The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-27
GIRLS OF AMERICA
MAKE REVOLUTION
Have Brought Emancipation to
French Sisters
THE VALUE OF SMOKING
Frenchmen Have Found That cerebro-
Spinal Diseases Almost Never At
tack the. HabituaI Tobacco
Smokcr-French Elections
BY GEORGE DuFREsNE

BY GEORGE DUFREsNE
Paris, March 26-(special. America
girls have repaid the debt their country
owes France for her assistance during
Americas fight for independence La
fayette and his followers helped American
men to become free; now American girls
have shown the girls of France the way
to Freedom.
Inc French girls have made a revou-
ton and have succeeded in liberating
themselves from the yoke which mem
made laws and customs have imposed on
them for generations, and when l look
for explanation of their success I am told
that 1t is all due, to the American wo-
man.
On the other side of the Atlantic woman
reigns as queen-often as a despot-
and the Gibson girls who have come to
Paris from the United States have
brought with them the feminine tyranny
which holds unchallenged SWAY in the
great republic
Gradually Parisiennes, from envying
their sisters of the American colony in
the capital. began to initiate them in lib
erty which they claim. The young
girls of Paris besought their mothers to
grant them the same freedom, and their
mothers, after expressing establishment
at such request, finished, as always, by
giving in.
Thus We see today a whole generation
OF young women, not only In wealthy
ana aristocratic circles but among the
miooie classes, too, who hold views and
ADOPT an attitude regarding the duties of
their sex which would have startled, not
to say Mortified, their grandmothers. The
French girl Is passing through a period
Oh transformation In which her Ameri-
can sisters are serving as models
What will be the result? Probably only
good. The young girl ofp France has
many admirable qualities, which her
American sister would only gain by COPY
Ing, but on the other hand the training
OF girls in this country has in the past
left them far too little liberty and room
for initiative, with the consequence that
they have been tempted to seek refuge
in discrimination.
The problem of the 'jeune file" is one
that is engaging the attention of many
of the best writers, dramatic authors, ed
ucators and social reformers in France
at the present moment
To Employ Black Troops
1t will astonish many to learn that
France Is seriously contemplating the
employment OF black troops to fill UP the |
gaps caused by the recruiting difficulty |
at home. A report on the subject will be |
dealt with this year. General BonnaI |
General de Lacroix and General Lang |
lois have already expressed their APPROX |
al OF the idea, which they consider to be |
based on good and sufficient reasons. To |
them Germany is always the enemy to be |
reared and French depopulation alto |
gether prevents the equality of electives |
p IN a 81
If those distinguished French officers |
stood alone we should shrug our should |
ers at what would appear to us but e. |
manifestation of militarism, but the gov |
eminent Of the day is with them OF that |
do not think there can be any doubt.
We think wrote General Eonnal very
recently, that with the powerful means
or transport that we possess at sea, and |
that England, our ally. can put at our |
disposition the passage from Algeria and |
Tunis of 10000 of Algerian and Senegal |
csc troops, almost indispensable for us
to gain a first battle would not encoun- |
ter insurmountable difficulties
The military situation in France must |
be grave indeed If a black army Is nee |
essary before first victory can be won, |
bur the problem has been put openly In |
the chamber without the slightest at
tempt TO conceal the facts vis-a-vis with |
Germany.
Picture of Criminals
The senate is now discussing the adyis- |
ability of keeping pictures of criminals |
which made a ghastly and morbid exhi- |
bition. The chamber has already ap-
proved the measure but it excites oppo- |
sition from the conductors of the Jour
nails who find profit in this "talage"
Oddly enough the Journal claims these
days to have been of considerable service |
to the police by publishing two photo |
graphs of a murdered woman. In con-
sequence of the publicity of its columns |
the identity of the victim was estab-
lished.
hardly outweigh the disadvantages of the
system, the moral corruption of the
young that results from printing pictures
of truncated bodies and mutilated heads
and limbs. The sensationalsm of GER
tain boulevard papers of large circula-
ton has, indeed, passed all decent limits
The colored supplements which luridly
represent scenes of crimes, are probably
for much criminal precocity
in the country.
French Elections Draw Near
Tho French elections are rapidly draw
ing near. The powers of the present
chamber of deputies expires on May 81,
but what is called the electoral period
will begin in a few days. The actual
date of elections has not been officially
announced but In all likelihood 1t will
be April "a Although universal suffrage
goes to the urns on the same day, the
results are often so ambiguous that a
second ballot is necessary. The complete
bare majority is sufficient for the return
of member. In France the successful
candidate must secure the majority, plus
one, of the votes recorded, and to get
that all sorts of political devices have
to be employed. This time, it will be a
plunge into the unknown. I defy any one
to forecast clearly what is before us at
this moment, and the reason is that a
more incoherent opposition than that
which exists In France just now has
never been known. Bonapartists. royal
lists, nationalists and moderates seem to
be incapable of sinking minor differences
in a good all-round effort to form a ma
tional programme.
Smoking Good for Health
Smokers will be delighted to learn that
a military doctor has discovered. and un-
dertakes toa prove by convincing statis-
tics that smoking instead of being bad,