Evening journal., 1914-12-26
SVEN HEDIN ON GER
MAN "BARBARIrY."

SVEN HEDIN ON GER
MAN "BARBARITY."
To the Editor OF The EVENING
JOURNAL, Sir; As we have read so
many. alas. too many, reports about
German atrocities and German barbar-
ism ia this present war. because 'ireat
Britain wants il so, / would like TO
ask YOU, for fair mems sake, TO PRINT
i'm your paper the following letter, writ
ten bv the great Swedish explorer anu
traveller. Sven 1ledh, whose name +
more than well known all the world
over and who was with the German
army. through personal invitation OIL
the Kaiser. long enough to give us an
unbiased view of the conditions as ne
found them and which the "SydsVen-
ska paehladct." at Maliuo, Sweden, was
able 10 copy from private letter dateu
from the German west front, OCTOBER D.
Dr. licdm whites:
- should have written to You long
ago so as to let YOU have some OF the
impressions which Germany, at home
and at the front. has made upon me.
That I did. not do it sooner You VIII
understand. when ] tell You that i
wanted TO sec as much as possible iilst,
wishing to give these impressions ample
time to ripcn i'm order 90 make my
Judgment 50 much moro thorough and
reliable. You know That | never have
been i'm doubt as 10 the outcome OF tins
tremendous struggle, not even for one
moment. That TO fight against sucu
overwhelming odds would be haru
task. we all coulC understand. but now
since ] have seen so much with my own
ewes and since 7 am right in the centre
of these world-important events, noth-
ING stands clearer before my eyes than
| that the German nation, which Is hght-
ing for its existence, will win.
AT Berlin ] could not notice anything
out of the ordinary, the street lie was
running again in its normal way and l
was astonished to see so many men IN
their best years so that / couldn't help
but admit TO myself that in that fine
city alone at that same moment there
was a reserve corps of 100000 sol
diers. On my way over Frankfurt on
/ the Main and Coblenz by automobile
l. noticed the same condition every
! wherc; the everyday life was like m
undisturbed. peaceful times before tho
war. could not notice the slightest dis
/ turbance, the only out of the way sights
were the Landsturm sentincls on every
! railroad aud river bridge. No one could
have had the slightest conception Of the
/ tremendous transports OF men, horse'
and material that were going westward
unless he went TO a railroad station
On the countless stages all over tho
country new. endless masses OF troops
kept on marching TO the front. No mat
ter where YOU are, you seem tc sec
nothing but young, strong, ires", we'll
built and well-equipped soldiers. This
is n migration of a naticn OF men, the
like of which the world never has wit.
messed before; this IS the German nation
awakened to stand east and west TO bat.
tie for its very life, its future and it:
greatness. This stream of German
blood will never cease, a wall OF men
iron and fire is moving slowly on French
soil and this wall is about 300 kilo-
meters long. Perfect order seems 1,
rule everywhere and this is about the
most wonderful thing to see. Not one
of these countless troop-transpOrts hai
failed; everything works like magic. No
body needs to ask questions, cvcrvOn,
knows his place as well as his duty. Gov
often has one heard the German me
thodical thoroughness scoiied at
but at time like this. and here at tn,
front one has TO notice its advantage
Everything was ready for years; il
peace time il was known how many
safety pins, bandagcs and how man,
grains of the different medicinal drug
had to be put in the thousands of boNc
Of one field hospital. Therefore, every
thing runs of like a well-balancc,
clockwork.
a Journey like 7 have made, from
Berlin 60 the artillery stands, mdc
the fire of the shrapncll and grcnadcs
bears in itself multitude of eN
crtions. but the ease, sense of duty an,
convenience is the same cvcrywher,
From an observation point before th
artillery. I spoke 20 q major by tele
phone. lie was lying in trench les
than onc.half kilometcr away from tn
outermost French firing line. He spok
not only with the same calmness as n
would have done st a mansion. bu
with humor, too, when he could hav
been hit by a bullet at any moment.
~The first halting place, which, I
reach IL. took fully four hours by auto
was only one of fifty mere like it, as al
4 officer, vino was my guide, told me, j
e answer to my astonished exclamation
as we were passing the seemingly end
l less trains Of provisions and ammuni
$ tion. streams Of horses and riders an
. heavy wagons. Yes. he said, fifty sue
> .'Etappenwege,' as he called them, jus
a as long, Just as full Of life and materia
p as the one YOU see here; and with al
this-men, horses, material, here at tn
front and on the Russian frontier, toe
there is no. even sign OF over-exertio
, in Germany. One is bound 10 admit
: Germany must win.
son the other hand. there Is the ire
, mcndons stream from the front hack q
, Germany. the wounded. which are ten
. deriy cared for. 80 A. 10 restore chen
for their homes in The first place, bu
. fhcir .ornfr,- l. uaranluunt 10 each one