Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-05-27


Koln, Germany, May 6.--I suppose
that TO get any satisfaction out of writ
ing this article / shall have TO think
Of myself as writing a personal let
ter to some anxious German in Amer
lea, who loves the country of his
birth and would like TO have a little
picture Of how the fatherland looks
in war time--all the little human de-
tails | can possibly pack into a letter
street scenes, waysde glimpses,
scraps of conversation, tokens of con-
tinued comfort or of growing depri-
walton, and the like
Such a reader will believe me if
for no other reason than that he
wants to believe me. From some let
ters and clippings / have recently re-
ceived from America l judge that
other readers will not believe me,
and 1t seems to me that they will not
for no better reason than that they
don't want to.
Wartime etiquette in neutral coun-
tries appears to consist in instantly
denouncing a correspondent as liar
or a bribetaker--Or both-if he does
not write precisely what sapient neu-
trails 5000 miles away wish to read.
Must Accept imputation.
As | am unable, after visiting sew
enteen representative Prussian cities,
to write an article on Germany, a
House of Mourning from End TO
End" or on Germany Begins to Feel
the Pinch" ] suppose I shall have to
remain content with the status of
liar and "hrihetaker
am going TO write about the gay
streets in the beautiful provincial ci-
ties. about the fat acres titled right
up to the ties OF the railroad, about
the crowded hotels and restaurants,
about the thousands of soldiers
streaming out Of the country and the
thousands left behind about the
troops and the bands that go swing
ing down the streets of Berlin with
such vim that the pavement seems TO
undulate under them, and about the
order and system and decorum that
prevail from end to end of Prussia.
Germany is still the land of cozi-
ness. The Germans who are not
fighting Germany's battles in the
trenches are helping in other ways,
and are finding amusement after the
work is done in the long visits, the
slow drinks, the good music, and the
rational quiet, inexpensive fun, such
as they used to enjoy in peace times.
Germany Not blouse of Mourning
The reason that ! shall not be aple
TO write of Germany as house OF
mourning from end to end IS that
shall set down only what ] saw ana
what | saw was a people happy out
thoughtful, anxious but not dlstralt
active but not feverish, confident put
not braggart, conducting themselves
with decency in a time that is car
culated to bring out every base az
tribute of poor human nature
My facts | collected during long
rides by train and automobile anu
during visits extending from re"
hours to many days in these seven
teen cities: Metz, Trier, kopiehtz'
Bonn, Bruhl Koln, Aachen, Paqer-
born, Magdeburg. Hanover, Bfandeh-
burg. Berlin, Posen, Graudenz, hylau'
Neidenburg, Allenstein.
In none Of those places nave seen
any sign of deprivation among tle
civil population. No beggars any
where visible. Even in shattered Al
lenstein and Neldenburg, where DOM
bardment and street fighting wrousIle
dreadful havoc, the population ap.
peared to be not only well cared iol
by the military authorities, put aiso
to be doing great deal in the way
Of taking care of itself.
Metz Still Bears Scars.
In the remote outskirts of Metz d
few shattered windows still tell tho
story of the splattering French az
tempts last summer.
With these three exceptlohs-tnse
two East Prussian border towns anu
the Lorraine metropolls-ali t'o
places on my itinerary We're apsolule-
ly normal in appearance and in spirit.
"Placid Germany was all oiie
could say as one rode along IN tralr
or motor ear looking for the signs oi
a distressed spirit in this mueh trleu
people.
Except for the unusual NUMBER OF
women and children at work In the
fields and the sentries guardlhs
bridges. viaducts, railway stations anu
field Notifications, one can ride TOT
scores of miles and find no evidence
of changes wrought by war IN lhe
routine of life.
The trimming of trees and hedses'
the macadamizing of roads, ana tiie
draining of fields go methodlcaliy on,
In some places track elevation is III
progress. ,
Trains of wounded Automopiles
Occasionally one passes trailione .,s
of desperately wounded automopiies
drawn up on the side tracks ieaulhs
to repair shops Many OF them are