The Washington herald., 1916-10-02
German Ways in Wartime.
BY JOHN 10, BARRY

censor, and the censor tries to be considerate
too. For example, it is bad form ever to sea
a letter to be sent out of the country. Yot
must leave it with flap open that the censor
may not have the trouble of unsealing it anC
so that after looking it over, he may neatly sea
It for you. If you don't leave a letter unsealed
and if your name and address are given on thu
outside, it will probably come back to you il
a few days. Otherwise it will be torn open, reaC
and, provided it contains nothing forbidden, j
will be sent On, sealed with a piece Of pape
containing printed slip which explains that i
has been opened Often few words are blottec
out. Just why is not clear in every instance
The censor, it should be remembered is man!
censors and has many kinds of mind. He maj
be an overzealous or careless young man.
Letters written to persons in Germany ma,
be sealed. They opened only when, to th
eye of the censor, there is something suspicious
about their appearance, when they are goin.
to sources that may be dangerous.
AS a rule the censor is most expeditions. Il
many instances the time he takes in holdinf
letters is scarcely appreciable Letters tina
come into Germany he watches closely; it i
seldom that he lets go by without opening
it and fixing his mark upon it.
The Germans express strong disapprobatior
of English methods in dealing with the censor
ship. They consider them scandalous. TIL,
trials of their censorship they try to mini
mize as much as they They will even gc
so far as to encourage people who have larg
correspondence abroad to send their letter
directly to the foreign office to be expeditiousl,
looked and, unless there is something tina
ought to be checked sent on. If there is any
thing that, in their opinion ought not to pass
they will blot it out. Lately the foreign offic
has been giving special help to the American
correspondents For example, the word wa
spread about last evening that if the CORE
spondents had anything of Importance the.
wished to send they should have it at the for
eign office by noon two days later, at the latest
The supposition is that it was the intention o
the authorities to send it on by submarine
kilograms you must not only write in Ger
man, but you must also appear with them at thu
postoffice yourself and you must show you
passport to the operator. Today, when I wa
trying to send telegram, the American with M
remarked: "1n ways the Germans overdt
their thoroughness. The attention they pay t
details takes up altogether too much time. Th
wonder is that they know how to make war 81
fast"
Today, when I finally succeeded in present
ing my telegram, the operator stared at it 81
hard and so long it seemed for a few moment
as if he had gone into trance Then he ap
piled the same thorough inspection to my pass
port Finally, with apparent reluctance, he con
sented to accept the message
If your business is not quite correct in Ger
many, from the German point of view, and i
you have much writing or wiring to do, you ar
certain to lead a very uncomfortable life.
In the restaurants and cafes the walters dis
play a similar kind of thoroughness. They will
bring you what you order if you will only wal
long enough. l acquainted with American
here who have been known to refuse to wait
Other Americans of my acquaintance go to
certain restaurant, not because the food is gooC
for it isn't as l testify from experience
but because, as they explain they can get it OF
the day they give their order. They are wateC
on by a middleaged German who has lived il
the United States and who, compared with tn
other walters in Berlin, seems like a dynamo.
The young woman in of the great Berli,
shoe stores who supplied with new pair O
shoes he +t,.