OUR PARIS LETTER

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 23, 27 July 1927, Page 17

OUR PARIS LETTER

THE SMOKE EVIL

NOTRE DAME THREATENED

CARVINGS INJURED

(From "The Post's" Representative.) PAEISj Ist June.

Much anxiety for the city's trees 'whose deterioration is said by experts to be due to the growing smoke .evil, has bepn felt for some time, but the news that the matchless stone namentation of Notre Dame is threatened by the same nuisance, iscalculated to cause world-wide concern. It is to be hoped that the danger is not as great as surmised; but M. Massard, who is about to preside .over a sub-committee of inquiry into the smoke nuisance, says that much of the beautiful carving on the-facade of the Cathedral is already badly eaten, by corrosive elements in the at, osp1 * -c. Another member of the sub-committee goes so far as to say that if drastic measures are not immediately adopted Notre-Dame a century hence # will have nothing to show but bared walls, for the fume-laden air -will"' have, destroyed all their embellishment. A GREAT SCULPTOR. The centenary of a great sculptor,, and a man with a very remarkable history was celebrated yesterday. JeanEaptiste Carpeaux, the son of a Valenciennes mason, was born on 31st May, 1887,, in- poverty. In his childhood he ■wentilba 'efooted and hungry, and when his parents took him to Paris, Carpeaux at the age of sixteen carried vegetables in Les Halles. Ho went to the "Petite Ecole" in the Bue de l'Ecole-de-Med-icine, and became the friend of Charles Gamier, the future architect who designed the Paris' Opera House. After producing several ill-appreciated works and when -he had been completely successful with his group "Hector supplicating the gods. in favour of Astyanax," Carpeaux was commanded by Napoleon to make' a bust; of the Empress. Famous groups followed: "Flora," the fountainl^ the Avenue de 1 'Observatoire, and his- chef-d'oeu-vre, "La Danse," .which Gamier ordered for the facade of the. Opera. GODMOTHER TO 500, , A woman who, during the war was marraineito more than 500 soldiers has just been rewarded with, the bronze medal of.'the Reconnaissance Francaise. She is Mme. Ldbbeo. whose grandfather served for 23 years under Napoleon, one of the shining examples of that patriotism which marked all the women of France during the war. In August 1914, she threw open her shop on the Boulevard Montarnasse to the tired and wounded soldiers and from then on, until the Armistice, dispensed free meals with a genoroßity that was unbounded. No soldier -who came to her—and many came—ever went -away- hungry. Not content with this, she sent 50 hot lunches every day to the Necker Hospital to be distributed among the wounded ,mon lying there. Her own son was killed in, the war, and at her expense many of. the graves in" the cemetery whoro he was buried were tended each week. For her' dovotion to the cause of victory she has also been <\ecdrated by the Belgian Government. A PATHETIC GATHERING. A remarkable and pathetic gath'eiing took place jesterday afternoon in Paris. It was the general assembly of the association of Grand mutilcs—a body to which no one is not officially certified as disabled by wounds to' the extent of 100 per cent, and who did hot put in at loast thrco months service fti the trenchos durng tho great war. Another condition, is that evory member must give his word of honour not to accept a decoration for services rendered to the association. Tho principal visitor Was M. Martin, Ministor of Pensions, whom tho president, M. Demogor. warmly, thanked for what he had done for disabled soldiers. He proposed that M. Martin should bo elected an honorary member, and the motion was carried unanimously, the one-armed men raising their remaining, hand and- the cripples in wheel-chairs tapping. their crutches on the floor. Aa the meeting broke up, sounds of music and dancing came from the floor above. RABBIT SCARES PYTHON., When a rabbit was put into the cage occupied by the 29ft python recently acquired by .the Jardin ads Plantos, it was' naturally supposed that the smaller creature would bo swallowed by tho larger. The actual result was entirely* unexpected. Tho rabbit, apparently taking tho giant snake for a coil of rope, jumped on to him. The python, to the great surprise of tho keepers, was quite alarmed, and crawled away. It wao decided to leave the rabbit in the cajfe all night so that he could perform his natural function of providing:a meal for tho python. When theiceeners returned next - morning, tho rabbit was still in possession Tho python was in his pool of warm water where ho felt safer. The ribit was taken away, having well earned his respite, and the snake was left m peace MAN'S DRESS SALON. Masculine dress now has a Salon, opened in Paris'yestordav. This exhibition might almost be called an offshoot of the balon dcs Ilumoristcs. It compromises about sixty drawings showing unoffending males in the strangest of costumes One f the artists, a woman, clothes her masculine contemporaries in I ng frock-coats with lace ruffles, shoes with buckles, and silk stockings. M. Fabiano evolves a dress vaguely like that of an Argentine gaucho M Jean Droit, who evidently h.is no time for history, ■ shows us Louis XIV., Henri 111, and Napoleon in trousers. M Jean Chaperon sends a drawing of M. Maurice de Waleffe, in knee-breeches' of piir^V Ppti tho caricaturist, and other well-known Parisi ins look on, apparently ios ,n admiration M. Le jPetit, scorns both I breeches and trous -a, presents a Greek costume worn by a man with long hair and a beard. CHANGING HER MIND. At one of her favourite Paris stores, ■" d tine noticed a fascinating rug which o d quite cheip. She -wanted four, -.it was told that th^ others were being irked, up. She pleaded earnestly I for .throe" at the original price, looked pathetic and finally had her. ' way. About a month later, she discoveredthat tho family needed something else much more urgently and Monsieur was despatched with thice rugs, neatly done up in pink paper, and instructions to ask for tho return of .the'money. He ..put the proposition before the salesman, a tall, depressed-looking man, who' was \ isibly disturbed at tho prospect of losing his commission. "But that was a month ago" ho said in an aggrieved voice." and the lady came three times." The facts were admitted, the 'approval of higher power was obtained, and the salesman, with death in the sor 1 as the French say, prepared to make out the papers for tbo repayment. "All the same" he observed," it is rather too bad." But tho, husband had hia answer ready. "I take it that you also are a married man" he said. "Very well, then, wo will admit that no power on oiirth will deprive a woman of the right to change her mind." The salesman tighed. and tho money was handed 1 over amid a polite but tense silence. j