OUR PARIS LETTER

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 54, 7 March 1929, Page 16

OUR PARIS LETTER

THE ■ COURTLY KISS MODERN MANNERS (From "The Post's" Reprtsfntitlvr) PARIS, 2Gth December. "Souio .sad reflections on the manners of the younger generation aro made by M. Andre do Fouquicrcs, who, a3 everyone knows, is regarded aa the arbiter of fashions iv the social world of Paris. Tho modern young man, even in tho best of society, M. do Fouquicres, ia pained to notice, thinks nothing of kissing a lady's .hand in the street, openly flouting the old-time code which decreed that a whito hand should be thus saluted only within.,.doors.^ Also he jnarks that tho young man does not nowadays bend in a'courtly.manner over tho proffered hand, but,;, standing upright, snatches it hastily to his lips and unceremoniously lets it drop. And perhaps worse than all, he will pay this homage with his left hand in his pocket! Also will he smoke iv fair company without even seeking its permission. However, M. do Fouquieres does not exonerate the fair company from blamo. The modern girl, lie thinks, is very much responsible.for the defec-. tion in manners' of tho ■'modern young man. Tho '.'garebnuo,' J. with her lack of feminine : grace, is . at the root of the trouble, and he. calls for a school of manners for young men, and maidens. A FUNEREAL AWAKENING. In a Latin Quarter Jivca a French professor, who tho other day mot with a rather uncanny experience, of which his friends are talking a good deal. He had indulged in a lunch of more elaborate composition than is customary with him, and afterwards, deciding that a stroll would do; him: good, wandered along the quayside of the Seine as far as the Garo d;orsay. Here, he was almost overcome with sleepiness, but was resourceful enough to take advantage of the accommodation which tho firstclass waiting room in the station might afford, found a seat, and was soon asleep. He was awakened by the sounds

of voices. Around him were gravefaced men and women dressed in deep mourning, lie was conscious of something leaning against his 'elbow. It was a large wreath. When ho had opened his eyes enough to look round, he discovered that the bench on which Ihe was resting was littered with ! wreaths. That his mind was iv a ' strangefuly confused state until he col--1 lected himself may well be imagined. Tho party of mourners had deposited the funereal tributes in' the waiting-1 1 rob in prior to their departure to some I piaeo in tho country where' they were j to attend a burial. j THE MULTIPLE UMBRELLA. A woman always feels a glow of virtue on those rare occasions when extravagance is not only justified, but eveii comes under the heading of economy. Any purchaser of the latest type of umbrella (recently brought from Kngland) is bound to havo this feeling of satisfaction; 'especially if her pocket-money is limited, since she may actually buy three or four or 1 even six umbrellas in one. This miracle is peri formed by removing the silk cover 1 which, by means of littlo adjustable caps, fits neatly on to. tho points of tha ribs, and replacing it by another of a different solour. Oue can buy a cover in whatever colour is needed to match an ensemble, and, if necessary, two or" ! threo handles and ferrules, since they < can be very easily unscrewed. The ' stick is beautifully finished and, with ! tho covers, is sold iv a smart little leather case for travelling. A QUEEN'S GODCHILD. There should be a brilliant career ahead for the little 12-year-old dancer, Mile. Lydia Bizauty, who is now appearing in revue at the Palace music hall, Faubork Montmartre. It is doubtful whether any other ballet dancer has shown greater promise at so early an age, and the fact that sho is the leader of the ballet in this revue proves that she has already- attained a degree of efficiency usually only found in a dancer of much longer experience. : It may be mentioned that Mile: Bizauty has been schooled under auspicious influences. Her godmother ia Queen Marie of Eoumania, who first met the littlo girl's mother during the war. It was the Queen —whose interest in artistic dancing is well known— : who, on ■ being struck later with the child's predilections for choreography, suggested that sho should . bo trained for the stage. This has been done, very thoroughly, one of her teachers being Mine.

