The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-03-26


 | the heart Then he killed himself The riotous demonstra tions at the Theatre Francais during performances | of NJ Bernstein's "Apres Moi have | eicited a letter of protest from some distinguished literary men, including 1 four members of the French academy who have issued an adress saying: | Considering the regret publicly ex- pressed by the author of the "Apros Moi" as concerns a grave youthful CT | TOT and leaving aside all questions of religion, politics. of literature. the un- dersigned French writers and artists protest, in the name of art, as such, against the violation of the rights 10 public performance of which a dramatic work is the object, and which assails | no particular persons or convictions. The grave youthful error" was this: While going through ,his military ser vice he broke away and escaped to Brussels. He was. of course, posted as a deserter from the army and remain ed some three years in Brussels until 1900, wh en an amnesty was voted by parliament.
 On the first night a pamphlet was | sold in which he was described as a deserter. Down with the deserterl" Is | the cry raised by his adversaries at all | the rows in and around the theatre. Tn [ second complaint, Is that M. Bernstein is a Jew, and no Jew, say the rabid anti -Semites. should ever be allowed to have a play performed at the Fran cas
 An invitation was sent by the leaders of the agitation to all the young men of the Latin quarter who professed anti Semitic sentiments, and about 400 | answered the appeal. They paraded | round the theatre, yelling Down with | the Jews! Down with the deserter" The police and municipal guards were stationed on the square. The excite ment became intense. One of the demonstrators jumped into fountain. waded up to his waist in water, and set up an immense placard with an insult I ing inscription. The disorder became general. and a detachment of republican guards received orders to draw their | sabres and ride into the crowd. The row was beginning to look very ugly when M. Lepine arrived, and tried him self to restrain the guards, who were being hustled about. M. Lepine got no thanks for his trouble, and as he
 was standing in the midst of some in spectors one of the demonstrators struck him. During the fray seven per way, had taken the precaution to re-
 move all their small tables and chairs
 from the pavement.
 l The scenes inside the theatre were
 as lively. At the outset. as soon as | the curtain was raised, one of the man. ifestants got up to make a speech. He
 was met by a general protest from the audience but he succeeded in letting out yell, Down with the Jews." The factors and actresses tried to get through the play, but were interrupted. "A volley of stones' happens to be an depression put in the mouth of an &C., nd ha rr1nf ant 1,a q !, 1t man who had got into the presi- dents box exclaimed, "A volley of shot for the deserters,''
 Rattles, whistles, automobile horns and all sorts of devices for making noise were heard. Nothing but pa- tience on the part of the audience pre-
 vented. them from getting into hand
 to-hand fights. Two did get at each lother's throats and kept bits of one an
 others evening clothes, after a violent
 separation. In the third act, Hard
 labor for life for all deserters," shout
 ed the young man. When the per
 formance was over near midnight there
 was more tumult and more excitement
 Twenty-Five arrests were made.
 One day last week the assize court
 acquitted a boy accused of having mur-
 dered man to defend his mother. The
 man had repeatedly ill-treated the boy s
 mother, and on this occasion he had been particularly violent. The boy killed him.
 At the trial the lad explained, "He beat US every day. and often threatened to
 shoot us with revolver that he kept
 under his pillow
 little boy, of 10 was recently killed by lad of 15 years of age at a Breton village. They were walking: along togeth- CT when the bigger boy began to molesr the smaller, who protested. The bully
 took a knife out of his pocket and stabbed his companion seven times The child 8
 cries brought several persons to his res