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Show German Soul Seems to Turn Toward Bloodshed, Gruesomeness, Mystery Teutons Boast of Imposing "Kultur" on the World by Force of Arms; Earnestness Is the Watchword. sFace to Face With Kaiserism" By JAMES W. GERARD, American Ambassador at the German Imperial Court, July 23, 1913, to February 4, 1917. Author of "My Tour Years in Germany." Copyright, 1918, by Public Ledger Company. Copyright Canada, 191S, by Public Ledger Company. ' CHAPTER XIII. It was interesting to note the psychological psycho-logical development of the Germans during dur-ing the war. For the very short time while war hung in the balance there was a period almost of rejoicing among the singing crowds in the streets a universal univer-sal release of tension after forty years' preparation for war. Next came the busy period of mobilization, mob-ilization, and then, as the German armies swept through Belgium and France, stronghold and fortress falling before them, there came a period of intense exaltation ex-altation and exultation, a period when the most reasonable Germans, the light of success and conquest In their eyes, declared de-clared German kultur would now be imposed im-posed on the whole world. The battle of the Marne ended this period of rejoicing, and through the winter win-ter of 1914-1915, when it became apparent appar-ent that Germany would not win by a sudden assault, tho temper of the people began to change to an attitude of depression. de-pression. It has been at all times the policy of the German autocracy to keep the people of Germany from amusing themselves. I know of no class in Germany which really re-ally enjoys life. The counts and junkers have thtir country estates. Life on these estates, which are administered solely for profit, is not like country life in England En-gland or America. The houses are plain and, for the most part, without the conveniences con-veniences of bathrooms and heating to which we are accustomed In America. Very few automobiles are owned in Germany. Ger-many. There are virtually no small country houses or bungalows, although at a few of the sea places rich Jews have villas. The wealthy merchant takes his vacation vaca-tion In summer at Carlsbad or Kissingen or in some other resort where his physical physi-cal constitution, disorganized by overeating overeat-ing and overdrinking, can be regulated somewhat. Many Germans take their families to Switzerland, where the German Ger-man of all ages, with knapsack and Alpine Al-pine stick, is a familiar sight. Earnestness German Watchword Earnestness is the watchword. For should the people get a taste of pleasure they might decide that the earth offered fairer possibilities than life in the barracks bar-racks or the a.1 miring contemplation, of Mr. Gerard's second book, written since Ms departure from Berlin upon the severing of diplomatic relations with imperial Germany, has been secured se-cured by the Public Ledger for exclusive ex-clusive newspaper publication in the United States and Canada. It will appear simultaneously in daily installments in-stallments in this and other newspapers news-papers licensed by the Public Ledger. Any infringement of the Public Ledger's copyright will be prosecuted. prose-cuted. fat and complacent grand dukes and princes. Much of this sycophancy is due to the poverty of the educated classes. Salaries paid to officials are ridiculously small. The German workingmen, both in wages and living, are on a lower scale than those of other western nations, with the possible exception of Russia, Italy and the Balkan states. The professional and business busi-ness classes earn very little. The reason rea-son for the superiority of the German In the chemical Industry is because a chemist, chem-ist, a graduate of the university, can be hired for less than tho salary of an American chauffeur. And this earnestness of life was Insisted In-sisted upon even to a greater degree by the autocracy wdth the opening of war. The playing of dance music brought a visit from the police. The theaters al first were closed, but later opened. Only plays of a serious or patriotic nature were originally permitted. Dancing was tabooed, but in the winter of 1915-16 Reinhardt was allowed to produce a ballet bal-let of a severely classical nature, and at tho opera performances the ponderous ballet girls were permitted to cavort as usual. I saw no signs of any great religious revival, no greater attendance' at the churches. Perhaps this was because I was in the Protestant part of Germany, where the church is under the direct control con-trol of the government and where the eople feel that in attending air extra church they are only attending an extra drill, a drill where they will be told of the glories of the autocracy and the necessity ne-cessity of obedience. In fact, religion may be said to have failed In Germany, and many state-paid preachers launched (Continued on Page Three.) GERMAN SOUL SEEMS TO LOVE BLOODSHED (Continued from Page One.) sermons of hate from their state-owned pulpits. Always fond of the drama and opera, I was a constant attendant at theaters in Berlin. The best-known manager in Berlin Ber-lin is Reinhardt, who has under his control con-trol the Deutsches theater with its annex, the Kammerspiel, and also the People's theater on the Buelow platz. I made the acquaintance of Mr. Reinhardt and his charming wife, who takes part in many of his productions. I dined with them in their picturesque house on the Kupfel Graben. In the Deutsches theater the great revolving stage makes change of scene easy so that Reinhardt is enabled to present Shakespeare, a great favorite in Germany, in a most picturesque manner. man-ner. He manages to lend even to the most solemn tragedy little touches that add gTeatly to the interest and keep the attention fixed. Kor instance, in his production of "Macbeth," "Mac-beth," when Ladv Macbeth comes in, in the sleep-walking scene, rubbing her hands and saying, "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?" the actress taking this part in Berlin gave a very distinct inrl loud snore between every three or four words, thus most effectively reminding remind-ing the audience that she was asleep. A Taste for Tragical Plays. As the war continued the taste of the Germans turned to somber, tragical and almost sinister