Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-03-25
0B||E|:D|ENT' SOLDIERS,
An Illustration of Military Disci'
pIine In Germany.
A JOKE TAKEN IN EARNEST.

|
tlefisld Of Worth.
The docility and blind obedience Of
the German soldier'have long been ar
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, 1t should be
noted, in regular civilian clothes and
carried an umbrella:
Emerging from a wood, i came upon
a plot of grass where about 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.
asked, "Are you Prussians? The
indignant answer, in chorus, was: mo!
| SaxOns!'
"Oh," said 1, wishing to conciliate,
II am Anglo-Saxon."
Much to my astonishment, one OF
them got up and shook me warmly by
the hand. Pointing to my dusty boots
and flannel shirt, unbuttoned at the
neck, 1 then, in vile German, explained
to nv friends of five minutes standing
that had made the grand tour OF the
battlefield on foot and had been walk
ing since 9 O'Clock in the morning, 1t
then being s in the afternoon.
Quite casually remarked that al
though mot military, but naval Of
ficer,' the study Of battlefelds inter-
ested me.
At the mention Of the word "o6icer"
all the men sat up, buttoned their tu-
MICS and buckled on their swords or
bayonets-I forget which.
"Are you going to Niederbronn?" was
my next question.
eyes," they replied; eve are going to
walk to Niederbronn and there take
the train to Bitsch."
What evil genius prompted me to
make the next remark l cannot tell,
but although uttered in joke its con-
sequences were perfectly astounding.
II, too, am going to Niederbronn
You are my regiment. am your colo
nelv'
Up they sprang to their feet, fell in
two deep and kept quite silent as If on
parade. Fright turn" and OF we
marched, carrying my umbrella as II
| it were a sword. IT, -. -
Breasting a grassy slope, we marched
up to the top at swinging pace, still
observing perfect silence and in step
A short distance of was solitary SOL
der Of the same regiment lying at
full length on a bench near the en-
trance to a 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 II II
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 man and his wife
who were evidently much astonishec
| to see a disciplined body Of mel
marching in strict military fashion un
der the command Of foreigner armed
J. with an umbrella-not even silk one
+ A disconcerting thought arose
"What will happen If we chance across
a German officer, and how, in my
broken German, can ever hope to ex
| plain this extraordinary assumption o:
command Of the forces Of the kaiser?'
So without a moments further della,
1 said to the men, II must 60 to my
hotel, which is over there" and bad'
them goodby.
These docile and amiable Saxon'
with one accord, taking time by tn
leading file, saluted, and l, having re
turned their salute, got out Of sight al
rapidly as possible. On peeping round
| the corner Of house there was m!
late regiment still marching Will
the regularity Of clockwork.
| :~ea1n ~ 0eanf