The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-30
CHURCH |S VERY
 ACTIVE IN FRANCE Silent Reformation Is in
 Progress A PRACTICAL SPIRIT Now Prevailing Is Having Much Effect on Education-Count de Camondo Left Art Col
 ton to Louvre
FRANCE IOUR BIG OVERSTOCKEDSA SALE

church doing? Since the bishops denun ciation of certain state schoolbooks, noths ing is heard of 1t, unless the head or St Martin be considered a church ques, ton. The fact Is the Catholics of France were never so enterprising. They have started 'congresses' in every diocese Church work, social reform, labor ques- lions, education, clean newspapers, all Is fish that comes to the Catholic net The bishop and clergy are indefatigable Ill making these congresses a success, and the results are said to be extremely en- couraging. Artists, literary men. orators. the gentry, tradesmen and workingmen cooperate with a will, and thus through out France a movement has been starte that may put an end to the supremacy Of political anti-clericalism. Electoral re- form, when accomplished. will stimulate the movement still further.
 The practical spirit that Is abroad is having more and more effect on edu- cation In the current Revue des Deux Mondes," M. Emile Faguet of the Acad- emy, mourns the present position of sec pndary education at the Sorbonne, which, he says, Is threatened on the one hand by primary education. and on the other by higher or professional education Ed Ncation. for education's sake, is in a bad way, because it leads to no practical issue Science and letters, unapplied to some professional course, merely glut the market with unskilled learning. It is mo- torious that the bachelor Is a helpless victim in the struggle for life. His aca- denic training fits him only for semi starvation.
 The tendency is for boys to proceed direct from the elementary classes to ,a doctors, lawyers and druggists. with only the barest equipment of general knowl- edge Such men. declares the eminent uterateur, become skilled artisans in their different professions and nothing more. They have no taste in literature or in the arts. This system Is part of the product of the times. It is undemocratic to have classical distinction and general culture. The masses love the "levelling down" process, and have no sympathy with the intellectual aristocracy. This is the difficulty of the present day. M. Faguet would so rearrange the un1ver- sties studies that the undergraduate, be- fore proceeding to acquire the theory of his future profession, shall have under taken a course in secondary education.
 Count Isaac de Camondo, who dfed a little over two weeks ago, has left his entire art collection to the Louvre with a sum or S20,000 to be spent on its installation. The sole condition at tach ed to the bequest is that the whole collection shallt be placed for 50 years in one room, this to be called the Ca monde room.
 The Camondo collection is both varied and valuable. It inclues all sorts of French works of the eighteenth cen tury, tapestries, sculptures, bronzes and pictures, among them being pastels by Perronneau, and as especially fine one by Latour. There are also many splendid bronzes of the Italian renais- sance, two remarkable Delacroix and two Corots, and finally a number of representative and superb pictures of contemporary French art. These include a fine set of Dega's canvasseS, Ia or 20 first-class Claude Monets, several fine Sisleys and a few good Manets.
 M. Durand Knel says that the late count intended, had he lived, to gather together collection of Renoirs. Anon 2 his objects deart Is the famous Clock of the Three Graces," by Falconnet, ex- hibited at the Smaller palace of fine arts in 1900. Count de Camondo dis covered it at Frankfort and bought 1t for S20,000 from an antiquary who had paid 5000 for it.
 A few years ago the count refused an offer of exactly 10 times his pur-
  jean millionaire. As a matter of fact, he always expressed his intention of leaving it to the Louvre, and would not have sold 1t at any price. This large sum Is not considered to be a high estimate of its value.
 Falconnet's "Trois Graces" and the Latour pastel, Count de Camondo look cd upon as the gems of his collection. His Italian bronzes of the renaissances are already the property of the Louvre by title deed which reserved to the donor the enjoyment of them during his life Should the Louvde not com ply with the one condition attached to fhe bequest of his entire collection 1t will go to the Petit Palais Count de ,Camondo, who was born in Constanti- 'nople, was not Frenchman, but lived all his life in Paris and intended talk Hng out letters of French naturaliza- lion.
 A naval lieutenant named Conneau has carried out an interesting experiment bearing upon the employment of aero planes for naval warfare. The outline of the stern of a vessel was marked out on the ground, and cords loaded with ballast bags to act as brakes were set across it The aviator rose to the height of some 700 feet, and then landed on the spot prepared. The cords were caught by hook fastened to the aeroplane and checked it's speed perfectly The ex- pertinent was entirely successful. The cruiser Foudre will shortly be fitted with all the appliances required for these ex- periments, which have already been car ried out in the United States
 A Dick Turpin incident has taken place in the celebrated woods that link Rocadi Papa with Arriceta, on the Alban Hills near Rome.
 
 travelling on horseback with 5000 to pay a squad of woodmen employed in felling trees on the estate of the Duchess of Sforza when he was suddenly confronted by highwaymen who were masked and well armed.
 The steward met the demand to hand over the money by spurring his horse and dashing off. He was slightly wound- "a by a shot that was fired after him IAs he fled. The highwaymen then made a short cut through the wood and waited the oncoming horseman at a bend In the road some distance away. As the steward dashed by he was shot dead Some laborers near by heard a piercing cry, but it was raining hard at the time and they took no further notice
 The murderers are still at large, and are unidentified. They were to some ex- tent foiled in their robbery for Campag- noni had carefully hidden the greater part of the money in his boots, and these the highwaymen overlooked
 The crime was committed in district noted for it's enchanting scenery, and despite the fact that 1t is infested by brigandish vagabonds, is much frequent ed by American tourists. It was here that a brutal outrage was committed on some Scottish students a couple of years ago. and it was also the scene of an earlier attack on and robbery of the Duke <,F vyaiyuer