plays. Only a death on the stage seemed to bring a ray of animation ani-mation to the stolid bovine faces of the audience. In my last winter in Berlin, the hit of the season was "Erdgcist," a play by Wedekind. which as "Spring's Awakening" was glvenMn Xew York In the spring of 1917, and horrilied and disgusted dis-gusted the most hardened Broadway theatergoers. The principal female role was plaved bv a Serbian actress, Maria Orka verv much on the type of Nazl-mova. Nazl-mova. In this play, presented to crowded audiences, only one of the four acts was without a death. Another favorite during wartime, played at Rcinhardt's theater, was "Maria "Ma-ria Magdalena." The characters were the father, mother, son and daughter oi a German family in a small town anc two young men in love with the daughter daugh-ter In the first act the police arrest the son for theft, giving the mother such a shock that she dies of apoplexy on the stage. In the second act, the two lovers have a duel and one is killed. In the third act. the surviving lover commits suicide and, in the fourth act. the daughter daugh-ter Jumps down the well. The curtain descends leaving only the old man and the cat alive, and the impression Is given that f the curtain were ten seconds later either the cat would get the old man or the old man would get the cat! The mvstcrious play of I'eer Gynt was given in two theaters during each winter of the war. All of Ibsen's dramas played to crowded houses. Keinharrtl, during the lat winter I was .in Berlin, produced Ptrindherg's "Ghost Sonata" in quite a wonderful way. The play was horrible and gruesome enough, but as produced by him It gave a strong man nightmare for davs afterward. The German soul, indeed, seems to turn not tow-ard light and gay and graceful things, but toward bloodshed and grue-someriess, grue-someriess, ghosts and mystery effect doubtless of the long, dark, hitter nights and gray days that overshadow these northern lands. I think the only time I lost my temper in Germany was when a seemingly rea-sonaMe rea-sonaMe and polite gentleman from the foreign office, sitting by my desk one day in litlt, remarked how splendid It was that Germany had nearly 2"i0.iyu prisoners of war and thnt these would go hack to their homes imbued with an intense in-tense admiration of German kuttur. I said that I believed that the 2,9n0,- 000 prisoners of war who had been insulted in-sulted and underfed and beaten and forced to work as slaves in factories and mines and on farms would go back to their homes with such a hatred of all things German that it would not be safe for Germans to travel in countries from which these prisoners came, that other nations had their own kultur, with which they were perfectly satisfied and which they did not wish to change for any made-in-Germany brand! Certain Germans have prated much of German "kultur," have boasted of imposing im-posing this "kultur" on the world by force of arms. What is this German "kultur"? A certain efficiency of government, gov-ernment, obtained by keeping the majority ma-jority of the people out of all voice in governmental affairs; a certain low cost of manufactured products or of carrying charges in the shipping trades made possible pos-sible by enslaving the workmen, who toil long hours for small wages; a certain superiority su-periority in chemical production because trained chemists, willing to work at one semlmechanieal task, can be hired for less than a Fifth avenue butler is paid in America, and a certain pre-eminence in military affairs, reached by subjecting the mass of the people to the brutal, boorish non-commissioned officers and the galling yoke of a militaristic system. Culture of German Jews. Subtract the German Jews and in the lines of real culture there would be little of the real thing left in Germany. Gut-man. Gut-man. Bleichroeder, Von Swabach, Fried-lander-Fuld, Rathenau, Simon, Warburg, In finance; Borchardt and others in surgery, sur-gery, and almost the whole medical profession; pro-fession; the Meyers, the Fhrlichs, Bamberger, Bam-berger, Hugo Sehiff, Newburger Bcr-theim, Bcr-theim, Paul Jacobson, in chemistry and research; Mendelssohn, Wagner, etc., in music: Harden, Theodor Wolf, Georg Bernhard and Professor Stein in Journalism. Jour-nalism. But why continue? About the only men not Jews prominent in the intellectual, in-tellectual, artistic, financial or commercial commer-cial life of Germany are the pastors of the ljUtheran churches. And the Jews have won their way to tho front' in almost al-most a generation. Still refused commissions commis-sions in the standing army (except for about 114 since the war), still compelled to renounce their religion before being eligible for nobility or a court function, still practically excluded from university professorships, considered socially inferior, infe-rior, the Jews, of Germany until a few-years few-years ago lived under restrictions that had survived from the Middle Ages. They were not allowed' to bear Christian names. The marriages of Jews and Christians were forbidden. Jews could not own houses and lands. They were not permitted to engage In agriculture and could not become members of the Ljuiiclfi or unions of handicraftsmen. When a Jew traveled he was compelled to pay a tax in each province through which he passed. Jews attending the fair at l-Yankfort on the Oder were compelled to pay a head tax. and were admitted to Leipzig and Dresden on condition that rhey might be expelled at any time. Merlin Jews were compelled to buy .ipnually a certain quanity of poreelnjn, ierlsively called "Jew's porcelain," from '.he royal manufactory anci to sell it abroad. When a Jew married he had to '.;et permission and an annual impost was ; aid on each member of the family, while -nly one son could remain at home, and the others were forced to seek their fortune abroad. The Jews could worship in their own way. in some states, provided pro-vided they used only two small rooms and made no noise. The reproach that the Jew Is not a producer, hut is a mere middleman, taking tak-ing a profit as goods pass from hand to hand, is Jiandcd down from the time when Jews were forbidden by law to become producers and, therefore, were corripelle'l to become traders and middlemen, marred from the guilds and from engaging in the cultivation of the sod. (Continued Tomorrow.) |