Paris, June,21.
Seine, between the Boulevard Saint'
'The story of a dramatic event in 'Michel and the Rue Saint Jacques. recent history—the assassination of Like the Boulevard Saint Michel the monk Rasputin by Prince Yus-(popularly known as the "Baul' popoff and several other Russians Mich'")the Quai Saint Michel is who regarded Rasputin as a public intimately associated with the his-danger—is likely to be discussed tory of the capital, and the substitubefore a French court of justice. A tion of-a modern politician for daughter of Rasputin is now time-honoured saint is looked upon domiciled in France, and she has by conservative members of the begun proceedings against Prince population as a gratuitous insult Yussopof and the Grand Duke and an example of the sectarianism Dimitri Pavloviteh, who also inhabit which is always trying to set Frenchmen against one another. this country.
Prince Yussopoff gave the world The tradesmen of the Quai Saint Michel objected on the more his version of the affair some years practical ground of unnecessary in-ago in a book published in Paris. jeonvenience. Why, they asked, His references to Rasputin may should they be called upon to change have provided grounds for an action their addresses and reprint all their for posthumous libel, but it is not business stationery to glorify a de-easy to see why a French tribunal parted statesman with whose views should be expected to pass judgment they were not necessarily in on a political act committed in a sympathy? When the hour came foreign country nearly twelve years for the unveiling of the new plaque ago, Rasputin was "executed" on on the corner of the qual, it was the night of December 16, 1916, but observed that all the tradesmen had the men who killed him were never put up their shutters in token of tried by a court of justice. The protest. Some of them had also} Grand Duke Dimitri says that he made preparations to start a loud-was placed under arrest in his own speaker, to drown the voices of any residence for a week, He twice aporators." but the ceremony was plied to be tried by court-martial, prudently curtailed and was finished but the Tsar would not hear of it before the loud-speaker could get to and packed the Grand Dake off to a work, very unpleasant post in Pei The Grand Duke objected strongly The Slow Step of Departments at the time but his exile saved his The adoption of modern equip-life, Had not the Tsar sent him ment in the public service in France away he would most probably have is often hampered by Parliamentary eon massacred with the rest of the procedure, Government depart Imperial family. ments in all countries are notorious-Looking back upon the killing of ly slow to move, and when two oF Rasputin, the Grand Duke now re-three are concerned in one question, cognizes that it was a useless crime, and when, as in France, official and though carried out with patriotic Parliamentary sanction has to be motives, He thinks that it ought to obtained even for small expenditure, remain behind a veil of silence, and is a laborious business to get any-he strongly disapproves of Prince thing done, Yussopot's book and has broken elf For years the Post Office sorters all relations with him since the book who work tin the main-line trains appeared, have been clamouring for steel vans Instead of the old-fashioned wooden A Grand-Daughter of George Sand constructions. which on several oc-Another historical question, of casions have caught fire in railway a tangie order, i alsod by an smashes. A vote providing for 120 tion for damages brought by Atm steel sorting-vans was included in Aurore Sand, grand-daughter of the this year's estimates, and. the famous. French novelist George Finance Ministry suggested to the Sand, against Mf. Jacques Bouleng-Post Office that they should be super, a critic who published, in a plied by Germany on reparation Iiterar,, review of not very large account. 'The Post Office, rather: circulation, an article discussing unwillingly, complied, bat' pointed George Sand and her lovers, out that it could exercise no proper Mme, Aurore Sand. seems to control over details if the vans were think that her own name suffer made in a foreign country. Then from, public discussions of her the French builders took exception grandmother's private life, and yet to the contracts being placed abroad, everybody knows that George Sand, and the Ministry of Public Works she called herself, was very, espoused their cause. flighty, to aay the least. "She had The Ministry of Commerce, which her own views of these matters, and controls the Post Office, held up the ake once wrote that virtue was dull. specifications while it tried to make Asa literary person, she was alveays up its mind. After waiting some the look-out for new impressions. time, the department which looks Jules Sandeau and at least half a after reparations in kind inquired dozen other prominent men of the whether the vans were or were not, period were generally supposed to to be supplied by Germany, and have been on the best of terms with finally the Post Office ordered 30 her at different times, and she even from Germany and the rest from fell in love with her doctor.
French builders, documented herself," as the French As for the sorters, they held a put it, very thoroughly. Her eon-meeting and passed a resolution to duct may have been reprehensible the effect that they did not care who the time, but that was a matter made the vans so long as the work which chiefly concerned herself, and was put in hand without any further' one wonders why the question should Patriotism has its limits raised in 1928, own skin is concerned.
'M. Boulenger's defence is that George Sand belongs to the history of literature and that any critic 13
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.