The Alamance gleaner
VOL. LV. GRAHAM, N, C., THURSDAY MAY 23, 1929. * NO. 16.
HA PPENNING S OF THE |
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENTEVENTS
Ex plosions, Poison Gas and
Fire Kill Scores in a
Cleveland Hospital.
By EDWARD W. PICKARD
ONE of the most terrible and dis
tressing disasters of recent times
occurred in Cleveland, Ohio, resulting
In the deaths of at least 124 persons
tnd the Injury of many others. Fire
of undetermined origin broke out In
the Cleveland Clinic and soon reached
a great quantity of X-ray films stored
In the basement. These, exploding,
gave off deadly gases that spread
through the four-story building. Pa
tients, doctors and nurses were nearly
all unable to make their way to the
doors and windows, so swiftly did the
fumes render them unconscious; and
for a time no rescuers could enter
the building unless equipped with gas
masks. Even outside the structure
pedestrians passing at the time of the
blasts fell to the ground overcome
by the gas and could not be dragged
to safety until It had lifted.
Most of the victims were killed by
tbe gas fumes, according to the au
thorities. Among them were many
weH-known citizens of Cleveland and
vicinity, and a number of nationally
known physicians who were In at
tendance on patients. Members of
the clinic staff were credited with the
ntmost valor in their efforts to save
the patients, and many of them gave
their lives. The police and firemen
and numerous chance passersby were
no less valorous. Dr. George W.
Crlle, noted surgeon, founder and
chief owner of the clinic, was fore
most In the relief work. % Fire Chief
James P. Flynn was an outstanding
hero. He had his men lower him
time after time through the skylight
on the roof and he brought out 16
Uvlng or dead.
Experts In Cleveland said the poi
sonous gases were due to the burning
of X-ray film In large quantities. The
photographic films, which has much
the same composition as gun cotton.
In addition to exploding with terrific
force, threw off three kinds of com
pounds. These were camphor, carbon
monoxide, and the gas of nitric oxide
or other nitrogen compounds. In
halation of the carbon monoxide re
sulted In death similar to the breath
ing of exhaust gas from an automo
bile In a closed garage.
THE senate passed the McNary
farm relief bill, Including the ex
port debenture feature, by a vote of
B4 to 33. Only two Democrats?Wag
ner of New York and Walsh of Mas
sachusetts?were recorded In the
negative. Twenty-one Republicans
voted for the bill and 31 against It
The action of many of the latter
was In protest against the debenture
provision which President Hoover op
posed. Leaders of the house at first
were disposed to refuse to accept the
senate measure on the ground that
the debenture clnuse was revenue leg
islation, which must originate In the
lower house. Then It was decided to
send the bill to conference end kill
the objectionable feature there. A
special rule w^is adopted, however,
setting forth that the house stood on
Its rights and that Its action in this
particular case should not be consid
ered a precedent. The rule carried a
rebuke to the senate for Invading the
prerogatives of the house. All the
house conferees and three of the five
senate conferees were on record as
opposed to the export debenture plan.
DEBATE on the tariff bill continued
In the house and the expressions
of dissatisfaction with Its provisions
were numerous. Many requests for fur
ther Increases In duties on farm prod
ucts were submitted to the ways and
means committee. President Hoover
showed his good will toward agricul
ture by signing executive orders, un
der the operation of the flexible tariff,
Increasing the rates on milk, cream
and flaxseed; he also approved an In
crease In the duties on window glass
as asked by Pennsylvania manufac
turers. The increased rates on milk
and cream, not as high as proTlded
In the Hnwley bill, are aimed against
Canadian Importation; the higher
rate on flaxseed, the same as in the
Hawley measure, Is directed against
Imports from Argentina.
Speaker Longworth said last week
the house, nfter disposing of the
farm relief und tariff bills, might re
cess for six weeks or two months.
