The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-23

| ~ LUB life in it's proper and normal
w aspects is English, not French.
- We have no guinea or two guinea
clubs, where the lower professional man
of moderate means meets men Of his own
standing for a quiet game Of cards or for
social intercourse. The reason is that a
suspicious government looks with I'M
friendly eye upon clubs; they may, and
Indeed, have, in the past, become centers
OF political intrigue. Moreover, there IS
the fisc, always Unsuitable in France. The
fsc insists on It's 1.-THE; is not the club
a Iuxury.-like the automobile and shoot
ing estates? And so it exacts contriou-
ton. and a very severe one, levied on
the members subscriptions. Yet, Whlie
the social club has not come to compete
with the cafe, which is the poor man
house of assembly, there has appeared,
lately, a perfect crop of clubs OF another
sort-for the most part purely gambling
bells. oddly enough, they shelter them
selves behind the law-the famous as
ISOLATION law-which grants power of
union to any body of persons who make
the necessary declaration. Before the law
came into existence, with, OF course
quite other objects, the club, when 1t
formed itself. was forced to apply to the
prefect for authorization. This Formally
enabled the police to make inquiries as
| to the nature and scope of the CLUB, ana
To prevent the worst types from perpetu-
| ating themselves.
BY one of those sudden decisions for
which he is celebrated, M. Clemenceau
has taken strong measures against these
gambling clubs. Almost without eXcep-
ton, they are kept by foreigners-Bel-
CLANS; the minister has decreed their ex-
pulsion from France. The majority did
not wait to be conducted to the frontier
but took the earliest train home one
name is mentioned in the papers as a sort
of Napoleon Of gambling club land his
! name is Marauet. 1t is said that he
boasted he was protected" in high
/ places. and, therefore. could not Dc
4 touched The minister Of the interior mas
/ Just shown him his mistake. Marquet Is
7 the founder of the notorious cruz ue
France which, until forty-eight hours aso'
| ficurished in the Avenue de MacMahoi''
/ in the rich quarter of the Etole- Maiaue.
| purchased the premises for 15o'ooo anu
spent third of that amount IN oecora-
tions and alterations. Then he began ous-
mess. and a wonderfully profitable pus1-
ness II nroved. So profitable was II that
no was able the other day TO offer
prize of sSc0o for the first inventor 10
ey by aeroplane from Paris TO ostenu-
the prize, notably only representing the
/ tokinrs of a. single day at his establish
ment.
strange scenes are said to have. taken
nlace round the table of green cloth. A
! certain well known actress, in the ex-
| element of the moment, flung down her
bracelets and her rings. The stake was
not accepted, but there was an obliging
ieweIer on hand to turn the trinkets into
liquid gold. Another lady, well known on
! the stage, lost in a single evening at
! one of these establishments the bagatelle
| OF $4,000. Complaints came in shoals to the
| police. Sometimes it was the players
themselves who complained of the man.
ner in which the baccarat was played
| more often ii was a husband or wife or
| a parent. The most startling feature in
| connection with these clubs is the play
of women. 1t is a new thing to admit
/ women to clubs i'll France, but the BEL
| gan exploiters of the gambling instinct
were nothing II not "feministe.' They
| found women the easiest prey They soon
become carried. away by their emotions
| Jar ii pi' Mesdames les Sufragettes1.
! and they re in consequence gamblers
| after the iIeart of the professional bank
| ers. Baccarat OF q special kind imported
J from Belgium and known as ''baccara a
| un tableau," made it all the easier to
| MOI Tho paCnottNf'
| box fixed to the table as the depository
OF its earnings, engulfed enormous sums.
The women who played-women of fash
ion and women of the "demi monde =
could no longer pay their bills. Money
allotted to the dressmaker and the mo-
dste was engulfed by this hungry Gag
notte. The trades people OF the Rue dc