The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-18
NEW OPERA HOUSE
 READY IN YEAR.
Hammersteih's London House
 Will Cost $750,000
BOOK IS FORBIDDEN
Short Story by ToIstoy Which Is Frankly Anti-Military Is Ostra-
 cised by London County
 Council


 bty grand opera all the year round, Is progressing very rapidly and 1t is now uuite sure that the building. which is b cost s75o.0Oo, will be ready to be opened next fall. It will be the finest theatre London, seating nearly 5000. and be- tides this there will be several halls for he comfort of visitors, greenrooms. re- lcarsal rooms, band rooms, dressing looms, and large storage space for seen Try, enabling any opera to be mounted tt short notice.
 The stage will be 85 feet wide and 90 eet deep, with procenium opening Of feet. Tn the auditorium three royal soxes, with a suite of retiring rooms, ,ave been arranged for. The auditorium tself Cs5 feet wide by 1o4 feet deep) will De decorated the Renaissance style. No pit is provided for, the whole of the over floor being taken up by some | thousand stalls A classical design in srecian style. has been prepared for tho frontage, a feature of which will be a ,olonnade of IS Corinthian columns, each feet high and between them bronze brackets holding electric lamps.
 
 ither end will be groups of statuary. That at the Strand end, over the main Entrance, will represent winged mar dal figure which has laid aside spear md shield in favor of symbals; at the 4olborn end will be a winged female igure playing the Tyre. This imposing ltone front is to be very elaborately ,arved, and the middle window in par dcular promises to be thing of ,eauty."
 oddly enough, the opera house will rave the Strand Union work house for a ieighbor. 4sa It has just been discovered that at east one of Tolstoys books iss on the London county councils forbidden list. The book which has incurrde theswrath if our wise city fathers, contains 23 folk tories, among which is an adapted Rus ian legend, "The Empty Drum,' which s frankly anti-military, and which has circulated among the peasants of the Tolga districts, expressing their dislike s,,f war For this reason was~'fiot coia- idered fit reading for the young people fl England and has been ostracized- ever ince.
 Everyone who has recently seen King Manuel here has noticed that his boyish ace wears a much more cheerful ex7 ,ression than it did a few weeks ago, md it is not very difficult to guess the eason why. All recent reports from Portugal agree that the cause of mon srchy in that country is rapidly growing tronger and the return of King Man. Tel to Lisbon in response to the call of lis former subjects is by no means un- lkely. All the newspapers in the coun-
 ~;t tinfc nf he present republican government, and he only royalist paper left, the rCoreio lu Manha," has seen it's circulation row to five times the size it was only dx weeks ago. One of the leading re- publican papers the other day. solemnly warned the government that those who yere responsible for the recent revolu- ion are quite ready to bring about ar- ,ther.
 The situation is in fact daily growing vorse and in many respects actual an rchy exists. Working men are com ,laining that they were much better of lnder the old regime, and that there is practically no work to be had.
 That serious trouble Is brewing is be- ,, fond any doubt, but it is hard to say what will happen and who is to replace he present government leaders whose lays of power are surely numbered, but vho dare not appeal to the voters, be- ause they fear that an election at the resent time would disclose the fact that hey are not in harmony with the people md send a majority of royalist repre- ontatives to parliament.
 Bewildered and badly frightened the government is almost daily issuing die < atoriai decrees without consulting the ountry of the persons whose interests re prejudicially affected by these de- rees The employers the property wners and the merchants are being sac ificed to satisfy the socialist farces which are intimidating the government The reorganization of the country and Is finances, which should be the first uty of the government, is secondary consideration. great railroad strike threatened, and the sailors of the lavy have shown strong royalstic feel ng daily refusing to permit the officers ,ppointed by the government to board he vessels and also in the army, off CTS and men are beginning to sigh for he return of monarchy, the present gov rnment having made their duties much nore arduous, always keeping them on he alert in fear of an outbreak of the isturbances threatening everywhere.
 Armed with permit from the Egyp- ian war department and the English government and escorted by a number BTlllSn. OLlceTS III tue dIIly OI oCCu- ation, Prince Johann George and Prin- ! ess Mathilde, the brother and sister of he king of Saxony, who have been trav- ling incognito in Egypt for some time, re to visit the famous monastery of St. .atherines on Mount Sinai.
 To do this, the royal tourists will have cross the desert in which the Jews wandered about for 40 years and will ave to sleep at least two nights in tents. The monastery, which was built nearly boo years ago is situated some 5000 feet bove sea level and is. inhabited by. 25 /. ireek monks
 The monks will conduct their royai istors to the summit of the mountain ver a path laboriously built by their redecessors There are over three thou and steep steps, the top of the moun- ain being 1000 feet above the monas- cry. On the way they will pass the aace where Moses is said to have gath red the elders of Israel and the cave which the prophet Elijah rested when eeing from .Jezebel At the very sum- nit is the rock where Moses is said to ave received the Ten Commandments.
 beautiful American dancer is now aid to have caused the ex-Shah of Per la to have interrupted his trip to Paris stopping at Vienna to try to induce he girl to become wife number four.
 A few months ago an American dancing uartet, .srhe Violet ,,Girls,' performed t vaudeville show at Teheran and the 1tiah commanded the four girls to give N private performance at the palace,