Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1909-04-21
OBEDIENT SOLDIERS,
An Illustration of Military DisCi-
pline In Germany.
A JOKE TAKEN IN EARNEST.

The Story an Englishman Tells of an
Amusing Incident In Which He Par
tieipated During a Visit to the Bat
tlefield of Worth.
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 a day
tramping about the battlefield Of
Worth. lie was dressed, it should be
noted, in regular civilian clothes and
carried an umbrella:
Emerging from a wood came upon
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!
Saxonsv'
ooh" said l, wishing to conciliate,
81 am AnglO-Saxon"
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, l then, in vile German. explained
to my friends of five minutes standing
that | had made the grand tour of the
battlefield on foot and had been walk
ing since O'clock in the morning, it
then being 3 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 officer
all the men sat up. buttoned their tu-
MICS and buckled on their swords OF
bayonets-I forget which.
Are you going to Niederbronn ?" was
my next question.
Yes" they replied; I'VE are goinatO
walk to Niederbronn and there take
the train to Bitsch."
= What evil genius prompted me to
make the next remark cannot tell,
but although uttered in joke its con-
sequences were perfectly astounding.
81. too. am going to NiederbrOnE.
You are my regiment. l am your coo
nelr'
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 a grassy slope, we marched
up to the top at a swinging pace. still
observing perfect silence and in step
A short distance off was a solitary sol
der Of the same regiment lying al
full length on a bench near the en-
trance to a wOCd-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 /
was the most natural thing in thu
world to do.
Please note that not word passed
between the main body and the re
enforcement. On entering the WOO
the leading file began to sing march
ing song. the others joining in chorus
By this time we were nearing NiedeI
bronn and passed a man and his wife
who were evidently much astOnishe'
to see a disciplined body of me
marching in strict military fashion III
der the command Of a foreigner arme
with an umbrella-nOt even silk one
A discOncPrting thought arose
''What will happen If we chance acrOs
German officer, and how, in m
broken German, can | ever hope to e2
plain this extraordinary assumption {
command Of the forces of the kaiser!
So without a moments further della
| said to the men. Il must go to m
hotel. which is over there" and bad
them gOodby.
These 6ocile and amiable Saxo1
with one accord. taking time by II
leading file. saluted. ana l. having r
turned their salute. got out of sight
RAPIDLY rs possible. On peeping rour
the corner of a house there was n
late regiment still marching vii
the regularity of clockwork.