University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-11-09
"SLOW SURE" BEST
TYPIFIES ENGLAND

the term slow sure which Emer-
son applied to Britain. while in 4
I.".ssurp still applicable 10 them. Is
not as true Of the island as ii was
Hnel the great poet used the eNrreS-
siol. England like tn" rest of Ia"
civilized world has been wonderfully
affected ~ the MoneE-iovinS craZ"
which is the I,e, u!iar mark of our az.
The political life Of the nation seems
to be remarkably lree from this mater
ialiSm. owing perhaps to the fact that
offices are held as positions oi trust
and honor without pay. Politics Is,
indeed. on a high plane in England
men of the highest social standing
taking part and all. women as well
as men. showing the keeneSt interest
III political affairs. Graft. while not
unknown. is reduced To Il minimum.
and as result politics occupies {.
h.gn and honored place in the life OF
the nation.
Ii politics has not been much
affected by this wave of materialSm
the social life on the other hand, has
been greatly changed by it. English
social HE is today III a period OF
lransition Tn" old life is rapidly
breaking Up and adjusting Itself To
lie changes brought about by modern
inventions and convcnienceS. Rush
AMI hurry Euw cEara"te,iZ" the life o1
,,0r an,i rich aEna Instead u driv"s;
ana afternoon calls, The wrli-tO.!O
i.OuGuuprS uuW auluSa themselves
W.,h polo matches motor parties. and
dark and gloomy is now one OF the
Z best ii"utrd aud one uI the gayest
cities Oi Europe
Under the iicW life and III" Src;i;
influence oi none: class barriers are
rapidly breaking down. The great
.;,luilips who enjoyed high social posi-
ton brcailstA uf the names they bore
are rapidly giving way to families
whose claim To distinction is based
upon their wealth Moreover. just as
the barrier between the old aristoc-
racy and the money-making world is
breaking down. so the Jews are more
and more being admitted to social life.
a fine example of the change in social
customs. The old privacy which
belonged to the rich is also thing
of the past. and today every detail of
| their lives is known and published.
Another marked characteristic of
the Englishman today is his inordinate
desire for amusement. accompanied by
all the evils which go with such a
craze The people seem to have a
passion for entertainment Time and
money are lavished upon polo, cricket,
football racing, and other games, and
whole editions of newspapers are
given over to the news of the sport
/ ing world. Books and plays which
would not have been permitted fifty
years ago are produced and gain
immediate popularity. Drinking and
gambling. the great vices of the
nation. are steadily on the increase,
and are a constant drain on the physi-
/ cal. financial, and moral life of the
lower classes. especially. Because of
this craze for amusement and the
higher cost of living the poor man is
little better off than he was wears
ago, in spite of the higher wages he
receives. The number of the poor. in
fact. is constantly increasing.
That this love OF money has i'm
paired. for time AT least. the moral
ana intellectual strength of the neo-
pie there can De 10 doubt. Education
seems To be making little progress
Life in the universities is more expen-
ship is certainly not as high as it
once was. literature for its own sake