than here. But when not at work they like
to wear good clothes and read the newspapers as well as their
neighbours. Take our laundress, for instance, an admirable young woman,
who gets up clothes to perfection, and who on Sunday exchanges her
cotton gown and apron for the smartest of Parisian costumes. The amount
of underclothes these countrywomen possess is sometimes enormous, and
they pride themselves upon the largest possible quantity, a great part
of which is of course laid by. They count their garments not by dozens
but by scores, and can thus afford to wait for the quarterly
washing-day, as they often do. It must be also mentioned that
cleanliness is uniformly found throughout these flourishing villages,
and, in most, hot and cold public baths. Dirt is rare--I might almost
say unknown--also rags, neither of which as yet we have seen throughout
our long walks and drives, except in the case of a company of tramps we
encountered one day. Drunkenness is also comparatively absent, in some
places we might say absolutely.
As we make further acquaintance with these favoured regions, we might
suppose that here, at least, the dreams of Utopians had come true, and
that poverty, squalor, and wretchedness were banished for ever. The
abundant crops around us are apportioned out to all, and the soil,
which, if roughly cultivated according to English notions, yet bears
marvellously, is not the heritage of one or two, but of the people. The
poorest has his bit of land, to which he adds from time to time by the
fruit of his industry, and though tenant-farming is carried on largely,
owing to the wealth and enterprize of the agricultural population, the
tenant-farmers almost always possess land of their own, and they hire
more in order to save money for future purchases. Of course they could
only make tenant-farming pay by means of excessive economy and
laboriousness, as the rents are high, but in these respects they are not
wanting.
The fertility of the soil is not more astonishing than the variety of
produce we find here, though pasturage and cheese-making are their chief
occupations, and fruit crops are produced in other parts. We find, as
has been before mentioned, fruit-trees everywhere, corn, fruit, and
vegetables all growing with unimaginable luxuriance. The pastures are
also very fine, but we see no cattle out to graze; the harvest work
requires all hands, and, as there are no fences between field and
meadow, there is no one to tend them. The large heap of manure being
dried up by the sun in the midst of the farm-yard, has a look of
unthriftiness, whilst the small, dark, and ill-ventilated dairies make
us wonder that the manufacture of the famous Brie cheese should be the
profitable thing it is. At one farm we visited, we saw thirty-six
splendid Normandy cows, the entire milk produce of which was used for
cheese-making. Yet nothing could be worse than the dairy arrangements
from a hygienic point of view, and the absolute cleanliness requisite
for dairy work was wanting. These Brie cheeses are made in every farm,
small or great, and large quantities are sent to the Meaux market on
Saturdays, where the sale alone reaches the sum of five or six millions
of francs yearly. The process is a very simple one, and is of course
perpetually going on.
Our hostess, at one of the larger and more prosperous of these farms,
showed us everything, and regaled us abundantly with the fresh milk warm
from the cow. Here we saw an instance of the social metamorphosis taking
place in these progressive districts. The mistress of the house, a
bright clever woman, occupied all day with the drudgery of the
farm-house, is fairly educated; and, though now neatly dressed in plain
cotton gown, on Sunday dresses like any other lady for the promenade.
Her mother, still clinging to the past custom, appeared in short stuff
petticoat, wooden shoes, and yellow-handkerchief wrapped round her head;
while the children, who, in due time, will be trained to toil like their
neighbours, are now being well taught in the village school.
These people are wealthy, and may be taken as types of the farming class
here, though many of the so called _cultivateurs_, or proprietors,
farming their own land, live in much easier style; the men managing the
business, the ladies keeping the house, and the work of the farm being
left to labourers. The rent of good land is about fifty shillings an
acre, and wages, in harvest time, four francs with board. The farms,
while large in comparison with anything found in Brittany and Anjou, are
small, measured by our scale, being from fifty to two or three hundred
acres.
Steam-threshing has long been in use here; but, of course, not
generally, as the smaller patches of corn only admit of the old system;
and the corn is so ripe that it is often threshed on the field
immediately after the cutting; the harvesting process is rapid; we often
see only one or two labourers, whether men or women, on a single patch.
