The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-30

ing that have always stayed by him.
Though almost 67 years old, he has
never been i'll day and is SO siren
uous worker that his younger Off
GERS often have hard work in keep
ing up to the pace that he sets
His principal aversion is the shrk-
er, including the man who, though
not actually lodging work, likes to
take things easy and perhaps over
indulge in the creature comforts of
| life. The officer on his staff who is
too prone to laze over his after-dn-
ner cigar or liquor has not an easy
time of it.
Mackensen himself does not smoke,
because, according to report, of an
occurrence in the Franco-Prussian
war He was at the time non-com-
missioned officer in one of the fam
GUS Black Hussar regiments, and
was entrusted with important COM
munications that had to be carried
to a neighboring staff. The trip was
long, hard and dangerous, but i'm
portant in proportion
He arrived in time to find the staff
at the conclusion of dinner, and in
a very peevish mood because there
were no cigars on hand. Though
Mackensen tried to impress on the
officers the Importance of his mes
sage, their primary thought was for
something to smoke and they simply
ignored the dispatches in asking him
whether he had any cigars with him.
AS a matter of fact, Mackensen
did happen to have a number. but he
was so angry at the action of his su-
perior officers in putting personal
comfort above military matters that
he not only did not give away his
Smokes but never thereafter
smoked himself. or tolerated undue
waste of time in this way by his la
ter subordinates
Another anecdote of Mackensen' s
early career is equally characteris-
tic of the determination and the
chivalry which his intimates now so
we'll He was a student at the Uni
versity of Halle, and the leader of
his "set. E" He and his fellow stu
dents came to know talented young
actress and her mother, and learned
from the latter that the daughter
was severely handicapped by the Chi
canery of the theater manager, who
not only depressed her every effort
to advance but insulted and bothered
her as well.
Instead of making the matter a
personal issue between himself and
the manager, as most other hot
blooded young students might have
done, Mackensen was far more diplo-
matte He assembled the entire stu.
dent body which, flower-laden, wen,
to the theater and overwhelmed the
actress with applause and bouquets
There ensued so much favorable pub
licity that the manager had to recede
from his position and give the act
ress the opportunity she had sought
Hardly an ex-comrade of Macken-
sens but can testify to some person
; al act of kindness, some help in an
emergency that the latter has rem
dered. is these seldom-told stories
of officers which the public hardly
ever hears that most of all dispel the
impression that the field marshal is
stern and forbidding and unap
proachable.
Mackensen's most prominent trait
perhaps, has been his UNUSUAL!
strong filial devotion and loyalty. II
, has been his custom for years Il
, write his aged mother the first thins
; each Sunday morning, and on New
Years Day. So far as is known HI
, has never neglected this self-imposeC
task as much as once, regardless o
where he has been or under wha
circumstances he has had to write.