The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-12
RICH WIDOW IS
NEW SENSATION
Buys An Interest In The Casino
Of Engien
PLAYS LIKE EDWARD
Match Is Proposed-Pars, Already
Crowded With Statues, Is to Have
Another, This One to Fran
co.'s Coppee.
BY MARQUIS DE cAsTELLANE.

BY MAhQOiS De CAS LLANE.
Paris, December 11.-(Special) II
went TO Bngien recently. Let me ex-
plain that Engien is one Of the pref
test suburbs of Paris, and its Casino
is hardly second to that of the gorge
Gus gambling palace OF Monte Carlo.
In 1t there are no less than 20 bac-
carat tables. At one of these sat an
American lady, a Mrs. Banchor of Bos-
| ton, l believe. and 1t is no exasera-
ton to say she played with an aban-
don that even King Edward of Eng
land, that most reckless OF players,
might envy.
Prior TO the arrival of the Boston
! lady. La Belle Otero, the elaborate
! Spanish dancer, Polaire. the famous
| French actress and Cecile Orel, of tins
| Odeon, were the center of attraction.
| But Mrs. Banchor quite eclipsed these
| celebrities by the brilliancy of her
playing. She swept everything before
her. The most hardened gamesters
took back seat to watch the daring
stakes of the American lady from Bon
ton.
As l said, l know of no one who
can compare with her but King Ed
ward; and L would like to propose to
Mrs. Moore to bring them together
Mrs. Banchor Is so fascinated with the
Casino of Engien. l am informed, that
she has bought stock in it Doubtless
an excellent investment
Mrs. Banchor Is rich widow. Her
maiden name is Miss Loring. There are
a large colony of Lorings in Boston. L
believe, all said to be descended from
that one time sturdy artisan Loring,
who went over In the Mayhower. I
have observed. however, that the at
mosphere of Paris does not harmonic
with Puritan blood
Mention of the Mayfiower always re-
minds me of the True Cross. If claims
be correct, the relics would make a
forest as large as that OF Fontain-
bleu.
Paris" says George Moore, like
most pagan cities, Is full of statues" l
fear If we keep on adding to them
there will be- no room for the statue
of the man In whose destiny it is, to
win back for US our own Alsace-
Lorrain.
1t seems now that Francois Coppee
commonly called The Peoples Poet"
is to have statue. OF course he de-
serves one. 1t is to be erected near
his favorite church and not far from
his favorite cafe
He was a member of the Church of
Saint Francois Xavier. in the Boule
ward des Invalides. not far from tie
golden dome beneath which rests the
ashes of Napoleon the Great.
1 think all the Frenchmen more or
less have their favorite cafes. That OF
Francois Coppee was the Cafe des
Vosges. So much did he frequent it,
that 1t Is now known as the Cafe
Francois Coppee. The statue will be
unveiled next January. The sculptor
is Andre de Chastenat.
Coppee wrote q great deal about
young American girls. He had great
admiration for them. and constantly
sang their praises.
Our two most noted statues in Paris
of Americans are, as you perhaps
know. those of Washington and Frank
lin. We have also named streets after
these distinguished men.
You have had your Brook Farm colony,
with its galaxy of dreamers; your Up
ton Sinclair colony; your Single Tax
colony; but we have our Nature colony.
1t Ia in the neighborhood Of Bordeaux,
where the glorious rays of the southern
sun sipen and enrich our grapes and
vines
The Nature colony consists of about 100
members They battle in the brooks and
sleep in the trees. They employ no cooks
and eat no cooked food They consider
1t unclean and abhor 1t as the Hebrew
does pork They sit in the sun, and when
they are hungry pluck the ripe fruit
from the trees above. The COW is their
favorite study. They revel in this ami
mails comfortable life and strive to imi-
tate 1t.
There is some talk OF abandoning our
tobacco shops. Some non-smoking deputy
or other wishes them suppressed Shades
of Walter Raleigh defend usi Tobacco
has changed the face of the world. 1t
has been as great an innovation as the
printing press. In France our two great
est pillars of state are: The Legion of
Honor and the tobacco shop.
The politician who cannot be tempted or
bought with money invariably succumbs
to the promise of a decoration. 1t may be
honor dishonorably bought, and yet there
is no resisting it.
With us the tobacco shop Il a state
monopoly. 1t is usually given to an Of
dcer's widow In lieu of pension. The
widow Of the late General Gallifet has
one OF course she does not stand behind
the counter and dole out cents worth
Of tobacco to the casual working man.
She has practically nothing to do with
the shop at all. She rents 1t out to
some poor woman, who Is allowed about
per cent Of the profits. The rest goes
to the Officers widow.
All sorts and conditions of people are
thus employed in running our tobacco
| shops. Thus all casts in the community
| are in q way bound together because al
most every half dozen streets have to-
bacco shop, where stamps are also sold,
| to say nothing Of paper, matches and Of
| times liquors. The deputy who can prom
ise . certain number of tobacco shops to
HIS constituents can always carry his
vote. Suppress the tobacco shop in
France and you play the part of Samson
when he pulled down the pillars.
A recent luncheon given by one of the
clergy of the ultra-fashionable st. Clo-
tide church of the old aristocratic Fau-
bourg st. German serves as a reminder
that Pero Hyacinthe is still alive.
1t Is 70 years since the once eloquent
preacher Of Notre Dame shook the dust
Of tho famous cathedral from his feet
and started out to establish what he
called the Qallican church To help him
in his Herculean task he married charm
ing and benevolent American widow. a
Mrs Butterfield of Cleveland, o.
The 9allican church, numbering Just
these two at the start. was soon in
creased to three by the arrival Of baby.
This baby u now tho wel-known dra-
matte author and poet, Mr.. Paul Hya-
cinthe Loyson. Following In the footsteps
of his father Paul also added to the MEM
x~~~a,s~ - 49, f5af1i0 church n1 in .