But there is no waiting, as a rule, for fine weather to cart away the
corn, and masters and men work with a will. We must, indeed, watch a
harvest from beginning to end to realise the laboriousness of a farmer's
life here. Upon one occasion, when visiting a farm of a hundred and
thirty acres, we found the farmer and his mother, rich people, both hard
at work in the field, the former casting away straw--the corn being
threshed by machinery on the field--the latter tying it up.
The look of cheerfulness animating all faces was delightful to behold.
The farmer's countenance beamed with satisfaction, and, one may be sure,
not without good cause. The farmhouse and buildings are spacious and
handsome, and, as is generally the case here, were surrounded by a high
wall, having a large court in the centre, where a goodly number of
geese, turkeys, and poultry were disporting themselves. There we found
only a few cows, but they were evidently very productive from the
quantity of cheeses found in the dairy.[Footnote: The curious in
agriculture never need fear to ask a question or two of these
flourishing farmers and farmeresses of Seine et Marne. Busy as they are,
they are never too busy to be courteous, and are always ready to show
any part of the premises to strangers.]
Sheep are not kept here largely, and grazing bullocks still less. The
farmer, therefore, relies chiefly on his dairy, next on his corn and
fruit crops, and, as bad seasons are rare, both these seldom fail him.
But these pleasant villages have generally some other interest besides
their rich harvest and picturesque sites. In some of the smallest, you
may find exquisite little churches, such as La Chapelle-sur-Crécy, a
veritable cathedral in miniature. Crécy was once an important place with
ninety-nine towers and double ramparts, traces of which still remain.
A narrow stream runs at the back of the town, and quaint enough are the
little houses perched beside it, each with its garden and tiny
drawbridge, drawn at night, the oddest sights of which a sketcher might
make something. A sketcher, indeed, must be a happy person here, so many
quiet subjects offering themselves at every turn. Many of these village
churches date from the thirteenth century, and are alike picturesque
within and without, their spires and gabled towers giving these leading
characters to the landscape. Nowhere in France do you find prettier
village churches, not a few ranking among the historic monuments of the
country. Here and there are châteaux with old-fashioned gardens and
noble avenues, and we have only to ask permission at the porter's lodge,
to walk in and enjoy them at leisure.
In one of these the lady of the house, who was sitting out of doors,
kindly beckoned us to enter, and we had the pleasure of listening, under
some splendid oaks, to the oriole's song, and of seeing a little cluster
of Eucalyptus trees, two surprises we had not looked for. The oriole, a
well known and beautiful American bird, also a songster that may be
compared to the nightingale, is indeed no stranger here, and, having
once heard and seen him, you cannot mistake him for any other bird. His
song is an invariable prognostic of rain, as we discover on further
acquaintance.
The _Eucalyptus Globulus_, or blue gum tree, a native of Australia, and
now so successfully acclimatized in Algeria, the Cape, the Riviera, and
other countries, is said to flourish in the region of the olive only;
but we were assured by the lady of the house that it bears the frost of
these northern regions. I confess I thought her plantations looked
rather sickly, and considering that the climate is like that of Paris,
subject to short spells of severe cold in winter and sudden changes, I
doubt much in the experiment. But the health-giving, fever-destroying
Eucalyptus is not needed in this well-wooded healthy country, and the
splendid foliage of acacia, walnut, oaks, and birch leaves nothing to
desire either in the matter of shade or ornament. A lover of trees,
birds, and whispering breezes will say that here at least is a corner of
the Happy Fields of Homer, or the Islands of the Blest described by
Hesiod.
Nowhere is summer to be more revelled in, more amply tasted, than in
these rustic villages, where creature comforts yet abound, and nowhere
is the _dolce far niente_ so easily induced. Why should we be at the
trouble of undertaking a hot, dusty railway journey in search of Gaelic
tombs, Gothic churches, or Merovingian remains when we have the essence
of deliciousness at our very door?--waving fields of ripe corn, amid
which the reapers in twos and threes are at work--picturesque figures
that seemed to have walked out of Millet's canvas--lines of poplars
along the curling river, beyond hills covered with woods, a clustering
village, or a château, here and there. This is the picture, partially
screened by noble acacia trees, that I have from my window, accompanied
by the music of waving barley and wheat, dancing leaves, and
chaffinches, tame as canaries, singing in the branches.
