The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-11-10
GUSTAVE FLAUBtRT |
STANDS WELL IN
HEARTS OF FRENCH.
His Novel, madame Bovery,"
Is BY Many Considered by
Far the Finest Novel in the
French Language.
VILLAGE OF TORMERY IS
IN DANGEROUS POSITION.
Mass of Moving Rock Is Over
hanging 1t, a Thousand
Feet Above-Thefts of Art
Treasures in France.
fev RaouI De Saint Renee

j.
whose reputation is today so firmly
established i'll France, and especially
in the hearts of real "kenners' OF lit
erature rs that of GustaVe tlaubert,
who wrote ''Salammb0' and Madame
Bovary," which is by many considered
the finest novel in the French Ian
Suage.
\ statue of Flaubert by Bernstamm,
which has just been unveiled at Rou'
en-. where, like Corneille, he was born
and lived for many years, represents
the novelist standing in a simple at
ttude with head thrown back-a c1ar-
acteristic gesture. With his long hair
and long flowing mustache and big
build, he is likened somewhat to Mark
Twain
large number of officials ana lit
erary persons went down to Rouen to
be present at the unveiling of this
monument to the father of natural
ism in modern fiction. NJ Emile
Bergerat has just told a funny story
of F,auberts receptions at his little
apartment when he lived in Paris.
The apartment was very little and
the novelist very large-his friends
called him the good giant"
One day at one of these receptions
there was a very large crowd, all we'll
known people and the air became so
stuffy and over-charged that Flaubert
asked permission to open the window.
Goncourt protested roisily: If You
open ever so little shall have to
put all the furs in the house round
me, for the mere touch of fresh air
cuts through me like q saw.
well cover yourself up with furs,
my friend" said Flaubert, for if !
have to shut the windows again | shall
be compelled to sit in my shirt
:: !. !
The small village of Tormery, in
Savoic, is in a very dangerous and cri-
ticai situation. \ mass of moving
rock is overhanging the village 4
thousand feet above it and may at any
moment crash down upon it. 1t meas
ures some eight thousand cubic met
res and should it lose ats centre Of
gravity and fall over the prccipiCc it .
would certainly pulverize the village. |
Tormery is a place Of $50 inhab-
tants, built at the foot Of a precipice.
At the top of the precipicc and over
hanging it is the huge boulder, known
as the rock of Damocles. Originally
forming part of the cliff, it has been
split off from the main mass by a
deep fissure and now lies on bed of
loose chalk, which has for years been
crumhling away on the side edging the
precipice.
Now the recent heavy rains have
washed away so much of loose chalk
that the centre of gravity of the rock
is being rapidly shifted and few
days ago the enormous mass was seen
to slip over several yards.
As soon as enough of the chalk bed
has crumbled away the rock will tum-
BILE on the village and annihilate it
and its inhabitants.
The government engineers have
gone down to report, and they advise
that the village should be evacuated
and rebuilt in a safer place. The viii
layers, however, used as they are to
the sight of the oyerhanging rock, are
hesitatins to do this. though warned
OF the danger confronting them.
of thefts of art treasures in France
News has just been received that at
Pol-sur-Ternoise a valuable missal was
stolen from the library there
This book OF hours which was
presented to the library in 1887 by DR..
Lanvin, contains fifteen beautiful min
iatures of subjects taken from the BIZ
BILE. 1t is an octave, containing 1873
sheets of white vellum, the manu-
script being in purple and red ink. 1t
dates from the beginning of the four
teenth century and figures in the cata-
logue OF manuscripts in the libraries
of France.
The fete of the wine growers. which
was only originated last year in Paris.
bids fair to become an annual festivi-
~. 1t has just taken place again in
Bercy neighborhood. which is the dis
trict of the entrepots and BONDAGE
stores. and although the sun. so essen
tial to an out-of-doors festivity. was
conspicuous by its absence. the fete
- was great success.
1t was quite natural that France
should with fetes honor wine growing
and wine growers, since the vine is
the chief product of the country, and
everything done to attract attention to
it in view of the recent crisis which
is not yet over will do good. The pro-
cession was of the most amusing de-
scription and included an immense
dressed up model called Father Noah.
carrying a Gargantuan umbrella and
wearing beard as big as tree.
Another car which had great sue
cess was that of Bacchus. on which
was seated the god crowned with vine
leaves and surrounded by fans. satyrs