The senate probably will recess for
three weeks or a month whllo Its
finance committee struggles with the
tariff measure.
r\ESPITE the earnest fight put up
by Southern Democrats and
some drys,. Senator Vandenberg's bill
for the 1930 censift and redisricting
was made the unfinished business In
the senate and given right of way
over other measures nntll disposed
of. Its passage was considered cer
tain. Favorable action by the house
Is a matter.of course, for that body
passed the reapportionment bill which
was killed by a filibuster In the clos
ing days of the last congress. Un
der the provisions 17 states will lose
23 members of congress and 11 states
will gain the same nujnber.
GEN. CHARLES G. DAWES, our
new ambassador to Great Britain,
spent a few days In Washington last
week conferring with President Hoov
er and Secretary of State Stlmson.
Reporters swarmed about him asking
his views on all sorts of current top
ics, and he avaded the queries polite
ly until one wanted to know whether
be would wear silk knee breeches at
the court of St. James. (
"Do you want a diplomatic an
swer," responded Ambassador Dawes,
"or the answer that question de
serves?"
"Shoot," his Interrogator replied.
"You can go plumb to hell," General
Dawes retorted; "that's my business."
IT WAS announced at the White
House that President Hoover had
offered the post of governor-general
of the Philippines to Dwlgbt F. Davis
of St. Louis, former secretary of war,
and that his early acceptance was ex
pected unless he decided that Hrs.
Davis' health precluded It. This ap
pointment was a surprise as Mr.
Davis had been prominently men
tioned for an ambassadbrlal position,
probably In Paris. However, the
Philippines post would be especially
acceptable to him because of Its good
salary?$25,000 a year?and because
he has long been deeply Interested In
the affairs of the Islands and desired
to visit them. In Washington It Is
now understood that the place of
ambassador to France will be given
to Senator Walter Edge of New Jer
sey after the close of the special ses
sion of congress.
THE Washington Post, having re
cently printed an article predict
ing the recall of the Belgian ambas
sador, Prince De Ligne, which brought
an apology from the secretary of
state, the Philadelphia Record come
oat with a story of the alleged con
duct of Edward McLean, publisher of
the Post, during a function at the
Belgian embassy, stating he was
asked to leave by Prince De Llgne,
and Implying that this supposed oc
currence was the real reason for
the attack on the ambassador in the
Post. Mow Mr. McLean, who la prom
inent In Washington society, has
brought suit apalnst the Record for
$1,000,000 damages, denying that pa
per's story In toto and asserting that
as a result of the story be "has been
and Is greatly Injured In his said
good name, fame, reputation and cred
it .. . and Is brought Into public
scandal, scorn. Infamy, shame, and
disgrace, . . . has suffered and en
dured great mental pain and anguish
. . . and Is subjected to great hu
miliation and endured great Injury In
his feelings, and has otherwise been
permanently damnified."
FLEETING notoriety has been ac
quired by the otherwise rather ob
scure Des Moines university, a funda
mentalist Institution conducted by the
Baptist Bible Dnlon of North Amer
ica. Dr. T. T. Shields, chairman of
Its board of trustees, and Miss Edith
Rebman, secretary of the board, didn't
seem to be satisfied with the funda
mentalism of some of the faculty
members, and besides they had been
the objects of an attack concerning
moral behavior. The students, or a
majority of them, aided with the fac
ulty, ao Shields dismissed the entire
teaching staff, Including President H.
C. Wayman, and ordered the univer
sity closed. Meanwhile the students
Indulged In some rioting and drove
from their midst a few Canndlnna
whom they blamed as spies, and
then the university was reopened un
der a court Injunction. Shields and
Miss Rebman carried the case to the
annual convention of the Baptist
Bible Union which had Just opened
In Buffalo, and the delegates sought
a way to settle the trouble through
arbitration.
COMPLAINT comes from Senator
Robert M. La Follette of Wiscon
sin that President Hoover Is not en
forcing the seamen's act which bears
the name of the senior La Follette.