About a mile off is the little village of Villiers, which is even
prettier than our own, and which of course artists have long ago found
out. The wayside inn near the bridge, crossing the little river Morin,
bears witness to the artistic popularity of this quiet spot. The panels
of the parlour are covered with sketches, some in oil, some in
water-colour, souvenirs with which visitors have memorialized their
stay. Some of these hasty effects are very good, and the general effect
is heightened by choice old pottery, tastefully arranged above.
Villiers-sur-Morin would be an admirable summer resort for an artist
fond of hanging woods, running streams, and green pastures, and a dozen
more possessing the same attraction lie close at hand.
But, though within so easy a distance of Paris, life is homely, and
fastidious travellers must keep to the beaten tracks and high roads
where good hotels are to be found. When he goes into the by-ways, a
way-side inn is all that he must expect, and, if there is no
_diligence_, a lift in the miller's or baker's cart; the farmers' wives
driving to market with their cheese and butter are always willing to
give the stranger a seat, but money must not be offered in return for
such obligingness. We must never forget that, if these country folks are
laborious, and perhaps sordid, in their thriftiness, they are proud, and
refuse to be paid for what costs them nothing. The same characteristic
is very generally found in France.
Fishing is the principal amusement here, and shared by both sexes. What
the Marne and the Morin contain in the way of booty, we hardly know; but
it is certain that more cunning fish, whether perch, tench, or bream,
never existed, and are not, "by hook or by crook," to be caught.
Wherever we go, we find anglers sitting patiently by these lovely green
banks, and certainly the mere prospect they have before them--clear water
reflecting water-mill and lofty poplar trees and shelving banks now a
tangle of wild flowers--is enough to make such indolence agreeable. But,
after days and days of fruitless waiting for the prey that always eludes
them, we do wonder at such persistence. Is nothing then ever caught in
these pleasant streams, will ask the inquiring reader? Well, yes, I have
seen served at table perch the size of very small herrings, which it is
the French fashion to take between the fingers daintily, and, holding by
head and tail, nibble as children bite an apple. Whether indeed these
little fish are caught by the angler, I know not; but this is certainly
the way they are eaten--if inelegant, _honi soit qui mal y pense_.
Next to fishing, the favourite pastime here is swimming, also indulged
in largely by the gentler sex. The pedestrian, in his ramble along
winding river and canal, will be sure to surprise a group of
water-nymphs sporting in the water, their bathing costumes being
considered quite a sufficient guarantee against ill-natured comment. The
men are more careless of appearance, and, if they can get a good bathing
place tolerably hidden from the world, take their bath or swim in
nature's dress. In all these river-side towns and villages are public
baths, swimming schools, and doubtless the prevailing love of water in
these parts may partly account for the healthful looks and fine
physiques of the population. In fact, people are as clean here as they
are the reverse in Brittany, and the blue linen clothes, invariably worn
by the men, are constantly in the wash, and are as cool, comfortable and
cleanly as it is possible to conceive. English folks have yet to learn
how to dress themselves healthfully and appropriately in hot weather,
and here they might take a hint.
But no matter how enamoured of green fields and woodland walks, we must
tear ourselves away for a day to see the famous "Chocolate city" of M.
Menier, the modern marvel _par excellence_ of the county, and, as a
piece of the most perfect organization it is possible to conceive, one
of the wonders of the world. M. Menier has undoubtedly arrived at making
the best chocolate that ever rejoiced the palate; he has achieved far
greater things than this, in giving us one of the happiest and most
delightful social pictures that ever charmed the heart. Such things must
be seen to be realized, but I will as briefly as possible give an
account of what I saw.
Again, we make the pretty little town of Lagny our starting point, and,
having passed a succession of scattered farm-houses and wide
corn-fields, we come gradually upon a miniature town, built in red and
white; so coquettishly, airily, daintily placed is the City of Chocolate
amid orchards and gardens, that, at first sight, a spectator is inclined
to take it rather for a settlement of such dreamers as assembled
together at Brook Farm to poetize, philosophize, and make love, than of
artizans engaged in the practical business of life. This long street of
charming cottages, having gardens around and on either side, is planted
with trees, so that in a few years' time it will form as pleasant a
promenade as the Parisian boulevards. We pass along, admiring the
abundance of flowers everywhere, and finally reach a large open square
around which are a congeries of handsome buildings, all like the
dwelling houses, new, cheerful, and having trees and benches in front.
