The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-12-23
BERLIN, DE-
SPITE WAR, IS
STILL GAY CITY

lnearly every table was the center or
a gay party.
The women chartered as lightly 2
they do today in New York, Chicago
or San Francisco. The men seemed
as unconcerned as any well-fed Amer
leans. a.
Certainly decided that the artistic
Gratis OF Berlin were not fearful OF
the outcome OF the war.
Perhaps. thought, "kaffeehaus,"
patronized by the middle class"
would tell different story!
Nine o'clock found me at the ia
nous Piccadilly coffee-house. now call
ed the Vaterland, in Potsdamer platz.
could not get seat for 10 minutes,
and its capacity is 1000 persons,
Here were the young men OF Berlin
with their sweethearts. Most OF them
were less than 30, and they were hay-
ing riotous time.
The band was playing 1.-THE Blue
Danube" and dark Munchner was go
ing by in bucketsfull Gaiety was
everywhere. And I saw this scene
not one night, but on six nights not
in one coffee-house, but in at least
one hundred
And the restaurants at noon told
the same story. On two days ! could
not even get a seat at the famous
"Kempinskis," although II is almost
impossible TO lunch there for less than
| a dollar.
| There was not any curtailment in
| food; every table d'hote meal in Ger
/ many still offers three or four meats
and the portions are invariably large.
The government has seen to II that
the necessities are kept stationary in
selling-value.
At all these places the people were
all willing TO tell me anything ] ask
ed. They believe that the Americans
will be their friends once they hear
the truth"
| And that version, | am bound to
say, Is identical wherever you go. II
Prussia believes in this war. then so
does Saxony. 80 does Coburg and SO
does Bavaria. Here is what every
German In Germany believes today:
Russia, in her thirst for land, wants
to break up the Austrian empire so
as to gather In the Slave who live
there and then absorb as much OF
Germany as she Is able to get.
England is insanely jealous of Ger
many's growing power, Of the supe-
4
which are fast monopolizing the world
markets, and that these two have en-
gineered this war for the purpose or
crushing Germany forever.
That, therefore, the Germans are
now fighting for their very existence
as a nation, and that, since death is
better than dissolution. the German
kingdom must fight until the allies are
y No
man and child In Germany is killed!
| is this:
Indifference for the Russians as an
unaided power.
Contempt for the Belgians.
Pity for the French.
Hatred-the most intense conceiv-
able--for the English.
found the most profound respect
for the kaiser. He is looked upon as
the savior OF the national existence,
and his conduct OF the war and the
state under war is accepted as mar
velous.
German life has been kept SO nor
NAL everywhere-there Is not sign
OF lack OF employment, not a sign OF
distress. not sign of a tight money
market--that gratitude TO the powers
that be is seen on every hand.
'Ts II not wonderful" every Ger
man you meet asks you, that we do
not feel any effects here OF this terri
BILE world-war? You would not know
there was a war would your"
And IL you truthfully answer, you
say you would not.
At least you would until, by chance
some day, you pass the war office on
Dorotheen-strasse just at the corner
of the great Tiergarten.
And then you know!
The war office is a great, gray
building, with foundation OF smooth
granite. granite on which has been
put high polish. This building must
be 500 feet long and certainly half as
wide. The granite base makes an ex-
cellent place to paste lists OF the
"verwundet." And "verwundet'
means wounded"
And, as you will find, IL you study
the lists closely, wounded" often
means killed"
You can find "gefallen" after a
name on these lists almost as often
as you can "verwundet" A clerk in
Berlin told me more often. And he
had watched them for five weeks.
You wonder what the crowd is
that chokes the road. You skirt the
edges.
Periodically you watch some one
il is generally woman-detach her
self from II and start toward the pa
per-posters on the walls or the war
Office. Sometimes she goes directly
to it, but more often she stands stock
still when she is some three feet
away.
Then she turns quickl yand walks
away. Walks away-without looking!
She'll come again--in 10 minutes"
said my cynical friend Shell keep
coming until sometimes she forces
herself TO the list to see II his name
| is there And no doubt she'll faint II
she reads "Gefallen" after il. She