The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-03-29
GERMANY'S WAR PINCH
More Severe in the Villages Than ir
Cities.

The pinch of the great war is fel
daily among the lowly of the powers
in both big and little things. accord
ing to the story of Dr. Writ H. Bar
nitz, a war correspondent, who spent
almost year wandering through the
smaller cities and towns of Germany
and Austria. DR.. Barnitz is an Amer
lean who left for the front early in
1915 to study village conditions, and
returned last January to give lectures
Of thrilling air fights over the war
zone and also Of how the people fee.
and how they are living during the
greatest war of history. What the
people eat and what they do during
these days of sacrifice interested him
most of all o.
Roast meat is enjoyed by most OF
the population in Germany only once
week. Twice week or so po;
roast finds its way to the table. In
most of the places he visited vege
tables are fairly abundant. Soon the
inhabitants will have only boiled
meats. for lard and other frying ma.
terials are giving out The chemists
are responding to the situation, how
ever and are devising some new
tangled method of frying meat Ever
the rich beer. for which Germany /!
famous, is losing its rich quality be.
cause of the scarcity of barley. Chem
icals are taking the place OF some
of the old-established ingredients o.
the national drink until the beer is ex
tremely thin, only distant relative Of
what was imbibed before the war.
Imagine paper printing an ar.
ticle like that" member of the Ger
man foreign office complained to DR.
Barnitz as he pointed to paragraph
of an American newspaper which said
that bread in Germany was being
made from sawdust. DR.. Barnitz dip
lomatically answered that Americans
were ready to believe almost anything
of the German chemists, and did not
doubt that they could make bread
from sawdust.
"How long can Germany hold out?"
Many say five years. DR.. Barnitz,
however, is of the opinion that Ger
many can hold out with men, money,
food and munitions for only about
three years. Nor will the people be
content with a draw, they expect vic
tory. No resentment against the
kaiser appears, he said, only the
greatest loyalty is apparent. But If
you lose, how will you feel toward the
Hohenzollerns? Lose? It's impos.
sible." The German mind cannot ad.
NIT defeat So, DR.. Barnitz could
not learn what effect defeat would
have on the fortunes of the Hohenzol-
lerns.
The villages are hushed now The
sound of musical instruments among
that musical nation is rarity. Whcr
a child begins to play the organ or
either, he is reminded that the other
side of the house are mourning the
death of a son or brother or father at
the front. Boys wait at home daily
for the call to the front. Some go re.
joicing others reluctantly because of
family reasons. Despite the confidence
in ultimate victory and conquest Of
German arms, the people are suffer.
ing now.
England is the object of Gerinany's
hate. Their old rival, France, is a
good-natured chum with whom they
have had difference, in comparison
with the feeling toward England. Re-
gret for the death of many innocents
on the Lusitania was very general.
But the Germans cannot understand
why Americans will travel on and
protect British ships. why don't they
use neutral boat?" is the question
they all ask. But England! "Gott
straffe England