Administration of the law Is commit
ted mainly to the Department of
Commerce and nndcr Mr. Hoover's
administration of that department en
forcement of the law was relaxed on
the plea that strict compliance with
it, especially In regard to manning of
ships, would make It Impossible for
American vessels fo compete with
those of foreign registry.
"I know this Is the excuse for non
enforcement of the law," said Senator
La Follette. "But it will not hold
water. It might be that ships manned
with the prescribed Crews would
make a little less profit, but they -
would still make plenty and they
would be far safer for passengers
and crews. If the President means
what he says about law enforcement,
I do not see how be can refuse to
enforce the seamen's act"
DOUCE of Vienna and Budapest
* have uncovered a plot for another
communist revolt In Hungary, and have
arrested a number of men on charges
of forging passports and promoting
political conspiracies. Documents were
taken revealing that the prisoners were
acting under orders from Moscow;
also that Bela Kun, leader of the com
munist revolution In Hungary during
1919, and who was expelled from Aus
tria last September after spending
three months in prison for having en
tered without permission, has been
visiting Vienna since his expulsion In
order personally to direct preparations
for the Hungarian revolt
COMPLETELY recovered from hU
Illness, King George of England
returned last week to Windsor castle
from Bognor, bis place of conva
lescence. All along his ronte be was
greeted by cheering thousands of his
affectionate subjects, and at Windsor
his motor ear was showered with rose
petals. The joy of the people was so
genuine and sincere that the king and
Queen Mary were deeply affected.
It was announced that the king
would personally attend to all busi
ness connected with the dlllng of the
new parliament and the constitution
of the new government after the elec
tion. These duties may be fairly heavy
If, as seems likely, no party obtains a
clear majority and the king Is forced
to Intervene to break a parliamentary
deadlock.
GRAF ZEPPELIN, the big German
dirigible, started on a trip to the
United States last week carrying pas
sengers and freight; but off the east
coast of Spain two motors were dis
abled by broken crank shafts and the
airship turned back to Frledrlch
shafen.
REPEATED earthquake shocks In
Khorasan province, Persia, killed
more than three thousand persons,
wrecked Bujnurd and other towns and
laid a great expanse of territory In
waste. The governor of the province
called on the government for relief for
thousands of Injured and sick Inhab
itants, and supplies were sent by air
planes to regions difficult of access
otherwise.
Eugene gilmore, acting gov
enor general of the Philippine*,
ha* been Informed In an official re
port that graft which may Involve sev
eral millions of dollars has been on
covered In the bureau of commerce
and Industry, and he Is asked for com
plete reorganisation of the bnrean.
The director add vice director and
maybe a dozen others are mixed np in
the matter.
Synthetic Gale Testa
Resistance of Plane
8topplng a hurricane so quickly that
Its peak forces leave Immobile records
on steel Instruments Is one of the fas
cinating things done In wind tunnel
research at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
A blow of 90 miles an hour la
turned Into the wind tunnel upon a
model airplane, hanging upside down,
so that It responds by trying to fly
downward. Strong, slender woven wire
cable* bold It In place and ran to
?eale* on a platform above. The ca
ble* carry the entire weight of the
plane, registering tint the pnll of
gravity, and then the additional poll
doe to wind.
There are six scales, each having
a long, slender balance arm, npon
which a weight slide* back and forth,
moving antomatlcally, with the aid of
electrical control, keeping always at
the exact center of gravity.
At any Instant when the electrical
current la shot off, the mechanism
lock* Itself at the exact weighta at
which the plane waa pulling. The val
ue of the slmnltaneoos record! U that
the knowledge of one form of atreai
on a plane la frequently of little ose
tmleaa all the othera operating at the
came second are determined.
The awltcb that rata off the elec
trical control of the scales simul
taneously shuts off the power to the
motor making the wind. A bubble In
a glass tube on the weighing table
Informs the operator of the adeed of
wind In the tnaael below.
111111111II111111111111111?
DECIDED
i: TO CHANGE ;;
:: THE MENU !!
