New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-14
THE GOSSIP OF PARIS.
UNREASONABLE HEAT WITH A HARVEST OF
CRIME AS THE RESULT-A NEW OR
DER OF KNIGHTHOOD.
Paris, Nav ].

Numerous cases OF sunstrokc during the last lew
dave afford a cheerful indication of the altogether
excessive and exceptional character Of the swcter-
ing heat from which we are suffering here. Never
that l can remember has the French metropolis
been so hot in April. and the streets are thronged
with itinerant vendors Of iced lemonade and Of
that cooling licorice water known as COCO" who
usually only make their appearance in the month
Of June. The crops throughout the country are
suffering from the prolonged drouth. cereals.
beets grass and vines being seriously damaged,
added to which the heat has brought into exist
ence myrads of insects that threaten to be as
destructive TO everything green the locusts OF
Algeria. Everybody that can do so dimes out Of
doors The fimsiest muslins have been donncd
BY the fair sex, men go about without waistcoats
and in the thinnest of clothes, while the troops Of
the Paris garrison have been ordered TO assume
their summer uniforms fully Six or eight weeks
before the usual time.
Among other results Of this altogether abnOr-
mally high temperature has been the alarming in
crease OF crimes Of violence and the record Of
passionate and revengeful deeds and of suicides is
augmented daily. That murders and assaults
should grow in number during the period Of ex-
cessve heat is only in accordance with the doc
trnes Of the leading scientific authorities on the
question Of crime who have shown by official
statistics that there are more deeds Of violence
committed In summer Vhan IN Wlnter-a curious
fact. seeing that the misery of the poor classes.
and consequently their desperation. are greater in
winter than in summer. But that the number Of
suicides should be affected by the weather is
rather surprising. The bright sunshine which pre-
walls would appear calculated to eXhilaratc
rather than to depress spirits. while the dull and
gloomy skies of winter reasonably might be en-
pected to breed melancholy and a desire to finish
life. The fact however. remains that suicides
are increasing with alarming rapdty and that
several have taken place during the last fort
night by jumping from the Eiffel Tower Que Of
the men who adopted this somewhat novel method
of Putting an end to his life was an official of
the Colonial Department. He threw himself over
the parapet of the third platform. Another who
was salesman of the Bon Marche. threw himself
from the first platform after having dined
copiously at the restaurant there The bodies
of both Of these men. we'll as those Of every
one Of the others who availed themselves of this
means Of suicide. were literally dashed to pieces
by the fall.
Senator Jules Simon's protest against the in
discriminate way in which the red ribbon of
the Legion Of Honor has been distributed has
been answered by the Government with an Of
fetal announcement OF the impending creation
Of new order of knighthood NJ. Simon de-
clared that it an injustice that officers and
soldiers who bad risked their lives scores of
times on the battlefelds of Dahomey, Algeria
and Cochin China should be rewarded in en-
acty the same manner as Government clerk
who has served all the regimes with the same
incapacity and dulness: for. when a has
served certain number Of years in French
Government department, the cross Of the Legion
Of Honor comes to him as a sort Of perquisitc
and right. The new order owes its origin to
NJ Dupuy, the present Prime Minister, and is
e. mi en-,
who have achieved eminence in the scientific
and literary world. 1t is to constitute. in fact,
a sort of supplementary order to the gold AMI
silver palms and violet ribbon of the so-called
Order of the Academy and Of the Instruction
Pubique.
The passion for being decorated is one Of the
strongest incentives to the people here for brilliant
actions, as we'll as for intrigues of the wire
pulling kind Indeed, decoration is social
necessity for every French professional man VINO
aims at eminence. 1t does not confer any le-
gal immunity prerogative the exemption vi
nossessors of the Grand Gordon of the order
from the iurisd lotion OF the ordinary courts nav
tng recently been abolished but it gives certain
amount of social status and precedence. A man
who wears the ribbon of the Legion OF Honor
in his buttonhole will always he kept waiting
a shorter time In the ante-room OF the GOV
eminent dignitary than man who Is u"oeco-
rated and after death military honors are ac-
oorded IN the bodies of members of the order,
company of soldiers being present at the 1unerai
Of mere knight. while an entire brlsaoe a'-
tends the obsequies OF him VINO possesseu d
Grand Cross Of the order. We have here already
the Order of the Legion oil Honor the Oruc'
of the Instruction Publique and OF the Academy
the Order of Merit Agricole, vulgarly know"
as the potato" and the Order of the Meoaliie
Nu;ta;re only granted for distinguished gal
,on+rv on the field Of battle. The new oroe'
will therefore, be the fifth one. anu oiuS io
IN still further reduce the relatively s'haii nun,
her Of men in France the buttonhoies i,i '"'
1eft-hand lapels of whose coats remain gui'e'0'
of any bit of colored ribbon
Talking OF the Legion of Honor recalls u n'n'
Mime. Limousin, a woman who played 90 p''n
inent and dsgraceful a part IN the Hesion
Honor scandals that resulted in the downiaii %
President Grevy and Of his son-in-law, NJ. Da"'ei
Wilson Her name. almost forgotten mas uee.
DRAGGED before the public again during the ias'
,yeek ny the trial and conviction OF her 1ormer
friend and confederate, Zubowski. for counter
feitinp He has been sentenced TO undergo seven
years penal servtude. Zubowski was one VI
the pripcipal chefs Of the Tuilerles during 'he
N.noleonic regime but was dismissed just before
the fall OF the Empire for theft lie suosc-
o,ientlv started cafe, with bearded woman dc
"demoisclle dc compton" Just when puoiic III
terest in the hairy freak commenced to wane. lie
secured the services Of the notorious Mihc'
Iimousin as her successor at the counter; ouV
the venture did not prove successful. and he was
finally reduced to uttering false fve-franc pieces
In order to keep himself from dying OF hunger
Let me- strongly recommend any readers OF Inc
Tribune who happen TO be studying medicine 10
avoid selecting this city for the practice OF ther
profession after their graduation According 10
the statistics presented at the annual meeting OF
the Association of Physicians here last week. there
are far more doctors i'll Paris than the population
con nossihlv employ The result is that the
treasury of the Association has been subjected TO
+ heavy drain for the purpose of saving unsuc-
cessful doctors from starvation.