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 was in the dressing room of the Broad
Street Theatre yesterday afternoon. Before
n mirror, rubbing grease paint into his face.
heEhtening his complexion with rouge pen
cing his Notwithstanding up for the part
of the great railroad magnate Dexter, in
"Druggcd"-sat John Mason, one of the COM
paratvely few truly great living American
actors
Good hcavens! think of it! Here I am
making up-in moment I'll step out there on
the stage and play mimic part. out in the
theatre people sitting; they'll watch me
act. And meanwhile. the other side of the
world, nations are at another's throats
battles are raging, men being moved down
by the fire Of cannon. It's horrIbe-almost in
credible. Yet 1 foresaw this thing as a child
-foresaw Germany's 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 l was only 10 years old then"
Mr. Mason rose pacing the room
Il was sent to Germany to school at the age
of O. When I was 10 I was studying at Frank
fort-on-the-M Main. I lived in a pension kept
by a professor. We We're near the frontier
and saw the Franco-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
and beer to the wounded soldiers.
The tales the Frenchmen told OF the cruelty, NJ
me Germans were chastity It came TO me
thought that this nation would some
lay Precipitate world war and endeavor TO |
secure world supremacy, and that the brutal
~ OF its soldiers would shock and horrify the
lations I didn't think I'd live to see it. but
we'll, it's come
want to say right here I consider the
ierman citizens Of the United States the very
'eSt Of our citizens Of foreign extraction They
re me and noble in every way. Yet it seems
nat infected with the diabolic contagion Of
"+'''lSm they go mad in war-absoutely re-
ert to the barbarous spirit of the early davs
racednS civilization. Certainly German DIV
l@atIon has been obliterated in this conflict
After the Franco Prussian war had be,,,r ?
'ent ON a walking tour into France with the
on OF the professor with whom I lived and
"" American boys They were about IA to II
ears OF age. We travelled from town to town
no hhaIy arrived at Weisenburg where the
'7t SN'tS OF the war had been fired The de-
'Statton was terrible. We followed tho trau
the armies, and what l saw was absoIutaI,,
'rne' INTO my brain The brutality of the
erman soldiers exceeded any conception ore
'uld have had Of human brutality Tba,.
mpIy cut loose There is no question about
they were more barbarously brutal than
ny nation has been in modern warfare. Pr,s-
lers We're tortured, women outraged ana e,o,
"Idren maltreated One day the two Amsrt-
m boys my companions. ran away 10 see
oser view Of the conflict. They never re-
rneL suppose they We're shot.
The carnage the raging war-hunrer tho
irst FOR killing on the part OF the C;arna,
oops appalled, and sickened me- As bavo
ld' the countless instances OF brutaIitv {
held brought 10 my boys mind a nrsD,o,,
IN OF what was to come, and what the world
d 70 fear from a victorious militarlstic c. =
any There was no spirit OF relenting no
'rcy 70 the fallen, temporizinp. sor,, J
y | told myself this country viii 20 70 r,a.
IN the grim. uurelentng purpose Of cr,,sbin, J
rival nations. The world will than 60. |
colossal scale what see-burning OF cltt.s :
stead or villages, and atrocities that ,yui 4
Ike all humankind shudder Wen. we ba,., :
en- German culture drop bombs from, a., l
'ship over Antwerp, We have seen RAJ
m children brought 10 Ostend with ,h.i -
ht hands severed and young women horritI,, I
itlated We have been told or worse tbin--
Germany may make whatever excuses that L