The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-26
President Fallieres Loved by Common and Poor People-May Force Nuns to Leave Paris-Boy
 Scout Movement
By PAUL yILLIERs

uke Asla and America, can only be prop erly exploited by means of railways. Along the whole coast, what ports there are seem to be often either inadequate or dangerous to health. And then the rivers, how little adapted they are to commerce compared with the Mississippi, the Yangtsekiang the Ganges. It is only by transporting steamers piecemeal up the railway that they can be of any use navigating the inner waterways
 The lay of the land, too, Is all in favor of the railway from the north to the the extreme northeast. the Atlas moun- tains, or in the east, where Renyenzoi towers, up above the great rift in the continent. A line running from Algeria across the Sahara, down through the French Congo-what Is left of 1t after the present negotiations-and on through the Congo to the railhead of the Cape to Cairo line at Katanga, would not have to climb any hill or plateau more than z20O feet high.
 Then there is the practical and finan ical side of the project. Deducting the portions already constructed, the Alge- rian and Cape to Cairo and some bits in the Congo. there remains some 37OO milel to cover. The Siberian railway is that length, and it was carried across marsh and lake. through trackless forest. and over frozen steppe In nine years. at the rate of seven miles day.
 Practicable or not, it is fascinating project. The Bedouins of the desert, the pigmies of the tropical forest the gentle l Nasal" and the belligerent Kikuya might soon taste the delights of travel. The great unknown land would become the known. Scenes of cruelty would vanish Instead of the slave gang, the railway | truck. Instead of Congo horrors, bless ings cast OCT smiling land.
 There are few public men in France who are able to get as close to the people as President Fallieres.
 The presidents speeches at Nerac mus, : be treat to every one who likes nea phrasing, body. unaffected grace, and oc oasional glows of slight humor bred O 1 the occasion. In speech at the Marke House banquet he suited his diapason t !, the place and audience of small bourgeois l and rustics. With delicious address Il, merged the dignity of head of the stat, in the homely and neighborly vigneror F'allieres The president has a turn fol
 
 , chansonnier racy of the Gascon soil Without versifying he brought his poeti, talent into play in the market house There he dealt in pleasant talk of his fondness for his natal soil, it's people } it's peculiar beauty, and it's atmosphere This brought him to its vineyards, it's cap-mushrooms, ortolans, beefgues quails and the culinary talents of the Nerac women, who all remained faithfu to the traditions that came down from the gay court of King Henri and Queer Margot. To prove that he did not usurI the title of vigneron, he told his hearers that when phylloxera had destroyed his vineyards he set to work to repair the ruin. Since he began this task he has | overseen. with his own eyes, the plant Ing of 76.000 vines This year the golden vintage they supply Is so great that his steward had difficulty to find vats and tubs enough.
 Ex-President Loubet. another vigneron has at Mesin 8 vintage of 10000 hectoli- tres of rare quality.
 Tt is expressly forbidden to dance the quadrille figure called the 'Pastourelle' | on the occasion of the balls given in the l hall of the Chateau Henri "" Such is the decree which has been issued by the mayor of Nerac, the town which was so dear to the Reine Margot. and which M | dlllcIeS idlely VlSlleu. why ln1S uKdSe, The mayor answers. He says: My tastes have never led me in the direction of the dance. I have never seen the l Pastourelle danced. But all the same deemed it my duty to intervene in the interests of public order. The cavaliers 1 make their partners turn so rapidly and high that their feet actually hit their l neighbors' heads. That figure is not proper. Indeed, I know enough about 1t from police report. stating that 1t led to dangerous rivalry between the young | men of the town and those of the coun- try and this is why I issued the de- cree. which I regarded as necessary" The Little Sisters of the Poor" in Paris have been advised that they will have to leave their eonvents within the next few days, in accordance with the congregational law.
 There are three convents in Paris itself, and two Just outside it, at Leval- Jois-Perret and at Puteaux. The expul- sion order has been sent to the convents, and the nuns are determined not to leave until they are forced to do so.
 | Appeals have been posted up in the neighborhood of all the convents asking | good Roman Catholics to prevent the ex- | pulsion of the sisters, and on Tuesday night and Wednesday night 400 men formed themselves into a voluntary guard al EuteauN, Wnlle ZU are guarding inc convent at Levallois-Perret. Doors and l windows have been barricaded.
 l The Sisters of the Assumption--or Tit tie Sisters of the Poor,' as they are more porularly called-have done such splendid work among the poor of Paris for so many years that their expulsion is not likely to pass off without demonstra- tion and the demonstration may prove dangerous to the good order of the city. |
 l M. Ludovic Landeau, who has been what may be described as the apostle of 1 Roy Scouts in France, can congratulate | himself on the swift success of his la- bors Les Jeunes Eclaireures Francais'' have become an accomplished fact, The l National Education league had adopted l a scheme of organization for the scouts, which was submitted to it by M. Pierre Coubertin
 The object of the movement is to train | growing lads in habits of truthfulness, honor and aself-reliance, and is to be en- l tirely free from political or sectarian in- | nuence. It's promoters hope that in time the Boy Scout movement in France will 1 do much to develop those habits of dis | cipline and reverence for established au- 1 thOrity which are even more necessary In democratic republic than they are l under constitutional monarchy such as we possess in England.
 ! The rules that have been drawn up for