New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-17
copyright 1915 l.

fIHtS IS INC JOVtH W " WV
Of articles By Mr.. Bennett, dcscr'o-
ing the activities Of German troops
IN RuSsiG.)
Mlawa. Russia. March 81 don't care
much about afternoon teas, as Maurice
Rroane knows, but we had tea party
in Mlawa this afternoon which was
unioue az 10 some Of its features ana
deserves a place in the social intelli-
rence. IL not in the military.
The host was Herr Professor ana
CAPTAIN Georg Michaelis, doctor OF
medicine and philosophy and one OF
the heads of the Kaiser Wilhelm Insti-
tute in Berlin, at present serving WIN
the rank and pay Of captain, though ne
will be a colonel when the troops TO"
concentrated in this region get ior-
mally organized into a corps.
can introduce him with an eplgram
that will make him stick IN your mem
DRY better than anything else:
"This laboratorium, less than ten
miles behind the battle lines" said he,
ais the living proof Of German militar-
ismus. And militarismus Jnly means
organization"
Among those present were colonel,
three lieutenants and Berlin art
critic who has Joined the X. +. A. X.
and gets routed out of bed at 2 o'clock
in the morning to 60 on blind hunts
for detachments of wounded.
The tea table talk ran on war ana
bacilli, and the professor drew enthu-
siastic parallels between the so-caiIed
Prussian militarismus and the human
bodv's method of maintaining itself
against the war Of the bacilli.
All this was too deep for me, but the
three lieutenants followed the dashing
recital of the battle of the bacilli with
awed donnerwetters and agreed that II
was great fighting.
A Laboratory at the Front.
Throughout the party officers were
coming to be inoculated against typhoid
or cholera-two injections for cholera
and three injections for typhoid at IN
tervals of eight days.
One could see them through the door,
way of an inner room. coats off and
surgeons puttering affectionately over
them, as IL they were precious pieces
of apparatus, as, indeed, they are.
Besides incubation and vaccination
tho purpose of this field laboratory is
to hunt typhus and cholera bacilll IN
blood brought in from suspected pa
tents and 10 exercise general super
vision OF the water distillatlon plants
in Mlawa
On tables standing in front of the
three high windows Of the room were
four microscopes. and under the oarrei
of each microscope was the glass sllde
that carried the suspected drop OF
blood or drop of water.
Almost always suspicion proved Justl-
fed, and a peep into the mlcroscop.s
showed the baclli fourishing happily.
On the other side of the room the
stoves for the making of cultures and
various other laboratory paraphernalia
were set out on tables and trestles and
army chests, and these were tended
with much devotion by two pretty
young la lies.
Nurses Act as Hostesses.
When il came time for the tea party
the two assisting hostesses suspended
the hunt for the cholera, typhus and
dysentery germs, took a final look at
the thermometers attached to the cult.
ure thingamajigs. and slipped out OF
their white overdresses.
From various corners they brought
good things to eat and drink little
packages OF tea and tins of loaf sugar
and condensed milk, and rum in de
praved looking black bottle. and sweet
biscuits that had been left over from
the packages of liebesgabe which had
been sent from Germany to give a
touch of something special to the little
parties given here behind the battle
lines in celebration of the Emperor's
birthday.
And what delightful hostesses we
had! In that bare, ugly place they
served the tea like duchesses, and their
pink cheeks and black hair and gleam-
ing teeth and bright eyes made 1t beau
tiful and homy to the weary men.
Girls from some Of the best families
in Germany these, and thousands like
them serving at the front are, and they
have the simplicity which true breeding
confers.
While the typhus bacilli sported con-
vulsively under the microscopes there
was talk of many things, and the best
talk ! think was that of young paint
er-soldier from the north, who is just
back with the troops after a siege Of
illness, and who has authorized his
friends at home in Bremen to hold an
exhibition sale of some of his pictures
so that he can make contribution OF
money as we'll as a contribution OF him
self to his country in its need.
IS Went TO War; Is Are Dead.
He loved to talk about his regiment