Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-10-13
By Steven .Rurnett.,

Special Catle to the Graphic Through
 The International News Service.1
 Berlin, Oct l2.-German officers Who hho~ that they will be expelled .resA tae army in disgrace if they ne- fuse to fight a duel when the military 2eic demands that romantic method o} polishing up ones escutcheon will illd themselves in greater difficulties 'aah ever when the new German criminal law comes into effect in the near future
 At present all officer who complies Hl'h the law of military honor. thus violating the common law of the state Is punished by beins given vaca- ton Or varying length within the 'faIIs ot fortress, here he is exempt rom all duties, draws full pay, has e5esE reason to expect the aKiser's a22foTaf of his crime in the form of rapid promotion and is Honized by 'ae Ieaa society
 When the neW law comes, tue im- erisonment within a fortress which formerly Hever exceeded three months, #til De extended to five years time lehg enough 10 make the memory of his z olX ade even in tse eyes of he most romantic flapper and also to seriously effect his usefulness as military officer Besides, the law de- maads that his imprisonment shall be n.ere than a mere matter of form and he ill actually have to spend his tia.e not= alone within the walls of Iottress, but inside four particular talfs wit1iu that fortress.
 He IaE makes no attempt 10 inter- iere with the silly students duels, known as Meusur, probably because the writers of the law realize that if t@o young men find any particular pleasure improving their features bE sastes across each others faces Il would he q pity to interfere with ,his way of proving intellectual su- pefioriiE, as long as proper preeau- tio0s are taken 10 protect their lives. The cry faot that d new law has re- i fused 10 recognize their form of sport a5 q regular duel will probably do mere to abolish il than even the most seFere penalties.
 Catholics in Germany.
 Protestaats in Germany are somes what worried over the fact that the namber o Roman Catholics within the empire is growing much faster than that of their own. Official sta tistics just published show that Rom an Catholics have increased in Prus- sia a' greater rate than Frotestants since .S7l and in other parts of the empire since lS99. ln 1900 the Rom an Catholics former 3606 per cent of , the entire population, in 1905 the per cenfage had risen to 3646 and 1910 to 3669 The explanation given is that, in general, Roman Catholic fam flies have larger natural increase than Protestant, and hat the Protes- tants form a larger proportion Of the population of large towns and of the educated and richer classes where large families are infrequent, Be sides, the Poles, who are Roman Catholics, have Invariably large faml- lies and most of the immigrants to Germany from other countries are ad- herepts ef the Church of Rome.
 With regard to the diminution i'll t.e number of Prstestants, this IS more apparent in Prussia than m other states of the empire In five years the number of persons entering ,themseIycs as without any religious confession rose from 1908 to nearly .f6 00e. It is believed that this IS largely due to the exertions fthe Social Democratic Party, who advise their adherents to secede from the national church.
 statistics just put lishcd show that the slow but steady decline Of the Jewish population of the German Em- Dire still continues.
 American Automobiles. Germany, too, like England and France, is feeling the pinch of the chta, American automobile. impof- tatjors so far have been light, but they are certain to increase, as hall T dozen of the most cnterprislng Am erican works have established sale branches in Berlin, and sent must lers" here who announce they are going out for business in WhlrlW'ho fashion. There are no German cars on the market which can compete III price with the $1,2o0 or Si,2o0 ma at;nos mades in the United states,