TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14833, 26 November 1913, Page 8

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

The case, reported in The . our cable news the other " Crime day, of a woman who Passionel." was promptly acquitted of theft by a Paris magistrate because she had stolen to get food, was another instance of that eentimentalism in dealing with crime

that is causing thoughtful Frenchmen uneasiness. Th o excuse of hunger, however, is comparatively seldom mado; the great excuse for crimo is love » jealousy, or revenge, and according to the Paris correspondent of the "Daily Mail," things have gone so far that sufficient precedents now exist to assure any Frenchman of complete immunity for tho most deliberate, public, and cold-blooded murder. '-Crime passionei" says counsel to tho jury* a,l( * tho jury promptly acquits. In <* v . no last a man waited for his brother-in-law at noon in ono of tho most crowded I Paris streets, fired three , shots at him, ! and finished him off with a fourth as ho lay on the ground. Tho man, who arrested on the spot, pleaded that he had killed his brother-in-law because tho latter had turned tho affections of his wife and family against him. The judge put tho following question to the jury: "Did tho prisoner kill the dead man, and, if so, is he guilty of murder f And the jury replied, "No," so the murderer walked out of court free. Any person who considers himself injured in connexion with a lovo affair enn avenge himself with a very fair chance of being acquitted. A man has a quarrel with a woman and kills hor, and afterwards pleads that- ho was mad with grief and did not know what he was doing. The jury's heart is touched and he is acquitted. But on questions of property tEo juryman is much harder to influence. "A French juryman will not let off a burglar or a defaulting cashier on sentimental grounds. Ho identifies himself with their victims and is guided in his verdict by their feelngs. But in tho case of .1 'crimo pnssionel , ho tonus to put himself in tho place of the prisoner. Recollections of his own lovo affairs mako him capablo of believing tho plea of irresponsibility under tho influence of passion." As a result of this immunity from punishment, Paris has become, says tho correspondent, tho most violent capital in Europe. A fund of interesting "Jitnmy" and amusing reminisGlover's cences of stagoland is Stories, contained in the eecond book compiled by Mr J." M. Glover, musical director of Drury Lane. Mr Glover's career has been varied—"chemist's assistant, choir boy, organist, entortainmont pianist, newspaper reporter, composer of music, theatre director, proprietor of travelling theatrical troupes, mayor of a country borough, ex-officio J. P. for two years, Poor Law guardian and overseer." But it is on matters theatrical that ho is chiefly interesting. Of Dan Leno ho relates that Sir Augustus Harris used to offer him £60 a. week or so, just to "go on and bo funny." Then Arthur Collins would say, "Lono, I pay you four timos what Harris paid you. I cannot afford to allow you to do what you like. You must do what I want in your own inimitable way. There .is the idea: you imitate it." In "'Mother Gooso" Leno actually refused—relates Mr Gl6vcr—to come on in tho funny market-cart entrance devised for him, and even walked ouj> of the theatre two days before Boxing Night, find left Btranded a £15,000, production and 500 artists, all because ho could not have his own way. But when he did what lie wa3 told to in tho famous goose-cart entrance, the audience had the longest laugh on record. On a visit to Sandringham the company were met at the station by royal omnibuses emblazoned with the royal monogram. Dan Leno was the last to enter. Hβ looked at thecompany of comedians, and then, turning to the Duke of Fife, asked, "Night charges, your Grace?" Then* are several stories of the late King Edward, when Prince of Wales. If he wanted a box and tho Royal box was taken, "it was put nicely to the party who had booked it whether they could eeo thoir Way to obliging his Royal Highness, and j tho answer was, of course, invariably in .the affirmative." Frequently, however, ho would put off his.oWn visit to the theatre in order to avoid inconveniencing others. One of the best stories in the book relates to Sir Augustus Harris in connexion with seme very ■depreciatory criticism's by the musical critic of '"The Timed." Harris complained, and the editor wrote back for a list of all the seats sent to the paper during tho season, adding: "Wo will send cheque." Harris did as requested, and when he received tho cheque he shouted with joy: "Now we've got their bad notices and their good money both! ,. But it is quite possible that inwardly ho felfc the snub. An Australian paper Emigrating receives an interesting Girls. report from its' Home correspondent upon the reasons which may persuade an English girl to emigrate. , In the first place London is a deadly rival to the lands over-sea. The demand for good Workers is so great that girls Teady to accept domestic service may do almost as well, both as ixKcomfort and in London aa they do in Sydney, Melbourne, or Australian country districts. "If it were not for the fact that Australia is regarded as a good marriage market, tho emigration of domestics would almost cease." Luckily, the girl with foi-ward-looking thoughts weighs seriously the chance of making a comfortable match in a country where wages are high and the cost of living not excessive. "She knows that as the wife of ' an Australian artisan she should enter upon a reasonably happy life without too much worry about ways and means; while all round her in this country sho sees the wivos of the working classes engaged in a desperate and often distressing struggle to raiso their families and keep their homes about them." Then a useful emigration agent is the English stepmother. An expert who has made close biudy for some years of tho causes of girl emigration, considers that the st-epmother comes easily first. "If ho hears that a widower with a family has taken a second wife, he looks forward with confidence to enquiries about Australia or Canada." Drunken parents come second in building up the Empire abroad. If the cottage homes of England eeafce to smile as they are directed by the poet, tho daughters, in these days, will sleep no longer "as a bird beneath their eaves." To migrate, like the bird, eeems a. better proceeding—only once away, the daughters are not drawn back from the South. These two sorrowful causes, however, -are less in evidence amongst Irish girls, whose motive is more often sheer love of homo and desire- to assist a half-starved family by sending big wages from nbroad. Then a curious item concerns tho factory worker. A far larger supply of domestics would be available if .Australia, would be' content to train

the English factory girl. An emigration agent of the Midlands reports many enquiries made by factory workers of twenty-four years and upwards. "It appears that in tho Midland factories the girl who is not married by tho time sho is four or fivo and twenty is given a very unpieasant timo by her fellow employees, who constantly xomind her'that it is time sho found a husband and mado way for younger girls." Thus the poor superfluous ono becomes eager for tho Antipodes, and is ready to tako any vow to domestic service if it will carry her off at reduced passage ratej?, to begin ngnin on a different stago.