111111 n 111111?111111111? i
(A by D. J. W.l.b)
MATILDA pot down her pencil
with a furtive air aDd folded
up the newapoper. She had
been looking over the adver
Used sales of groceries for the next
day and she wondered If Marie, her
maid, had seen where she had the
paper open. Matilda was, essentially,
a home body. She loved to cook and
plan, thoroughly enjoyed going to mar
ket and Inspecting everything she
bought "1 would like to get a stout
brown basket and go to market,"
thought MatHda wearily as her house
keeper entered. "The stult the French
cook prepares tastes all alike; I'd
rather have a good dish of corned
beef and cabbage than any of the filet
mlgnons or chicken a la king?"
Mrs. Brlggs coughed significantly as
she stood before her employer. She
did not Intend to allow any newly
rich to keep her standing; positions
were too plentiful for that.
"Good morning, Mrs. Brlggs, what
Is itr
"l am not satisfied with my rooms;
1 like more sun of a morning." Mrs.
Briggs did not use ma'am In her con
versation. She was the reduced widow
of an army officer, and never per
mitted herself or others to forget that
fact "As I always said to my hus
band, the captain, I require a great
deal of sunshine and milk; that certi
fied milk I've been drinking has not
been real good lately. I changed milk
men this morning?"
"Are you drinking certified milk?"
queried Matilda.
"Certainly," Mrs. Briggs tossed her
pale red head. "I require the best of
food to keep me fit for my duties. I
told the man servants to change my
furniture Into the front rooms on the
third floor?"
"But those are guest rooms 1 Some
people are coming tomorrow?" be
gan Matilda excitedly.
"What's all that noise about?" Jim
Brown had just entered and be looked
crossly at his wife. "This house Is
always In an uproar. I came home to
be quiet and find the halls filled with
furniture. Tou may go, Mrs. Biggs, 1
wish to speak to your mistress?"
Again the red bead reared Itself
prldefully: "I am considered an ex
pert housekeeper and the furniture Is
being moved for my comfort. As I
always told my husband, the captain,
I cannot put forth my best efforts
unless 1 am thoroughly comfortable.
There are the housekeeping bills for
last month. Considering the rising
prices I think them very reasonable." ?
Mr. Brown sank wearily Into a chair
as the door closed sharply after the
angular form. "1 wish I might never
again bear of 'my husband, the cap
tain,'" he muttered, then, "Great
Scott, Matilda, have you been running
a boarding house? The bills are half
as much again as they were last month
and they were simply outrageous
then I"
ills wire loosea nt mm neipiessiy:
"I don't know what to do. I cannot
seem to grasp the right way of run
ning such a large house. Mrs. Brlggs
resents It greatly If I ask what she
Is going to order each day. Says that
that Is her part, to save my time, but
I feel as though I lived In a hotel.
Do you think It helps your business
much to live In such grand style?"
Jim looked up from the Item, certi
fied milk, with a puzzled frown. The
sum total seemed astonishingly large
to him, but he supposed that his wife
needed the costly milk. "My busi
ness?" he repeated, "why, no, 1 keep
up this great house and retinue of lazy
servants simply for your comfort We
saved and scrimped so long that I
resolved that If I could ever kfford
It you should have a complete rest
from all housekeeping cares and live
a life of serene leisure. You've always
been a good wife, Mat, and If It
pleases you to go about all dressed-up
and stay up half the night playing
cards with a lot of Idle people why
It's all right Tm trying to learn to
like this kind of semi-public life and
If business would only pick up?" he
pulled up abruptly and reddened ss
Matilda's sharp eyes studied his face.
"Finish your sentence," she com
manded In the old tone she bad used
when she had taught In the gram
mar school back In Franklin. "You
are keeping something back from me."
He squirmed In his seat and ruf
fled the sheaf of bills In bis bands
while Mrs. Brlggs' sharp tones could
be beard amid the moving of furni
ture In the hall outside.
