The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-02
FRENCH MECCA HUB OF ELEGANCE, BUT UNLIKE U. s. RESORT
Graphic Description of French Palm Beach Given by Bird, Who Asserts It Is
 Overrated
By WILLIAM BIRD
Special Correspondent et 4he Age- H i.
 non,,.v;Iia Erance Jnlxy IA

By WILLIAM BIRD
 Special Correspondent ef Ghe Age Herald
 Copyright, l9s2. oy 1ne AGe AeIAiSl
 DeauviIle, France, July IA few weeks hence this little beach on the Normandy coast will be the hub of the worlds elegance. People thou sands of miles away will imagine it to be an indescribable elysium, and even if they have week-ended in Florida, on Long Island or the Jersey coast, will fancy that Deauville is to the rest as Palm Beach is to Coney Island.
 They will be wrong. Deauville is vastly overrated.
 Physically, Deauville Is this; A couple of hundred yards of beach that has been cleaned up and put In order, with unsightly marshes and rank. scrubby undergrowth on each side; a row of 30 or 40 villas owned bv French and foreign aristocracy and millionairedom. and occupied for a few weeks in tho year; two or thres hotels called big. but really little; a vast concrete "casino"sof the customary wedding cake design-al this along the beach. And back of that a few streets of shops; modest little cafe that spreads it's tables over tho highway and is the only smart afternoon tea resort In town. and . collection of cheap houses that rent at fantastic prices as summer bungalows.
 Deean5t Touch Florida
 Nothing that would attract a crowd in America. nothing that com pares for natural beauty with Florida or with the resorts of the Jersey coast. Nothing, that Is. but the casino. where gambling goes on under the eyes of. and with the par ticipation of. the French government. Yet somehow a summer is not com 1 plete without few days. at least, 1 at Deauville. Parisians save their money for a year to be able to pay the price of a room at the Hotel Normandy for one night. English "trippers" flock there for week-ends and spend more than they ordinarily spend on n whole London theatre season. American tourists feel that l their trip has been a failure If they l haven't spent 1.-the of their whole I budget at the ''plage fleurie."
 Baccarat Room
 Why? It will probably always be an unanswered question. There is 1 just one room at Deauville that 1 really differs from twoscore of sea- side resorts In France, and that is | the baccarat room. To enter this room you must first Of all be a mem Der of the club--which means that 1 sf h3IU a m harf in card 2f 100 francs for the season or 50 francs | for two weeks. For this entry fee you | have the privilege of watching some 1 of the richest people in the world l play baccarat, and gossip. and get | drunk. And that. no doubt. is what l attracts the crowds.
 Outside, in tho main hall of the casino. you can only play "boule. Boule is like roulette. except tha: the odds are 12 per cent against the 1 player instead of four. And the limit ! fixed before the war and never al- 1 tered, is 50 francs on an "even l chance" (which means that the chances are five to four against | you) or 20 francs on a number. There | are nine numbers, and if your num- Der wins, you win seven times the | value of your stake.
 Attracts Pikers
 Boule, therefore, attracts only ] pikers. In the baccarat room you can | play any limit you choose. Banks of | a million francs happen frequently The presiding genius of Deauville Is one Cornuche. Many years ago he was head waiter at Maxims, re- | nowned for his tact. He attracted King Edwards attention, and his majesty, who made frequent in- cognito visits to his dear Paris. grew to count on Cornuche.
 When Edward died Cornuche de cided to branch out. He launched a number of enterprises that have been fruitful. both for him and for his packers.
 Troutville was the great Norman summer resort In those days. Cor nuche established himself there. But he felt cramped. He decided to be the biggest frog In the puddle. H< launched Deauville, which up to that time. was Just a little settlement or the other side of the Touques river l Within two years fashion had moved across the little river. and Trout l vile was ruined.
 He turned his attention to the | winter resorts on the Mediterranean Nice was the fashionable place. Cor. nuche went there. Then he pulled the same stunt. and<in a short space o1 time Nice was all but ruined In favor of Cannes. which belonged body and soul to Cornuche and his followers |