The Washington times., 1901-07-08
FOREIGN TOPICS.

FOREIGN TOPICS.
All other means having failed to govern
! the speed of automobilists on French roads
the authorities have ordered that every
person who owns machine which is ca
pable of making more than the maximum
limit of miles per hour allowed, which is
eighteen. s:.an be registered and be num-
bered. and this number shall be painted
: In large figures on the front and back of
the car. Thus. when policeman is un-
able to stop an automobilist he can at
/ least see the number and have him ar
! rested later. How necessary this is can
be seen from the damage done by one car
on road near Paris not long ago. With
IN one and one-half miles it ran into a
pony carriage, turned it over and severely
( injured the three occupants, killed a dog
and then killed an aged man who got in
its way. The police were unable to stop
the chauffeurs and no arrests have been
made
The British postoffice is to establish a
telephone system in London in August
that promises to be a great public benefit.
For the sum of about $40 year anyone
can have telephone placed in his office
or residence and then, by the payment of
2 cents "a message at first and / cent
been sent, the subscriber can have the
benefit Of full telephone service. One pc
cuiarity of the system will be the fact
that anyone with a telephone at home will
be free to go into "A postoffice anywhere
and communicate with his family. That
Will save writing or telegraphing. sub
scriber may pay a lump sum per year
and have no further charges. or he can
pay the $l0 year and the additional sum
of 2 cents message at first and cent
afterward. Compared with the excessive
| charges FOR telephone service in the
United States these charges in London
may well make people of this country feel
envious.
An interesting proposal to create Vic
| tor Hugo Museum has been made to the
Paris municipal council by NJ. Paul heu-
rice, who was long associated with the
| illustrious French author
In a letter addressed to the council, ".
Meurice offers to give the city Victor
Iugo's house on the Place des Vosges.
Great Britain" he wrote has Shake
speare's house at Stratford-on-Avon. Ger
many has Goethe's house at Frankfort.
In the name of Victor Hugo's grandchil-
dren, and in my own, l beg to offer to
Paris to give to France Victor Hugos
house. This house would be a museum.
the most precious object of which would
tured by Victor Hugo himself.
'OVer 500 drawings and water colors
would be united. One of the rooms would
be entirely decorated with flowers and
ilgures. sculptured ana painted Dy MIN
in the most charming and rare taste. To
the personal work of the poet. collection
of pictures and drawings inspired by his
poems could be added. with library of
his works and collection of engravings.
| Finally, George and Jeanne would recon-
stitute Victor Hugo's house, the room of
the Avenue d Eylau, with the bed upon
which he died and his work table
NJ. Meurice offers to place $4,000 francs
$4,000 at the disposition of the city to
carry out this work.
The census returns show the nopuIa-
tion of France to be, in round numbers,
3S,6O0,0OO an increase of only 230,09e on 1896.
| To this small increase Paris and its SUBJ
urbs contribute 20, coo, the greater part
of which number is due to foreign immi-
grants, so that the rest of France gives
an increase of only $4,000 Since 1850 the
population of France, allowing for al
terations of boundaries, has only increas-
ed from %, 600 900 to IS, 900 900, whereas that
of the United Kingdom has risen from
2. 100000 to Al 900. go Germany from 35
000.0OO to 56000.000, Austria from 10000. 900
TO As. 900 900, Italy from % 100000 to g, ,0O0-
600, and Russia, partly owing to annexa-
tions, from 60, 100000 to lbs, 900 900.
Russia has elaborated a system for the
protection of her forests as stringent in
its provisions as If it were instituted for
the protection of human beings. Only
so much wood may be cut down annually
in each locality as will be compensated
for by the growth OF the remaining trees,
and all the clearances made are imme-
diately replenished by young plants.
Even private owners of forests are not
l.
under Government inspection. No abso-
lutte ownership in trees is now recog-
nized, in fact, but that of the State. AS
matter of fact a very large part of the
Russian forests belong entirely to the
State. The largest private. or rather
semi-private. proprietor Is the admins
tration of the Imperial Appanages. which
possesses numerous estates. the revenues
from which are devoted exclusively to
the support of the members of the Rus
sian Imperial family
The total area of these estates is a
good deal over 20.000.0O0 acres Being
situated in the most diverse districts, an
extraordinary variety OF Sub-troplcal
and temperate natural productions is cul-
tivated, including sugar, tobacco, cotton,
wine tea fruit, roses, as well as grain
of every kind. The principal culture.
however, ,sat any rate in extent, is timber,
forests covering nearly Is 600, 90 acres OF
the total In the exploitation of these
forests the greatest care has to be given.
The lot of the clergy in the Church OF
England today is said to be so wretched
that even younger sons have given up the
career which for so many years was look
ed upon as their chief resource. 1t may
easily be understood that this calling has
ceased TO appeal to them when the fact
is known that out of about l4,G00 bene-
fees in the church more than 1000 are
worth less than $3.50 a year and that near
ly all of them are decreasing in value
About 1.5O0 benehces are worth only
$500 a year, and less than $3.50 annually is
the return from 800 livings which have
been recently described as more nearly
"starYings' to the unfortunates who are
assigned to them. In the diocese of Pc
tersborough there are sixty-one hvings
that are worth no more than S225 a year.
and this Is not yet the worst as there
are in Newcastle benefces that are val
ued at only Sl25 a year.
Contrary to the general impression, 1t
is not especially important that a men,
Der of the British Parliament be a trained
orator. The sounding peroration and the
Latin quotation have long ceased to be
the necessary equipment. Only few OF
the prominent men in Parliament today,
it is said, are really effective speakers
from the popular point of view. There is
no one who approaches Gladstone in his
best days. though, taken as a whole. the
general level of debate has never been