We continue our series of article in Jèrriais – Jersey’s own traditional native language.
The ‘frouque’ in question is a digging fork, rather than a table fork. An English translation follows. This contribution comes from Clive Jones
WALTER GALLICHAN
Bouônjour bouonnes gens. Ch’est Clive Jones tch’ a l’pliaîsi d’ vouos êcrithe un p’tit articl’ye aniet. J’sis dgide touristique en Jèrri et ch’est man travas d’explyitchi les choses qu’ les gens vaient ou même qu’i’ n’ont pon r’mèrtchi.
Sus eune muthâle dans l’Vièr Marchi, ou pouvez vaie eune pliaque tchi ramémouaithe Walter Mathew Gallichan “auteur”. Mais tchi qu’i’ ‘tait chu Gallichan et pouortchi qu’i’ méthite eune pliaque?
I’ fût né â St Hélyi en 1861. San péthe, Jean Gallichan, ‘tait antitchaithe et sa méthe, Elizabeth, ensîngnait la musique. La fanmil’ye èrmuit en Angliéterre et i’ d’meuthit à Reading.
I’ c’menchit sa carrièthe d’auteu au “Daily Mail” où’est qu i’ ‘tait iun des preunmié journalistes. Il êcrithit chîn romans, mais pus de trente-chînq aut’ livres. I’ ‘tait enthousiaste entouor la pêqu’sie dans les lacs et les riviéthes et entouor les viages étout et il êcrithit neuf livres entouor ches sujets.
Il avait un traîsiéme întéthet: i’ ‘tait “sexologue”, comme on dithait aniet, ch’est-à-dithe tchitch’un tchi consilyiait les gens sus lus r’lâtions sexuelles, lu compatibil’yté et tout comme chenna.
I’ s’mathit offûche quat’ fais, cèrtainement trais fais, et ch’est pourtchi i s’nommit “expert” sus chu mêtchi, j’ crai.
En mille neuf chent neuf il publiyit san preunmié livre “La femme[1] modèrne et comment la mênagi”et pis, en mille neuf chent tchînze “L’Art dé faithe la carre et du mathiage”[2].
Gallichan s’dêmathit dé sa s’gonde femme en mille neuf chent tchînze et i’ mathit Nora Finberg en mille neuf chent seize. Tout semblyait aller bein, mais ch’est pôssibl’ye qué s’n attitude c’menchit à changi. En mille neuf chent vîngt il publiyit “L’Âge critique de la femme”[3]: du point d’veue des hommes, i’ ‘tait eune aîgue dé saver tchil’ âge qu’oulle avait!
Mais pouor Gallichan les choses semblyaient aller achteu en ava et en mille neuf chent vîngt-six i’ publiyit “Les pièges du mathiage”[4] Et tch’est qu’i’ sont ches pièges? Malheutheusement jé n’savons pon: lé livre est au jour d’aniet êpuisé.
Ch’ ‘tait en mille neuf chent vîngt-sept, quand Gallichan eut souaixante-siêx ans qu’i’ trouvit lé fond du pits auve la publyicâtion de “L’indolence sexuelle et la fraideu des femmes”.[5] I’ s’peut qué Gallichan né pensit pon qu’à l’âge de souaixante-siêx ans, les femmes né l’ trouvîtent d’aut’ séduisant!
Il êcrivit des livres critiques sus l’êmancipation des femmes et favorabl’ye envèrs la sélection des races. Gallichan ‘tait un homme auve des avis tout à fait “difféthents” pouor nos jours.
Mais êrtouônnons à la tchestion du c’menchement: pouortchi méthite-t-i’ eune pliaque dans l’Vièr Marchi? Bein, chièr êcouteux, marchiz autou de l’înmeubl’ye et èrgardez lé d’vant d’la maîson: ou trouvethez eune d’vinnâle…..
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In English translation:
Walter Gallichan
Good day, ladies and gentlemen. This is Clive Jones and it’s my pleasure to write for you a little article today. I’m a tourist guide in Jersey and it’s my job to explain the things that people see or even things they haven’t noticed.
On a wall in the Royal Square you can see a plaque that commemorates Walter Mathew Gallichan, “author”. But who was this Gallichan and why does he deserve a plaque?
He was born in St Helier in 1861. His father, John Gallichan was an antique-dealer and his mother Elizabeth taught music. The family moved to England and lived in Reading.
He started his career as an author on the “Daily Mail”, where he was one of their first journalists. He wrote five novels but more than 35 other books. He was particularly interested in fresh-water fishing and also travel and he wrote nine books on these subjects.
He had a third interest: he was a “sexologist”, as we’d call it today. That is, someone who advises people on their sexual relationships, their compatibility and so on.He married possibly four times, certainly three and that is why I think he appointed himself an ‘expert’ on this subject.
In 1909 he published his first book: “Modern Woman and How To Manage Her” and then, in 1915 “The Art of Courtship and Marriage”.
Gallichan divorced his second wife in 1915 and married Nora Finberg in 1916. Everything seemed to be going well but it’s possible that his attitude had begun to change. In 1920 he published “The Critical Age of Woman”: from the point of view of us men, it would be a help to know what that age is!
But for Gallichan things seemed to be going downhill and in 1926 he published “Pitfalls of Marriage”. And what are those pitfalls? Sadly we don’t know: nowadays the book is out of print.
It was in 1927, when Gallichan was sixty-six years old that he reached the bottom of the well with the publication of “Sexual Apathy and Coldness in Women”. It’s possible it didn’t occur to Gallichan that at the age of sixty six women didn’t find him attractive!
He wrote books critical of the emancipation of women and favourable towards racial selection. Gallichan was a man with altogether “different” views to today.
But let’s go back to the question at the beginning: why does he deserve a plaque in the Royal Square? Well, dear listener walk round the building and look at the front: you’ll find a clue….
[1] “Modern Woman and How To Manage Her.”
[2] “The Art of Courtship and Marriage”
[3] “The Critical Age of Woman”
[4] “Pitfalls of Marriage”
[5] “Sexual Apathy and Coldness in Women”
