The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-04-08
FOREIGN ITEMS.

Lamartine, for which, had he been still alive,
they would scarcely, we should think, have
liked to make him responsible. Some one
asked the poet whether he was not spending
too much money in advertising his publica-
tions. "Ne," he is reported to have answered,
advertisements are absolutely necessary.
Even Divine worship Gin the original, ie bon
Dieu) ''needs advertising. Otherwise what is
the meaning of church bells2
1t is well known that strong desire pre-
walls among the more liberal and progressive
me mbers of the universities to shake off the
exclusive clerical ascendanoy which has
hitherto ciamped their energies and dimi-
nished their natural influence. A step has
Just been taken in this direction by the fell
lows of Oriel College, Oxford, which will
probably be followed by other colleges. There
is at present no express rule against the
provostsh hip being held by layman, but GER
tain clerical benefces which go with it practi-
cally amount to prohibition. The object of
the bill which has just been introduced into
the House of Lords is first to disannex those
benefces from the provostship, then to
exchange them for livings, and to apply part
of the proceeds of the latter to make up the
income of the provostship, which would then
be open equally to laymen and clergymen.
Ore of the benefices in question is a canonry
in Rochester Cathedral, involving, of course,
the usual three months residence; and the
other is the rectorship Of an important parish
(Burleigh, in Essex of 3,000 or 1000 acres,
with an income of GlS00. 1t is, of course,
obviously impossible for the provost Of an
Oxford college even to pretend te discharge
the duties OF distant canonry and rectory in
proper manner.
Complaints are louder than ever in the
| theatrical world of Paris against that impost
for the benefit of the poor which presses 80
hard on the theatres, and to which more than
one of the recent bankruptcies has been at
k.sl. Aa1 ml,A rtrtr Na
of Louis XIV, dated February rs, 1899,
which, on the ground that plays and operas
ought to contribute a portion of their Soon
siderable profits" to works of charity, directed
that a sixth part of the receipts should be sp-
propriated to the poor. To any reasoning
that may be based on this decree the opponents
of the tax object, that it was made at a time
when there were but two or three theatres in
Paris, and on the assumption that these enter
prises were large profitable. In l7l3 the tax
was extended to the dramatic performances at
the then fashionable fairs of st. German
and st. Laurent. In l7l8, by adecree of the
Regent, ninth was added to the sixth for the
especial advantage Of the Hotel Dieu, and in
1744 the amount was fixed at one quarter.
This enormous burden continued for several
years, but in 1871 the tax was suppressed al to-
gether. However, on the 18th Nivose OF the
year " (January l, 1850, a decree appeared
which invited all the managers of Paris and the
depaItmen to give monthly performance,
the profits of which, after payment OF all ex-
penses, were TO be given to the poor, and au-
thorzipg them to treble their prices on such
occasions. This decree was followed by
another of the 7th Frimairs V November 27,
1886. which ordered that for the following
six months the directors of public
entertainments should receive, in
addition to the price of ofadmission paid by every
spectator, a premium Of SO soils per livre'
90 per cent. }, TO be applied to charitable
purposes. Then the authorities evieently
wished to impress the public with the notion
that they were shifting the burden from one
pair OF shoulders to another, though in reality
: it remained where it was, though less oppres
sive than in early days. Renewed from time
: to time, for successive terms of six months
the 10 per cent. tax was rendered permanen
by an imperial decree of December 20, 1909
Then, however, it is remarked that about twt
years previously the theatres, which had beer
torty in number, had been suddenly re-
duced by the imperial fiat to eight, four o
which were literally "subventioned." Thus
the burden was oounteTbalanced by an incal
culsble advantage. In l64S an attempt wa
made TO reduce the tax to per cent, but
was not carried ont, and though by the deere
of January B. 1864, the "Liberty of the Thea
tres" " as declared, the principles of the yea
V are maintained in all their rigor. In Enl
land scarcely person would be found
defend this monstrous tax, which consists i
making one small branch of industry contr
butte Exceptionally towards the benefit OF th
entire community.
. The Vicksburg Times says that mir
/. iuleps and gin cocktails were drunk in Ma
f chez in the year 1908. copy Of the Ma
3 chez Gazette of that year indirectly refers
Q the fact.
n "A Memphis jury having convicted pr
9 toner OF numbering man who is still aliy
J, found themselves in quandary whether
/ rescind their verdict or let the prisoner XII