The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-07-13
SAYS UNITED STATES
HAS REACHED CLIMAX
Widely Travelled German Announces in
a Berlin Newspaper Article, Sum-
marizing His Impressions of


Berlin, Germany, July II. - The
United States of America has reached its
period of decline, is announced by Baron
| H. Won Barnekow, widely travelled
German, who contributes to the "Reichs-
bote," a Berlin newspaper, an article
summarizing impressions he gained on
the latest Of his many visits to Amer
lea. Articles of this nature. are not
infrequent in the German press, but ordi-
narily they are written with such a
manifest animus that they deserve no
notice. Baron Won Barnekow, on the
contrary writes in matter OF fact
way, without trace of anti-Ameriean
feeling and appears genuinely glad to
be able to see some hope that the de-
cline may be arrested
That this decline has begun, writes
the baron, must be observed by any
person who visits America after an
absence of a few wears The change
for the worse has been very rapid. The
scenes that have attended the Repun-
iican campaign for the presidential nom
ination are but one indication Of the
change, which is marked by hitherto
unknown Indifference, tendency to let
things take their course; by an mn
healthy and excessive self-appreeiation
and general coarsening of moral views.
All these, says Baron Won Barnekow,
are products of the last few wears.
The moral coarsening has worked down
from the top, from the newly rich. An
other indication of decay is the alleged
fact that the American intolerance Of
the drone of the gentleman of leisure,
is beginning to disappear Suggested
as a possible contributing cause OF the
decline is the fact that the birthrate
among the old American families is
falling off, while il remains high among
the South European immigrants. The
old families of the New England states
and of the South have as yet been less
affected by the demoralizing tendency
of present American affairs than the
people of any other section.
1t is, however, in the farmers of the
United States that Baron Won Barnekow
sees possibility of arresting the down
ward movement As vet. he SAYS, they
have not been touched by the moral de-
cline. The dwellers in the country, he
declares, represent to-day throughout
the republic the dependable. conservative
element in which an upright Christian
ity and high standard OF family life
have been preserved; they represent the
most industrious and deserving portion
of the whole population Of the coun-
try An especial word of praise is
spoken for the German American farm
ers.
The attempt of party of Russian
emigrants to America to gain the land
of liberty and opportunity without pay
ing the Russian passport fees resulted in
the death of two soldiers of the from
tier guard in an incident reported from
Schmalleningken, village on the east
Prussian border, which is one of the
main centres for running the frontier"
without passports. The party had ar
ranged with the sentry on post for up.
molested passage at the usual rate of
Sl.50 per head but their man was re-
lieved before the emigrants appeared.
He remained in hiding near the spot,
and when the party appeared endeavored
to force his successor to divide the mon
ey with him. Failing in this, he fred
a shot to call the guard and stop the
emigrants, whereupon his comrade first
killed him and then committed suicide.
When the guard arrived the emigrants
were in safety on German territory and
only the bodies of the two soldiers were
found.