OUR PARIS LETTER

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 112, 14 May 1927, Page 17

OUR PARIS LETTER

HISTORICAL FRAGMENTS

LOUIS XIV. EXHIBITION

(From Oar^Own Correspondent),

PAEIS, 16th March.

M. Roland Marcel, head of the National Library, has brought together an extraordinary interesting collection of fragments of history in the Louis XIV. Exhibition, which has opened in the Mazarin Gallery of the library. The Eoi Soleil's suit of armour stands at the door, his equestrian statue occupies the place of honour, and his portrait, engraved by Robert Nanteuil, hangs on the principal panel. A more intimate souvenir is one of. his Latin exercises written when he was nine years old. Among the ■ State documents | we have the original of the treaty which put an end to the war with Spain, the warrant for the arrest of JFouquet, and the Eevocation of the Edict of Nantes. There are autograph letters by Louvois, Golbert, Turenne, "Vauban, Mme. de Sevigne, Descartes, and Corneille, the original MSS. of Saint-Simon's "Memoirs" and Pascal's "Thoughts, rare editions of Scarron. La Fontaine, Moliere and Cyrano de Bergerac, and hundreds of other treasures. MORE "WOMEN DENTISTS. French women seem to be taking more and more to science and medicine as a way to independence. In 1925 the Faculty of Science had 552, students belonging to the weaker sex. Last year the total rose to 675, and it will be still larger this year. At the Faculty of Medicine 875 names were put down in 1925j and 897 last year. Dentistry appears to be the branch enjoying the greatest popularity. Out of 300 students at the Dental School in 1914, only 15 were women.' The proportion ,has now risen to 176 in 516. Most of the women who take a dental degree practice in the provinces instead of remainIng ia Paris, where openings are less easily obtainable. - From the feminine point of view dentistry is suitable because it is a profession that can be practised in the home and calls for very little travelling. It also requires the feminine qualities of minutenesa and gentleness, and it produces :an- income sooner than can be expected-from the practice of medicine. •"* '

A WOMAN AUCTIONEER. The Hotel dcs Ventes in the; Eve Drouot, wherd all auction; sales in Paris take place, is the scene of the latesfe triumph of woman. The. auctioneer, known as a commissaire;priseur, belongs to a corporation of which the membership is strictly limited. His office is a sort of secular benefice which ho is entitled to sell if he wishes to retire. An Act voted not' long ago enabled 1 women to adopt the profession of eommissaire priseur, and the.first of them officiated on Monday as expert at a sale of rare books. Seated at a small table, this pioneer, Mile. Marguerite Milhau, gave a brief verbal description of each book offered for sale, and announced its reserve price. ,■ Dressed entirely in grey, with a silk scarf round her neck, and wearing a smart hat, she lent a pleasing touch to the; sale room. In front of her was a large/bouquet of violets, of which she inhaled the perfume from time to time. She had every reason to be satisfied with her debut. Nearly every lot was knocked down at unexpectedly high figures. ' : : '

LEFT FORTUNE TO A STRANGER.

One of the Paris Courts wUI shortly bo called upon to hear ajji action to set" aside the will of aweaithy Frenchwoman, who left her entire fortune, estimated at about 5,000,000fr5. (roughly £42,000) to a Government office attendant. Some years ago, she had occasion to present herself at the office in question, and was received by tho attendant with a courtesy which made a great impression on her. Her first opinion was confirmed on subsequent visits, and when h.er: will was opened after her death it was found that she had bequeathed everything to the polite attendant. Her nearest surviving relative, her sister, maintains'that the will is bad, because French law does not permit relatives to bo entirely disinherited in favour of a stranger. HOUSEWIFE'S HAPPIER LOT. Tho housowife's lifo wili bo a very happy one.in the future if.all the lab-our-saving dovices now being shown at tho Housewife's Exhibition.. at the <Jrand Palais are adopted in the homes of Franco. It will be possible for her to do practically all-ior work without soiling her hands in the slightest, for there are machines for washing up dishes, others for washing clothes, patent brushes guaranteed fti sweep up every speck of dust, and dozens of other ingenious ideas for lightening her monotonous toil and making it:almost enjoyable. Tho idea of heating tho bath by means of a row of gas burners fixed bencatli it seems an excellent one, and tho saucepan which nover burns will appeal to every woman. And' men seem to be as keenly interestedin household necessities and arrangements as their wives, for almost as many men as women examine the exhibits every day. CAUSTIC COMMENTS BY THE FAIR SEX. Caustic comments by womenfolk are being mado upon a new masculine fashion which a- Parisian hatter is attempting to launch. It is a'top-hat for summer wear mado in rainbow colours and is intended to be worn at the races or similar events in place of tho old-fash-ioned grey topper. Soft hats are also madu in the same variegated colours. Women who looked at the hats in the shop window smiled, and said that some of tho modprn men were so feeling the •inferiority of their sex, that- they were prepared to resort to any device to reassert themselves.