The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-19
CLERKS BREAK IN TO
 HIGHEST SOCIETY Play Bridge With AriStocracy
 Of Paris SWEET CHARlTYS CAUSE Long Lisf of Distinguished Patron esses of the New International
 Conservatory of Opera
 Music at Paris.
By MARQUIS DE cAsTALLAINE.

By MARQUIS DE CAS ihLEN'iN-.
 Paris December 18-(Special.) .)-Clerks from the American Express company er- rand boys from Broutacos, counterJump- CTS from Cooks and the commoners rom the American chamber of commerce, one and all, have finally broken into the noble and select society of the Faubourg St Germain.
 Sweet charity has worked the miracle In her superb Byzantine salon, the Coun- tesse de Bearn has just held a chairity fair. Among the varied attractions Bridge was introduced. The patron esses were the Marqulse de Tallyrano. Perigord. formerly Miss Bessie Gurus or New York; Mrs. Frank Mason, wire oi the American consul general In Parls Mrs. John Munroe, widow of the Amerl- can banker of the Rue Scribe; Mrs. John Ford daughter of Mrs. Cavendish- Bon tinck. formerly Miss Elizabeth Living stone of New York, and many notapie ladies amongst the French nobility.
 It was arranged that any one who paid the entrance fee of 10 francs could se- lect his own partner and the people witfi whom he desired to play The Princess Von Lynar had for partner young cierk from the American Express offlee; the Princess Peggie Sussa played with a run
  Rue I'Echiauier: the Princess Radolin with a Cooks tourist courier; the Marquis de Lasteyrie with a messenger or tne American chamber of commerce, and the son of one of the clerks of the famous Hannah Baths with the Marquise de Tally rand-Periogord.
 Some of these young employees couldn't speak French and Miss Lawrence, daugh- ter of Mrs. John Lawrence of New York, ,rto of nroVn6 VeTtf- able fairy godmothers to them, helping in Interpreting and putting them at their ease with the distinguished assembly.
 The fair proved a notable success The only trouble Is the young clerks have sud denly grown very naughty and not few are carrying their Faubourg St, Germain manners into their daily life, to the con- fusion of the casual traveller who has not as yet been educated up to them.
 The list of patronesses of the new In- ternational Conservatory of Opera and Music founded In Paris by few hopeful Americans is certainly very magnificent. Among the noble danes who have lent their distinguished names to the new en- terprise are the Duchesse D'Abrantes. the Marquiese de Beaumont, the Contesse de Portales and the Marquis de St. Paul.
 So much for the French patronesses linen lH6Tt are IndDy ldultS lloiI Oui imported nobility, such as the Marquise de Ganay, who was Miss Ridgeway, and the Comtesse de Cubrias nee Miss Fithian. Last, but by no means least on the list figures the name of Mrs. l John Jacob Astor.
 The untitled Mrs. Astor reminds me of Lord Beachsfield at the conference Of Berlin. He was the only undecorated member of that historic gathering. But r~.s+ Al. 1f ,a,r no frin a ''he was the most distinguished of us all."
 We have a society of noble women here who love birds and who are waging war against their destruction. President Ar mand Fallieres of France and MT. Rob- ert Goelet of Newport are at present down in large letters on the black list of the societys books. And no won der.
 I have heard these two distinguished gentlemen compared to Nero, and they are commonly spoken of as the slaugh- terers of the innocents.
 MT. Goelet occupies the ancient Chat eau of Sandrinsourt. He gives large shooting parties. The society columns of ''The Gaulois" and "The Figaro an- nounce one day kill of 300 cartridges and on the next 400, and so on.
 Then we learn tnTCuSu thooc 'nihc channels how the Viscount de Breteull and the Count de Polignac assist the Newportian in his deadly devastation, of woodcock and pheasant
 Is it any wonder our humane ladies are LID in arms? Especially so, as our Pres- ident sets the example.
 Now until President Fallieres became President of France he had probably never handled fowling piece. But GUS tom commands that he go out and kill a few hundred beautiful birds fattened for the purpose) every morning while at Rombouillet during the hunting sea- son.
 So the President has to go forth and blaze away. Our ladies for the protection of birds suggest that the President and MT Goelet try sticking flies with pin. and Nero did. Since they nave to kill something. this pastime may afford them an equally amusing diversion.
 Alphonso XIII in his shirt-sleeves, all besmeared with blood sword in one hand. the bleeding head of Ferrer in the other. This caricature might easily bring on q war with Spain. It appeared In the same publication, which formerly published the famous Willette caricature of Queen Victoria and thereby very nearly pro- yoked the English to take up arms against us.
 King Alphonso is now bitterly attacked by Antaole France. It appears the young King and the old Antaole are both mem hers of the Astronomical Society of France Antaole, after the F'errer ar fair. demanded the expulsion of Alphonso.
 The society refused, on the grounds that politics did not enter into statutes. Whereupon our king of ''stylists'' re- signed, and now we have the Astronom- ioaJ cociaty of France without s'France." :" But not much of a loss to astronomy mockingly remarks the gay old Henri de Rochefort.
 Prince Troubetzkoy, attache of the Rus sian legation, and brother-in-law of the beautiful Amelie Rives refuses to eat vegetables that mate.
 Luther Burbank will tell you that the vegetable kingdom, as in the animal sex exists. and that plants make love to each other. This is why the Prince refuses to eat mating vegetables. Long ago he gave I'D eating meat for the same reason.
 While living in splendid mansion in Paris. the Prince nevertheless appears at dinner dressed in neglisee costume and sandals He is one of the most advaSced sexponents of the simple life" in Eu- rope.
 In this he is strongly seconded by Sol- omonsano Marva, who gave up his con sulship at Java in order to go forth and expound the laws of simple living Marva may be seen any day on the boulevards of Paris. his long, yellow hair flowing about his shoulders. His dress Is after the fashion of the Jews of Jerusalem at the time of Christ.
 Asked if Marva was responsible for his conversion, Prince Troubetzkot replied: -"No: I grew tired of seeing women with t~o rs h al hair anamal1od fa0aa