The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-02

Lynch says he didn't particularly want the Paris High School of Elec- tricity's diploma, which he eventually took, but that some of his friends thought as he had acquired all the requisite knowledge he might well have the certificate, so he went in and got it. Nor was it any light task for, at the end of the same course of lec lures and laboratory work which must be gone through with by the experts in the French army and navy, or by anyone desiring to start as a consult ing electrical engineer, he had to write paper on wireless telegraph that was vertically some paper" He had, in fact, to provide all the drawings and details for a complete installation of wireless telegraph on a dirigible bal loon and in such a form as would be passed on to the constructor for exc cution.
 Tt made quite an expressing three months work" remarked Dr. Lynch (he prefers his title as licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians to the mli- tary one that was given him by Pres ident Kruger), and you probably will believe me when I say that I did not go to the theatre once while I was in Paris I did. however. find time to arrange for the publication there of my new novel in French, which l call Poppy Meadows" and which Eugene Figuere, who publishes Shaw in Paris. will bring out, and; as you know, I also took out my license as a taxi driver.
 What prompted me to do that? Oh, well. say that I may be reduced to driving a taxi some day. It will be no more surprising than many of the Ara plan Nights adventures that have fal- len to my lot. No more remarkable, say, than arriving, as an utter stranger In country where a state of war ex- isted and. within three weeks, being given the supreme command of a bri- gade that was made up of a dozen diff ferent nationalities and that was ex- pected to see. and did see, some of the hardest fighting of the campaign But to g.e back to my taxi driving. It struck me, one day, that it would pro- vide an amusing diversion. so I got in touch with a man who ran garage and arranged with him for ser'es of lessons in the chauffer's art For these we used an old Sultan car and on the very first time out l came within an acc of slaughtering several worthy citizens. Of course. the fact that the rule of the road is different over there makes 1t especially puzzling for a be- ginner, but 1t really was the nervous ness of my instructor that nearly re- suited in a wholesale killing.
 These practices took place not far from the Invalides. and on this first morning we were spinning along close to a va cant strip of land which crowd of work ing men were crossing. when suddenly an cbrtacle in the road made it necessary to pull up. My instructor apparently thought that he had better take matters in hand himself, and made sudden grab for the 'voante with the result that the car swerved and leaving the ro2a charged right into the midst of the cxbwd Of worlsmen. They scattered in
 hl directions, but in some way we kept fcharging them and now they all managed to dodge us in our buckings and swerv- ings is a mystery to me yet.
 They managed 1t, however. and took N the affair with characteristic good humor. Hand this was my one and only mishap xs learner. No I never had attempted Aotor driving before, but, as in every tNng else 1 have taken on, every math- enS iical and psychological and practical proposition, I analysed it and built ur the elements.
 After about three weeks, when thought I was proficient" Lynch went on. TT applied to the prefecture of police for taxi drivers license, and was told to meet an inspector near the Hotel de Vile oneAmorning and undergo an exam- nation. Ehis consisted of mastering all sorts of driving difficulties, negotiating crowded s4eets, backing long distance, and so on, Hfny inspector, who sat beside
 me, granting his orders one by one At the end he emitted final grunt to ex- press his satisfaction, and the next day got my license and now can set up as taxi driver in Paris as soon as please"
 , As L.Fnch spoke, one could not help re.