The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-24
LIVELY CONTEST
FOR PRESIDENCY
~ sfa. ~
Of the Society of French Men Of
Letters
ROsTAND'S NEW PLAY
-
VIII Not Be Presented Until the Year
| 1921, Declares Authority That
Never FaiIs-Bnrber Writes
| Play
RosTAND's NEW PLAY

exacting about a marriage settlement.
He has been acting as secretary of
Lafayette society, founded In Paris by
Flaring GIL, a brother-in-law of the late
Cornelius Vanderbilt. He was then a
struggling young writer and Mrs. Gil.
who was a Miss Gwynne of Cincinnati
and patroness of letters helped and en-
couraged him. Jules Bots is the grand
son of Don Espana, who was private sec
rotary of King Charles of Spain. His
election to the presidency of the Society
OF Men of Letters Is practically certain
This position Is a stepping stone TO the
Academy and is therefore much coveted
As Rene Doumic is already an Academi-
clan electors are likely to give Mrs. GilPs
protege a chance of becoming an I'M
mortal"
The next play of Edmund Rostand Will
be played in the year 1921. How do
know? l am sure because the angel of
the Rules of Paradise" who foretold that
the United States would one day own
everything up to the North Pole, has In
formed me.
Here is the way she figures it out.
Rostand was born in the year 1858. Add
up these figures. One plus eight plus six
plus eight and you have %. The first
seven years are of no moment in an IN
tellectual life. hence you may add q plus
seven, which gives 50. Now 1868 plus %
equals 1898. when Cyrano de Bergorac
was produced Reverse q and you get ~.
Add so to 1868 and you get 1900, the year
Sarah Bernhard first played "LAiglon.'
Take 1900 and add to this number the f1g-
ures of which it Is composed, namely
1 plus plus plus 0 and you have 1910,
which is the date of Chandeliers first
"Cocorice." Add to 1910 the figures making
up the date one plus nine plus one plus
and the total Is 1921. Now you know
figures don't lie. So in the year 1871 you
may surely look for Rostands next play.
BY the way, l hear we are to nave a
play by Paul vibert, In which minerals
will speak and make love to each other
like Rostand's feathered tribe.
To can the climax of the misfortunes
of the Due d'Orleans. the head of the
house of France and official pretender
to the throne, he has been robbed OF the
NINA lures of some of his unofficial court
ladies'. The robbery has just taken place
at Seville whittier his grace went for the
Easter ceremonies. He says he would
not have complained of the loss of his
watch and chain and his passport had
the rascals left him his miniatures. He
declares no Frenchman ever perpetrated
the deed, as he would have had the po-
likeness to return the photos of the la
dies Frenchmen are very delicate about
these matters The prince, like all the
Bourbons OF his line, Ii a gay dog ana
unfortunately he had good many of
these tell-tale pictures in his collection.
In our great northern town OF Lille
lives literary barber, a Monsieur Ar
thur Lefevre. Not satisfied with the rep
utation which came to him through Jul
dicious use of lather and strop he decided
to seek fame in the field OF literature.
Accordingly he wrote a play and set out
for Paris Parisians are always on the
lookout for novelties so they rendered
him great banquet. The generous play
rights declared a barber might Just as
well write good play as a society wo-
man or steel king. So they welcomed
the barber right royalty On the bill of
fare were dishes a la Shakespeare, la
Melicre, a la Victor Hugo. On the back
of the menu was the BARRIERS portrait.
On one side was shaving brush on the
other a goose quill. The symbolism was
declared to be most subtle. After cacn
speech the barber was kissed on both
cheeks, like the president of the Ameri-
can chamber of commerce when he Is
decorated by a minister Of France on the
Fourth of July. OF course all this hon.
age went quite to the head of the poor
barber, who, when his turn came to re-
ply to all the econiums heaped upon him
could only stammer. 1T is a dream,
gentlemen-it Is a dream" He was APP
plauded to the echo, but alas, he could
go no further. His voice chung to his
Jaws, as Horace would say. And now he
has returned to his razor, and whenever
a customer enters for shave he. may
be heard to mutter, 1T is a dream-it
Is a dream.
But, after all, why not? John Bunyan
was tinker.
Our little barber is said to have writ
ten his play in IS hours, but DIR. john
son wrote "Rasselas" in one night,
though this was to get money to bury
his mother.
France, Belgium Germany have had
each in turn an invasion of American
singers Now sunny Italy, the very
Home of Song" is the happy hunting
ground for the bright American girl who
is looking out for money and for fame.
Florence, the Florence of Ruskin, Ia espe-
cially favored by the girl from over the
ocean, Just now some half hundred OF
these songsters are pouring into the
faded ears of the F1orentines timbre OF
voices found only in America
Madame Cora Kempre OF California
has been showing them how "Rigoleto"
should be sung. Miss Edith de Lys OF
Boston has also been charming Florence.
Bertha Brinker of Philadelphia is much
praised for her excellent work. A new
star, Maude Tekla OF Boston, whose real
name is Mrs CASTOR Meyer, has also
doomed successfully over the Florenttne
horizon. Then there is Mignore Nevada,
the talented daughter Of talented
mother. And to crown all. Madame Ne
vada herself has been singing 'Travi-
ata' In Florence to the delight OF the
Florentines. t
James Hazen Hyde, the most fashiona-
BILE American In Paris, whose hosiery al
WAYS matches his shirts, and whose ties
harmonize with his eyes. has discovered
new school of painting. 1t Is an abb
solute reaction from realism. The prin-
e,ple is to produce the greatest effect
with the smallest amount of paint. On
Some parts Of the canvas there Is said to-
no no paint whatever. The most success
sul exponent of the school is Madame
Corras. who halls from the town OF Men
tome In the south of France. Her pic
tures are all marine, many Of them
nainted at night, in which the sea Ia
shown moaning and surging and striving
q fter the moon. Hyde has been seen
hoverinr around the exhibition rooms
where these paintings are on view every
day. Recently he encountered the ven
cradle painter Harpignies, now IN his
92d year He agreed with HYDE tnat
the paintings of Madame Corras usnereo
in new school of painting. Hunareos
of models and young society girls flock
to this exhibition to study the effect Of
the moon upon the surging waters But
ARE the pictures really the magnet? Has
not Mr.. James Hazen Hydes fine eyes
something to ID with this sudden pOpu-