The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-24
Eager Men and Women Crowd Stations to Congratulate
Soldiers Leaving for Front and to Welcome
Home the Wounded

for trains some of them in neat clean
brand new outfits with yellow boot, .la
squeaked as they walked and with spr.-
of green in their gun barrels other
just back from the battles in Eas
Prussia, in muddy. war worn uniform
which they had fought in and slept IL
and travelled in without change; kuap.
sacks on their shoulders rifles ut tee.
hips.
1t was a crowd shifting IKE quick.
silver and every face smiling Eve
the siXteen-yoar-old Madchen in chtrs
of the newsstand laid down her ku.tt.u.
to watch. every woman in German
is knitting for the soldiers: even seven
year-old girls knit as they rock the
dollies to sleep)
Among the first TO leap down fro'
the train was a tall Prussian uhlau U'
furlough. He had been fighting undo
Won Hindenburg in the East and NOU
kluck in the West, he told me. sue.
luck!" as he expressed ii. He bounir.
to the platform like an athlete, althoug.
| knew he was wounded; stood srlf H.
moment, clicked his heels salute
with that abrupt mechanical snap CO.,
the. forearm which is the perfection %.
Lmpersonul, Unconditional recognition
then flung his arms out like a ll-u
boy about the shoulders of Sp."nd,
gray bearded giant in generals uniform
and kissed him like a girl.
That n!neteen-year-o boy wore ove.
his heart the famous Iron Cross of 1913
The man he kissed wore the lrO
Cross of 1S70-1S7l.
The mark of the cross and the swOf
was on everything. Among tn" que
| serious looking crowds which throngt
| all the downtown streets during Oh
| afternoons and evenings and Wh.cl
| overflowed into those uptown avenue
| which still were lighted at night ever
| NTH man was a soldier. And the crowd
| never tired of the sight Of them. The
paid each uniform the flattering at,er
ton of staring at 1t as If 1t were Oh.
first they had ever seen.
The procession was bewildering. Their
| We're all sorts and conditions of mt
| in uniforms-Prussian generals. I'm 90.
and gray and blue; a haggard m.Ltar
doctor just come from the hosp.t.
| and still smelling of ether; dirty tire
| infantrymen back from the battle i'm
| in East Prussia, llmpng along iu Oh
| gutter; a mountineer in Alpine gree.
| uniform, with a green feather 10 h
| nat cap; aristocratic hussars In Nl
| forms of a blazing red, marching % lon.
| erect as automatic dolls; an Hi'io,
| of the famous Deaths Head Hu~stT-
| a white skull grinning down from hs
| black shake and the cords acrus, h.
: breast shaking as he walked, cpm
panies of middle aged landsturm march.
ing down the street: a crack reg,mrl
of the guard doing the goose step 40 th
corner of Inter den Linden and smack.
ing the pavement until the street cchoe
like a forest under volley fire, ~qua
OF Red Cross workers marching I'M eN
dress, each wearing his little white an.
red arm band and each carrying a TN
satchel; cavalry on coal black horsc
riding by like centaurs a new reg
ment off for the war with band blarn
and Colors swapping in the wind o.
adjutant In n gray military autom''..
with horn that doomed like can
non; convalescent soldiers, by one,
twos. half dozens, walking the stree {
get the air limping painfully or -u 'ri
ing a bandaged arm or shoulder or lea.
from the jostling OF the crowd.
Then, like n parody of all t.rst
twenty small boys in uniforms TH
/
genious wooden cannon mounted 'a
gun carriage which would lower an.
raise and pivot about like a real 1r.
gun, marching down the Frledr a'
strasse with patriotic flags and drum
Two soldiers talking together un lb'
street would Immediately attra.'
group of respectful listeners. ON" -'.
der walking along in the gutter, WNrr
the sidewalks We're crowded, wou.I Do
the cynosure of all eyes, street c,rtH',
and bus drivers made way for the ''.
der. pedestrians nudged one anoth'r T.
give him room; in the restaurant N'
was Immediately given the best p. zee
These attentions all seemed to h' 40
conscious certainly they Were Ah
grudging. They were given as If 'a'
soldier were obviously superior Order
OF being.
This public worship of the army y
a wonderful thing to see, and the army
Continued on Ntnfh Pdge,