The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-07-31
MOST EXCLUSIVE
CLUB IN WORLD
Stella Aviation Club Of st.
Cloud, France
PRESERVE CITY BEAUTY
PRESERVE CITY BEAUTY
ment of Some of the Historic
Beauty Spots OF the Gay
French Capital

Paris, July S0.-(Special, -The coming
of the airship is responsible for what is
perhaps the most aristocratio and exl
elusive club for women In the world. It
is the Stella club of st. Cloud and its
purpose is the promotion of aviation
matches and 1t numbers in its member
ship some of the highest placed women
in French society. While it is primarily
woman's club and its officers are
women who have won their spurs figura
lively as aviators few men have been
granted the privilege of membership.
Grand dukes and grand duchesses
head the list. The Archduke Leopold
and the Archduchess Blanche of Castillo,
his wife, have, I hear, accepted honor
airy membership. They are both air en-
thusiasts, and their eight children are
bitten with their craze. The archduchess
is sister Of Spanish Pretender Don
Jaime, and the last person. one might
on seeing her think, to go in for air
flights with all the impetuousity of her
Bourbon nature. The figure of this air
princess is short and extremely stout
feature that rather hits the eye as one
sees her between her two eldest daugh-
tiers, tall, slim archduchesses we'll on In
their teens.
The French duchesses of the club are
all authentic and women of wealth in
their own right M. Barthou, the keeper
of the seals, and the French oil king,
NJ. Deutche de La Meurthe. have just
Joined.
Nine. Bleriot has been elected presi-
dente, and Mines. Surcouf and Poliakoff
the vice presidentes. The name Of the
nails as glorious pirate. the auxiliary
of De Tourville. with no other commits
sion than that OF his audacious genius.
The lady secretary and treasurer have
proved their skill as air women, but only
in the baskets OF the balloons.
The local habitation Of the club Is In
the grounds of the Aero park. Officers
have been encouraged to join In its
sports.
While on the subject of aviation 1t may
be noted that the European conference
on aerial rights has been sitting for
some weeks In Paris, apparently without
coming to any definite conclusions,
stands adjourned till October. In the
meantime its proceedings are to be kept
secret 1t was supposed that It's object
would be merely to Introduce some kind
of uniformality into the municipal ar
of the various powers In re-
spect Of flying machines. but l under
stand that larger questions have been |
fnr the confederation |
of the foreign offices rather than of the
boards of trade.
From time to time attention has been
called to the apparent lack of due
concern for the preservation OF the
beauties and amenities of Paris, which
those who are responsible
for the condition of its streets and
squares. There have recently been
symptoms of an awakening In this re-
speot in competent quarters
For several years the Place de POpera
has been disfigured and INSTRUCTED by
the new works of the Metropolitan I'm
foreground railway. These were to have
been finished in December of last year.
The floods interviewed, and the last state
of the central square and cross roads of
Paris is worse than the first. Fresh I'M
operations have been begun,
and, according to the estimate of the
engineers, they will not be completed TILL
May, 1912 This estimate, to judge from
past experience, is far too sanguine,
and Parisians are sadly reckoning with a
continuance of the present unsightly OBJ
structions in the Place de rOpera for
at least four years more.
A similar fate appears to have befallen
the Place de Havre, In front of st.
Lazare railway station One of the
busiest thoroughfares in Paris and an
other great artery of traffic, the Rue
Royale, which leads up to the front OF
the Madeleine, appears to be in a chronic
state of Transformation and obstruction.
Thus subterraneous works. to which
these disastrous results are due, are
doubtless indispensable, but the railway
engineers and contractors seem to display
little ingenuity or resource
in mitigating the public Inconvenience
which they entail. In no other great
European or American city outside OF
Russia or Turkey would such proceed
ings be long tolerated.
Paris is now fighting a plague Of mos
ouitoes Inhabitants of the fashionable
flats surrounding the Pare Monceau are
suffering from an invasion OF the pests,
which swarm In every part of the build
ings from the cellars to the roof.
The official report on the French ma
neuvers throws a startling light on the
vital part which submarines are des-
tined to play in naval warfare Of the
future. Three submersibles. the Circe.
Papin and Calypso, took part in the first
part of the maneuvers. They were sent
to act against Admiral Jonquieres'
squadron, which was blockading Ataccio.
Their instructions were to attack II the
presented itself, but prima-
rily to give information to the naval
force tied up in Ajaccio of the strength
of it's adversaries. a
The Circe and Papin carried out both
parts of their instructions with remark
able. success Posting themselves In the
strait of Bonifacio they waited for Ad-
miral Jonauieres squadron, which soon
uai1ad out steamfnP at a SpAed of IL |