The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1908-12-21
BY PHIL GILMORE slMMs.

BY PHIL GILMORE slMMs.
Special Corrsspoadsnos to The Prsss
BERLIN, Dec. 21.-Germany lis
not going to the dogs. That much
is certain. Whatever the kaiser
may say or do; whatever the
reichstag and federal council may
leave undone, bank on it for all you
are worth:
Germany is not going to the
dogs!
This statement sort of oozes out,
bubbles to the top, SO to speak, Of
la reservoir of interviews, converse
tons which were not interviews,
and private chats with rich men,
poor men, begger men"-and, prob
ably, thief. s
Yankee Country All Over Europe.
Consul General Alexander M!
Thackara, at Berlin, looked from
the window of his private office on
the Friedrichstrasse
This is one of the most wonder
full countries l ever saw" he told
me. and there was genuine enthusi-
asm in his voice. Berlin is the
Yankee city of Europe-it is more
like Chicago than any city know.
You think the Germans are slow,
don't your
The consul general didn't ask
me-he accused me with the ques-
ton. So l admitted the guilt.
had always fancied the German
people an easy going lot.
"Of course you think they are
slow. Most everybody has that no.
ton. But they are not, and the
quicker you get that idea out Of
your head the better it will be for
you. If you don't step lively in
this town you'll find some German
stepping on your heels. Look
across the street-see?"
Uncle Sans official pointed to a
huge hole in the ground-an exca-
walton in which it was plain to see
building was to have it's base. A
neat fence surrounded 1t, and at
the bottom an army Of workmen
hurried to and fro among the great
stacks of brick. t Y
Ten days ago." Consul General
Thackara went on, there was a
big building there. Now they are
ready to build another. At no time
has sidewalk traffic been held up,
and while the structure is going up
there won't be a brick left on the
street. All materials must be kept
on the inside. y
Berlin Grows Like Boom Town.
This city is built on a sand
heap. yet a few weeks is sufficient
time for these people to lay out
and build a park, with all kinds of
pretty things growing.
"Out where l now live, a short
time ago, there was nothing but
sand. Now there are beautiful resi-
dences. Subways, which in New
York seem to require the tearing
up of entire streets for months,
here are burrowed quickly and
witout street traffic ever being In
terfered with for a moment.
Il tell you, this is a wonderful
country. People have accused me
of becoming Germanized. but I'm
not. I'm as much American as
ever was in my life, but l am able
to appreciate good thing wher.
ever l see IT,"
And, in all truth, Berlin is not
unlike some boom town in the west
or, to furnish better illustration,
is exactly what l imagine Paris
would be II peopled by Americans
comfort, modernism, art, age and
automobile dump carts mixed by
energetic hands.
Did you ever smell thrift?
Did you ever enter a cottage
where the furnishings were not
very expensive, but where every
thing was so spotless and dustless
and orderly that you seemed to
Smell the cleanliness OF the
place?
The country districts In Germany
are like that. While the country
people are not so quick as their
city brothers, they get there just
the same. German farmers never
let thing go to waste. Where, In
America, a farmer would permit a
stream to zigzag its way across his
fields. in Germany he would slice
out an air line ditch. run the
stream through that and put the
crooks and turns under cultivation.
People Rule Without Knowing.
Across hundreds of miles of
fairyland like farms l journeyed
into Berlin. Every click OF the car
wheels sounded like We're
thrifty! We're thrifty! We're
thrifty" And later went into
country homes where "smelled'
thrift.
There seems to be no waste land
anywhere. Every inch of ground Is
put to some use. II wheat, oats.
truck and so on are not growing.
trees are reclaiming the soil, grass