OUR PARIS LETTER. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2140, 27 March 1886, Page 4

OUR PARIS LETTER. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Paki.s, January 30. Tun, Mi/iNtor of Marine, Adniii.il Aubc, ilijttQtcd tlie V-ilscwns hy tho expeditious manner* ho applied the broom to the Aflmiraltv. He >\vept away a whole poneratuiiioflUui.iclesth.it were tlio fos-«ili«t'd Mippoits <if «\oiy«ii>U9e, aivl t!u- !>;>[> M'-'nte of all K'fouu*, But thpy were wur&o ; they openly avowed their hostility to tho Rcpub l.c— .i conduct neither king nor empeior would tolerate. No one prevents an official from h <\in^ his viow^. as to tho bc-<t ]^1 in for uaakinj; hi» country glorious and free ; but thero aru occ.vbions when he oii;,'lit only to votitiliite tham in thu family cwcle, not between the historical hours of ten .md four. Aa tho Adinjral prove*!, thoie u.i-. .x piiy-iciiin in Gili\id. Ho lie show-^ too, thcio was b.ilin ; the new men lie h.w appointed are exactly those that public ojiirtion has indicated. The Minister of War, (tcnor.il B'mUnger, is fufiiAvinff in the track of his collca^ne. liut| he h.lB to co|»o with greater diOiuultics. He n routing th.it inertia which weijjlied i>n' several undeniable rufornis, butth'tt a my^ terious inHuonco clie6ked their application, f^e'veral icgiraonts which weie known to luve officer* who never disguised their antirtpublican sentiments, and that wero quartofed yo.vr.s iince in localities socially ayny «thetic with such imprudent officers, have been, dunged. Tho army is not now what it w.w in 1870, and the Germans cannot too much ponder on the fact. In consequence or 'obligatory service, it is recrnited from society at Targe. A' nuporior claw of conscripts are enrolled. The patrician and pleb are shoulder to shoulder. Naturally this calk for a re-casting of the system of barrack or regimental life., ' Men must have some of the comforts of a home, and be treated, not aa machine*, but aa intelligent being's, educated, and whose courage and submission do not proceed from stupid ferocity and the dread pi punishment. Some facts lately "have come to light that the Ramollot type of colonel is not extinct. The now stratum of officers who join the army possess a superior education, have minds more enlarged, and an ideal of discipline that a soldier is not to be trained by compulsion, nor tamed by brutal punition, nor that the prison cell is Des£ place for correction, ft is a notorious fact that those regiments where non-com-missioned officers and privates re-engage, are exactly those remarkable for their model bearing and discipline and where a paternal system of regimental administration reigns. Instead of regarding the service as a penal servitude, a life of haishness and fatigue, the men love their regiment, as an. alma mater. By clubbing weekly the small sum of from one to five smivsome colonels have actually provided for the non-commissioned officers and privates a veritable home life, where meals are served in a civilized fashion and rooms provided with books', social games, aud billiards. .General Boulanger intends dealing with the gra,ve subject of army mortality. We .have been initiated into the mysteries of "coffin ships;" there is also another mystery quite as lugubrious, the " coffin barracks., A ciserne containing 2,000 to to 3,000 soldiers, is a standing centre of typhoid fever and phthisis. The death rate in that sardine-box, is 10 per 1000, while, when soldiers are camped, 9.3 at Chalons and elsewhere, the death rate is dot more than four. Dr. Colin says, the principal came of typhoid fever is the mftsm of the living organism, which attains its greatest maximum where a number of men are crowded together. Fatigue is the chief cause of consumption. It is not the profession of apldier which is bad,' but its anti-hygienic conditions. In the German Landwehr, where the soldier 4)»rclly quits hi« locality and family the sanitaiy state of his life is satisfactory. •■The physique of a conscript, has much to 'do wilh^iis health. >The younger ba, is, the less resistant, because not fully developed, ho will bo to the seeds of disease. Dr. Dultelet, of Belgium, says, growth onlyde^pitely terminates at 30 years of age. Topinard maintains, that stature regularly increases from 20 to 30 ; that maximum height is attained, in Germany and'Scandanavia, at 20 years ; in England, at 25 ; in Belgium, France, and Ireland, at 30. , Race, as 4 l3roca maintained, affects growth so does misery, resulting from insufficient food, ha-bit it, profession and mode of life. With individuals badly fed, growth, if sjlowgr, is more piolongod. In Paris, where mdigeuts exist.