The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-19

there would give the sanctuary doc- trnal value, whereas a belief in it's mir acles is entirely optional on the part of the faithful.
 If perchance the French government of fered hospitality to his holiness, there is an old palace at Ayignon that would be an ideal residence. The popes lived al Avignon from 1909 to 1877 They bought the city, which belong to the Roman church until 1791, when it was reunited to France. Avignon is a wonderful place. full of strength, charm, it's old walls and battlements vividly recalling the mid dle ages.
 A piquant story of a deputy and his beard is recorded today While the deputy was pursuing his candidature in the Saone-et-Loire he allowed his beard to grow It Is suggested that his object Tn cultivating a beard was to give him more serious appearance. He was elected and came to Paris.
 One morning, while attending to his toilet, he was not quite satisfied with his personal appearance. and decided to get rid of his beard. He took up his razor and was about to make the sacrifice when he stayed his hand. What would his electors think, he asked himself? Would they recognize him? He put down the razor and taking up pen wrote to his election committee making an appoint ment for certain day Proceeding to Louheaus on the day fixed, he met the members of his committee in the back room of a cafe. The deputy make known his intention regarding his hirsute ap- bondage and the committee voted on the question as to whether the beard had to be sacrificed The matter was decided
 in the affirmative by r to g. On the fol- lowing day the deputy was 10 years younger.
 This is the story. but it is contradicted by the deputy who declares that he has no election committee-that, in fact, he fought against all the committees in his constituency. He asserts that the story has been invented because of the attitude he assumed on the question of the quinze mills--the 5000, the amount of a deputy's salary. He does not deny however, that some facetious electors may have voted on the fall of his beard, but contradicts the role assigned to him in the business.
 The fencing tournament which took place at the Nouvea Cirque the day be- fore yesterday in honor of Kirschhoffer, the celebrated French maitre arms, was undoubtedly the event of the season.
 Kirchhoffer has long been suffering from a cruel disease and cure is out of the question, but his old pupils decided to make nm 1lndUcldily luueptIutHl, anu when invitations were sent out ts honor him with a tournament all the tickets were snatched away by his many ad- mirers at fabulous prices. That the young CT set of the American colony met in full force goes without saying, and the rest of the immense hall was filled with members of the old aristocracy of France, nearly all of whom owed their skill with the foils to the stricken champion.
 The affair itself was a veritable treat to lovers of fencing The most famous swordsmen of Europe fought with sabre, sword and foil. and a splendid sight was the masterly fencing bout between the champions of the Cavalry school at Saul mur and the Artillery college at Fontaine- bleau Such fencing has never been seen in Paris. The bout between Lucien Gau- din and De Smedt, the Belgian professor, was also unique I do not know what the proceeds of the benefit were, but it is certain that Kirchhoffer will never have to worry about how to make a living.
 The French naval programme is scarce ly of grandiose proportions, but for all that 1t will not pass through the ordeal of the Palais Bourbon without difficulty. The naval group in the chamber assures at least 15O deputies pledged to vote the proposals of the government, but they have misgivings as to ways and means. The great champion of the programme will be M Delcasse, who has Identified himself with naval reform. At meet ing of the radical left a few days ago he made a powerful appeal to his col leagues, and obtained their approval of the plan that would give France in 1920 a naval position worthy ef the national policy. Unfortunately, radical socialists and socialists are utterly opposed to spending money for war purposes and their power in the chamber is great
 M. Claude Casimir-Perier, seeing the futility of further resistance, has with drawn opposition to his mothers demand for a counse iudiciarre. The widow Of the late President of the republic has had sad time of 1t with her spend- thrift son. A family council had to be held to save honor and fortune. The Casimir- Perlers are the owners of the Anzi collieries which give them an in- come of s40O,Oo0 a year. Claude must have thrown his money away to be in such plights The affair of the pearl necklace would have got him into serious trouble if he had not been Casimir- Perier. Imprudently, too, he had given his name to certain mining speculations that gave rise 10 scandalous gossip in northern and eastern France. The French
 code is not often paternal. but this time it provides a happy solution for par ticularly acute family crisis.
 | The Pasteur institute has dispatched | Dr. Yersin, one of it's staff. to study | the plague in the far east. Dr. Yersin | Is the discoverer of the plague serum. | which is said to have been unsuccessful | in the far east. but he stated yesterday | that he Is not discouraged, as he has yet
 10 learn under what conditions the se-
 rum was administered. He Is to go to | Saigon. in Cochin-Chna. but he does not | know whether he will go further north ! pr. RouX, the director of the institute,
 stated yesterday that 1t is still not proved | that the plague is of q new kind. He l considers that it Is really the bubonic plague of India developing itself in the l lungs on account of the severity of the | winter. pr. Roux says that 1t is plain | that the plague can be communicated to ] white men. as Dr. Muller and his assist
 ant recepfly dfcd from in Vipunu after