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 Over the Days
- Pre-word feminism.
The Duchess of Dino, Talleyrand's niece by marriage, whom she accompanied to the Congress of Vienna in 1814 and who was the charm and adornment of his salon, was as interested in politics as in diplomacy. Thus, without taking it seriously herself, she contributed as best she could to spreading the purely imaginary rumor (which delighted Paris in February 1836, after having plunged it into stupor) that a ministry composed of prominent women would bring them to power. And the sly one confided to anyone who would listen, under the seal of secrecy, this ultra-fanciful list:
Presidency of the Council: Madame Adélaïde.
Minister of the Interior: Madame de Boigne.
Religious Affairs and Justice: Duchess of Montmorency.
War: Duchess of Broglie.
Navy: Madame de Flahaut. Finance: Duchess of Massa. Trade: Marquise of Caraman.
- Scientific poaching.
A terror of our game reserves, poachers, because of the surveillance they are subjected to, must constantly renew their methods. Snares and decoys, nets, night hunting with lanterns and sticks, are all archaic methods. If they still use them, it is intermittently, when they intend to take advantage of the guards' vigilance. As the latter becomes less and less vigilant, they are forced to take them into account and rack their brains to find new expedients.
For several years now, poachers have mainly practiced hunting with toxins or narcotics. They poison game, particularly partridges, quail, and pheasants, with grain that they have previously cooked in a decoction of potato stalks. The unfortunate birds that peck at this treacherous grain on the edges of the woods where it has been sown soon show all the signs of poisoning. They can no longer move their wings, stagger on their pestles, and are at the mercy of the criminal lurking a little further away, who comes to pick them up as quickly as possible, places them in his pouch, loads it onto his back, and heads for the discreet shelter where some driver, his accomplice, awaits him, whose car defies all pursuit.
The consumer need not fear the consequences of ingesting a piece of game thus poisoned. Unless, however, which happens, the poacher has used strychnine, in which case the worst complications are to be feared. Scientific poaching, more deadly than other forms of poaching and more profitable, is therefore also more criminal. Justice must be relentless with its adherents; unfortunately, the 1844 law does not include a special article addressing criminals who use poisons to capture game.
- Africa is over. Trans-Saharan Africa
The fierce solitudes, land of thirst and rezzous! Crossed from one end to the other, no longer on camelback and at the cost of incredible fatigue, deprivation, and danger, but quickly and comfortably, in comfortable motor vehicles or ultra-modern airplanes—such is the spectacle to which Moors and Tuaregs are currently being invited by the enterprising genius of the "toubabs" (whites). European civilization is increasingly infiltrating the heart of this barbaric black continent, where Livingstone, Stanley, and Savorgnan de Brazza ventured only through daring and energy. In our magnificent Nigerien and Sudanese possessions, such a post which, not so long ago, saw the perpetuation of the monstrous practices of slavery and cannibalism, is today in no way inferior, in terms of convenience and security, to the most amiable and least backward of our sub-prefectures. Urban planning has had its last word there. There are only wide, superbly shaded avenues, princely residences, and large, first-rate hotels. The railway has been pushed there; telegraph and telephone lines, fine passable roads, connect it, like the river and the railway, to the ports on the coast. It has schools, courthouses, chamber of commerce, post office, automobile garages and even its racecourse and aviation center. As for the good Negroes, it is quite simple. They are adapting perfectly to this development, and the leaders of tribes and clans whose noses were once adorned with copper rings are dressing in the latest fashions from London and Paris! The savages are leaving. What am I saying? They are nothing more than an anachronism, and soon the last of them will be relegated to oblivion.
- Let's not denigrate ourselves too much. -
If we are to believe our pessimists, France's star is fading and it has lost most of its prestige in the eyes of other nations. Here, among a thousand, is a small fact that proves the opposite. Our high schools are attracting more and more foreign students eager to immerse themselves in our civilization and culture. They come from all four corners of the world, and all races contribute to this extraordinary influx. To focus on the Michelet high school in Vanves alone, note that it brings together representatives of forty-three nationalities in its spacious classrooms and study halls. And don't imagine that these students attend in isolation. Thus, the Afghan colony includes no fewer than forty-five members, who are also permitted to practice their religion in a private oratory. What would this elite be doing here if they considered France a country in decadence?
CLÉGUER.
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