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Show ! : , UNDER THE IRON CROSS Hj'j HP HOSE who know Germany agree that the ar- H 1 tides written by the London Times' so-called Wm, neutral correspondent have been by far the most H enlightening regarding the real situation within Hi the kaiser's empire. The correspondent found B ( many entire shops in Berlin converted into cen- H ! ters for providing food and delicacies for soldiers H at the front Of the placing of food in tubes he 1 says: L , "The food was specially prepared and placed Hi In metal tubes with screw capsules of the same H i kind as are fitted to ordinary vaseline or lano- H line tubes. There were 1 lb., lb. and lb. H ' tubes, containing' butter, lard, honey, marmalade, H jams, preserved cream, semi-liquid meat extracts H in short, every kind of nourishment that can be H reduced to a consistency suitable for such a pack- H ing. H "In the same shops there were large stocks of H ready-made cardboard boxes of various sizes, each H , bearing a printed label to be filled in with the H name and military number of the addressee. The H necessary string was attached to each box. The H sender has only to buy the tubes, put them into H the right sized box, fill in the label, tie the string, H and leave the parcel. Next day, or at latest H within forty-eight hours, the soldier at the front H receives the gift, if he is still there. It would H bo impossible to supply him with food from home H in a handier way. He can easily carry the tube H with him in the field. Ho has but to unscrew the H capsule, to press out the amount he wants, close H the tube again, and put it in his pocket. It Is H clean, and he needs no utensils. In the trenches H and other advanced positions it is particularly H valuable. H '.'These tubes and cardboard boxes of regula- H tion size are obtainable all over the country., B i They are sent by hundreds of thousands daily to H the troops, and I saw many letters from soldiers H at the front saying that they had never been so well cared for in their lives." H Merchants are taking advantage of the Avar H spirit in every possible way to exploit goods. The Ht Iron Cross is used as a symbol to force the sale H of many articles. It is found as a trade-mark H on the most unlikely wares. Brooches, rings, H.; pendants, bracelets, watches, spoons and knives H bear the symbol. H Children eat chocolate In the shape of an HI Iron Cross and play with Iron Cross balls. An H establishment in Hanover even shows nightshirts H embroidered with the German decoration. So H widespread has the use of the Iron Cross become Hi that a movement of protest against the abuse of H the symbol which is the highest military reward, Hi is growing. Hi War books, pamphlets and maps fill the win-Rj win-Rj dows of every book shop in Germany. In at least Hi one appears an "Art Guide for the German Sol-Hi Sol-Hi dier," a richly illustrated pocket volume. HI "I wondered," writes the correspondent, "why H the German soldier in the field should need in-H' in-H' struction in art, but my curiosity turned to stu-Hji stu-Hji por when I found that the pictures and buildings Hj reproduced or illustrated were those of Belgium, H northern Franco and western Russia. The com-H com-H piler of this remarkable guide book did not take H the soldier further than Paris in the west and H Moscow in the east. He showed them the art H treasures of Paris, with the admiration and 'de-Hj 'de-Hj tachment' of the real art lover. The cathedral at Hi Itheims and the beautiful mediaeval buildings in H the Flemish cities were also among the objects H illustrated." In Russia the wonder of the Krem-H Krem-H lin were alluringly placed before the soldiers' HI eyes." Hi t "Haendler und Helden" (Traders and Heroes), Hi a. new book by Werner Sombart, professor of po- Hj litical economy, is dedicated to "our young he- H roes facing the foe." The introductory chapter, m headed "Der Glaubenskrieg" (The War of Faith), recites that all wars have been and will be wars of faith; that in this respect there is no difference differ-ence between religious conflicts of the Middle Ages and modern wars which arise out of economic eco-nomic interests or ambition for power. "Professor Sombart calls the war a holy war for Germany," says the correspondent. "He tells the soldiers that around the central war there aro incidental episodical struggles, such as the Franco-German Avar for the possession of Alsace-Lorraine, the Russo-Turkish Avar for the mastery or the Dardanelles and the Russo-Austrian Avar for predominance in the Balkans. But the real, central cen-tral Avar, he claims, is being Avaged betAveen 'Western European civilization,' the 'ideals of 1789' and German military culture, Avhich the enemy denounces as 'German barbarism.' He develops de-velops this thesis in order to sIioav that the center cen-ter point of the Avorld struggle is that between 'the shopkeeper and the hero,' betAveen the mercenary mer-cenary and the heroic spirit. The tAvo peoples Avhich most definitely represent these conflicting spirits are the British and the Germans. Only as an Anglo-German Avar does the Avorld of 1914 attain at-tain its deep historic significance." The correspondent found Houston Chamberlain, Chamber-lain, author of "The Foundations of the Nineteenth Nine-teenth Century," said to be the kaiser's favorite book, on the Wagner culture committee. Chamberlain, Cham-berlain, called a renegade Englishman, the Avriter says, "recently received from the kaiser the Iron Cross, 'to be Avorn on a Avhite ribbon,' in recognition recog-nition of his services as an anti-English essayist. His latest Avork, 'NeAV War Essays,' contains a paper on 'England and Germany,' which is being distributed in neutral countries by hundrfeds of thousands, in an English translation, and has been published In a special cheap 'trench edition.' This edition is issued 'in order to make the opinions of one of the best educated Englishmen acces- slble to our brave men in tho trenches.' " Everywhere in Germany one sees war posters. post-ers. Yellow placards in tho railway compartments compart-ments warn soldiers that spies are about attempt-, attempt-, ing to elicit military information, and enjoining enjoin-ing Germans against conversing with foreigners. On another placard are displayed "Ten War Commandments," Com-mandments," directions for the avoidance of waste and pleas