The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1909-04-30
.0|B|E[|E'k. SOLDIERS | |
An Illustration Of Military Disci.
pIine In Germany.
A JOKE TAKEN IN EARNEST.
The Story en- Englishman Tells Of an
Amusing Incident In Which He Par.
tieipated During a Visit to the Eat.
tIefieId Of Worth. s

eiefeId OF Worth. sH
The docility and blind obedience of
the German soldier have long been an
object Of comment. The Germans
themselves recognize that it sometimes
goes so far as to be absurd. An Eng
lishman. writing in the London Times,
describes an amusing incident which
occurred after he had spent day
tramping about the battlefield of
Worth. He was dressed, it should be
noted, in regular civilian clothes and
carried an umbrella: s
Emerging fromN wood, came upon
a plot of grass where about a dozen
German soldiers were resting. The
spirit moved me to stop and speak
to these men-emphasizing my mean.
ing by signs when my scant German
vocabulary failed me.
l asked, "Are you Prussians?" The
indignant answer. in chorus, was: "No!
Saxons!"
"Oh," said I, wishing to conciliate.
u am Anglo-Saxon." 49,.
Much to my establishment, one of
them got up and shook me warmly by
the hand. Pointing to my dusty boots
and flannel shirt, unbuttoned at the
neck, then. in vile German, explained
to my friends Of five minutes standin.,
that 1 had made the grand tour of tbs
battlefield on foot and had been walk.
ing since o'clock in the morning, it
then being in the afternoon.
Quite casually l remarked that al.
though mot military, but naval Of
ficer." the study of battlef1elds inter-
ested me.
At the mention of the word Officer
all the men sat up, buttoned their tu-
MICS and buckled on their swords or
bayonets-l forget which.
"Are you going to Niederbronn?" was
my next question.
EYES," they replied; I'VE are going to
walk to Niederbronn and there take
the train to Bitsch.'
What evil genius prompted me to
make the rext remark l cannot tell,
but although uttered in joke it's con-
sequences were perfectly astounding.
II, too, am going to Niederbronn.
You are my regiment. am your colo
nel"' .....
Up they sprang to their feet, fell in
two deep and kept quite silent as If on
parade. Fright turn" and off we
marched, carrying my umbrella as If
It were a sword.
Breasting grassy slope, we marched
up to the top at q swinging pace, still
observing perfect silence and. in step.
A short distance of was solitary sol.
dier Of the same regiment lying at
full length on bench near the en-
trance to wood-tunic unbuttoned,
sword unbuckled. and so forth.
On catching sight Of the approaching
squad up he jumped, buttoned his
tunic, buckled on his weapon, stood
rigidly at attention and when the reg.
iment' came by tailed on" as If 1t
was the most natural thing in the
world to do.
Please note that not word passed
between the main body and the re.
enforcement. On entering the wood
the leading file began to sing march
ing song, the others joining in chorus.
By this time we were nearing Nieder.
bronn and passed a man and his wife.
who were evidently much astonished
to see a disciplined body Of men
marching in strict military fashion un.
der the command Of foreigner armed
with an umbrella-not even a silk one!
A disconcerting thought arose.
"what will happen If we chance across
q German officer, and how, in my
broken German, can ever hope to ex.
plain this extraordinary assumption of
command of the forces Of the kaiser?"
So without a moments further delay
I said to the men, II must 60 to my
hotel, which is over there" and bade
them goodby.
These docile and amiable Saxons
with one accord, taking time by the
leading file, saluted, and l, having re.
turned their salute, got out Of sight as
rapidly as possible. On peeping round
the corner Of house there was my
late regiment" still marching with
the regularity Of clockwork.
Lincoln on Proof.
/