Omaha daily bee., 1915-06-24

man How could II be managed? My head was full
OF tales OF hardship and imprisonment The Lusitana
had just been sunk. had never been to Germany.
Berlin was strange city.
/ pinned my little American flag and my Hague
Peace congress badge the lapel OF my coat. My
passport tucked in my pocket with small hand
bag and no printed or written word sterted forth
Fortunately Hungarian newspaper woman whom
had met travelled by the same train. We were
il-assorted pair She petite and feminine and fun Of
gay light hunor serious, clad I'm business clothes
with many capacious pockets. Mon mari" she called
me. Ms femme" proved very useful person She
spoke five languages Born in Russia with French
ancestors. living in Paris and married to Hungarian,
her heart was with the allies Life in Budapest
difficult. She dreaded return But her glib German
tongue and Hungarian marriage made her persona
grata in Germany
When we had secured a hotel started
forth TO sec the city A passing throng filled the
Fredrichstrasse but half soldiers. Every nth
person was in mourning black band upon
the sleeve. The faces in the electric light looked pale
and tense. There much talk but no laughter
Every and then caught the word LUST
anita" Only the day before the steamship had been
sunk
chung TO my companion We talked in whispers.
Once or twice English word between caught the
Of passerby, who turned flushed and angry. TO
glare upon 7 soon ceased speaking In the
restaurant made wild guesses pointed dishes
the menu and uttered sound l felt as I had
during voluntary week in prison. when under the
hostile and unfriondly eyes Of the matrons.
The hotel had given bread cards" With these
secured some black and sour-tastIng bread, done
up in sealed paper packages. Under her breath my
companion confided that Hungary was worse off than
Germany Hungary nearly breadless Germany
had bought Hungarys flour supply
That night we went to the Winter Garden The
place was filled with sodiers One feature OF the per-
Torrance series Of living tableaux depicting
war. They intended to inspire wild patriotism.
But the soldiers SILENT only mild applause
greeted the effort one scene sympohc OF stupenoous
heroismthe last soldier firing the last shot-was re-
ceived in grim silence.
All Berlin Is grim and tense People pass and
pass on the street The shops are open life goes
But there genial frendliness lingering over
glass OF beer no bit OF gay song Everywhere there
are gray. dusty and worn uniforms. When troop of
soldiers pass their faces pale their feet drag Tho
goose-step has vanished.
with departure of my companion, settled down
in n German home, modest menage, but every de-
tail perfect All Germany without friction.
My host is a university professor his wife an
American. They all hospitality. but their jealous
ness torments I am the heather whose soul must
be saved.
From the day Of my arrival TO the moment OF my
departure we have but topic OF conversation
germany's virtues and Americas sins. great pity
sezes me for this tragic couple. Their thin. pellid
faces bespeak wracked ana tortured souls.
Under the domination OF government they adore.
they crticise To question would be to shat
ter their world. German culture. German art. the
government. Bismarck, the kaiser. the invasion Of
Belgium. the sinking OF the Lusitania-in all things
Germany is wisdom and Righteousness. Surrounded by
enemies, wicked monsters, Germany, the perfect Is
fighting for It's life Better thousand times that
the Lusitania be sunk Americans killed than let
American bullets reach the allies to Infliet death
German soldiers ~
American bullets hourly the phrase lie flung in
my face.
The grain supplies are running low Not only
bread, but fodder for the animals is lacking. The
cattle being killed and put In cold storage to
the expense Of feeding The few cab horses in Berlin
fall in the street from hunger In printed
the following ten COMMANDMENT:
ID Don't eat more than necessary. Don't eat be-
Ss) Consider bread sacred. Use every little piece
q o u 6: sGd s rs s%
abroad. 's'''' '' u '"' ." s'' "O'"
as Bon PStstOes With the skins " on; them nothing
a. Drink less and alcohol then the supply
" * Eat Vegetables and fruit Plant Vegetables in
little piece OF earth Be economical with pre-
S Gather AZ you don't eat for the anImal.
coke make soOG fertliser i''"'
f the FRs sS must ais: sGS
follow these commandments.
With the fresh crops has renewed strength,
But when the fall comes what is to be DOM? There
is no longer canning industry, for there "a no tin.
In such an atmosphere Of depression hnd suppress
sion my free American spirit suffocatea / plan an
escape. Somewhere in Berlin free fearless
These l must find My hosts fear TO have
tur9 out alone. one or the American delegates
driven by angry mob from a tram car for
speaking English
take my map and study It. | have the addresses
OF some social democrats. How set them7 My
hosts do not tolerate such people.
Then alone. map in hand. start out I walk
many blocks, blinking along side streets
avoid the combination OF tranl-car conversations.
be living in the days OF oonspiracies dime
novels. And truly am. for day by day the plot
thickens
received with open arms by the rebel women.
and at nieknamed the criminal" In them find
the Germans l sought Free. freeless people. whose
love for the Fatherland is great that they dare
protest.
But these momentariy in danger Their
gatherings are secret. We meet IN out-of-the-way
places ! find that my telephone messages are inter-
cepted; that perfectly harmless letter = never de-
livered. / watched 10 n hard 90 believe. Surely
have dropped back into the middle ages I have to
pinch myself 10 realise that American. living
in the twentieth century.
Even in the midst OF war Germany lie superbly
The lawns weedess the flower beds Won
derfu The streets are clean. The tasks the able
bodied left performed by women children and
old Nothing Is neglected. 1 went through Ber-
Inns biggest hospital. II marvellous. There was
every apparatus that mind conceive. or science
invent. The building beautiful the lawns say
nat !.