New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-22
tory, of which the "Thorner Blutbad
was a pitiful incident.

tory, of which the "Thoruer Blutbad''
was pitiful incident.
Founded in the thirteenth century by
the Teutonic knights, it was lost to
Germany forty years after the hrst
battle of Tannenberg (l4l0), in which
the Slavs overthrow the knights. The
loss was one Of the numerous dire
consequences of victory the shame or
which General Won Hindenburg may be
said to have wiped out last August
a vengeance that was five centuries and
four years in overtaking the Slavs.
In peace there is a seven and half
hour express train from Thorn to War
saw. At present there are mostly
trenches.
From Thorn to Kulmsee, thirteen
miles. Kuhn see, 10000 population, and
in the heart of the ancient domains OF
the Teutonic knights, of whom Carlyle
writes SO wildly.
From Kuln.se t. Graudenz, twenty
miles. City of 10000 population; COM
mands a superb sweep of the Vistula.
Contains a vast fortress built by Fred
erick the Great, now valuable only for
its picturesGueness and as affordlng
commodiou. barracks. But the town is
fortified to the hilt by far less plct-
uresque, but practically impregnable
system Of modern field Notifications.
The victorious resistance old General
Goubiere offered to the French siege
of Graudenz in 1907 forms one OF the
glorious chapters in Russian annals.
On the latter half of our journey
we passed the ruins of some of the
castles ard fortified churches of the
Teutonic Knights of st. Mary, the be-
ginning Of whose order was perhaps
the first extensive application of the
modern Red Cross idea, and Mr.. Won
Bismarck said
Those fOrtresses were built for
precisely the same purpose as those
new intrenchments we just passed were
built to keep out the east"
Then Won Bismarck com rented on
agricultural matters. | had noted the
fact that the fields were in many places
titled to the edge of the highway-no
waste or clutter anywhere.
"Yes," he said, Eve German farmers
respect The soil too much to waste IT.
lie spoke of the great tracts re.
serged for shooting in England and or
places which their proprietors LOOK
upon only a. luxuries TO be enjoyed
IN lIc SUMMER
Eve call that degradation Of the
land" he said, adding: at seemed to
me a dreadful thing when an English
man who had lived for fifty years IN
Yorkshire and also had forty farms in
Ireland sold seventeen of those farms
at a stroke of the pen without ever
having seen them.
THAT must be fine country my
English friend said TO me after the
sale was completed.
"But, surely you know | said
ono he replied, 4 have never been
there
And yet my friend had been In
Africa, Asia and Canada"
Won Bismarck said the same science
and system which make German farm
ing so profitable were applied to Ger
man forestry The publicly owned
tracts are a source of great revenue to
the state. and the cutting of timber
from the privately owned tracts is con-
trolled BY the state. No owner is al
lowed TO slaughter AIS wo ds.
As fast as he cuts he must plant, and
each year he is allowed to cut only a
certain proportion OF the various
growths of timber. Thus his forest is
constantly renewing itself, the rainfall
is not diminished and the water courses
are not dried up.
There are no potato bugs in Prus-
STA" said Won Bismarck.
The same solicitous attention to
minute details, to the end that great
things may be accomplished, character
ICES the governments direction of the
service to which Won Bismarck now be-
longs.
There is much drifted snow in the
region lying between the Graudenz in
Germany and the Mlawa in Russia, with
the result that the roads are bad. The
Minister Of War discovered that it was
costing 800 marks $500 for repairs
after every trip made by auto to Mlawa.
Forthwith auto trips were forbidden
except In real emergencies, and in their
place a special train is run from Grau-
denZ to Mlawa twice a week.
The millionaire motor service OF the
German army has lately developed a
new phase, for now the rich men who
run motorboats are turning themselves
and their craft over TO the government.
Thus they are useful, not only as
river patrols at points on the Nlstula
frontier, but they also are frequently
able to carry messages more rapidly
than they can be carried By land.