The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-02-01

mand, the front ranks of the endless
line of gray-graen soldiers stiffened,
looked toward Excellency Won Kluck,
framed in the arched entrance to the
Adlon Hotel, and Numbered by in goose
step. They were veterans all; three
regiments, accompanied by their wives,
children and friends. and bound as re-
Inducements for the Somme front, at
that time the deadliest of all battle
fields.
Garlands of flowers were wreathed
around rifles and dun steel helmets, and
boquets gave color to the much patched,
frayed and faded uniforms. Bullying
knapsacks, from which boxes, bags,
parcels and heavy boots dangled, sag
ged on the troopers backs, and as they
swung firmly past, their faces earnest,
tense, disciplined, sombre, one felt
kindly the mighty, emotionless, i'm
personal power that is guiding and man
aging every energy of this whole peo-
pie in the travail of world war. The
management of this grim, business-
like soldierv reaches everywhere, so
that it is difficult to tell where military
life leaves off and civil life begins.
The cities, towns and villages are
a.swarm with soldiers. There are the
innumerable veterans, back from Rus
sian, French, Servian and Mesopota-
milan battlefields, any number Of highly
trained soldiers held in reserve for
some such contingency as the recent
entrance of Roumania into the war,
and thousands OF raw recruits being
hammered into shape. One passes al
most as many soldiers on the streets,
as one passes men in civilian clothes.
1t is not uncommon to see an officer
collect several hundred salutes along a
few blocks of crowded Berlin thorough
have caught the manner, and now
greet each other with fleeing, care
less pressure of fingers upon the brow.
Life flows on back home at words of
command. Military authorities of last
instance are always in the back ground,
and almost every man is a potential
soldier. Into the intense earnestness
of this life, the stranger, unless he is
prisoner of war, fits badly. From the
moment he crosses the German borders,
he is card-indexed as one of a list of ex-
ceptions, and as such, his words and
actions become matters for archives.
The stranger finds it matter OF
considerable ceremony to secure en-
trance into Germany. At the nearest
consular or diplomatic post to the
borderguard that he seeks to pass, he
obtains the proper untersignature to
his passport. The border watch is
notified of his coming. At the border
he and the other passengers of the day
are kept in bare room under guard,
his passport is taken from him in
exchange for a number, and he must
await the calling of this number to
begin the formal ceremony.
The ceremony is something similar
to the Indian reception of running the
gauntlet. One is admitted into the
room of inqusition, where soldiers are
everywhere. and passed down line of
desks, where he must answer questions
concerning his nationality, personality,
destination and business. Then the
baggage is investigated. This investi-
cation is painstaking, conscientious,
nerve-teasing. Everything in trunks
and bags is taken out, opened up, turn
ed inside out. stretched, twisted, thump-
ed and shaken. Everything of the ma
ture of paper, letters, wrapping mater
ial, photographs, books and visiting
cards are retained. Other articles, if
harmless are repacked and their Golfers
are sealed.
If everything goes satisfactory thus
far, one next undergoes the personal
examination. Beyond the baggage
room, on the way to German soil, are
rows of small cells, like bathhouse
rooms, with a soldier to each room.
Fresh from your baggage strain you
are ushered into one of these, undress-
ed to the skin, and inspected with de-
tailed care. Your pockets, your shoes,
your wallet, and your collar are next
examined. If again all is well, you
scamper foE your train, for you must
reach your place of asserted destination
within twenty-four hours. Your one
comfort is that you have your passport
again in your possession. Passing over
the border out of Germany calls fo1 the
same formalities, only sitter.
When you arrive in a German city.
you must notify the police personally,
and you have the date and hour of your
resignation stamped upon your pass
port. You are then free to begin life as
an exception. Secret service people
everywhere are interested in you. If
you think out loud, the police get fairly
good abstracts of the tenure of your
thoughts. These together with data
on your manner OF conduct, your pre-