This is the heart of the "Cité," to be described by-and-by, consisting
of Co-operative Stores, Schools, Libraries, &c.; beyond, stands the
château of M. Menier, surrounded by gardens, and before us the
manufactory. The air is here fragrant, not with roses and jessamine, but
with the grateful aroma of chocolate, reminding us that we are indeed in
a city, if not literally a pile, of cocoa, yet owing its origin to the
products of that wonderful tree, or rather to the ingenuity by which its
resources have been turned to such account.
The works are built on the river Marne, and, having seen two vast
hydraulic machines, we enter a lift with the intelligent foreman deputed
to act as guide, and ascend to the topmost top of the many storied,
enormous building in which the cocoa berry is metamorphosed into the
delicious compound known as Chocolate Menier. This is a curious
experience, and the reverse of most other intellectual processes, since
here, instead of mounting the ladder of knowledge gradually, we find
ourselves placed on a pinnacle of ignorance, from which we descend by
degrees, finding ourselves enlightened when we at last touch the ground.
Our aërial voyage accomplished, we see process the first, namely, the
baking of the berry, this, of course, occupying a vast number of hands,
all men, on account of the heat and laboriousness required in the
operation. Descending a story, we find the cocoa berry already in a fair
way to become edible, and giving out an odour something like chocolate;
here the process consists in sorting and preparing the vast masses of
cocoa for grinding. Lower still, we find M. Menier's great adjunct in
the fabrication of chocolate, namely, sugar, coming into play, and no
sooner are sugar and cocoa put together than the compound becomes
chocolate in reality. Lower still, we find processes of refining and
drying going on, an infinite number being required before the necessary
firmness is attained. Lower still, we come to a very hot place indeed,
but, like all the other vast compartments of the manufactory, as well
ventilated, spacious, and airy as is possible to conceive, the workman's
inconvenience from the heat being thereby reduced to a minimum.
Here it is highly amusing to watch the apparently intelligent machines
which divide the chocolate into half-pound lumps, the process being
accomplished with incredible swiftness. Huge masses of chocolate in this
stage awaiting the final preparation are seen here and there, all
destined at last to be put half a pound at a time into a little baking
tin, and to be baked like a hot cross bun, the name of Menier being
stamped on at the same time. A good deal of manipulation is necessary in
this process; but we must go down a stage lower to see the dexterity and
swiftness with which the chief manual tasks in the fabrication of
chocolate are performed.
Here women are chiefly employed, and their occupation is to envelope the
half-pound cakes of chocolate in three papers, first silver, next white,
and finally sealing it up in the well-known yellow cover familiar to all
of us. These feminine fingers work so fast, and with such marvellous
precision, that, if the intricate pieces of machinery we have just
witnessed seemed gifted with human intelligence and docility, on the
other hand the women at work in this department appeared like animated
machines; no blundering, no halting, no alteration of working pace.
Their fluttering fingers, indeed, worked with beautiful promptitude and
regularity, and as everybody in M. Menier's City of Chocolate is
well-dressed and cheerful, there was nothing painful in the monotony of
their toil or unremitting application.
On the same floor are the packing departments, where we see the cases
destined for all parts of the world.
Thus quickly and easily we have descended the ladder of learning, and
have acquired some faint notion of the way in which the hard, brown,
tasteless cocoa berry is transformed into one of the most agreeable and
wholesome compounds as yet invented for our delectation. Of course, many
intermediate processes have had to be passed by, also many interesting
features in the organization of the various departments; these, to be
realized, must be seen.
There are one or two points, however, I will mention. In the first
place, when we consider the enormous duty on sugar, and the fact that
chocolate, like jam, is composed half of sugar and half of berry, we are
at first at a loss to understand how chocolate-making can bring in such
large returns as it must do--in the first place, to have made M. Menier
a millionaire, in the second, to enable him to carry out his
philanthropic schemes utterly regardless of cost. But we must remember
that there is but one Chocolate Menier in the world, and that in spite
of the enormous machinery at work, night and day, working day and
Sunday, supply can barely keep pace with demand. A staff of
night-workers are always at rest in the day-time, in order to keep the
machinery going at work, and, to my regret, I learned that the
work-shops are not closed on Sundays. M. Menier's work-people doubtless
get ample holidays, but the one day's complete rest out of the seven,
the portion of all with us, is denied them. By far the larger portion of
the Chocolate Menier is consumed in France, where, as in England and
America, it stands unrivalled. M. Menier may therefore be said to
possess a monopoly, and, seeing how largely he lavishes his ample wealth
on others, none can grudge him such good fortune.
