The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-17
FRANCE ALARMED
At DEVELOPMENT
Of Military Aeronautics In
German Empire
COMPULSORY MARRIAGE
Brings CONSERVATION Into the Ranks of
Official Functionaries In Paris.
Many Employees Are
Unmarried
COMPULSORY MARRIAGE

short time ago, is the eye of the army.
In that case the French army would be
blind If war broke out suddenly. The
Germans have at least Is dirigibHs, with
able men to pilot them and proper sheds
cation, and the equipment are all that
could be desired. France had only three
dirigibles at the end of last March, and
not one of them was fit for use.
The Temps since then has offered the
state a dirigible of 1000 cubic metres, but
it will not be ready for another couple
of months. M. M. sLebandy followed the
good example, but their gift, the Cap
taine Marchal, cannot be completed I'M
til October L
In France the sheds are bad; there are
no lighthouses for night operations, and
no projectiles to destroy effectively hos
tile balloons. General Brun, Minister OF
War, is not an advocate of the dirigible;
he THINKS it Is destined to disappear.
The aeroplane inspires all his conf
dence, and he has some reason for it.
During the last nine months military
aviation Cheavier-than-the-air has made
great strides In France, thanks to the
happy idea of transferring the service
from the engineers to the artillery. The
military reconnaissance effected by ar
aeroplane on the 9Th of last month was
unique of its kind Two infantry Off.
GERS did the trip from Chalons to Vincen-
mes in two hours and half, the distance
being one hundred miles, and now, fol
sd,
eral Brun is giving the aviation service
back to the engineers.
In official circles the prospect of in
slant compulsory marriage, II Professor
Lannelongue's drastic bill to increase the
birth rate becomes law, has caused some
excitement and alarm Benedicts natur-
ally chortle, for in the future every fresh
arrival in the family may mean promo
ton to papa
But all "functionaries'' are by no means
married men, In fact the bachelors are
probably in the majority, while spinsters
certainly are in the posts, telegraphs and
telephones Hitherto, chiefs of all gov
eminent offices have, as a rule, shown
an unmistakable bias in favor of bach
elors among the male clerks The idea
generally was, that a functonary with
out home encumbrances was more zeal
Gus in the discharge of his public duties
He would not mind working overtime,
having only to run out and dine at res
taurant, whereas his married colleague
was afraid Of keeping madame waiting
and spelling the dinner.
Now all this is to be changed. 1t will
be rather hard on some. A bachelor,
H.
man ambition to be the father of fam
lily in order to get on in the ''administra-
ton will have some cause for complaint
if the tables are turned and married men
pass over his head, now that, perhaps,
he has reached an age at which it is no
longer so easy to find a mate as 1t might
have been What -beens, in
deed, will not the unfortunate bachelor
functionary sigh over One can imagine
him losing his temper even in the pres
ence of his chief.
II was In love in April, 1889. I loved
again, yet more defply, In June 1897.
/ was madly in love In September 1902.
Each time l crushed my heart, l stifled
my passion; nay, perchance, l broke
other hearts, all to get on in this office,
and now Durand, who married when he
was sixth assistant deputy under clerk
of the third class in your circumocution
department; Dupni who actually mar
ried the girl whom I was in love with
in June, 1897, or April, 1889. forget which
at the present moment are to be promot-
ed over me because they forsook their
public duties and became fathers. JUS
tice where art thou? What could the
chiefs answer be?"
AS for the ladies of the posts, tele-
graphs and telephones, a few years ago
there was actually a question whether
marriage would not be forbidden them by
regulation. Luckily, so inhuman a veto
never was applied, or the postmaster
who applied 1t would hear something
from Professor Lannelongue. But In prac-
tice the marriage of telephone girls Is
most certainly not encouraged, and 1t is
difficult to imagine that it could be.
The most efficient telephonist is not like
ly to be the lady who has most babies
at home when she would prefer to mind,
and, as a matter of fact, ought to be
minding, instead of connecting wires for
impatient people to exchange usually idle
talk over them.
A regulation, at all events, exists, and
is vigorously enforced, forbidding any
Men clerks can marry without leave of
the authorities at present. Soon they may
have to marry to comply with the reg
ulations.
There are numerous freak associations
in Paris as In other capitals, and some
~ them will no doubt occupy the at
tention of future historians. Yet another
strange society has beeu constituted. 1t
is called 1.-THE Liberated from the Mil
'tary Prison Settlements. Naturally.
his new society has aims We are told
that they are eninently humanitarian.
The members desire to take in hand the
ause of those who take their places I
the military prisons and to liberate them
more quickly than the authorities i'm
ogine. In order to achieve their ends the
members propose to start a lively propa-
ganda. But for this money Is wanted.
and the question arises, to whom should
the members apply for 1t? An Ingenious
idea has occurred to them They sug-
est that the minister of war should be
approached on the ground that he al
eady gives assistance to numerous So
rieties of old soldiers. This Is perhaps
he most daring proposal that has been
launched for many day.
While the fare on the Paris buses and
street cars until recently was collected in
the American way, each passenger Is
now handed a ticket and the obligation
to show this whenever requested has
greatly upset Parsans.
On some lines there seems to be almost
as many inspectors as passengers. They
get on and off the vehicle at the corner
of every street. They cannot leave you
quiet for five minutes, and no sooner
have you replaced your ticket in your
pocket than the platform is darkened by
the shadow of another unwelcome Of
hcial. and your ears are again assailed by