to sacrifice all for the country. Such notices are posted also on all public buildings, on newspaper kiosks and advertisement advertise-ment pillars. The language used is eloquent in ' ' its brevity. It is intended to be understood and observed by every German. Only in tho posters of some volunteer associations are the methods of the picturesque advertiser followed. The correspondent was particularly impressed by the placards used by the Nationaler Frauend- ienst, the central war organization of German , ,women. In letters of black and red on white tho German colors it runs: ' Krieg and Kueche. (War and the Kitchen.) Kocht die Kartoffeln in der Schale. (Boil potatoes po-tatoes in their skins.) Esst Kriegsbrot. (Eat war bread.) Kauft keinen Kuchen. (Buy no pastry.) Seid klug, spart Fett. (Be wise, save dripping.) drip-ping.) Kocht mit Kochkiste. (Cook on the hay system.) sys-tem.) Kocht mit Kries-Kochbuch. (Cook by the War Cook Book.) Helft den Krieg Gewinen. (Help to win tho war.) Another poster is headed, "Housewives, Help to Win Germany's Struggle for Existence!" It bears appeals for economy in tho use of vegetables, vege-tables, butter and meat. Eatables thrown away, is says, are like wasted ammunition. The civilian civil-ian is told that to waste bread is as bad as for the soldier to throw away cartridges. All this is part of the campaign to "defeat the English plan of starving the country into submission." Alongside detailed regulations for a census or copper, Issued by the commander of an army corps, appears an announcement by the War Cereals Ce-reals Society enjoining economy in the use of flour and innumerable appeals from other organizations, organi-zations, all working toward the same end. "The public," says tho correspondent, "reads these announcements an-nouncements and acknowledges the necessity of complying with them. It feels that it too has been mobilized and the sense of discipline is harder to bear." Thus a German is brought to think he is contributing to the end sought by the soldiers at the front. Miniature statues of Von Hindenburg, easily the most popular hero in Germany, are sold every- I where and his picture is in every home. "I first realized his popularity," says the correspondent, cor-respondent, "when standing before a large shop window in one of the main streets of Hamburg. The Avindow contained figures of the most prominent prom-inent contemporary Germans, in various sizes, which were graduated so as to indicate their relative positions in popular esteem. In the center cen-ter stood Hindenburg alone, commanding, dominating, domi-nating, wrapped in his military cloak. In front of him stood the kaiser, about a quarter the size of the popular general. Before the kaiser were a number of other princes and generals Von Kluk, Von Mackensen, Von Einem and Weddlgen. Far away among the lesser lights was placed the crown prince. In ordinary times the shopkeeper would probably have incurred prosecution for lese majeste had he placed the kaiser in a position so subordinate. i"The fame of Weddlgen is of a different quality. qual-ity. He personifies ruthless warfare against Britannia, Bri-tannia, who 'rules the waves.' In the worship oC Weddlgen is concentrated all the wrath of Germany Ger-many against England for having swept German shipping from the seas of tho world, and all the hopes which tho fatherland cherishes that it'may presently after a war of attrition be able to deal crushing blows at British maritime power. "There are doubtless good reasons why tho crown prince is no longer as conspicuous as when he was the darling of the war party; hut there is little proof that the wild tales of him are true. . He did not come to Berlin for tho birth or the christening of his daughter, and was scarcely mentioned even on those occasions. Nevertheless, Neverthe-less, the illustrated papers sought to reassure the public by reproducing a photograph of him standing stand-ing on the balcony of his headquarters 'some-whore 'some-whore in France.' By his side stood his uncle, Prince Henry, who is known to have visited tho crown princo at that moment. "Like the crown prince, the emperor's other sons no longer enjoy the prominent publicity given to them during the first phase of tho war. The struggle has become a struggle in which mere rank and position count for nothing. Popular Pop-ular favor is now accorded only to energy, proved capacity, power of organization, endurance and sacrifice." One must see the German railway system in operation to realize the tremendously important part it plays in the war organization. Peasants and artisans in the smallest towns and in tho country are under orders to guard tunnels and bridges where troops are being moved. Tho correspondent cor-respondent was in a certain village when one of the troop trains passed through. ."The railway ran near the hotel, and opposite it was the station," he says. "I went to tho window win-dow and saw the train, filled with soldiers and with guns, horses, motor cars and transport material. ma-terial. People in the streets and in the building along the railway greeted the men enthusiastically. enthusiasti-cally. The soldiers lined up behind the windows and In the open troop trucks to return the greeting. greet-ing. Then they sang ' Deutschland Tiber Alles' and other patriotic songs. "The landlord told me, a complete stranger, that these troops came from the French front, and were being sent at Hindenburg's request straight across Germany to the distant eastern front, where huge operations were being prepared. pre-pared. During these preparations there was, for a number of days, a strict postperre, that is to say, all postal and ordinary telegraphic communications com-munications with foreign countries were absolutely abso-lutely stopped in order to prevent any leakage of information about tho work in progress. The troops concerned in the movement were not allowed al-lowed to communicate even with their own families. "Then I witnessed the working of a part of the war machine. The long troop trains continued contin-ued to roll eastward, one every ten, fifteen or twenty minutes for two days and two nights. As long as daylight lasted every train was greeted with the same applause, and even at night we heard the soldiers sing and shout 'Hurrah!' as they passed. For them it was one triumphal progress pro-gress through the country." New York Sun. |
