The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-12-19
IN THE FATHERLAND.
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE,
WHAT'S DOING In OLD HOME
Summary of the Most Important Hap
pennss in the Land of the Kaiser
Timely items for the German
Readers.

sprung up III america on the subject
of German farmers banks. and the
government in Washington is looking
mainly to Germany for practical hints
IN working out policy for offering
the American farmer better opportu-
mites for borrowing money. The Ger
man system had very modest begin
ming. About sixty years ago one Will
liam RaiReisSen, a gentleman of
wealth, who was interested in the well
fare of the peasant farmer of small
means He found the small farmer of
the Rhineland without credit and at
the mercy of the usurer His scheme
follows: Usually about one hundred
farmers living in the same community
and all of them people Of small means
are organized into a farmers coop
erative loan and credit association
with an unlimited liability, that is,
every member is liable for all of the
debts of the association. If a farmer
needs small loan to buy a harrow
or some necessary farm machinery or
stock he can make an application to
the loan association to which he be-
longs and if the committee finds that
he is worthy of credit he can get the
loan by having a neighbor, who is also
member, sign with him. Usually the
rate of interest is about per cent
The associations have no capital
stock. The members pay about $3.50
a year as membership fees. They are
authorized to receive saving deposits
and the government makes some loans
to them, holding the association strict
ly accountable under government i'm
spectlon. The business of the associa-
ton is done in the most democratic
manner possible. Each member has
one vote and nobody can get any more
than that. Only persons of good moral
character living in a restricted terri
tory can become members. Many a
German farmer has quit drinking to
excess in order that he might become
a member OF his local society and thus
get credit. Loans are only made for
specific purposes, such as for improve
ments. draining Of fields, buying ma
chinery, stock, etc, or to refund
previous loan.
OF the medical schools in Germany
A. Flexner says: In respect to the
educational qualifications of it's stu
dents, in respect to the intelligence
and capacity of it's teachers, in re-
spect to general laboratory and clini-
cal facilities every medical school in
T saT,r1 nd PaT,
what any state in America lays down
as the. minimum requirement. There
is, ] repeat, no uniformity; but not in
all Germany is there feebly equipped
or feebly manned medical school,
or a heterogeneous body of medical
students. How high the minimum
standard is in all these respects l will
try to make clear by affirming that on
the minimum standard on which
medical school can live in Germany
over three-fourths Of the medical
schools of the United States and Can
ada would be at once stamped out of
existence. Standardization in Ger
many is therefore negative policy;
it forbids the incapable; it places no
restraint upon the development of that
which is adjudged by pedantic or bu-
reaucratic interference. There is no
formulated standard that would inter
fere with the development of varia-
tons; and variations Of the greatest
Importance continually crop out, and
at the very places where variations
are most fruitfullY significant. But
the main point is that the power TO
forbid the creation OF unfit universe
ties and medical departments is real
and is strictly applied.
Prince Karl, eldest son Of the crown
prince of Rumania, is to enter the
German army on Jan. 1, as lieutenant
in the First Foot Guards at Potsdam.
in order to complete his military edu-
cation. The prince, who is twenty
years old, is to remain two years with
the regiment. King Karl of Rumania,
who is a Hohenzollern prince and was
born at Sigmaringen, Germany, has al
ways retained his high opinion of the
German military system.
The Austro-Hungarian government,
it is understood, is about to grant
again to the Canadian Pacific COM
pany the right to carry on emigration
business in the dual monarchy. This
was withdrawn recently in cdslse-
quence Of allegations that the com
pany's agents we're assisting Austro-
Hungarian subjects to evade military
service by emigrating. The restora-
ton Of the right was, it is said, re-
quested by the British government.
Kaiser Wilhelm, when shooting re-
Gently at onigswusterhausen near
Potsdam, broke his own record by
killing 43 wild boars and II stays in
a few hours. He slept in a shooting
box. beforo.the door of which there is
a windmill, and its noise disturbed
him He sent a message to the miller
saying that he would be greatly
obliged if the mill were stopped for
one night, so that his rest should not
be disturbed The miller stopped his
mill at once, and the next morning the
kaiser sent him q beautiful diamond
scarf pin.
A resolution disappearing the ex-
cesses of the British militant suffra-
gettes was proposed by che delegates
from Breslau to the congress of Ger
man Woman Suffrage associations.