"SPIRITUAL STANDARDS."

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 July 1918, Page 8

"SPIRITUAL STANDARDS."

TO PROTECT THE AMERICAN SOLDIER.

FROM THE FRENCH GIB.L,

There 'was a time when the ha'oits and speech of "His Majesty's Army in Flanders" were considered to be alike distinctive, unchangeable, and unmentionable, 'savs the writer of "Vanity Fair" in the "San Francisco Argonaut" There is now an American armv, perhaps not in Flanders, but in parts adjacent—only the Germans know precisely where it 'is —and we are much concerned about its morals. Indeed wo are increasingly disposed to reg.ird it not as an army, but as a sort of social settlement upon which all sorts of absurd people may try all sorts of absurd experiments. Here, for example, is a Dropo*".b*T>at finds place in an important Eastern newspaper. The problem, it seems, is to regulate the relations between th« American soldier and the French girl in the villages behind the lines. First we must have a number of "intelligent and experienced Frenchwomen" to look after the girls, and then we must furbish "attractive American women, well-balanced but charming,'' to supervise the m'en and to create ''spiritual standards." What, it is asked, will happen if the hoys should contract habits of immorality in France and bring them back to America, where hitherto such things have , been unknown ?

Now it might be well to walk cau-\ ticusly in these matters. It may not he so easy to find a sufficient number of women who shall be attractive and charming enough to counteract the wiles of the French girls, and yet not quite'so attractive and charming as to be wiles in themselves Some delicate perception -will be needed to select these women in sufficient numbers. If they are not attractive enough the French girls will get the upper hand. If they »are too attractive they will be dangerous. What a dreadful thing it wou'd he if there should be scandals involving the shepherdesses themselves. And stranger things have hap-

pened. As to. the intelligent and experienced Frenchwomen who are to look after the French girls, we may forsee difficulties here. too. Suppose the French girls refuse to be looked after? We may be quite sure that the girls who need supervision would be just the ones to defy it. And it may be said that there is no more modest or moral being, on earth than the good French girl, and she is in the vast majority. Perhaps, on second thoughts, it might be well to avoid all attempts to do the impossible. It might be well to avoid the ministration of "attractive and charming" American women on the battle line. It might be well to concenrrate x cur attention on the fighting capacity of the soldier and leave his morals to his officers. After all, the army is not a social settlement.