Having witnessed the transformation of one of the most unpromising
looking berries imaginable into the choicest of sweetmeats, the richest
of the cups "that cheer but not inebriate;" lastly, one of the best and
most nourishing of the lighter kinds of food--we have to witness a
transformation more magical still, namely, the hard life of toil made
easy, the drudgery of mechanical labour lightened, the existence of the
human machine made hopeful, healthful, reasonable, and happy. Want,
squalor, disease, and drunkenness have been banished from the City of
Chocolate, and thrift, health, and prosperity reign in their stead.
Last of all, ignorance has vanished also, a thorough education being the
happy portion of every child born within its precincts. Our first visit
was to what is called the "Ecole Gardienne," or infant school--like the
rest kept up entirely at M. Menier's expense--and herein, the grandest
gift of organization is seen, perhaps, more strikingly than anywhere.
These children, little trotting things from three to five years old,
have a large playground, open in summer and covered in winter, and a
spacious school-room, in which they receive little lessons in singing, A
B C, and so on. Instead of being perched on high benches without backs,
and their legs dangling, as is the case in convent schools for the poor,
they have delightful little low easy-chairs and tables accommodated to
their size, each little wooden chair, with backs, having seats for two,
so that, instead of being crowded and disturbing each other, the
children sit in couples with plenty of room and air, and in perfect
physical comfort. No hollow chests, no bent backs, no crookedness here.
Happy and comfortable as princes these children sit in their chairs,
having their feet on the floor, and their backs where they ought to be,
namely, as a support.
Leading out of the school-room are two small rooms, where we saw a
pleasant sight; a dozen cots, clean and cosy as it is possible to
conceive, on which rosy, sturdy boys and girls of a year old were taking
their midday sleep. We next went into the girls' school, which is under
the charge of a certificated mistress, and where children remain till
thirteen or fourteen years of age, receiving exactly the same education
as the boys, and without a fraction of cost to the parents. The course
of study embraces all branches of elementary knowledge, with needlework,
drawing, history, singing and book-keeping. Examinations are held and
certificates of progress awarded. We found the girls taking a lesson in
needle-work--the only point in which their education differs from that
of the boys--and the boys at their drawing class; the school-rooms are
lofty, well-aired, and admirably arranged.
Adjoining the schools is the library, open to all members of the
community, and where many helps to adult study are afforded. On the
other side of the pleasant green square, so invitingly planted with
trees, stand the Cooperative Stores, which are, of course, an important
feature in the organization of the community. Here meat, groceries, and
other articles of daily domestic consumption are sold at low prices, and
of the best possible quality: the membership, of course, being the
privilege of the thrifty and the self-denying, who belong to the
Association by payment. I did not ask if intoxicating drinks were sold
on the premises, for such an inquiry would have been gratuitous. The
cheerful, tidy, healthful looks of the population proclaimed their
sobriety, and some excellent _sirop de groseille_ offered me in the
cottage of the foreman who acted as guide, showed that such delicious
drinks are made at home as to necessitate no purchases abroad.
There is also a Savings' Bank, which all are invited to patronize; six
and a half per cent being the incentive held out to those economisers on
a small scale. But neither the school, nor the Co-operative Store, nor
the Savings' Bank can make the working man's life what it should be
without the home, and it is with the home that alike M. Menier's
philanthropy and organization attain the acmé. These dwellings, each
block containing two, are admirably arranged, with two rooms on the
ground-floor, two above, a capital cellar and office, and last, but not
least, a garden. The workman pays a hundred and twenty francs, rather
less than five pounds, a year for this accommodation, which it is hardly
necessary to say is the portion of very few artizans in France, or
elsewhere. The _Cité_, as it is called, being close to the works, they
can go home to meals, and, though the women are largely employed in the
manufactory, the home need not be neglected. It was delightful to
witness my cicerone's pleasure in his home. He was a workman of superior
order, and though, as he informed me, of no great education, yet
possessed of literary and artistic tastes. The little parlour was as
comfortable a room as any reasonable person could desire. There were
books on the shelves, and pictures over the mantelpiece. Among these,
were portraits of Thiers, Gambetta, and M. Menier, for all of whom their
owner expressed great admiration.