"Tell me. Jim" urged Matilda with
an awakened gleam In her gray eyes,
"have you been keeping up this big
establishment Just to please me?"
The quaint phrasing brought a rem
Inlacent smile to his tired face:
"That Is my aim In life," be ad
mitted rather briefly. "I want to see
yon contented. I figured that with
charge accounts at all the big shops,
plenty of friends and a housekeeper
to run the household you'd be right
pert, but?"
u 'But,' Is Just the word," snld Ma
tilda grimly. "I.et's have an under
standing. You hinted something about
business picking up. Are you losing
money?"
"It's most all lost." He did not
meet her look but kept his eyes on the
bills. "I had a chance to soil out to
day for $25,(XX) to a concern that
wants to merge my patents In with
another business but the Interest from
that sum would not keep us In this
style. I shall try to get some more
business and pull through, but 1 guess
I'm getting old. I don't seem to hnve
the same test for a fight that I used
to have. 1 am getting tired of the
strain and struggle. I.Ife goes too
fast for me here In the city?"
Matilda's face was a study. To gar.e
at the pleasant, mtddlenged counte
nance one would never have guessed
that she hnd Just listened to a report
of losses. Th? worried lines about her
mouth relaxed and her Hps curved In
a tender smile. "Tell me, Jim, do you
get homesick for the old town? For
the cool, pleasant streets where you
feel at home and where you can turn
In any gate and find a welcome? What
Is money? It hasn't brought us any
happiness. I've never felt really at
home In this big house, but I hnd an
Idea It helped you In business. Twen
ty-flve thousand dollars would be a
fortune back home. We would never
want to spend more than the Interest
of that and," she paused a moment
thinking, "when we lived there before
we never bad any money to spare. It
would be pretty nice, Jim, to go hack
and have something to draw on when
donations were wanted. Do you re
member how mortified we were that
year that we could not buy chnutnn
qua tickets and everybody wondered
why we didn't go. and the Taylors
were always offering us their seats
saying they couldn't use them? I've
often thought that Agnes guessed that
we were short and lent them for that
reason."
Jim stored bock nt his wife's ani
mated face. In the hall outside the
bumping had ceased, but the pert
tones of the ladles' maid could be
heard arguing with the captain's r?
Met "I guess I have been chasing
shadows," he said at last "Shall I go
down and tell Jenkins I'll accept that
offer?" Matilda beamed. "Yes, nnd
we'll close up here and go back?"
He nodded.
"Do you know, I believe I'll plan our
first dinner. Think. Jim, of going
down to old Mr. Blnir's butcher shop
and seeing exactly what we're going
to get?"
"The first night we're back Mot,
let's have corned beef nnd cabbage,"
he said, and Matilda smiled assent
The Better Way
There Is a better way thnn most of
as are acting, and I sincerely hope we
shall finally be able to .find It And
I am particularly Interested In this
contention because I have found that
the better way Is actually easier, and
more comfortable nnd profitable In
every respect that the mild devlllsh
ment so many seem to believe Is free
dom nnd progress. And 1 came to tbls
conclusion long before I was old. . . .
It Is a great truth that It Is easier to
behave (well enough; not too good;
be human, of course) than It Is to pay
the penalties of bad behavior. I have
tried a long time, and found no way
of avoiding a whipping when I do not
behave myself reasonably well; I do
not believe In saints; cannot recall
that 1 ever liked one.?E. W. Howe's
Monthly.
Diamonds
The diamond ti the hardest and
moat brilliant of precious stones. It
Is composed of pure carbon and un
like most minerals occurs In single
crystals. The rarest are colorless but
diamonds also occur In yellow, gray,
blue, green, red and black. Impure
crystals and fragments are called bort
and are used for polishing and cutting
the stones. Before they are polished
they look like gray stones. In addi
tion to their use In Jewelry, diamonds
are used for engraving, In mining
drills and watch-bearings.
