Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-08-24
Guard Secret of Aerial Gun.

Constance are watching with great in
terest a series of experiments with a
new aerial gum conducted over the lake
from Zeppelin airship.
Great secrecy has been maintained
about the trials. and the full results are
not known. Firing from a height of 80
feet, it was observed that the noatinS
target was riddled with bullets, while
from $500 feet another. target suffered
considerably.
1t is understood that the new gun is a
Quick-firer, a kind of aerial Maxim. 1t
is not designed to sink vessels SO much
as to kill the crews. The experiments
are always Garfield out at sunset.
There is persistent report that the
vacant chair at the French Academy is
to be filed by a woman. The academi-
clans themselves are understood to be
favorably disposed to the innovation, in
view of the indisputable talents of the
person mentioned, the Countess de Noail-
les. who was recently declared by dis
tinguished foreign critic to be the great
est living French poet.
Anatoie France. when asked recently
the date of his next appearance at the
academy, is said to have replied: Very
shortly-for the election of Nine. de
Noailles'' The French Academy, &C.
cording to tradition, is never in vacation.
and this year is no exception to the rule
At the last meeting there were only half
a dozen Of the forty present but the
neVer-enQlnS TASK OF revising the great
dictionary went on as usual
Walters Outnumber Guests.
There are at present more walters than
guests in the Swiss hotels situated at
high attitudes, as the result of the con-
tinuous cold and rain during July The
hotels in the valleys, however are
crowded with tourists, who have been
waiting for weeks for better weather to
go up into the mountains.
The first part of the summer season
has been a complete failure, and 1t is
estimated that hotel proprietors. rail-
roads and stOrekeepers have lost over
81, $4,000. Climbing in the higher Alps
has been too dangerous this season, and
Lake Constance has overlooked in sew
eral parts, flooding a number of villages
and towns. AS result the tourist
travel has been unusually light The
improving and visitors probably soon
will begin to flock to the higher levels,
but it is too late to prevent the season
Of 1913 from being one of the worst of
many years
The Bank of France has decided to
strike into coin the whole of it's gold
metal reserve amounting to S6c0OOO,OOO
The decision of the bank was caused
by the recent gold crisis in Europe
and the fact that foreign banks in
lTOuDiOuS times, 90 not ike TO take XOlQ
in the form of bars. At the rate at
which the gold is being minted, about
5000 twenty-franc gold pieces a day,
1t will take at least two years for the
whole of the reserve to be- coined.
Manned Are to Hold Congress.
A curious congress, that of the I'm
firm and Atrophied of France" will be
held in Paris during October.
The program of the congress has not
yet been made public, but among the
festivities will be reception at the
Hotel de Vile. which the municipal
councillors promised, without realizing
what it might entail It has now been
pointed out to the councillors that the
legless and otherwise infirm delegates
will have great difficulty in ascending
ton of installing an elevator for the
occasion Is being discussed
The NUMBER or persons acquitted by
French juries on the ground Of partial
responsibility Is growing to dangerous
to be dealt with shortly by parliament.
The urgency Of the problem has been
brought up by resolution of the iury
at the Paris assizes. which points out
that the law. as it stands at present,
leaves them no alternative between out
right acquittal and the infliction of penal
ties. which, under the circumstances, are
excessive. The jury explains it has to
deal with persons who. while not en-
tire1y responsible for thep actions. are
yet sufficiently responsible to deserve
some punishment instead OF being al
| lowed to go scot-free.
Special prison-sanatoriums are advo-
| Gated as the best means of dealing with
| this class of prisoners