El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-05-11
monument TO
AMUSEMENT
INVENTOR
Man Who Produced Punch
and Judy Show Loved in
France Some Social Fads
GRAND PRIX CLOSES
THE SOCIAL SEASON

Paris, France, May 1.-THE memory
Of Laurent Mourguet who 100 years
ago invented the stage marionets
which America knows as the Punch
and Judy show" has been hOnOred by
the people of Lyons, who inaugurated
q monument to MOurguet in that city.
The celebration was an elaborate at
fair, speeches being made by a deputy,
the mayor of Lyons, who pointed out
that Mourguet was born in Lyons in
1853, and by a physician of the dis
triCt. The feature Of the celebration,
however was a discourse in pantO-
mime by Jean GuignOL' which proved
to be a small wooden figure defly
manipulated from behind the scenes
The Punch and Judy show is known
in France as the Guignol show and
the best French spectacles Of this kind
may be seen throughout the summer in
the gardens bordering the Avenue des
Champs Elysees in Paris.
Social Fads in Paris.
Two social fads have marked the
Partisan season which Is brought 70 d
close with the Grand Prix running race
at LOngchamps in the early part of
June The first has 6een the growing
custom of fashionable people to attend
boxing exhibitions and the second has
been renewed interest in fancy dress
balls which held such an important
place in the court life Of early France
One of the most original Of the re-
cent masked balls was the Hungarian
mansion in the Avenue du Bots de BOu-
lOgne. All the guests appeared in Hun
garian national costume. The hostess
received her guests in a superb Hun
garian dress. with a mantle richly en-
brOidered with fur and head-dress
sparkling with diamonds Her daugh-
ter wore picturesque Hungarian
peasant costume The men wore most
" Venetian clOaks over evening dress
with knee brooches ana silk stockings
Among the guests who appeared IN
sumptuous fancy dresses were the In
1anta Lulalla, princess Stephanle OF
Belgium. the grand duke Paul of Rus
STA, the Russian ambassador and Nine.
lsvOlsky, the German am bassadOr and
the baroness Won SchOen and the prin-
cess Murat. The music was provided
by a real Hungarian gypsy band in
black uniforms, and a feature of the
ball was a Hungarian mazurlka danced
by 10 couples led by don Luis, the son
of the Infanta EulalIa-
Valuable Book to be sold.
Among the most interesting books
forming the library Of the late Henri
HOussaye 10 be sold by auction soon. is
a slender volume bound in faded vel
vet which once belonged to the un-
fortunate Marie Antoinette It is called
The Garden of French Lilies" and
a number Of poems addressed
by a certain Johann Raukens trauch to
the young archduchess at the time OF
her marriage with the Dauphin OF
France, afterwards Louis XVI The
poems, II IS admitted are DuL mediocre
productions, but as a souvenir the little
book is precious
Henri Houssaye was fond Of telling
how he picked IT up by chance at the
Ham Fair" among a lot of junk and
paid a few cents for it. Another Tot"
which is likely to yield a high price. is
a copy Of the Dictionary Of the French
Academy" of 1884 The work is in two
volumes bound in old Morocco leather
bearing on the covers the arms OF
NIademoiselle de MOntpensier stamped
in gold.
Real Drama is Extinct.
A French literary review addressed I
to a number OF well known writer's the
following questions: list. What is your
opinion on the prevalent taste of mod
ern society for the theater2 Does it /
indicate advance or decadence2 Does
the play develop the same facilities as
the boOk2 Which, in your opinion, is
the most profitable, listening to a dra-
matte performance, or reading a
book"
A number of interesting replies were |
received Only two writer's, Paul Sau-
1ay and Mazel saw IN the passion for I
the play a serious evidence Of intel /
lectual development. The great ma
joritv pronounce firmly against the /
drama and the modern craze for thea I
tergoing. The taste for drama" writes 4
Maurice Barres, which is now becom- /
ing something between vaudeville |
and q cinematOgraph, indicates a tend /
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