El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-12-07
RANCE GETS
READY FOR
ELECTION
New President to Be Chosen
by National Assembly in
January.
HOW VENUS LOST HER
ARMS is EXPLAINED


a presidential election in France, and yet
one seldom hears the fact mentioned I'M
less he frequents the Hobbies of the SEN
ate and chamber of deputies. Even IN
the halls of legislation there is nothing
like the intense interest to be found IN
every hamlet of the United States pre-
ceding the choice OF a chief magistrate.
This is due largely to the fact that
the president Is chosen not by popular
vote, but by the national assembly, and
that his powers, though large, are by no
means so great as those of the president
OF the United States, while his influence
on legislation and on public opinion gen
erallv is much less.
There Is No Campaign.
There is no eampa,-l in the American
sense, no primaries, no platforms and no
popular discussions. The wish of the
people so TAR as it finds occasional ex-
preston is that the president shall be q
safe man, without daring ambition or a
liking for the dramatic and adventurous.
France treats its PRECEDENT fairly well.
His residence in Paris is the Elysee pal
ace and in the country the beautiful
chateau of Rambouillet. He receives a
salary OF 100000 a year, and in addi-
ton an equal sum Is allowed him for
expenses OF entertaining. He assumes
office a month after his election.
The members of the senate and Of the
chamber of deputies, meeting together as
the national assembly at Versailles on
January II. will choose a successor to
president Fallieres. The foremost candi-
date is Paul Deschanel, president of the
chamber and one of its bright lights for
% years. He is 55 years of age, and
his family has great wealth. In a sense,
the leader Of each parliamentary group
is a candidate, though neither party lines
nor combinations OF factions determine
the choice.
A notable candidate from the senate
is Alexandra Ribot, three times premier
and a man held in high esteem. His wife
was Miss Mary Burch of Chicago, and
she has assisted him much in his public
career. NJ. Ribot is Learly II. Other
candidates are the president of the sen
ate. NJ. Dubost, Leon Bourgeois, NJ. Del
case, premier POincare and Paul DOu-
mer. The latter's program IS to save
France from materialism and CONNER
cialism.
FalEeres Seeks Simple Life
NJ. Fallieres, in preparing for his re-
tirement, has engaged an apartment near
the American embassy. He will devote
his time between Paris and his little
Loupillon, in southern France,
where he produces 500 casks of wine
yearly.
Jean Aicard, the seademieian, supplies
as a result of his researches a definitiVe
explanation of the fact that the cele-
brated Venus of Milo has no arms. Some
have supposed that the goddess lacked
arms because the sculptor 20 centuries
ago, feared to complete his work, think
ing that his inspiration would not last
long enough to enable him to make arms
L. 81 l. Il l.
Others have suggested that she held a
lance in her hand as "Venus victorious"
OF repealed a lover, who formed originally
part OF a group with her.
Says Venus Had Arms.
But NJ Aicard declares that Venus had
arms as lovely as her body. With her
right hand she held up her draperies; in
her left was an apple. Venus was dis
covered in 1920 BY a peasant who was
digging in his field in the island of Milo.
She was in a sort of crypt or grotto.
Vaguely realizing the value of the mar
bic, the peasant carried away the TOP
part to his cottage. There it was seen
later by a French naval ensign. The
white marble, pure as a lily, stood out
IN all its exquisite perfection from the
toul-smelling, smoky hOvel, barely light
ed by a tiny window
Informed of the pure beauty of the
statue, the marquis de 'Riviere, the
French ambassador at Constantinople,
sent his first secretary to obtain it. The
envoy arrived barely in time The price
less marble was being dragged along by
a party of Greek and Turkish sailors to
On Ottoman brig. The French diplomat
landed men from the schooner in which
he had arrived, and captured the treasure
after a fight. But it was roughly
handled by the sailors in getting it on
board, and the arms were broken. Por-
tons lay upon the beach of Milo and
were never recovered. This is why Venus
is armless in her solemn resting place
in the Louvre.
This version of the facts of Frances
possession of the celebrated statue has
never before been made public, owing to
a fear Of diplomatic complications. When
the French secretary arrived at Milo,
the lower part of the figure was already
on board the Ottoman brig. and it re-
quired threats and a gift of money to
obtain its transfer to the schooner. A
month later the complete goddess (save
the aTms) was carried ashore at Mar
an 10