Now turn to the borrowings of France in the United States.  With this great nation, whose middle name is Thrift, Uncle Sam was no respecter of past performance.  For the one separate French external loan he exacted his pound of collateral.  As a matter of fact it amounted to nearly a ton.

I refer to the issue of $100,000,000 Three Year Five Per Cent Gold Notes bearing the date of August 1, 1916.  To float this loan the American Foreign Securities Company was formed which arranged to lend the French Government $100,000,000.  As security the Company—­it was merely a group of American bankers, required France to deposit stocks and bonds having a value at prevailing market and exchange rate of $120,000,000.  Should the value of these securities fall below this sum they must be replenished until there is a margin of twenty per cent in excess of the principal of the loan.

These securities throw an interesting sidelight upon the resource of the French Republic and its ability to borrow desirable collateral from patriotic citizens.  They include obligations of the Government of Argentine, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, Holland, Uruguay, Egypt, Brazil, Spain, and Quebec.  The most picturesque parcel in the lot is $11,000,000 in Suez Canal shares.  This stock is one of the corporate heirlooms of France and is very closely held.  It not only pays a large dividend but shares in the profits of the company which in peace times are big.  The fact that France should put these prize securities in “hock” is evidence of her determination to keep her credit absolutely above reproach.

The Three Year French Notes were brought out at 98 and interest and at the time of issue yielded about 5.73 per cent.

But all direct French borrowing in America has not been on the pound of flesh basis.  For now we come to what might well be called The Loan of Sentiment.  It is the $50,000,000 City of Paris Five Year Six Per Cent Gold Bond Issue dated October 15, 1916.  It gave Americans the opportunity to pay a substantial tribute of affectionate gratitude for happy hours spent in the Queen City of Europe and have the prospect of a desirable dividend at the same time.  Here is a piece of foreign financing with a distinction and a background all its own.  Aside from its purely sentimental phase it is perhaps the only loan floated in America since the war which is dedicated to construction instead of destruction.  The proceeds are to be used to reimburse the City of Paris for expenditures in building hospitals and making other necessary humanitarian improvements and to provide a sinking fund to meet similar disbursements.  Amid the incessant hate and passion of war it is pleasant to find this back water of cooling relief.