The Washington herald., 1916-05-20
SEEN AND HEARD
BY GEORGE MINER
Special Correspondent of The Wash
ington Herald.
CopyuSht, l>6 By the Mcclure Newspaper
5ynucsEs.J

New York, May In discussing the
great war and some 5f its results with
Mrs. Gertrude Atherton the other day,
she expressed the belief that one Of its
effects has been to make women more
critical OF men
What" asked the distinguished au
thoress, were the best brains OF Europe
about? All Europe had talked for years
ever since the Russo-Japanese war-of
Gsrmany's manifest intentions. Yet when
Germany, miscalculating that her mo-
ment had come and that swift success
was assured, abruptly plunged Europe
into war, every other state was unpre-
pared. Britain stumbled along exactly
as she did in the Boer war, unheeding
all signs
"A Frenchwoman told me that her but
Ter. being a reservist, was called imme-
diately to the colors, but was sent back
because they had no rifle for him.
Frances excuse was that socialism and
syndicalism had tied her hands, but what
OF that? These same socialists and syn
dicalists have fought since like the best
Of Frenchmen and they never were &C
cUsed OF lack Of brains.
"ClubwOmen are growing more alert
and broadly intelligent every day. They
not only read, but have themselves in
structed on current events. No doubt
they have reflected that although they
might have done no better than these
men Of Europe they could not have done
worse
The first lesson war teaches" she con-
tinued, is that there is nothing so cheap
as human life. However Mortified one
may be at the outbreak OF war. the read
ing Of its brutalities. its stupendous
losses, its foul sights and smells, day
after day and month after month, induces
an inevitable callOusness.
This affects women as much or more
than men. They sit in their clubs and
listen to a reiteration Of the wholesale
killings in Europe, men up to their knees
In blood, killing killing, killing A day
is lost which could not count its dead
in thousands. Millions OF men engaged
daily in this obscene game, joking when
not grtmly picking out their man or load
ing up big guns in the hope of wiping out
a trench at a time All this can have
will be interesting to note the results
Of this a few years hence"
MisinfOrmed EngIishmen.
The misconception that the average in
telligeut and welI-read Enlishman fire.
O entity displays concerning social life in
the United States is almost amazing. Mr
Barton Henderson is an EngliShman and
both intelligent and well read. and yet
when We were talking about a murder
case he remarked that he did not see
why any husband in this country when
he wanted to get rid OF his wife should
murder her or any woman murder her
husband when divorce was so easy and
so universal.
There it Is That divorce stigma is
placed on US ~ every other country in
the world. 1t is difficult to convince
the English that there are several mil
lion people in the United States who are
undivorCed or that any prejudice exists
here against the custom.
As a matter OF fact We all know that
save In very fashionable groups or ultra
Bohemian circles there Is immense preju-
dice against divorce in our country. not
only in old communities. but also in large
cities. Even in California, long sup
posed to be a sort Of haven for the matri-
monial dlscOntents, the divorced, save in
very fashionable or very advanced cir
cles, are either cut or humiliatingly
pitied- Ancient prejudices die hard, and
ii will be a long time before a divorced
woman win be placed on the same foot
ing a s her sister in this country.
Even Reno is by no means what it
once was, and nobody nowadays talks
about Chicago and divorce as he did ten
years ago. For which Chicago is prob
ably thankful. but I doubt IL Reno is