The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1916-05-16
By o

BY MILDRED FARwELL.
Copyright: 1915: BY The Tribune Com
pany)
The crowd lined up on either side
or the street to watch General Boy
agien and h staf come in. An auto
mobile. within IL a fat man. the gen
eral, with a bearded. simple pleasant
face. whizzed by. other motors. full
of Bulgarian. Austrian. and German Of
hcers and Monastir had become the
first army headquarters.
We were so accustomed to Bulgar-'
ians that the new army made little
impression. The Germans were as out
~ place In his Balkan city as were
we Americans.
At 5 in the afternoon. the hour in
which every one goes into the street
10 promenade and gossip-the equiva-
lenrfor watching the train come in in
America-Eu1tza krala Peter under
death the triumphal arches. now a ill.,.
tie faded, was crowded with German
uniforms.
Many. Wearing Iron Crosses.
The soldiers walked clumsily in their
hobnailed boots. Officers and men
about 40 per cent, a conservative esti-
mate-wore the black and white rib
bon OF the Iron Cross. Evidently there
was no ,dearth of one metal in the IA
therland.
The Germans were so much the
stronger race that they seemed TO dom
mate everything. At dawn 7 could
hear. them marching by to drill. a
steady tramp on the cobbles. as reEu-
lar and measured as a piece OF ma
chinery. Always al the same hour a
company would pass: "A short interval
and another; at exactly h same in
terval another. Their accuracy and
precision had something terrifying
about II.
Listening. 7 became h~ypnotized. On
duty. walking around the streets. the
German soldiers looked kindly. simple
peasants. not brutal at all. Once
wheeled into line every shade OF ex-
preston was wiped from their faces.
They seemed TO cease 10 eNist as in
dividuals. We felt that II the 'front.'
rank marched up TO an impossible
wall. the rear ranks would keep piling
up on IL solidly with just the same
perfection until they heard the order
10 stop.
Discipline to Win War;
Ihat Is discipline q German off,
Ger told US. 1T is what will win the
war"
| longed TO SEQ what effect a few
well placed banana peels would have
on that same discipline. II might have
been disastrous TO the morale OF .he
German army.
Day after day they passed nv win
dow. No need to look 10 SEQ II they
We're Bulgarians or Germans. You
could tell by the sound Of their feet.
As they got over the fatigue Of the
Russian q they BEGAN 10 sing a.
they marched. big voices that rolled
back from the houses and filled the
out OF time or tune.
From Miss Mitchell's window on the
second story Of a Turkish house in the
creek quarter. where most OF the sol
dters were lodged, We would watch
across the narrow street a door with
a gfNn HEhrGF common -Fa. 49, 90 a.
the same hour every afternoon We
heard the first contrary march into
the street below. The officer would
bark a few sharp words AZ them They
would break ranks with a whirl. and
nine men. single file. would d~iSsDnear
quietly inside the door across the wav
No Disorder Among Germans.
al UP ana down the streets the men
were going TO their quarters i'm the
same orderly way. Quite frankly. 7
behavior and looked IN vain for II.
Inc nearest diSorderly conduct I saw
was TWO soldiers snOwballing each
other in the street The worst thing I
Could hnd 10 saw about them was that
lneN were TOO utterly practical 10 be
aItruistic, and their attitude was one
OF detachment from everything that
was not German.
No matter what ones political opi1.
ION or hopes for tho outcome OF tho
war. a fairminded person must admire
many things about the German arm,
The admiration that ! learned 10 give
tncm was All the more real because 10
was reluctant
Another new naner man had arrived
IN NonaStir with the staff Hp came
a. the Bulgarians' guest. and fhev were
exceedingly kind 20 him A. they had
never met "a correspondent before he
said they did not know how 10 t-ea.
one.
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