The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-10
HAS GERMANY DISCOVERED .,.:.. REAL GENIUS OF THE WAR IN
 GENERAL vON LUDENDORFF?

many whatever disasters she has suf- fered.
 The mere fact of his appearance in capacity foreign to Prussian military traditions shows the estimate placed l upon his genius, suspects the Italian | daily. Hindenburg vouches for his genius. This is much. The pair have been comrades in diversity. They come together into a sudden blaze of glory, Ludendorff little the later. i Ludendorff is 8 compound of the Prussian and the Bavarian, the par ticle won" having been in thet fam fly for generations. It is an ancient family but poor, anad Ludendorff was 8 younger son with no prospects. He did not marry wealth. His long mili- tary career has been one of stagna- tion in small garrison towns. Hindenburg Has Doubts Hindenburg still has some doubts l on the subject of Ludendorff. The Gaulois explains them. Ludendorff is too soft" For example, linden burg was shocked to find his brilliant lieutenant on one occasion entertain l ing the staff with a. reading of the Lorelei. Heine is one of the favorites | of Ludendorff.
 "Poetry!" gasped Hindenburg, emerging unexpectedly from his den and seizing the volume from the hand I of his chief of staff "I am amazed. | I have not read a line of poetry for 40 years. That is why am no milk sop!" He bore the volume to the fire and hurled 1t to the flames.
 General" he said, turning grimly l to Ludendorff, ''the next time you read alO11d try C1auSewitzn |
 Nor does Hindenburg relish Luden- 1 dorffs proficiency in the dance; but l for the capacity of Ludendorff in the 1 military sense. Hindenburg has the | highest praise.
 Career Seemed Blighted
 Ludendorffs career seemed not | long before the great war to have closed in dtscredit, especially when 1 he disputed the Judgment of the gen. eral staff that German troops will not | stand in line. "Ludendorff is right | Hindenburg cried on one occasion. "but they will not listen to him be- cause he's fond of Strauss" This was a sarcasm at the expense of the Elm peror, who is no admirer of the com- poser.
 Hindenburg lost favor with the crown prince by referring to his high ness as "that charming young lady,; but Ludendorff restored the balance by observing that France was once saved from the English by d charming young lady.
 Hindenburg had his own jest when at maneuvers Ludendorff sent for or- ders after some hours in the Masurian lakes, when he was standing up to his waist in water ''Tell him. said Hindenburg, "to read Heine."
 When. after fierce engagement with the Russians laeer in this very district, Ludendorff bestirred himself erny from a watery grave, Hindenburg demanded: .why didn't you let the swine drown ?'' ''Oh," retorted Luden- dorff, i've needed their boots.''
 English newspapers make great mistake in assuming Ludendorff to be merely Hindenburgs chief of staff, ac- cording to the Berner Tageblatt and its Swiss contemporaries. Ludendorff is referred to by them as a tactician of the highest genius. Il
 He is the great discovery of the war on the German. side and all the credit for it belongs to Hindenburg.
 The tact of Ludendorff saved the Masurian Lakes when Hindenburg had failed to persuade the general staff to block the project for their drainage. Hindenburg merely stormed and fum- ed, failing to convince. He had given up the fight and was on the eve of return to that tavern at Hanover when he thought of Ludendorff.
 There was just time to catch a train for Danzig, where the luckless man was pining in some obscure disgrace due, it is said, to connivance with the schemes of the crown prince to evade house arrest.
 Ludendorffs piety Is suspected at court and he has been accused of So- cialistic proclivities, but the influence of the heir to the throne procured the necessary leave and the grim Hin- denburg bore back to Berlin the one man whose reputation as student of the art of war could not be ignored even by a Falkenhayn.