Imitating ? Radio
It was the first time that the four
year-old youngster had ever had a
chance to ponnd on a piano. She
banged away for some time, happy In
making a noise that drove every one
else In the houae nearly wild, tier
mother Anally came In to save the
piano, at least, from the wreckage.
"See, mamma," the child said. "I can
make noises Just like the radio."
TU Weekly Real
Why one day's rest In seven, and
not, say. In ten? Scientists are agreed
that the former Is exactly what we
need. On an average, six days' work
reduces our reserves of mental and
physical energy to a point where re
plenishment. by rest. Is necessary.
Tkaakleea Jobs
More human energy In proportion
to results obtained Is expended In
housework than In any other phase of
modem Ufa:?Farm and Fireside.
VFP^AII I FX
?I?????????? ? ? i ?? ? ??.
Looking Into the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles.
(Prepared by the National Oeosraphlo
Society, Washington. D. C.)
AS TUB tlreu and travel-worn
visitor arrives al the Kates of
the pnlace of Versailles and
passes throngh under the glid
ed ar.os of France, he enters I he cour
Thonneur and sees facing him the
freat equestrian statue of l.ouls XIV,
the rol solell, that august monarch
who occupied the throne of Franre for
n years
Guarding the court In Impressive
frundeur are statues of distinguished
itatesmen nnd marshals, like giants
)f old, nnd even across the .ast ex
panse of cobblestones stretching In
every direction these honored of
France appear of heroic size.
At either side and In front rise the
repressive walls of "Ihe architectural
masterpiece of the most brilliant era
jf a great nation," later transformed
jy King I,ouls I'hlllppe (1 833-.17) Into
i museum "to all the glories of
France."
This Is the first view of the palace
is seen by the majority of travelers
from other lands, wno make of It a
foal of artistic pllgrlmnge, a place
jf historic curiosity, or merely one
Jf the sights of the country, depend
ng upon the visitor and his cultural
:mterests.
The patrons of art come to see the
rrentlons of the architect Mansart, the
nurals and decorations of l.e Brun,
:he portraits hy Mlgr.nrd. Ihe scnlp
:ures o" Coysevox, nnd the landscape
tnrdenlng of I-e Notre, whose design
>f the extensive park has been kept
ilmost Intact throngh the vicissitudes
>r the passing years.
For the students of history the
ihndes of such personages as the
'Great King" nnd his successors, who
nade this their home nnd sent of gov
ernment until the Revolution?Mnllere,
Mesdames de Montespnn, de Mnln
enon, de rompndour. du Harry, and
)ueen Antoinette?(III through the
icene attired In the costumes of the
romantic long ago.
May Hav? Cost $100,000,000.
The Grande Chapelle, which at
racls Instant attention upon arrival
within the gates, was designed by
Uansart, who obtained some of his
dens for It from the Salnte Chapelle
n I'arls. t.ouls XIV. having become
.levout In his Inter years, "determined
:o raise thut monument to his piety."
In the hundreds of rooms In the
palace It Is said that 10,000 persons
tould be housed, and although the
tacts of the cost of this magnificent
trestlon can never be accurately
mown, It has been estimated at $100,.
100,000, which, considering the period
ind the methods employed by an ab
tolute monarch, Is tremendous, even
In these eight-hour days.
The architecture Is of the most eye
llllng style and the Interior furnish
ings were the demler cH In luxury.
k hundred scnlptors are said to have
>een employed to provide the statuary
which decorated the gardens as wit
is the palace Itself, and painters lie
,-ond count executed masterpieces to
idorn Its walls and ceilings.
It was Versailles which fnrnlshed
?he model for the palace of Sans Soucl
tt Potsdam and other less widely
tnown German palaces, tlie Schon
jrunn at Vienna, the Wren portion of
Hampton court In England, and many
sthers throughout Europe.
