Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-16

Some day in happier times I hope to show
you the photograph of this shrine place un-
der the evergreens. In late October the Ger
man Wachtmeister in charge of the little
force guarding Ayvelles was keeping the
grave green with fresh boughs.
Ministered to Enemy's Wounded
1t seemed to me a beautiful thing to see
French soldiers kissing the hands of German
doctors who ministered to them in the hos
pital at Laon, and I have seen few finer,
sweeter deeds in my life than the action of
a German doctor who placed an arm under
the back of a suffering and dstraught
Frenchman, and, drawing him to his breast,
said: II give you my word that you are
not going to die, but you must help me to
make you well by keeping yourself calm"
Two big tears rolled down the Frenchman's
cheeks, and there was look of infinite graft
tude in his eyes when the doctor gently low
cred him to the pillow.
I thought 1t beautiful and touching to see
two big German soldiers sitting in the front
room of a house in the town of Betheni-
vile, not many leagues from Rheims, while a
little French girl, perhaps 12 years old gave
them q lesson in French. 1t was they who
seemed the children, and she the adult, so
awkward and simple and attentive were they,
and so monitorlike and strict with them was
she.
The French children who were begging
pfennigs with pathetic, pretty histrionism
from the princes, generals, majors, captains
and private soldiers who came and went
through the railway square in the French
town where great headquarters of the Ger
man armies are located, seemed to me to
afford decisive enough proof that these little
ones were not much afraid of Mr.. Kiplings
"Huns." noticed with pleasure that almost
never did they meet with refusal.
Saw 900 Destitute Fed Free
1t was at Dinant that I twice studied
the method by which the German army is
daily providing 600 destitute families of the
town with bread, meat and Coffee charging
them absolutely nothing, while families
which can pay obtain food at cost. Meat is
delivered to the local butchers. and German
sergeants stand by in the shops to see that
the people are not overcharged. In Brussels
had heard an assistant to the Belgian
burgomaster ask the German commandant OF
the city, Major Boyer, for 10000 sacks (that
is 100000 pounds) of -four for the poor.
heard the official stamp come crashing down
on the typewritten request which the official
also submitted, and l saw the paper returned
to the Belgian functionary with smile OF
acquiescence.
To go back to Dinant, saw little human
tokens, like the words chalked in German on
the door of a poor Belgian house, Here lives
a grandmother, 9s years old; keep out" and
on the door of another Belgian house the
words also in German Here is a new baby;
be quiet"
Within stones throw OF the first OF the
forts which the Germans took in the fighting
around Liege / saw in October the grave OF
a Belgian soldier, 1t was strewn with green
boughs and above 1t was wooden cross on
which had been lettered in black paint
Here lies a Belgian soldier" The humble
but, as the times go. sufficient memorial was
the work Of German soldiers now guarding
the ruins OF a fort around which was some
OF the hardest hghting OF the war.
Doyle Cites No Names
Such things, sir, have seen.
In your article IN the Chronicle you cite
many Instances OF atrocities. but In not one
statement do you give the name OF either the
aeeuser or the accused.
IN the citation OF humane deeds can be
more explicit than that. I can give you the
name OF Mrs. Mannesmann, who. struck to
the heart BY the agonies Of French soldiers
wElthing ana Jerking with tetanus IN Ger
man anperintended hospitals At Hiraon ana
Iaon, undertook 3 peFiiouz and ezhausfiag
s