OUR PARIS LETTER

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 10, 12 January 1929, Page 17

OUR PARIS LETTER

ROSTAND'S NEW C PLAY

MOfyTfvIARTE AT FIRST HAND PAELS, 7th Nov. The late Max O'I?cil, in the course j of, those charming lectures ■■ which ho used tv deliver in Great Britain • and America, used to tell of one, John Smith, of some American-town, whoso impressions of Paris, after a twoweek visit, were extremely . unfavourable. Once, when at,'home, he was execrating Paris, surrouuded by, people, including Max O'JJell.; The-last-named enumerated tlie pleasant and', Lnstructive places which are' to be seen ij and around Paris, and; 'asked-John Smith .wliether,. as lie ,named. each one, lie'had visited..tliei*. Finally. Smith's friends turned round on him and asked him in' chorus: ' "Now, John Smith, where the dickens did'" you go in Paris?". Perhaps .when 1 Mrs. Aimee Semple M'Pherson, the ..evangelist and foe of the devil, returns home she will be asked a question to the same effect. If this does occur, she will surely not amaze her hearers, for the cabarets of Montmartre, the : bbites de iiuit, and other establishments are well-known to most, of, her -compatriots, as well- as to i the rest of the world.- And; after all, ! why should not Mrs. M'Pherson do as thousands of others 1 have done: and gaze on the dazzling show (which is not concealing-itself ,■ but is free and. open)? Doing .'Paris, in one way or another, is an ancient pastime. It will be interesting... to ..learn later what new, light Mrs. M'Pherson has shed on "La Ville Lumicro" during her scamper—and, perhaps, what she has missed. MORE CEITIC3 OF "NAPOLEON ■ , : iv."; v ; ■' ;• ■ "■-. ■ AVhatover' comment, M.. Maurice EosI tand anticipated ( as'regards his. new p]ay ; "Napoleon 1V.," he, is certainlyreceiving a full measure, of it, but: it 'can hardly, be of the.'.kind. .most" congenial, to him. Very.few' Paris..'critics are sparing tho production, and thecensures arc often accompanied by a relation of the.facts of hsi'tory^. in contrast with, his own version of the circunistanees of .the death of the Prince 'Imperial'in 'the. 'Zulu,: War. •' Further-; more, the Paris-Midi points out that 1 the public at the'Porte..;Saint ' Martin Theatre grows more; hostile to .the., play, and describes tumultuous scenes, .which occurred every night. ' Every tirade against. Britain is .resented by- loud protests, and after, the, second act the' police have to-be called.in "to restore order. .: ■•■■'■ A V/OMAN POE EVER UNBOBBED. . "Whether the.feminine mode.of- wearing the hair cut short "is or is not destined to, bo a pormauent'o.ne with most women,'there is at least 'one subject : of decorative, art' which. ■. refuses to acknowledge its .supremacy; .: The artists who have: designed'.theV.64 models (now being ; .exhibitedOj'at';.;the; Mint)from which may ,be,, choseii: ,;the new 100-frahc'-gold' coin,'■Vaii'd I'tlie'-two silver pieces of 10 francs'aiifl.2o francs, have". had to apply .their..genius to. drawing, a symbolic figure of,the'Eepublie'on; ono side, their fancy being'left free to orna-; ■nioiit the other. ■ There 1 is "naturally a, great diversity of: ideas as-regards the figure of the 'Kepublic.. .'Always, of. course, a feminine,..-'.figure,, she; -is fre-'----.qu en tiy. represented in'thiscplle'etion as' a sower, differing littlefrom that; which we were, not long ago, familiar wUjh.on the silver franc. Sometimes tho i'mag-. cry represents a typo of woman •of th c Great Revolution, 1 such .as the .'.'Tricoteuse," and not a few': of those are wearing;"the Phrygian bonnet.■.'.'ln all' cases, however, tho .figures ,'afe • w'earingtheir hair long. In whatever forms bf : art the prevailing mode of hairdr'ess may go down to posterity/ it will fertainly not be recorded'oh the coins of; the Republic. ■' ' ■ ■'

MONTMARTEE ENGLISH. ' . There are many kinds, of English, but one of. the most'entertaining: is perhaps that which maybe. termed..the' Mbut-; martre variety. It is'to be found in those places of entertaintnent where the■ clientele is for the;. most .part compared of English-speaking peoplo drawn from the four quarters of. „the. globe.: Englishmen,; ■American's, : 'Australians, 1 Canadians, and South ..Africans .all frequent these places.. And.-from them, of. course, the attendant and'fair dancepai'tners of other nationalities. Jcarn their English. . The results is an English streaked with .slang . from every quarter of the globe. You : -)iear - such hybrid phrase's ; as the ' •following, -all spoken with the most delightful foreign accent: "Gee, .ain't ,this perfectly topping!" or "Say, baby,'l'll bet tho;. old cove over there is a-wowser," while the - Anglo-American .politeness of "Thanks awfully,"it's been bully," is quite'irresistible.