"Ah!" he said, "I read the newspaper and I know a little history, but in
my time education was not thought of. These children here have now the
chance of being whatever they like."
He showed me his garden, every inch of which was made use of--fruit,
flowers, and vegetables growing luxuriantly on this well-selected site.
The abundance of flowers was particularly striking, especially to those
familiar with certain districts in France, where the luxury of a flower
is never indulged in; M. Menier himself must have as strong a passion
for gardening as for philanthropy, judging from the enormous gardens
adjoining his handsome château, and perhaps his love of flowers--always
a most humanizing taste--has set the example. These brilliant
_parterres_, whether seen in the vast domains of the master or the
humble homesteads of the men, delightfully break the red and white
uniformity of the City of Chocolate, flowers above, around, on every
side. There is also a profusion of fruit and vegetables, land quite
recently laid under cultivation soon yielding returns in this favoured
spot.
Before quitting Noisiel we must remark that M. Menier possesses cocoa
and sugar plantations in the Southern States of America, and is thus
enabled to fabricate the best possible chocolate at the lowest possible
price. The cocoa-berry, sugar, and essence of vanilla alone form the
ingredients of this delicious compound, which for the most part is made
of one quality only. The amount of water power used daily, the quantity
of material consumed and chocolate manufactured, the entire consumption
throughout France, all these are interesting statistics, and are found
elsewhere--my object being a graphic description of M. Menier's
"Chocolaterie", and nothing further. The interest to general readers and
writers consists not so much in such facts as these as in the
astonishing completeness of the manufactory as a piece of organization,
and the great social and moral well-being of which it is made the
channel. Something more than mere business talent and philanthropy is
necessary to combine the material and moral forces we find at work here.
M. Menier must have gone into every practical detail, not only of
hygiene and domestic economy, but of education, to have put into working
order so admirable a scheme as his; and by living among his work-people
he is enabled to watch the result of his efforts. The handsome château,
with its magnificent garden in close proximity to the "Cité", preaches a
daily text, which we may be sure is more effective than any amount of
words. By his own capacity and exertions M. Menier has realized the
splendid fortune he now uses so philanthropically, and equally by this
same capacity and exertion only can his working men lift themselves in
the social scale. The children educated at Noisiel will have their
fortune in their own hands, since in France fortune and the highest
social distinctions are within reach of all; and, in thus educating her
future citizens, the great chocolate manufacturer is fulfilling the part
not only of a philanthropist but of a true patriot.
The French nation now recognise the fact, long since evident to
outsiders, that the last great contest between France and Germany was a
struggle less between two vast armed forces than between instruction and
alertness on the one hand, and ignorance and indolence on the other. Now
that French youth is urged and compelled to put its shoulder to the
wheel, and duty before pleasure, none can despair of the future of
France. Wherever I go, in whatever corner of the world I henceforth
taste the renowned Chocolate Menier, I shall be reminded of something
which will lend additional sweetness and flavour to it. I shall recall a
community of working people whose toil is lightened and elevated, whose
daily portion is made hopeful, reasonable, and happy, by an ever-active
sympathy and benevolence rarely found allied. More lessons than one will
be carried away by the least and most instructed visitor of the
flourishing little City of Chocolate on the banks of the Marne.
Church-going in this rich country is at all times a dreary affair, but
especially just now, when partly from the harvest work going on all
Sunday, and partly from lack of devotion, both Catholic and Protestant
places of worship are all but empty. For there is a strong Protestant
element here, dating from the epoch of the Revocation of the Edict of
Nantes, and in the neighbouring village of Quincey are a Protestant
Church and school. One Sunday morning I set off with two friends to
attend service in the latter, announced to take place at eleven o'clock,
but on arriving found the "Temple" locked, and not a sign of any coming
ceremonial. Being very hungry, after the long walk through cornfields
and vineyards, I went to a little baker's shop in search of a roll, and
there realized the hospitable spirit of these good Briards. The mistress
of the shop very kindly invited me into a little back room, and regaled
me with excellent household bread, Brie cheese, and the wine of the
country, refusing to be paid for her refreshments.
