South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-06-11

ed to me. "wu have now a class OF
officers composed Of men who. less
than a year ago. were barristers.
teachers, engineers. and men OF bus
mess. and the new soldiers are Of the
same quality. The military machine
has acquired a somewhat different
character. II is now the people who
are at war; men taken from their
families and all kinds OF civil occupa-
tions. not merely young soldiers with
out strong family or civil ties com
manded by professional leaders form
ing an exclusive caste"
These changes and the earnestness
Of the moment have subdued the tone
Of Germany; but they have also-at
least up TO the present-had the ef-
feet OF increasing the internal
strength. the singleness Of mind, the
faith in the military power OF the
country. Those who have had no
experience Of compulsory services
cannot perhaps understand the mean
ing OF this change.
found the same subdued and gen
tier tone everywhere, in the towns as
we'll as in the country districts. 1t
was perhaps most evident in Berlin.
! Friends living there told me 7 should
/ not notice much difference between
/ the Berlin Of today ard Berlin before
| the war. except for the masses Of SOL
diers passing through. They we're
/ mistaken. because they themselves
were apparently unaware of the
| change.
OutwardIy indeed the capital tries
| 20 keep up its peace aspect. Though
/ there are few taxi-cabs or motor We
/ hicles and although the old dilapid-
/ ated Droschken have been revived and
/ are dragged about by miserable
| horses, the streets are as lively as
usual. the shops put a good face on
things the cafes and restaurants are
well filed. the museums and art col
/ lections are open. and at night the
lighting Of the city is as bright as
| ever.
New Spirit Everywhere.
| But behind this would-be brilliant
veil the new spirit is everywhere no.
ticeable Berlin is not the bolster
/ Gus, noisy arrogant city I used to
know. The parvenu gesture is not
| apparent. The get rich-quick" at
mosphere has departed. In its new
attitude the German capital really
| evoked in me a stronger feeling OF
sympathy than ever before
] Yet the significance Of the charge
| should not be misunderstood. The
/ subdued tone corresponds TO a grim
| determination to continue the strug-
/
| rifices until the end People long for
/ peace, certainly, especially in business
| circles and among the working class
I es: but no one believes that peace will
| come soon, and there is no question
Of going back until-in a phrase
! which 1 heard again and again as a
| sort Of watchwOrd-"the safety Of the
empire has been secured and the
| German nation has indicated its
rightful position in the world"
When a German is asked how this
/ is to be done. he simply points to the
| positions Of the German armies. and
! says that where they are they mean
| TO stay until their enemies are ready
/ to make a peace honorable TO Ger
/ many. At the same time L noticed a
/ tendency to show some anxiety as to
/ the final outcome whenever the days
| went by without official announce
/ ments Of victory. The whole empire
is making so huge an effort and is so
| straining its forces, that it seems con-
/ tinuIlly to need the stimulus of good
| news-and the news. even when good
is manipulated, in wonderful fashion.
! Still passing waves Of anxiety do not
| really affect as yet the general con-
fdence in military power Food is
plentiful. There was never any dan
/ ger that Germany would be starved
| into submission. 1t may be that the
/ foodstUffs which are not produced in
| the country may become scarce.
Coffee and rice, for instance, are al
! ready running out, Notwithstanding
the large stores which were tgken
from Antwerp But Germany IL pre-
| pared for this contingency.
Effort Never More Extensive.
The effort to make the country self
supporting was never more intense or
extensive than it now is. In the ru-
raj districts. now swept clear Of men