Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-17
FORESAW PRESENT WAR
FORTY YEARS AGO
John Mason, Celebrated Actor, Witnessed
Franco-Prussian War as Boy of Ten.
Declares Germans Brutally Cruel
Then

1t in the dressing room of the Broad
Street Theatre yesterday afternoon Before
mirror. rubbing grease paint into his face.
heightening his complexion with rouge, pen
cilling his eyebrows-making up for the part
Of the great railroad magnate Dexter, in
"Drussed"-sat John Mason one of the COM
parativey few truly great living American
actors.
Good heavens! think Of it! Here I am
making up-in a moment I'll step out there on
the stage and play mimic part Out in the
! theatre people are sitting; they'll watch me
act. And meanwhile. the other side of the
world, nations are at one anothers throats,
battles are raging, are being moved down
by the lire Of cannon It's horrible-almost in
credible. Yet I foresaw this thing as a child
-foresaw Germanys effort to secure supre-
macy in the world, foresaw the brutality and
carnage that resulted in the burning of Lou
vain, and the maltreatment of innocent women
and children. was only 10 years old then"
Mr. Mason rose, pacing the room
Il was sent to Germany to school at the age
of g. When I 10 I was studying at Frank
fort-on-the-Nain. | lived in a pension kept
by professor We We're near the frontier
and saw the Frauco-Prussian war at its in
cepton. The Germans went to war with a
impressed and terrified me, young as I was
Well after the first battles they began bringing
the wounded and prisoners to the city. With
other school children I went out and carried
sandwiches and beer to the wounded soldiers
The tales the FTenchmen told Of the cruelty Of
the Germans were ghastly. It came TO me
then-the thought that this nation would some
day preciptate world war. and endeavor to
secure world supremacy, and that the brutal
ity Of its soldiers would shock and horriIy the
nations didn't think I'd live to see it. but
WELL It's come
Il want to say right here I consider the
German citizens Of the United States the very
best Of our citizens of foreign extraction. They
are fine and noble in every way. Yet it seems .
that Infected with the diabolic contagion Of
they 20 mad in war-absolutely re-
vert to the barbarous spirit OF the early days
preceding civilization. Certainly German civ
ili2ation has been obltterated in this conflict
After the Franco-Prussian war had begun
went on walking tour into France with the
son of the professor with whom I lived ana
two American boys They were about IA to Il
years OF age, We Travelled from town TO town
ana hnaIIy arrived at Weisenburg, where the
first shots OF the war had been fred The de-
'astation was terrible We followed the tran
II the armies, ana what saw was absoIutaI,
burned into my brain. The brutality Of the
ieFman soldiers exceeded any conception ons
'ould have had of human brutality. They
simply cut loose There Is no question abo,+
THEY were more barbarously brutal than
my nation has been in modern warfare PrIs.
'ners We're tortured, women outraged and even
hHdren maltreated. One day the two Ameri-
AN boys. my companions, ran away 10 see a
loser view Of the conflict They never -.
urned I suppose they were shot.
The carnage. the raging war-hunEer. tbo
hirst fo7 killing on the part OF the German
roops, appalled, ana sickened me- As bay.
aid. the countless instances of brutality
ehold brought 10 my boys mind a premoDi-
ion Of what was to come, and what the world
ad 10 fear from victorious militaristic c.
lany- There was spirit Of releutIng no
lercy to the fallen temporizng. SOM
ay, l told myself this country will 20 10 w.
18th the grim unrelenting purpose Of crusbfr,
II rival nations The world will then see an
colossal scale what I see-burnlng of citias
lstead OF VILLAGES. and atrocities that ,sfu
lake all humankind shudder Well we b,,,
cen German culture drop bombs from an
irship over Antwerp. We have seen RoI-
ian children brought to Ostend with tb.i-
ght hands severed and young women horrIblv
utilated We have been told or worse thing. :
Germany may make whatever excuses thst