Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-17

identified with America was purely acct
dental, and served to demonstrate that
the most illustrious institution knows no
bound in its recognition of talent. There
has not been voice in criticism of the
academys action in selecting Mr.. Sar-
gent as an aeademician and Messrs.
Shannon and Parsons as associates.
The international postal conference at
Washington next May is likely to attract
larger attendance of government dele
gates than any of its predecessors, part
ly because it is nearly six years since tho
last conference and partly on account OF
some of the European delegates determ-
inaton to obtain a reduction In the mail
rates for letters, The reformers say that
thousand million people are interested
in this question of rates and that the re-
form has been TOO long delayed. The
main argument seems to be that If par
eel can be sent to any part of the country
in the Postal union for a franc, 1t is ex-
orbitant to charge quarter of franc
for carrying a small, light letter in Eu-l
rope alone Efforts have been made 70
induce the newspapers and news agencief
to combine to obtain further extensions.
of the privilege of press telegraph rates
and reduction of the present rates, but
business rivalries and jealousies SO far
have prevented anything practical being
done.
Efforts have been made this week to
create scare in regard to the queens
quiries elicit the information that the
queen is in good bodily health save oc-
casional slight attacks of rheumatism, her
appetite and digestion are good and her
sleep is always natural. But within the
last few months her majesty, who here
tofore has always been cheerful, has been
subject to fits of dependency, caused,
1t seems, by the haunting fear that she
is not to survive this, the browning year
of her long reign. There is no ground for
alarm, but 1t is true that the royal
physicians are somewhat perturbed on
account Of the contrast to the queens
customary placid optimism. They hope
that her visit to the Riviera, the change
of air and scene will soon put her right,
as they do commoner mortals.
A private letter received from Constan-
tinople this week says that in the opinion
of lifelong residents there 1t is certain,
before long, to be an attempt of some
kind of ultra moslem fanatics upon
the European embassies, which, of
. course, will preeipitate crisis. The sui
tan himself has reason to entertain the
same fear, and by his orders the most
stringent precautions are being taken.
The same writer mentions as the most
significant of all the portends, the fact
that within the last six months the stock
of every dealer in fire arms and lethal
weapons has generally been cleared out
by eager purchasers. The arms are not
usually bought by Armenians or sober
gong furkS the purchasers nave been
fanatical Mussulmen and Greeks, who
evidently anticipate period when arms
of all kinds will be in demand.
Cardinal Richard, archbishop of Paris,
has again laid the hand of discipline upon
his clergy. Last autumn the report took
the form of a circular letter, telling the
clergy that a priest on a bicycle was no
fitting spectacle on the streets of Paris.
Now the Catholic clergy are shut out
from the theater. The archbishop for
bids any priests of the diocease of Paris
to leave his house without wearing
cassock. Then he says that any clerical
appearing in a box in the theater, even
at a matinee, shall be liable to suspen-
sion. The circus is not forbidden. That
is the theater of childhood, and the priest
goes there as the guide of children.
Even the opera and comedie franchise
are forbidden. The Figaro points out
that there is one way out of the difficult
ty. Clericals may wear a short cassock
and cover it with a great coat, but that
would be an unworthy subterfuge.