Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 05.djvu/192

INFANTA 152 INFANTRY of the milk distributed in many large cities, a fact which has caused a great deal of emphasis to be placed on a pure milk supply by municipalities. Another fact proven by the collection of statistics is that one-fifth of all deaths are those of children less than one year of age, while one-fourth of all deaths are those of children under two years of age. Also, it is shown that male chil- dren are the most delicate, the death rate among them being from 16 to 30 per cent, higher than among female chil- dren. INFANTA, a title given to princesses of the Spanish and Portuguese "blood royal," other than the eldest daughter when heiress apparent to the throne; as, the Infanta Dona Luisa. INFANTE, the title given in Spain and Portugal to the princes of the royal family, the corresponding title of In- fanta being given to the princesses. Since 1388, however, the heir apparent to the throne in Spain has been styled the Prince of Asturias. INFANTICIDE, the murder of an infant born alive; the killing of a young or newly-born child. The practice of de- stroying a portion of the offspring — in the majority of cases, the female chil- dren — among certain nations or tribes, appeared in the earliest times, and still lingers among some undeveloped races. Lubbock thus accounts for female infan- ticide: "Girls ate, and did not hunt. They weakened their mothers when young, and when grown up were a temp- tation to surrounding tribes"; but de- clines to accept the practice "as the true cause of exogamy." In Sparta it was used as one means of securing what Spencer calls the "survival of the fit- test," and was defended by Plato and Aristotle. The murder by high caste Rajpoots in India of their female children, once most extensive, arose from pride of caste. Public opinion requiring the father to expend an extravagant sum on his daughter's marriage and dowry if_ she lived, he considered it more economic to have her put to death in infancy. To British remonstrance the answer was, "Pay our daughters' marriage portions, and they shall live." The government took a different method — it imposed on a father sanctioning the murder of his in- fant child an enormous fine, and the practice soon ceased. Till lately some of the aboriginal tribes, especially the Khoonds, sacrificed children as votive offerings to the Earth- goddess. The Anglo-Indian government was for a long time unable to put doWD the practice, but the persistent kidnap- ping of native children from British-In- dian soil having furnished a casus belli, war was declared against the Khoonds, who by the treaty of peace were required to give up female infanticide. INFANTILE PARALYSIS. SEE POL- IOMYELITIS. INFANTRY, foot soldiers armed with rifle and bayonet. In Europe the infan- try is divided into infantry of the line, light infantry, and rifles; but practically no distinction, except that the latter have a lower standard, now exists between them. Formerly the flank companies of each line battalion were, respectively, "grenadier" and "light" companies, and the deployment of the lines or the ad- vance of the columns in battle were either covered by these companies, or by separate light infantry regiments, which were extended as skirmishers. These were either called in when the masses of troops advanced, or, halting, let them pass through. They only prepared the way for the main attack. With the in- troduction of long range fire, the attack by lines or columns became too danger- ous; the former from their slowness, the latter from their denseness. The infan- try could no longer advance covered by a weak screen of skirmishers. Battal- ions, therefore, formed for attack with two companies firing, two supporting, and four in local reserve, the whole working on a narrow front; and, finally, the company in Germany, and the double company in England, formed the fighting tactical unit, and was distributed in a similar manner. But the skirmishers no longer merely cover the advance of troops in rear. They form the fighting- line themselves, and reinforced as loss occurs, and strengthened finally by the local reserve, they break down the de- fense first with preponderating fire, and then •mth the bayonet. Ancient nations largely depended in battle on their in- fantry. Then foot soldiers became less employed, the use of cavalry being one feature of the age of chivalry. The for- mation by Louis VI., of France (1108- 1137), of the communal militia, followed by similar action on the part of Fred- erick I., the Emperor of Germany (1152- 1190), and Henry II., of England (1154- 1189), again brought infantry into note and they have held the first place in bat- tles ever since. It was especially the case during the European War of 1914- 18. Cavalry were only employed in the first months of the war to any extent, but were effective during the great Ger- man retreat in 1918.