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.

men.
1t was in the dressing room of the Broad
| Street Theatre yesterday afternoon. Before
a 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, of the COM
paratvely few truly great living American
actors
Good heavens! think of it! Here 1 am
making up-in a 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 at another's throats
battles are raging, men being moved down
by the lire of cannon It's horrible-almost in
credible. Yet I foresaw this thing as 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
ana children l was only 10 years old then"
Mr.. Mason rose, pacing the room
Il was sent 10 Germany to school at the are
OF .. When was 10 1 was studying at Frank
fort-on-the-AIain. | lived in a pension kept
by a professor We We're near the frontier
and saw the Franco-Prussian war at its in
ceplIoh' The Germans went to war with a
grim determination-a savagery Of purpose that
impressed and terrified me. young as 1 was.
Wen, after the first battles they began bringing
the wounded and prisoners to the CITY, With
Other school children l went out and carried
sandwiches and beer to the wounded soldiers .
The tales the Frenchmen told of the cruelty oF
the Germans We're ghastly. 1t came TO me
tHeh-the thought that this nation would some
"'E piecipltate a world war. and endeavor to
secure world supremacy and that the brutal
ity Of its soldiers would shock and horrify the
nations l didn't think I'd live TO see it. hut
WELL it's come.
1 want to say right here ] consider the
German citizens Of the United states the very
best Of our citizens of foreign extraction Tbe,.
are me aud noble in every way Ye5 it seems
that' infected with the diabolic contagion Of
they 80 mad in war-absoutely re-
vert 10 the barbarous spirit Of the early dsvs
preceding civilization. Certainly German civ,
ilizauon has been obliterated in this conflict
After the trauco-Prussan war had begun
went on walking tour into France with the
son of the professor with whom / lived ana
two American boys. They were about "A IN Il
years Of age, We travelled from town to town
ana HhaIy arrived at Wesenburg where the
lrst shots of the war had been fired The do
'astation was terrible. We followed tho tr,u
II the armies, and what saw was absolutely
burned into my brain The brutality of tba
ierman soldiers exceeded any conception one
'ouId have had Of human brutality The.
simply cut loose There is no question about
they were more barbarousIy brutal tbs,
my nation has been in modern warfare Pris-
'ners were tortured. women outraged. end even
Ni1dren maItTeated One day the two Anarf-
an boys my companions, ran away to see , !
loser view of the conflict They never rs-
urned l suppose they We're shot
The carnage the raging war-hunper tba
mrst Tor killing on the part Of the German :
roops' appalled, and sickened me- As I bav. =
aid the countless instances Of brutality {
ehelo brought TO my boys mind a pren,o,i
ION of what was to come. and what the ,vorI1
ad 10 fear from victorious militaristic Car- -
lany There was spirit Of relentipg. mo
lercy to the fallen. temporizine sor,, 2
ar l told myself. this country will go to ,ra. i
18th the grim. unreenting purpose OF crusbin >
Il rival nations. The world will then see on
colossal scale what I see-burning OF cities -
lstead OF villages, and atrocities thai win 4
lake all humankind shudder Well, We baya T
cen German culture drop bombs from, am
irshp over Antwerp We have seen Rel
ian children brought 10 Ostend with tbsir -
SHIT hands severed and young women horrfbIy \
utilated We have been told or worse tbipzs
Germany may make whatever excuses thai L