The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-03
A SINGER
 OF FRANCE Stories of Lassalle, the Baritone. HIS PEOPLE LOVED HIM To Regulate the Streets in
 Paris. Paris Appears to Have Gone Mad over The Subject of Aviation--A Nets. E1hibit of Flying Machines
 Hs. Been Made.
BY A. W. LAMOREUx

noonceo' ana who was well known in
 the United States, had some curious adventures in his career which he used
 10 tell with jolly simplicity He was q Dig. exuverant. merry fellow, with no
 sort or nonsense about him. He had
 none or the actors affections and told 1okes against himself with gusto. Be-
 Tore going upon the stage he devoted
 his entire energies to sports, and the
 greater part of them to fencing. at which he became a deadly blade. Aft,
 CT much theatre going and amatenr
 singing. he suddenly determined to
 combine the two pastimes. and to sing upon the boards. Coming up to Paris, ne spent year at the Conservatoire.
 earning his living by singing in cho-
 ruses of an evening. as his indignant and shocked family of prosperous busI- ness people, who wanted him to go in- to their counting house. refused him allowance. His debut at Liege in Les Huge-
 nots' seemed inauspicious at first. His
 wardrobe was not equal to the com. plete dress of Saint Bris, and he bor- | rowed top boots from one man and a sword from another. But the owner
 Of boots had smaller feet than Lassalle,
 and the owner of the sword had longer
 legs. St. Bris comes on by a staircase. down which he walks matestically. But the new St. Bris in his tight boots and long sword. could hardly step at all. and
 he had not reached the bottom before
 his feet got mixed up with his weapon.
 and he fell flat on his face.
 But never say die was Lassalle's
 motto. He extricated himself and got
 up roaring with laughter. The aud.
 fence was in the same mood but was
 so much delighted with the actors
 sense of humor at his ewn expense
 that 1t cheered him even before he be. gan to sing. As he afterwards sang
 in fine style he was more appiauded
 than ever. and his debut. in spite of the bad omen, gave him a reputation at once. In later years he was suddenly l seized with an unfortunate desire for | adventure of a different kind. In 1894 | he left the stage and insisted upon put.
 ting all his savings into the very busi-
 ness with which he had refused to
 have anything to do as a youngster. | He was the worst business man in | the world, and promptly lost every | penny he had. He remained jolly. | however, even after an unsuccessful | attempt to return to the stage, where his voice proved to have lost its power.
 and he consoled himself by teaching | His death was due to the results of an extraordinary series of accidents. the | first of which befell him while bathing in the sea three years ago. The break CTS were high. and one big wave rolled | him over. He was thrown on to the | pebbles and his foot was badly cut by
 @ she'll The wound proved poisonouR
 and gangrene set in. The singer was long nursed and never completely ie- | covered. He could hobble about. and | one day while he was crossing the
 boulevards In Paris the very same in- l jured foot was crushed by motor car
 a few months ago.
 The Street TraGc.\ .. Public opinion has for many years
 past inveighd against Rhe apparent l want of method with which street l trafiic is regulated and urban and sani- tary works are conducted in Paris. The | new Prime Minister. M. Briand, speedi' iy convinced himself that these eom- plaints were in large part well found. | ed himself that these complaints were In large part we'll founded. and on | Tuesday last he invited the Prefect of l the Seine M de Selves, and the Prefect l of the Paris Police, M. Lepine. to con- slider ways and means of dealing in a | more rational manner with the regu- ] lations of street traffic and the conduct of public works The authorities have now decided that during certain hours of the day heavy wheeled traffic will l not be allowed to circulate in the | Champs Elysees, the Rue de la Paix.
 the Avenue de popera, the Rue Royale. and the principle boulevards.
 General Botha, who arrived hede some days ago, spent several hours at | the National Sheep Farm, In Rambouil- l let where he purchased e number of
 rams for his farm in the Transvaal. During. the transaction he pointed out | two or three specimens which he want | ed, but the director smiled and declar-
 ed that he could not part with them, as they were the very finest in the flock. General Botha appeared delight
 ed at this evidence of his expertness. | and remarked, "I am not a general nor a minister. I am good farmer and
 that Is what interests me-" He has
 left Paris for Holland.
 The famous Automobile Salon, whien l for more than ten years was one of
 the great winter shows in Paris, has
 been suppressed this year. but people | were not long In finding a substitute | for 1t, and now has come the aerosalon
 which promises to assume great pro- l portions, and which in future years may completely overshadow the autom-
 obile display. It Is to take place three
 months earlier than the Automobile Salon, at the beginning of Autumn. | lasting from Sept 20 to Oct IT. The
 idea was mooted last Spring. and the | Governments consent obtained to use | the Grand Palais for this show. It was | not suspected at the time that 1t would | nave the buppoFI t1hA ID HoW AOi tA-
 coming. The success of the Rheims
 week excited such enthusiasm that un-
 expected interest Is being shown in the | show.
 | Aviation, of course is the chief fea- | ture of this Salon de rAerenautique. as l It Is ohicially called. Looking over the list of exhibitors one finds not only
 the leading aeroplane and light motor l construction, but also the manufac-
 turers of all the material that goes
 to make up a flying machine. The
 Gnome, Renault, Antoinette. Panhard,
 and other firms who nave made the
 building of light motors speciality
 are now seen side by side with special
 canvas or silk manufacturers, or makers i of propellers. A vast scheme of uni- | form decoration has been got up for
 the salon. One side of the great cent
 raj hal1 is devoted entirely to the ex- hibition of actual flying machines, and the corresponding side is occupied by the biggest display of light motors
 ever seen. In the centre of the hall is the "stand d'honneur." In which the fame NS monoplane of M Bleriot. on