This little meal finished, I rejoined my friends at the church, which
was now open, and, in company of half a dozen school-children, we
quietly waited to see what would eventually take place. By-and-by, one
or two peasant-folks dropped in, picturesque old men and women, the
latter in black and blue dresses and mob-caps. Then the schoolmaster
appeared, and we were informed that it being the first Sunday in the
month, the pastor had to do duty in an adjoining parish, according to
custom, and that the schoolmaster would read the prayers and lessons
instead. A psalm was sung, portions of Scripture and short prayers were
read, another straggler or two joining the little congregation as the
service went on. The schoolmaster, who officiated, played the harmonium
and sang exceedingly well, finally read a brief exposition on the
portion of Scripture read, whereupon after further singing we broke up.
It was pleasant to find that the children, who looked particularly
intelligent, were in such good hands. These country pastors, like the
priests, receive very small pay from the State. How these isolated
communities can keep up their schools seems astonishing, and speaks well
for the zeal animating the Protestant body in France. As all the schools
are now closed in consequence of the harvest, we could not see the
children at work.
In the afternoon I went to the parish church of Couilly, whilst vespers
were going on. If the little Protestant assemblage I had just before
witnessed was touching, this was almost painful, and might have afforded
an artist an admirable subject for a picture. Sitting on a high stool,
with his back to the congregation, consisting of three old women, was
the priest, on either side the vergers, one in white stole, the other in
purple robe and scarlet cap, all these chanting in loud monotonous
tones, and of course in Latin, now and then the harmonium giving a faint
accompaniment. On either side of these automatic figures were rows of
little boys in scarlet and white, who from time to time made their
voices heard also. As a background to this strange scene, was the
loveliest little Gothic interior imaginable, the whiteness of aisle and
transept being relieved by the saffron-coloured ribs of the arches and
columns; the Church of Couilly being curious without and beautiful
within, like many other parish churches here. After a time, one of the
vergers blew out the three wax lights on a side altar, and all three
retired, each scurrying away in different directions with very little
show of reverence.
How different from the crowded churches in Brittany, where, whether at
mass or vespers, hardly standing-room is to be found! How long
Catholicism will hold its sway over the popular mind there depends, of
course, greatly on the priests themselves, who, if ignorant and
coarse-mannered, at least set their flocks a better example in the
matter of morals than here. The less said about this subject the better;
French priests are, whichever way we regard them, objects of
commiseration, but there can be no doubt that the indifference shown to
religion in the flourishing _département_ of Seine et Marne has been
brought about by the priests themselves and their open disregard of
decorum. Their shortcomings in this respect are not hidden, and their
domestic lives an open book which all who run may read.
Some of them, however, occupy their time very harmlessly and profitably
in gardening and beekeeping, their choicest fruits and vegetables, like
those of their neighbours, going to England. We went one day, carrying
big baskets with us, to visit the curé of a neighbouring village famous
for his green-gages, and certainly the little _presbytère_ looked very
inviting with its vine-covered walls and luxuriant flower-gardens. The
curé, who told us he had been gardening that morning from four till six
o'clock, received us very courteously, yet in a business-like way, and
immediately took us to his fruit and vegetable garden some way off. Here
we found the greatest possible profusion and evidence of skilful
gardening. The fruit-trees were laden, there were Alpine strawberries
with their bright red fruit, currants, melons, apricots, &c., and an
equal variety of vegetables. Not an inch of ground was wasted, nor were
flowers wanting for adornment and the bees--splendid double sun-flowers,
veritable little suns of gold, garden mallows, gladiolas and others; a
score and more of hives completed the picture which its owner
contemplated with natural pride.
"You have only just given your orders in time, ladies," he said; "all my
green-gages are to be gathered forthwith for the English market. Ah!
those English! those English! they take everything! our best fruit--and
the island of Cyprus!"
Whereupon I ventured to rejoin that, at least if we robbed our French
neighbours of their best fruit, our money found its way into the
grower's pocket. Of course these large purchases in country places make
home produce dearer for the inhabitants; but as the English agents pay a
higher price than others, the peasants and farmers hail their appearance
with delight. The fruit has to ripen on its way, and to enjoy a
green-gage, or melon, to the full, we must taste it here. In the autumn
the fine pears imported to Covent Garden from these villages sometimes
fetch nine sous, four-pence halfpenny each, this being the whole-sale
price. No wonder that in retail we have to pay so much.
