The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-01-14
.BRITAIN'S DECADENCE.
English Papers Fond Of Commenting
on the Subject. ~ess
GREAT AMERICAN MACHINE.
Our Confectionery In Ensland-Even
In the Sporting World She Copies
Our Idens-some Magnificent
Entertainments. X.


cadence is becoming quite popular
theme. Self abasement and self fagel-
lation seem to be congenial to the chas-
tened spirit of the nation, forced to real
ize through the accumulation of reverses,
military, diplomatic and industrial, that
Great Britain's predominance dream is
past. 1t is almost daily. occurrence for
some great London newspaper to parade
the shortcomings Of the country, institut-
| ing comparisons with the United States
and Germany little complimentary to
Great Britain. Lost opportunities"
says The Morning Post, sis the keynote,
and the Britain which could dictate its
will to the ends Of the earth is today a
myth"
The great wooden and allied trades
threaten to be revolutionized by an Amer
lean machine which is now operating at
Bradford. "What it all will open up is
not fully apparent at first sight," says
the Bradford Observer, ''but it looks as
il the position at present occupied by
Arkwright and Crompton in the world of
inventors during the nineteenth century
is to be superseded by Drury in the
twentieth. How is it that this idea was
left to Yankee lawyer to bring out?"
| A Wonderful Invention.
| Drury's invention is described as the
simplest yet devised. 1t is capable of
spinning the toughest yarns from as
bestos or peat moss without difficulty.
Drury left Boston two years ago.
The Daily Telegraph calls attention to
| the enormous increase in the use of Amer
| lean confectionery in England, which, it
| says, would be even greater than it is
were the American manufacturers TO
show more elasticity in trade methods
| 1t also declares America is soon likely to
be supplying "jawbricks.'
Small wonder indeed" says The Daily
| Telegraph, that the British fruit grower
| has cause for complaint that the demand
is not what it was for his products"
| California fruit pulp appears to be max
| ing tremendous inroads into the English
| jam trade.
Even from the Philippines come rec
concentrations to adopt American meth
DDS Mr.. Percival of London, writing to
The Times from Manila. urges the Brit
ish troops in South Africa to use the
| tunic plat worn by the American troops
to protect the spine md also their web
| bling cartridge belt and method for pre-
| serving surgical dressing. The sugges
ton about the cartridge belt is already in
| force. An American firm has newly
erected factory here turning out to its
| full capacity these belts for the wal
| office.
Copying Our sports Too.
But II is not only in commerce where
| the spread of American leaven is so pat.
ent. In the national game, Rugby foot.
| ball, hitherto 50 distinctive of American
| rules and whose devotees were so proud
Of the fact, the British are now beginning
to closely initiate the distinguishing fea.
lures of gridiron play. AT the recent Eng
land and Wales match, when 10000 spec
tators were present, the experts were
amazed to see what was called 'the puz-
zling hand to hand passing of the Welsh
| team" This is nothing more than the
| familiar Swapping back" practiced by all
American colleges, but which is reve-
iation here. It had no small effect in Sc
| curing for Wales a sweeping victory.
| The visit Of the Prince of Wales to the
| Duke and Duchess of Devonshre ut
| Chatsworth was one of the most brilliant
affairs OF the kind ever known. Earls and
| cOuntesses and other members of the no
bility elbowed each other in the spacious
halls. The women were magniticenty
dressed, wearing their family diamonds.
| The private theater was transformed into
a veritable grotto of beauty. Miss Muricl
| Wilson was generally accorded to be The
handsomest of the performers, who, with
the taste so often curiously noticed in
English amateurs, elected to play THE
Pantomime Rehearsal" btirlesque Of
the shortcomings of amateurs themselves,
Aston Entertains.
Mr.. William Waldorf Astor entertained
big party at Cliveden Thursday. A few
Americans were invited, and no very
great ladies We're present. This is the first
time Miss Astor has taken up the posi-
ton of mistress of her fathers house
She performed the duties with particular
grace and was dressed in white and gold
gauze. The Countess of Arran, resplen.
dent in black velvet and diamonds, chap
eroned her pretty young daughter, Miss
Stopford, who was dressed in pink, and
Miss Ruby Spencer Churchill, daughter
of Lord Edward Churchill, the Duke of
Marlboroughs uncle. The prettiest Amer
lean girl present was Mrs Harry IIig-
gins daughter, Miss Bleese who was in
, black, with a becoming Alsatan bow in
her hair. Among the very few military
men present was Captain Ames of the
Life guards, the tallest man in the Brit
sh army.
Aristocratic swimming circles in Eng
land are suffering from sensation and II
grievance. Ladies have taken up this
form of sport keenly, and championships
for women are being instituted all over
the country. An amateur swimming as.
J ISOLATION has caused a thunderclap by
, sendlng out an announcement that in fll-
; ture female competitors will only be al
lowed to wear black or dark blue COS
tunes. The reasons given are the danger
to the skin from the shades of red which
are so popular. But the action was really
: prompted by several fashionable swim
} mers appearing in such light shades of
! pink that the spectators were startled out
2 of all interest in the contest.
There died in London last week in poy,
! erty character once well known in New
York, London and Paris-Henry A, Dc
Lille, who married Olive Logan, years
ago. He was connected with several New
York newspapers. While in Paris he
I greatly aided in a confidential capacity
Napoleon III One of his sons was for
merly consul at Sheffield, and he was
! made chevalier Of the Legion Of Honor
! by Napoleon. Poverty and illness made
: his closing days tragic.
Another death last week was that Of
james Defoe, the last male descendant 0.
tho author of Robinson Crusoe" II,
was 81 years old and pauper.
Will Prosecute Letter Writers.
/ Omaha, Jan. 13.-The federal district
s attorneys office is preparing to prosecute
the parties who have been sending threat
ening letters to E. A. Cudahy in connec