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Show I POLICE OF GERMANY Si Old-Fashloned " Night Watchmen " Still Patrol Etats, Carrying a fv V'. Long Lance and a Whistle. Villages In all parts of Germany still maintain "night watchmen," who act as guardians of the community, and carry when on duty a long lance, something of the nature of a halberd, in their hand, as they perambulate their beats during the long dark hours of the night. They also have a whistle whis-tle with thorn, with which they proclaim pro-claim to the non-sleeping inhabitants and to prowling men and beasts what o'clock it is. It is only a very few years ago that the large cities dropped their "night watchmen," but many of the smaller towns in the provinces still employ their services. At a town in Posen, near the Silesian frontier, one of th.ie old worthies had ceased to blow his whistle when the clock sounded the hour. The burger-meister burger-meister could not comprehend the negligence, and the delinquent was summoned to his presence to account for it. At first he was at a loss what excuse to make, but on being pressed he declared that a few days before his last remaining tooth had dropped out, an. I that consequently he could produce no sound from his beloved whistle. The ourgcrmeister could think of no remedy, nor could he punish the watchman. A council was called to deliberate, and the subject for discussion dis-cussion was laid before the meeting At first profound silence reigned. Finally one of the members of the council rose and said he had heard of the possibility of replacing human, teeth by artificial ones; adding, that to the best of his belief there was a man in Breslau who undertook to do this. He said he could not vouch for the truth of what he had heard, but he really had been told that this was the case! A long discussion ensued, with the result that the watchman was told to go to Breslau to get a new-set new-set of teeth. In due course the old man returned to the scene of his duties du-ties provided with the needful. The following night the burgermeister eat up to hear the result. To his astonishment astonish-ment there was no sound of the whistle whis-tle at 10 o'clock, nor at 11, nor even at midni-rht! "le next morning he summoned the watchman, to whom he expressed his indignation. "You have got your teeln now," he said; "why do you uct ;histle as before?" In a voice of hm'.iility the old chap replied: "Yes: I have got a new set of teeth, but ti-.'J doctor told me I was to put ihem In water overnight." |