New-York tribune., 1914-09-28
Next Comes Good Feet
and Cannon, Ayers Herd
Waiter at Aix-la- -Chapelle.
INDIVIDUALITY LOST
IN MILITARY SYSTEM
Even ChambermAids and Hotel
Porters Act as Spies on
Kaiser's "ouests.
BY JAMES o'DoNNELL BENNETT.

BY JAMES O'D0NNELL BENNETT
copyright. 1914. By Chicago Tribune
compaayl
Aix-las Chapelle, Sept. 12r-The head
waiter at the Kaiserhof Hotel here re-
cards himself as no contemplate stra-
teRist. He ls especially gracious on
mornings when he can follow the wait
ress who brings the bacon and eggs
with tidinRs Of another German ad-
vance. On the morning when another
advance In that amRzinR German de-
scent into France was reported ne
poised himself juAicially and said.
"Three things have done it, gentle.
nen--good feet good cannon good
kitchens"
He paused to let the epigram filter,
We were properly receptive, and he
waxed enthusiastic, for a German.
"Ah, those camp kitchens" he con.
tinued. "They are on wheels, rs you
saw; always they are ready.
"What Is u that they mean to our
men? II Is that they the hot breakfast
can have, and the hot food at midday,
and again the hot supper. 1t is better
than to 90 from breakfast to supper
without food and then eat like a wolf.
Therefore, it is that our men are al
ways ready 10 march and to fight. They
eat three times day."
Even the Prince Rose.
An old general passed along the rail.
way platform at Likge q few days ago.
A group Of officers sitting there in
stantly rose, brought themselves to at
tention with a click Of the heels and
stood at form Of salute, rigid as stat
ues. The old general passed them with
a curt and abstracted salute. In the
group which had risen as one man at
his coming was Prince August Will
helm, son Of the Emperor.
English critics of the German mill
tary system said that this iron disci-
pline would kill individuality and de-
prive soldiers Of all initiative; that in
a crisis or q check the system would
fall to pieces. In one sense the fys-
TEN, in its first practical test, has elm
mated the sense Of individuality rom
every individuals mind. The engineer
on troop train no longer regards linn
self as an individual. He retains no
sense of his own being or his own i'm.
portance as an individual.
However, as a part of the system,
he regards himself as Of the utmost
importance. He is convinced that he
could not be spared. Nor, in truth,
could he be. Therefore he is al l.rt,
intent, single-minded. Therefore he
takes the best possible care Of him
self. He feels that to damage him is
to damage a vital part Of the machine.
Hence 1t came to pass that when,
after the mobilization, the Emperor
gave his thanks to every railroad man
In Germany, from the highest to the
lowest, for the marvellous work they
had d0ne-hence, say, it happened
that the engineers and their stokers
Strengthened their shoulders, looked at
one another and said: "You see che
machine could not have worked with
out u.s."
Every one thinks imperially. Every
body is doing something for the
fatherland. The young lieutenant in
the field joyously tells you that he has
not had HIS clothes off in two weeks.
For fourteen nights he has slept in his
boots when the infrequent opportunIty !
70 sleep came.
ChambermAidS Good Spies.
The charnbermAid on Floor 2 Of the
Kalserhof cannot do much, but che
can at least tell the hall porter that
the three strange gentlemen In rooms
l42 and l43 are always writing; that
they frequently refer to maps, and that
they do not ar uniforms.
The hall potter cannot do much, but
he can-and he does-make known the
matter of maps to the officers at police
headquarters. His report insures the
g. 4,
the second in two dayS-from an eX.
clothes, who refers to another plain
clothes man standing twenty feet away
at the end Of the hall as my col
league"
For the second time the plain
clothes man goes over our passports.
He suavely abstracts one which wan
signed the night before by an officer
at military headquarters here, and
which permits each of US to cross th
Holland border 10 mail at the village Of
Vaals letters for England. We protest
mildly as he folds ak copies Of this
valuable paper into his pocketbook. He
blandly answers US that those bits Of
paper must be examined by his 81.
perlors at police headquarters.
Without saying 30, he leads US tC
believe that this examination is only
q formality and that after it all will
be we'll. We are fatuously reconciled,
as we have been In similar circum-
stances before. So suave is the detec-
tive that we are almost cheerful. But
we never see those Dutch passports
again.
when we were released from the
troop train that brought us up from
Beaumont to AK as "guests" we we're
advised to report ourselves TO the Amer
:can Consul for fresh papers of iden.
tihcation and for passports. Within
ten minutes after our arrival at the
consulate the officer Of police who had
escorted us past the sentries at the
railway station strolled past, and see'
ing us stand in the windows continued
on his way.
Three members of our party stood
on the steps Of the consulate, and in
ten 8econds 4 man who appeared from
around the corner fell into agreeable
conversation with them. Half an hour
later one of the party looked around
from a table ct which he and his com
panions were sitting in a hotel bar.
Within ten feet of the table sat the
German who had ehRtted so Agreeably
in front Of the consulate. He appeared
to be intent upon . newspaper
After leaving the consulate we reg.
istered our names, place Of birth and
occupation on little cards at the Hotel
KaisPrhof. We had hardly got into
the bath when detective in plain
clothes and his colleague appeared,
made their frat examination Of our
passports and instructed US to report
at 8 o'clock in the evening at the police
praesolium Of police headquarters for
further scrutiny. This was on Sunday,
but the system tahes no days on. It
works ireeBsahtly-Aand on schedule
not OF hours but Of minutes.
At Nplliehs Hotel, too, There is an
abnormal solieitude as 10 the activities
Of Arnnrinnn nhrkaAnnnhAnta Lat two