The curé in question makes a good deal by his bees, and the honey of
these parts is first-rate. On the whole, small as is their pay, these
parish priests cannot be badly off, seeing that they get extra money by
their garden produce, and largely, also, by baptismal and other church
fees. Then of course it must be remembered that nothing is expected of
them in the way of charity, as is the case with our clergy.
"Nous recevons toujours, nous ne donnons jamais," was the reply of a
French bishop on being asked an alms by some benevolent lady for a
_protégé_.
Scattered throughout these fertile and prosperous regions are ancient
towns, some of which are reached by separate little lines of railway,
others are accessible by road only. Coulommiers is one of these, and
though there is nothing attractive about it, except a most picturesque
old church and a very pretty public walk by the winding river, it is
worth making the two hours' drive across country for the sake of the
scenery. As there is no direct communication with Couilly, and no
possibility of hiring a carriage at this busy season, I gladly accepted
a neighbour's offer of a seat in his "trap," a light spring-cart with
capital horse. He was a tradesman of the village, and, like the rest of
the world here, wore the convenient and cleanly blue cotton trousers and
blue blouse of the country. The third spare seat was occupied by a
neighbouring notary, the two men discussing metaphysics, literature, and
the origin of things, on their way.
We started at seven o'clock in the morning, and lovely indeed looked the
wide landscape in the tender light--valley, and winding river, and
wooded ridge being soon exchanged for wide open spaces covered with corn
and autumn crops. Farming here is carried on extensively, some of these
rich farms numbering several hundred acres. The farm-house and
buildings, surrounded with a high stone wall, are few and far between,
and the separate crops cover much larger tracts than here. It was
market-day at Coulommiers, and we passed by many farmers and farmeresses
jogging to market, the latter with their fruit and vegetables, eggs and
butter, in comfortable covered carts.
Going to market in France means, indeed, what it did with us a hundred
years ago; yet the farmers and farmers' wives looked the picture of
prosperity. In some cases, fashion had so far got the better of
tradition, that the reins were handled by a smart-looking lady in hat
and feathers and fashionable dress, but for the most part by
toil-embrowned homely women, with a coloured handkerchief twisted round
their heads and no pretention to gentility. The men, one and all, wore
blue blouses, and were evidently accustomed to hard work, but for all
that it was easy to see that they were possessed both of means and
intelligence. Like the rest of the Briard population, they are fine
fellows, tall, with regular features and frank good-humoured
countenances.
Some of these farmers and millers give enormous dowries to their
daughters. A million francs is sometimes heard of, and in our own
immediate neighbourhood we heard of several rustic heiresses who would
have a hundred thousand. Many a farmer, tenant-farmer, too, who toils
with his men, has, irrespective of his earnings as a farmer, capital
bringing in several thousand francs yearly; in fact, some of them are in
receipt of what is considered a fair income for an English curate or
vicar, but they work all the same.
At Coulommiers, there is nothing to see but a fine old church with an
imposing tower, rising from the centre of the town. I went inside, and,
though the doors stood wide open, found it empty, except for a little
market-girl, who, having deposited her basket, was bent, not on prayer,
but on counting her money. In Brittany, on market-days, there is never a
lack of pious worshippers; here it is not so, the good folks of Seine et
Marne evidently being inclined to materialism. The interior of this
picturesque church is very quaintly coloured, and, as a whole, it is
well worth seeing.
Like many other towns in these parts, Coulommiers dates from an ancient
period, and long belonged to the English crown. Ravaged during the
Hundred Years' War, the religious wars and the troubles of the League,
nothing to speak of remains of its old walls and towers of defence.
Indeed, except for the drive thither across country, and the fruit and
cheese markets, it possesses no temptations for the traveller.
Market-day is a sight for a painter. The show of melons alone makes a
subject; the weather-beaten market-women, with gay coloured handkerchief
twisted round their heads, their blue gowns, the delicious colour and
lovely form of the fruit, all this must be seen. Here and there were
large pumpkins, cut open to show the ripe red pulp, with abundance of
purple plums, apples and pears just ripening, and bright yellow
apricots. It was clear _les Anglais_ had not carried off all the fruit!
At Coulommiers, as elsewhere, you may search in vain for rags, dirt, or
a sign of beggary. Every one is rich, independent, and happy.