The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1916-07-18
IN The FATHERLAND
INTERESTING BITS OF NEWS
FROM THE GREAT GERMAN
EMPIRE.
WHAT'S DOING IN OLD HOME
Summary of the Most Important Hap
penings in the Land of the Kaiser
timely items for the German
Readers.


Readers.
The war probably Will lead to the
further transfer of Europe'S art treas
ureS to the United States, in the opin-
ion of Prof. Wilhelm Won Bode, gem
eral director of the royal museum at
Berlin. Professor Won Bode gives sew
eral reasons; that the war is making
a great increase in the wealth of many
Americans, and that the breaking up of
several Of the great private collections
in America, including that of the late
j. i. Morgan, and the acquisition of
many of their choicest pictures by pub
lie art museums, will tend strongly to
develop the demand for good art works.
Professor BOde declares that in this
way the public collections Of New
York, Boston, Washington and Chica-
go, together with dozens of cities not
yet identified with art in an interna-
tional sense, will become fully equal
to those of European cities. This fresh
demand for art works in the United
States, the professor says, will strike
Europe at time when people will be
forced to sell in order to get money to
pay their debts.
Seven hundred and fifty-three COM
munes, or townships, have been partly
or totally destroyed through military
operations in France since the begin
ming of the war, according to statistics
gathered by the ministry of the inte-
riOr, with a view to aScertaining the
total damage caused by the hoStilities.
These communeS are distributed over
eleven of the departments of France,
including those in Ardennes still oc-
cupied wholly by the Germans, who
are in possession of 2,554 towns Of the
total of 36,247 in all France, or per
cent. Houses to the number of 1860
have been totally destroyed and 29,594
partly destroyed in these communes..
Public buildings destroyed in 42S COM
munes were 331 churches, 80 schools,
221 town halls, 300 other public build
ings of various sorts, and 60 bridges,
OF these buildings 56 had been ClaSSed
as historic monuments, including the
town hall of Arras and the cathedral,
and town hall at Reims.
There is plenty of grain on hand in
Germany to carry the country over I'M
til the harveStS, declared Adolph Won
Batocld, president of the food regula-r
ton board, in an address at DusSel-
dOrf. The potato situation was more
unfavOrable, he said, and would be
especially difficult during the next fort
night, but the deficit could be met by
arranging for increased bread ratiOnsI
for physical labOrers. The potato Sit
uation in western Germany had been
made worse by Hollands prohibition
upon exports due to the agitation there
which, Herr Won BatOcki said probab
Iy was induced by British money!
Especial attention was being given to-
hard workers in the industrial sec
tons, where legumes greats and ba-
con had been distributed in large guam,
titles.
About 100 miles of the total stretch
of 1900 miles of the Bagdad railway
have been completed. Inasmuch
as the remaining 400 miles are
not to be completed in any event,
until after the end of the war the
work on the railroad has temporarily
reached an end. The uncOmpleted sec
tons lie between Haider-Pascha (Con-
stantinople) and Aleppo, where the 30
miles between DOrak and Kara Buna
are yet to be built, and the stretch
between Ras-el-Tin and Samara, north
Kaiser Franz Josef has bestowed q
Madonna medallion Of silver, into
which his signature is wrought, and
500 kronen in money upon Frau Marie
AIirtIer of Waldsberg, Steiermark, in
recognition Of the fact that she has
given to the army seven sons, three
stepsons and two grandsons.
Dr. Karl Liebknecht, German social
list leader, was sentenced to 80 months
penal servitude and dismissed from the
army for attempted high treason, gross
characterization and resistance to the
authorities. The conviction, which pro-
vides for an appeal, automatically dis
bars him as lawyer and makes him
ineligible to hold public office. 1t does
not, however, affect his position as a
member of the Prussian landtag and
the reichstag, since these offices are
held as the result of the election by
the voters and not by government ap-
pointment.
The latest masculine occupation in
vaded by women is that of forester,
young woman having taken that post
on the estate Of a count in Schlesien.
To meet increased expenses due to
the war, the city of Leipzig has decid-
ed to raise it's income tax either 10
or $50 per cent and also purposes to
follow the example of the Saxon city
of OschatZ and lay a special tax upon
all unmarried persons.
A committee of women of SwitZer-
land has organized free entertainment
at Swiss resorts for 1000 Red Cross
nurses Of all nations. These workers
will thus be able to spend from two to
three weeks in the Swiss mountains
free Of charge.