— Belleville for example, the conscripts are of smaller fci::e than the indigentbof theOhanips Elyseesquarters. The inhabitants of the north of France are as remarkable for their iobtist build as tho«e of Alsaco and Loiio-ine : but they degenerate the moment they are doomed to in r dustrial seclusion. Wea\ers, printers, clreks and shoemakers figure as the smallest consctipts, and are generally sent' b.\ck for a few yeais. to grow. French soldiers are goneially small, but then the doctors do not TookJo much to btaturc as development of oWUsT Tho standard of the latter, in 31£ Ajnche*, tlvifc which can ensure a soldier holda rifle straight. Sedentary and schola&tie occupations restrict this chest development. Dr. I'inkolnburg states that in the case of 17j24G Prussian conscripts, 80 per cept. were improper for military service due to pedagogic influences, producing weak chest. Dr. Arnould asserts, at the military college of yt. Cyr, the students display sen&iblo "■ "phjbicnl inferiority, greater delicacy, in a word, in proportion to their intellectual superiority. No wonder then, that' in Germany proficiency in gymnastics figures on diplomas. While typhoid fever is the disease which seizes the young soldiers* it is consumption j which preys on the old ones. The Grades d,e j Parfej. the felite of the French army, suffer principally from phthisis. They d,re too much housed, want exercise in rural atmos- ' 'phefes. During the Crimean war, < tho mortality among French soldiers from consumption was relatively small : the men were. .kept at work, aud in the pampaign of 1805", the Conscripts wHo marched' from the western shores of France tp Austerlitst, a distance of'l2oo miles, were" not over 22years of age, and arrived on the battle field leaving only a few invalids en route. By the summary action of England the frog-and-the-bull fable.'plans of Greece have been foiled. She has not only been saved from self-destinction by that vigorous shake, but Europe and the world freed from a calamitous war. Now that Bulgaria and the Sultan have patched up their difference, the Eastern question is laid by as usual for a time. Opinion is nervous lest the change of cabinets in England may involve an alteration in foreign policy. A return of tho vacillating, undecided, jellyfish conduct of Lord Granville would be calamitous. Opinion has not decidedly pronounced on tho advent of Mr Gladstone to power ; tho disarray of parties and the dabbling of the State with socialism are uncertain factors in the problem Qui vivera verra. Paul Bert has not yet set out to govern Tonkin, &c, but the journals decry his intended programme as childish. They say his pojjcy is> that of a schoolmaster. It is • the only one jthat has notf yet Ifeen tried. He cannot break 'down more ■ hopelessly than did tho military and naval administrators. A schoolmaster with a good bircfi • has before now worked wonders. Only the t Black Flags are terrible truants and may decline coming to school ; then education there while being gratuitous is not compulsory. The French are in hopes of making more out of Madagascar than Annam, Cambodia, Tonkin, &c. The Paul Bert plan will be applied there also. May it succeed, as civilization can only gain by peaceful : triumphs. I was looking into a description of Madagascar by M. D. Charnay. He was one of the members of the commission sent to the island by the French Goverument in 18G I to report on its natural resources, and the advisability of opening it up to commerce. The island, said' this official in 1865, ranks next in beauty after Borneo. He acknowledges it was discovered by a shipwrecked Portuguese in 150l>. Louis XIV., in lb's2, encouraged the Oriental Company to fit out an expedition for the island. It failed, and so did all similar attempts, after tho expenditure of millions of money and thousands of men. "We are le^s advanced," says M. Charnay, " in 1805 Uun m 10.VJ, for our titles to the island aie lapvd." The failure was not due to tho want of heroism of our soldiers, "but at Madagascar, as elsowheie, tho commandant of tho expedition was full of haughtiness towards his suboulinatas, and tyiannical cruelty towards tho natives, succeeding at once to" discourage the colonists and •alienate the inhabitants." He added some home thiths, that Franco should give frill liberty to" people" to cultivate,, &c, as they pleaso ; should have con* ' nectiveness in her ideas of colonisation,* and also pei'iteverance. He points to tho success of England in such matters, because, contraiy to France, the civil element is all. J']ngli>nd, ton, founds colonies, not for herself, but for the world, nnd invites Gmnanv. S|>.»m, Frince, nnd America, men of all races, to come and settle therein.