Just as Louis XfV made of Ver
tallles the center of Interest of his
France by the brilliance of his court,
ind attracted to It those nobles of his
rountry who might have made more
trouble 'for him had they remained
at home. It bad been the policy of the
Bourbons. Initiated by Henry IV, to
call to France the artistic Industries
of other countries. The effect of this
policy la to be seen even today In the
artistic productions of the French.
Flemings and Italians who excelled
In the finer arts were Induced to make
their homes In France and to act as
teachers to the artistically Inclined.
In this manner the royal raanufac
torlea of tapestries, carpets, furniture,
and porcelain wars established and
the dealgns of the foreign masters
gradually modified and odapted to
produce the French classic style.
Colbert, the great minister of
Louis XIV, who was bequeathed to
him by Cardinal Mnznrln, organized
an academy of architecture. There
was also an academy of painting and
sculpture, and even a French academy
at [tome had been established to pro
vide further facilities for the art stu
dents to see the masterpieces of the
Greeks and the [tomank.
Built Primarily for Fetes.
This policy of encouragement and
royal assistance bore glorious fruit.
The palace of Versailles, In Its build
ing decoration, supplied a wonderful
atelier for an early expression on a
large scale of the genius developed
and trained In this manner.
Versailles was not made In a dag;
Its construction continued throughout
the reigns of three successive kings.
It may be said to have been the con
ception of Louis XIV, however, for It
was he who had the vision of It al
most In Its' entirety, and much may
he accomplished In a reign the length
of his.
I'erhnps Ills Inspiration grew from
envy, for It was Ids first Idea to pro
vide a setting for fetes which would
outshine In magnificence and extrava
gance those of his embezzling super
intendent of finance. Fouquet, who
bad first employed the master land
scape gardener, Le Notre, to design hts
own gardens at Belle He. where the
king had been entertained soon after
lie had taken over the reins of power.
With his own hand Louis la said to
have drawn roughly the plans for Ver
sailles, following designs submitted
by Lemercler and Boyeenu, and then
to have given orders for their execu
tion to the gardener, Le Notre; to
the first architect, Le Vau; to the
painter, I-e Brun, and to the acul|ftor,
Coysevox, all of whom worked under
royal supervision and were directed
by Colbert.
Hall of the Mirrors.
Tim most famous room, the Galerle
dps Gluces (Hall of the Mirrors),
whore the king of Prussia was
crowned emperor of Germany at the
end of the Franco-Prussian war. and
where the Treaty of Versailles was
signed In 1019, still retains much of
Its former magnificence, although Its
silver furniture was sacrificed to the
mint when money troubles afflicted
the grand monarch.
This room Is lighted by 17 great
windows overlooking the gardens, op
posite which are a corresponding
number of Imitation arcades filled
with 300 beveled Venetian mirrors,
whose size and brilliance were won
ders of their time.
When lighted by myriads of can
dles. the gorgeous scenes they reflect
ed challenge description. On the
vaulted celling of this and the rooms
at either end, Le Brun painted a
series of pictures illustrating ailegor
ically the triumphs of his master's
reign. In them Louis Is represented
as a (toman emperor In golden armor.
This Is the largest painting In France.
On the same floor are the rooms of
greatest Interest to the romantically
Inclined, the Cabinets de Marie An
toinette. They are small and consist
of a boudoir, two libraries, a salon,
bath and'dressing room, and are adja
cent to the Grands Appartements de
la Itelne, the state suite, the bedroom
of which was occupied by the succeed
ing queens of France. Here were born
many princelings, and, following an
cient royal etiquette, these births took
place In public, so that the people
might lie certain of the authenticity
of their royal family.
The bedroom of the king Is behln.1
the center of the Hall of the Mirrors,
Its windows looking out upon the Mar
ble Court toward the Paris gate. Its
marble balcony will be remembered,
for it was to this that General La
fayette, of our own Revolutionary
fame, escorted Louis XVI to be seen
by the mob, and where Marie An
toinette by her bravery changed their
cry of "Death to the Austrian" to
"live le Rol I Vive la tteine! Let as
take them to Parisr