The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-12-15

which might be madsOn English lines in this
direction
The Bsvarian Ministry Of War hes made
some extensive experiments with n view TO
nscertaining thee effect Of indulgence in plcO-
holic beverages on the shooting POWERS
OF soldiers. The tests were conducted
under the supervision of experienced OH
GERS az the rongesn near Augsburg. and the
general results obtained from firing 10000
rounds ARE now published.
They show that when shooting singly
soldiers who had recently drunk alcoholic
liquor mad more accurate hits than men
who had not done so. When shooting in
companies, however, which il a more inn
portant feature in war time, the aim Of men
who had just previously INDUCED in slco-
hoiic beverages was slightly worse than
that Of men who had not done so.
These experiments are to he continued
systematically by the Bavarian military
authorities.
The production of The New York Idea"
at the Apollo Theatre has moved a writer
to mOralize on the influence Of Ameri-
cans on English society. After pointing
out that the heroine OF the Victorian era.
the girl Of sweet II. has been reIegated to
the background. while the young married
woman has taken her place. he declares
a this change is due TO American nfiu-
ence.
Elm the United States girls are much
more independent than they are with us.
Everybody knows that. This Independence
not only brings with it greater self-reliance.
but IL also develops prematurely the social
faculties-the two supreme faculties OF
getting what you want and making other
people do what you don't want to do your
self.
There are no children in America in one
sense Of the word. They are all little men
and women in the poise. a~lertness and self
confidence Of their intercourse with others.
And IA there are no children so there are no
young girls Of the old fashioned English,
artless and sentimental type.
There are none. There never have been
any and there never will he. And because
there are no young girls there are no lynx
eyed and authoritative mothers.
The average American mother is a
portly, beaming domestic person. who lets
her children do pretty much what they
choose and believes that all is for the best
in the best Of all possible countries. In
England society is under the thumb of the
mother with manageable daughters.
when with increasing prosperity and
growing social ambitions Americans be-
gan to come over to England in steadily
augmenting numbers. the American girl
unconsciously achieved a social revO.u-
ton. Not that she was fabulously pretty
there are ten times as many pretty girls
In England as in America. But she was
socially and mentally far in advance Of
the English girl Of the same age. who had
been brought up under stri cter super
vision.
1T was quite natural that mar began
to look for more in the girls with whom
he associated-mOre wit, more SAVIOR
Saire,' more social adaptabiliiy. He could
not find it in the young girl. He found it
in the young married woman.
so he began to transfer his attentions,
except in the comparatively few cases
where actual marriage was involved. I'm
consciously sensitive TO changes in popular
feeling. novelists and playwrights followed
suit, and thus we nave our plays and novels
beginning where they used to cave OF
at marriage.
MAN being but human. the growing in
Huence in society of the young married
woman naturally led to an increase in the
number Of divorces, and by further con-
sequence TO a diminishing regard for the
s~anctity Of marriage, which many regard
as the most serious social problem of the
day.
Not so many years ago divorce was
looked upon by the immense majority OF
people with horror, and a woman who "A
been divorced, whether Cor her own fault
or no. was barred from society. Nova
days il is looked UpOn very much as Amer
leans regard o term of imprisonment
as a thing which might happen TO any one
and which does not imperii ones social
position in the 'east."
The Kaiser's visit 70 Highclife Castle
has been OF tho greatest benefit to him.. It
has also been C. benefit Q the tiny village
OF Highclife and has galvanized it into
something resembling activity.
The Kaiser has been delighted with the
courtesy shows him by old and young
during his stay at the castle, and particu-
larly with the way the school children
AVE cheered him whenever his automobile
passed through the village. He decided
to acknowledge these attentions by a tea
ir the sohoOlhouse to which all the children
Of Highcliffe were invited yesterday.
The awestruck youngsters. all in their
very best and wearing r~Osettes Of German
colors, filed into the schoolroom at promptly
4:3O n only British ~self-repression pre-
vented shrieks of joy. Instead OF ink
stained desks there were long tables loaded
with dishes Of cake and choice fruits. candies
and notices, those joys Of all children's