Australia is thus a veritable European Colony. He'contirtnes "that the AngloS.iMins aio the agents marked out for the di-pei.Hion of tli6 white race over the globe. L -t us leave the roln to them, especially as tl cv have Liken it." Moii>eigncur Treppel will be sorry to hoar th*\t a deplorable antagonism exists Ix t\\ ren tho Roman Cathoho and the Mi'th<idi-.t nusfiionaries. They are nlwayN nt vv.ir, calumniating each other and branding one another uh jnipostois. The Hoyas cannot be so toriihjy backward in civilisatn>u. In then- code they have an artiole hi tting foith " that every unmarried man is uv'iu'ed as a minor." What a blessing for young lady Hoi as. If France had such a law her population would not be retrograde. Tti Franco bigamy is a transportable offence, in other countries it is a hanging in ittoi, in the East it is the most sacred of dirtily— like insunection. Thus manners chj.ng.o with tho cUme«. Had Lecontey ■bi'oti an Aral), and to tha manner born fil Algeria, ho would bo free to marry as many uoinui a« he plc.isod, according to the Code; but aa4iow.is born in Paris, aud m.trnud to one Juliette, ho has just been s ntuncod to iivo years imprisonment. For partly marrying Mademokille Blanche— übo Blanche is, and Blanche will remain, Lecontoy bas undergone 250 days preventive imprisonment— a fair overture to his live years. Lccontey is a crack-brained follow, aged 2«> : he married a milliner in 1861, plain, bat loving : he was a bagman in the jewellery line : then he set up in a sly pavrnbroking business. He had a taste for angling: a love for nature: he went to Alfortydle on the Seine, to fish, and patronised a restaurant kept by a shrewd couple named Levanneur, who had, a. pretty .daughter , Blanche/ He fell in love with the latter ; I proposed, and was accepted. Be gave an old portmanteau to his intended father-in-law to keep, fillrid,' as he said, with scrip and jewellery for 200,000 francs. He made several presents to'the family, bought » site on which to ereota house, had plans prepared ; he ordered several improvement* in the restaurant and grounds. He lived by melting down, the gold of the jewellery entrusted to his care, and selling the stones. One day his wife went to see if the angling Wcas.all right at Alfortville ; she discovered nothing' wrong, and even dined in the restaurant as a relative, under the eye&of Bimcho. On the 6th March, 1883,. the wedding -of aud Blanche was celebrated at the Registrar's and the Chuich. All went as nierry as a marriage bell. ' In the midst of the ball the father-in-law was called out. The registrar informed him that Lecontey was a married man, his wife had been at the office and was seeking a-lawyer f<n* advice. 'Levanneur rushed into the ball room, ordered the bride to be saved, and announced the newi. < Lecontey bolted through » window, fol- , lowed by a shower of bottles and imprecation*. The ladies fainted. The bridegroom was caught, and recommended to drown .in the Seine., "Yes, I would," he replied, " but 1 would be wet, and the day is cold." " Then stab your- ; self, here's a butcher's knife," said another guest. "But that' would hurt me," related Lecontey. He was about being kicked to death when a cabman interfered and objected to bin client being so disposed of till he had paid his fare. A clothier, who hired-: the wedding suit, itosisted on receiving back his goods. Lecontey got his revolver at last and cleared a passage. He took to his heels and, meeting his wife corning in a. cab, jumped in and escaped. For two months he elnded all the so^rchftjof the police, during which"tiuie he asserts *lie attempted to commit suicide, say as often as Mantelini. The portmanteau contained only old newspapers. Lecontey had not a centime. The day of his second marriage his wife remained up all night t6 wash and iron the only shiit he had, believing Vie was going to a Government; office to obtain a situation. At Ueoazerille a very serious colliery strike has taken place. The overseer was killed. He was said to be very unpopular. His remains were trampled on by' the women and children ; in fact the seine was exactly as depicted by Zola in his Germinal. M. Leon Say is president of the company, and M, Schneider, of Creuzot, is on the board. The economists continue to pour out the vials of their- wrath on tjie Government for flying Treasury bills, and having been compelled to augment the interest thereon to obtain discount. They demand that a loan be brought out at once to uphold the financial situation of the country. Why not take up M. Alglaz'e's scheme for raising the wind ? It is pronounced a perfect erne for plethiiiic taxation, and Bismarck swears by it. 'M. Alglare proposes that the State, everywhere becoming socialist, should buy up all the alcohol made in tho country, establish a vast bottle and jug department, vend it to retailers, and secure the "real Stilton "at the same time, for consumers.' As compared with the present plan of taxing alcohol, it would, after paying all exjjense.s, bring in one million francs per annum over the present excise receipts. It would kill the coguac trade, as only one brand would be allowed — thatlofthe State, like the tobacco monopoly. After supplying us with our grog, why should not the State, go into tbq clothing' and -the freshmeat business ? M. Lockroy, Minister of Conimerce, declares that nothing fs yet decided respecting the 1889 Exhibition ; but a decision will be arrived at soon, and likely in 'favour of ihp old site*.' Elected by citizens, their top of. the poll deputy could not speak otherwise. M, Durand dv, Pont informt his' fellow, scientists at the Academy that, " the more a [ man' advances in age, .the more do his' chances of life diminish. '' He consoles us' by adding: "When pnee the age of 200 years is reached, deaths are exceedingly rare." The Bordeaux Municipality, once voted . a law that any married man found in a taproom was to be whipped, and so prevent his wife and family from starving. The proprietor of the shop was to receive the same number of lashes, plus one. j

-Tmrehicken thief- is anDex-hen trick fellow. King Alfonso left his widow aud>child,ren £2,000,000, saved in eleven 'years from the Spanish civil list allowances. .Thk most delicate individual in the world, should be tread upon a lady's train, is liable to become a robe bust 1 man.' i The famous Marslialsea Prison, in London, where Dickens laid many scenes' of "Little Dorrit,"is now a lodging-house. A' man told his daughter th&t if she learned to work ho would gire her a surprise. She learned the art, and he 'surprised her by discharging the servants A lady of pharitable disposition asked, a tramp whether she could hot assist him by mending his clothes. "Yes, madam," he replied, "I have a button, and if you would sew a coat on to it you will greatly tfblice me." A celebrated composer wrote to a friend requesting the pleasure of his company 'J to luncheon ; key of 6." His 'frieftd,!a thorough muiiciau, inteJproted the invitation rightly, and cameMW ' the composer's house for- a luncheon at one sharp.

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