The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

FA.A QV made by the administration of
 0 the German army to end crueltes practiced on private soldiers by officers. It has long been customary to consider the grossest maltreatment necessary in order to develop manliness in new re- cruits, but the kaiser does not share this opinion and is now endeavoring to insti- ute reforms. Court martiais in the vari- ous lstrictsAare sentencing petty officers almost daily for kicking whipping and | otherwise abusing privates. Perhaps when these overbearing gentlemen find out that the administration is in earnest they will become more humane toward the men placed under their authority. It is strange how the worse side of mans nature Is developed in the army or navy. Officers in nearly all countries are sell dom noted for kindliness of character and few have any regard for the private soldier. Of course when a man attains the exalted station of a general or ad. miral he can afford to be condescending to the men below him. but the dignity of a petty officer would never permit him to treat his interiors with any degree of respect, even when he refrains from vio- lent abuse In our own army this condi- tion of affairs is painfully evident Any one who has ever observed the inside life of foreign army or navy has strong belief that the recruit and the private are not to be envied.
 Observers of passing events have called our attention to the waning prevalence of the home idea. One reason given for this not altogether pleasant state of af- fairs is the development of the masculine woman. In the time of the earlier poets when they sang of lovely creature, gen tle,, modest and dependent on stronger man, they little dreamed of the aggres- sive business like product of the twen- tieth century, who drives engines, runs banks, practices law builds houses and divorces unworthy hubbies with quickness and dispatch. Endowed with such char acteristics 1t Is perfectly natural that the woman of today is losing her affection for the modest duties of home. She longs to enter the worlds arena where riches, or at least fame, await successful genius. While the ladies are pushing him about in such an unceremonious manner the poor man has no time to devote to home affairs and the result is-the boarding house or fiat. After all it is some con- solation that the masculine woman is compelled to inhabit the larger cities in order to make her mark in the world and there are yet hundreds of peaceful ham let's in the broad United States where hos. L.. any objections ot the athletic girl, es- pecially if she resembles the Gibson va riety. but a masculine woman always did look ugly, somehow. There is an aggressiveness about her manner that is disagreeabie to the man who has not yet lost his od-fashioned notions about the whilom gentle sex.
 Judging from the space allotted by newspapers to accounts of Turkish atroci- ties 1t would seem that we have very fair idea of the extent of the outrages in the Balkans. Yet it is believed that we will never know how many people have been massacred in the OShrida district during the past month. It is estimated that the number varies from 3000O to 50,- 900, but there are many victims who will never be counted. The revolting stories from Macedonia lead one to question whether the world is really growing bet ter. History does not give us more har- rowing descriptions of slaughter than are daily reported by the cable and flashed over the world by means of the scientific achievements of an advanced civilization. Massacres were frequent in the early ages, but it is safe to say that they were no worse than those of today. Then peo- pie in ancient times had one defense that Is denied the nations today When bar barities were perpetrated in one part or the world people elsewhere knew very lit- tie about them, and could not be blamed for remaining massive In those days