Carlotta Zambelli, of tho Opera. Queen Marie continues to follow closely tho career of her godchild. SOKBONNE' S NEW ROLE. It may be doubted whether any.city offers as wide and varied a field for the explorer as Paris. There are good and bad guide books, just as there aro good and bad guides, but as taste enters very largely into either mere sight-seeing or serious study, the contact with the life of the city, in any of its forms, is a personal arfair. Initiation i 3, of course, of tho greatest importance, and this is evidently a view taken by tho Sorbonno authorities. That headquarters of tradition has justmade a big concession to modernity by deciding to organise a course on "I'lnitiation a la vie de Paris." As eminent professors are to deal with the subjects, the course should bo highly instructive as well as entertaining. The course is, needless to say, meant for students, chiefly, one may assume, for foreigners or young people from the provinces. POACHERS!, ACTIVITIES. One would hardly imagino that Paris offered much inducement .to poachers, but that thero'aro individuals'whom tho law classes under tho heading of this depredatory class is proved from timo to time. It is not long ago that a youth who climbed a tree to catch a wood pigeon was arrested on a" charge of poaching, and now there appears in the newspapers the report of a night engagement on the Seine near ; the Pont .Royal, between policemen and nocturnal anglers. It is said that the parties exchanged revolver shots, but there were no casualties. These poachers of the dark hours must be even greater optimists than the law-abiding anglers who fish patiently until sunset, the legal time limit, but their methods aro moro thorough and unsportsmanlike—as they uso nets. But thero are Paris poachers who apply their stealth to more substantial purpose than the moro catching of a few fish or a ■ pigeon. Their favourite haunt is tho Buttos-Chau-mont, where there is a fairly good population of water-fowl. A few years ago Bagatelle was a favourite hunting ground for them, but a strong armed guard has been on duty there at night, and the thieves give'this'spot a wide berth. - PARIS IN 1938. Many drastic predictions have been made as regards tho changes which may come over the faces of cities in the efforts to solve the traffic problem, but

surely none is bo sweeping as that which' presents a picture of Paris in the year 1938, and is given in the "Echo dcs Chauffeurs," the official organ of the Societe dcs Chauffeurs Francais. It is foretold that the centre of Par's will bo defined by tho Madeleine, Saint Augustiii, Saint Lazaic, La Trinite, the Gare do lEst, Garo dv Noixl, Place do la Kepublique, and the quays of tho Pont do la Conuorclo aud Henry IV., and that -within it neither the motoi-omnibus nor the tramway will bo allowed. These vehicles will, in fact, have been replaced by . underground moving platforms, but other special underground routes will have been cut for them. Tho Central Markets will have been swept away and replaced by two market*, north and south of the city. As for pedestrians,-they will bo obliged to take underground and aerial passages specially provided . for them. All tho courtyards of houses will have been turned into garages', arid' the space covering the old foitifications will have been laid out for a similar purpose. These are the main reforms prophesied. As only ten years separate us from tho dato of their' realisation, someonc'will have to work hard' intho meantime. JOINING THE COLOURS. - Every year, about this . time,, Paris receives for a day, or a few hqurs, hundreds of young men who can hardly be described as visitors, because they are the conscripts on the way to their'military headquarters. Oftener than not they wear caps. And their clothes and bearing generally suggest ,tho countryman. There is more than catches the eye behind this. apparent roughness of attire, for during the,months of military service ahead the civilian suit will bo packed away, and the conscript 'docs not 'intend that His "best suit shall bo spoiled. So he dons a well-worn one, which ho will probably leave behind. These young men's objective in Paris is mainly the Gare de lEst, where they find themselves rubbing shoulders .with their Paris comrades, who,- like them, are on their way to Nancy, Verdun, Metz, Thionville, and other places on the east of France. The Parisian conscript is easily distinguishable if only because ho is surrounded by all the other members of his family and numbers of friends. The conscript from the country was given a send-off at some little station surrounded by, fields; but sometimes he, too, is accompanied as far as the capital by a 'devoted parent or friend. ' • .■