The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-28
SOCIAL DEMOCRATS
ACTIVE FELLOWS
Always on the Jump Trying to
Dodge Something
nyTr0 ADE TIT nTcTA yTND
TWO ARE IN DISFAVOR
Actually Dined with Officers of Hessen
and Baden-"YeIlow Stars" of Ber-
lin Are as Tyranical ms
They Are Beautiful

Berlin, August Zi.-topeCidi.)- ~
"Comrades" social democrats of Ger
many are always called comrades
have been found guilty of crime agains-
the holy ghost of democracy. Kolb and
Ulrich have dared-actually dared-to ac
cept an invitation and dine with the
rulers of Hessen and Baden! Yes and
stay after dinner In conversation! For
this crime they have earned the title
Court Socialists and are to be boy
cotted.
To eat and drink well, and enough of
1t, is the primary demand of every good
socialist democrat. For, after all, the
problem of the social question is only
problem of the stomach. But-remain
among yourselves! Eat sausage and pig
and sauerkraut. acknowledgements!
II ruler of a country addresses a So
cial democrat, that individual has to
remain icily silent. That's the unwrit-
ten law of social democracy.
And a second case of heresy has to
be mentioned. The Comrades of Baden
havezthink of of it!-actually voted in
favor of the governmental budget! The
true punishment for such a crime Is
nothing less than death. However, the
foolish bourgeois would call that muir
der. So only the next most terrible pun
ishment remained-expulsion from the
party. Yet, strange to say. the party
committee preferred to act rather in
mercy than in justice. The heretics are
still 'inn' Why? Oout of pure kindness
of heart? Nobody believes 1t. On the
other hand. everybody is looking toward
the day of the general assembly, soon
due Everybody feels sure things will
"be doing" then.
For the German social democracy has
a habit of washing all its dirty linen in
the public limelight that would have
killed any other party long ago. This
party, however, seems to actually thrive
on It, it is just possible that all dirt
will be kept down this time, for the war
cry of the reds will be: Hundred
men strong into the reichstag!" And In
order to achieve this, they will probably
keep down everything that may become
harmful.
The fear of the atmosphere of the
court or of the possibility to be obliged
to shout "Hurrahn' for the Emperor,
has become a sort of mania with the
German democrats and consequently sit
uations sometimes develop that have a
good deal of the tragi-comedy about
them So, for instance, when the Ham
burg-American line has dinner in honor
of the members of the reichstag and
reichsbund on one of their ships, no
toast of any sort was to be drunk, but
the "reds" would not run chances. They
demanded an extra room, where they
could be served by themselves, away
from. ha ssofftcfal crowd "EOrn thew
asked, what are we to do If someone
drinks a toast to the Emperor after all?
We could not run away as we always
dol We could only jump into the water!
But to do that we are not quite pre-
pared Ergo"
And now another misfortune has hap
pened to one of the Swiss comrades He
won cup presented by the Kaiser. He
cannot very well refuse to accept 1t, nor
can the Kaiser very we'll withdraw 1t.
Nor can the comrade--I bet he is sorry
very we'll sell it. They have standing
Joke in Germany in form of dialogue:
IT went to the theatre yesterday; saw
King Lear How did you enjoy it?"
"Oh, fine! We laughed all night!'
Same case here. They are laughing
yet.
The German social democrats are In
favor of woman suffrage, on general prin-
ciples they say. But there are other
reasons The main point is, no doubt,
the fact that all female wage earners
would at once become socialists and help
to keep the red flag flying, especially
certain classes of them.
Remarkable! Berlin Is probably the only
city in the world where different occu-
pations have created different types of
women So much so that one can tell
at quite distance: THAT girl works In
a shop; this Is a salesgirl; this is "a fac
tory girl; this Is confectioneuse. And
So on, Especially the acknowledgements"
or as they are called In Berlin the 'yel-
low stars" This odd appellation is de-
rived from the yellow star-a few stitches
of yellow threaed, in form Of a star
affixed by the manufacturers OF ladies'
Jackets, to one of the sleeves and de-
noting a certain size and figure. In fact,
a young, willowy figure. For these yell
low stars-the jacket-the other stars
the girls-have been models. And, stand
ing models for Jackets. In other words;
being 'tyellow stars" has become large
and lucrative business in Berlin. These
girls must, of course, have splendid fig
ures. AS a rule very pretty face goes
with it. And the result? A Berliner
acknowledgements" of yellow star" Is a
typrant She absolutely bosses the boss,
the star traveller, the designer. the young
men',-everybody This Is not meant as
a toke 1t is solemn fact. For "yel-
low STAR knows her Importance In the
first place there is no dverproduction Of
her-there never is In cases of beauty
and secondly she knows that Germany
has the largest export trade In the world
of ready-made ladies' jackets, and be-
lieves that she. too, hal had her share
| in bringing about this desirable fact.
And in her assumption she Is not very
| wrong
Mr. James r. Reynolds has expressed
| his surprise at the possibilities of one
Berlin NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS." He is, it
must be remembered. that member of the
American tariff committee that has been
sent to Europe to study the situation of
the Industry In the different countries.
At present he is attending to the business
in Berlin. He has been at Elberfeld.
Chemnit and Plauen. Now he Is hav-
ing a look at the Berlin end Of the tex
tile industry-the working Of the ma
terials into garments. He could not pos
sibly have come to a better place.
Nfclxel-in-the-SlOt Lights
Berlin, August N.-By an ingenious
ada ption of the Observation-Disclosures sys-
tenn, the midnight jewellers Of a certain
do 10 Por l,ot~