The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-06-30
MANCONF ESSES ID
 2O5 BURgyaR|ES Tax Is Placed on Weight of
 Citizens CAN PROLoNG LIFE 
 Scientist Metchnikoff Working on Theory to Increase Length of Life Time-Naval Diver Is ], Attacked by Octopus
CAN PROLONG LIFE
By PAUL vILLIERs

By PAUL vILLIERs
 Paris, June 29.-(Special)-A burglar
 who had piled his craft in Paris for eight
 years without being caught by the police
 and who had a record of POS successful
 burglaries. has at last been brought to
 book. His astonishing record only came
 to light through his own confession
 prompted by his preference for deporta-
 ton as against imprisonment in France
 His claim to having committed 205 bur
 glaries was received by the judge with
 incredulity, and he was much hurt to have
 his title to the burglng championship
 disputed. q have committed 2O5 bur
 glaries. I swear that I have" he said
 to the judge in answer to the first ques-
 tions put to him. The judge asked him:
 r'Were you not afraid of the police?" T
 was" he replied. "but I was always very
 polite to the policemen. and I always
 looked so decent that they would not have
 thought of suspecting me-" The police
 inspectors visited with their prisoner p
 houses and flats. and his allegations were
 found to be true. He had broken Into all
 of them. He Is therefore entitled to be
 called the champion burglar of the world
 and to be gratiied with a sentence to deportation for life
 A small French town in the Pyrenees district has struck novel way to in-
 crease revenue from taxation. The or
 dinary channels not bringing enough to
 carry out certain projected improvements.
 the municipal council decided to place a
 tax on the physical weight of the citizens, arranging the following scheme: Below de fox ,5c t.l 200 pounds. 12 shillings annually is de- manded: from 200 pounds to 27O pounds. IS shillings for all weights above this figure the tax increases at the rate of "A shillings for each 20 pounds Trouble | came when the local authorities tried to collect the tribute Most of the fat people { formed committee to appeal to the pre- ] feet, who represents the federal author l ity In the district. Thus stay was gained. But it appears probable that the town could put into execution the new 1a~ if if should fight the case in the courts. Most of the opposition came l...., lne women, who held meetings and torchght processions to signify their op- 1 \ position to the measure, which struck ! them harder than their husbands.
 Can life be prolonged? This problem is | 4 at present engaging the attention of Met l chnikoff, the winner of the Noble prize | in France. He believes that the present | normal tenure of our lives is unduly re- ! stricted, and that it ought to be possible | \ to extend them through substantially l N longer periods. He believes that the cause E Of sleep is the accumulation during work ing hours of certain toxic substances winch cause the phenomena of sleep, and which during sleep are removed. Sim- larly he believes that the phenomena of old age and normal death are produced
 by certain other toxic substances grad ually and continuously accumulated. Starting on the basis he is devoting his life to the attempt to extend the lives of others. During the 18th century the av- craze length of life was about 23; 1t was world of youth In day 1t is about A. Whether Metchnikoff will live long enough to extend this period to 100 years is an interesting problem
 A naval diver at Toulon has had a ter l rible experience while under water, being | suddenly attacked by gigantic octopus. l He was without his sheath knife, and | being unable to defend himself he prompt i ly gave the hoisting signal. Meanwhile, l however, the octopus had got hold of him | in its 25 foot long tentacles and when | the diver was got on board, together with | the beast, which was still gripping him | tightly, he had lost consciousness. The | octopus only let go its prey when 1t was | stabbed to death. It weighed 125 pounds. | and its suckers were as big as dollar pieces Experiments have been made with a new instrument with the result that the ..Marseillaise.' played at Algiers. could be heard in Toulon by means of wireless eelegraphy.
 curious situation has arisen in AL meria For many months the inhabitants have solicited monetary help from the government for the purpose of remedying 4f.o csofo, aaerl,f hx,t tha ctrttr- ton of irrigation canals The funds have been actually voted for relieving the dis | tressfu situation of agriculture, but the money never reached Almeria. Now the whole popuiatio tired of awaiting min isterial charity has protested in disgust l The mayor and the whole of the city | councillors have resigned, and there is a | general strike of all industries. Commer- cfal men refuse to pay taxes unless the | demands of the province receive atten- | tion. The presidents of the chamber of
 commerce and the Mercantile club have | sbsolutely declined to discuss the stua | tion with the minister.
 Are you cerebral or muscular, respira- i tory or digestive? You might humbly re- Oly to the best of your abilities you are | an these things. But according to a new | cult in Paris. you err. Mankind and | womankind are to be divided into types | Riohelieu. for example, was cerebral | Napoleon and Caesar muscular. Condo | and Layfayette respiratory. Gautier and | Rossini digestive. What precisely does | this mean? You would have thought that | X if ever any creature cerebral it was | Napoleon. But the new science, as is the | bad habit of sciences. gives words pecu- liar meanings Cerebral does this mean2 You would have thought that it means ! one who finds energy in visual and sen i orous excitement" who Hikes neither l movement nor the table nor adventure.'
 
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