The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-06
my -Four Years In Germany"
Ambassador Gerard.s Experiences at German Court
Until Entrance of the United States Into
the Great War
Prince Lichnowsky Reported England Did
Not Wish to Enter War, Which Led For
eign Office to Interpret Statement as Mean
ing Great Britain Would Remain Out

taught that his government lie the only
good and effective form, The teachers
in the schools are government paid
and teach the children only the prin-
ciples desired by the rulers of the Ger
man people. There are no Saturday
holidays in the German schools, and
their summer holidays are for only
three to FIVE weeks. You never see
gangs OF small boys in Germany.
Their games and their walks are su-
| perintended by their teachers, who are
always intoxicating In them reverence
and awe for the military heroes of
the past and present. On Saturday
night the German boy IL turned over
! by the state-paid school teacher to the
state paid pastor, who adds divine au-
thority to the principles of reverence
! for the German system,
! There is a real system of caste in
/ Germany. For instance, / was play
ing tennis one day with a Sman. and.
while dressing afterwards. | asked him
what he was. He answered that he
was a Kaufman" or merchant. For
the German this answer was enough
1t placed him in the merchant class.
\ | asked him what sort of a "kauf-
| mann" he was. He then told me he
was president OF a large electrical
| company
! OF course. with us, he would have
answered first that he was president
! of the electrical company; but. being
a German, he simply disclosed his
/ caste without going into details. 1t
is curious thing on the registers OF
guests in German summer resort to
ace Mrs Mandatory Proprietor
| Schultz registered with Mrs. Lsndrat
! Schwartz and Mrs Second Lieutenant
/ Won Bing.
! or course. there Is no doubt as 10
the relative social positions of Mrs.
! Manufac Glory Proprietor Schultz and
Mrs, Second Lieutenant Won Bing.
Mrs Mandatory Proprietor Schuitze
may have a steam yacht and tiara.
an opera box and ten million marks
She may be an old lady noted for her
works of charity Her husband may
have made discoveries OF enormous
{ value to the human race. hut she Will
| always be compelled To take her place
behind Mrs. Second Lieutenant Won
Bling, only If the latter Is onlv seven
teen years old.
! or course. occasionally. officers OF
the army and navy condescend to mar
.lrv into the merchant caste, and II a
I girl has a choice Of three equally at
tractive young men, one a doctor,
earning $40, 1000 a year: one a manu-
facturer, earning the same amount.
| and one an army officer with a Won
4 before his name and saree6 n year,
there is no hesitation on her part.
She takes the noble and the army off,
/ Ger
/ For years all the highest official po-
1 sitions of the government have been
held by members OF the Prussian no.
bic class When Zimmerman, OF a
substantial family in East Prussia but
not of noble birth, was made foreign
minister. the most intense surprise was
exhibited all over Germany at this in
novation
i One OF the most successful WAYS
! Of diseipi.ning the people is by the
rat system. Rat means councillor.
and is title of honor given 10 any
one who has attained certain meas
ure Of success or standing in his chcs-
en-, business Or profession For i'm
afftf.t Fl fS%Ss q sz<ssr ssaSts * made 4
}con rflerce rat a lawyer q justice rat
r doctor sanitary rat. an architect
or builder building rat, a keeper Of
the archives an archive rat, and so on
I The rats are created in this way:
First, man becomes plain rat, then
later on he becomes q secret rat or
1 privy councillor, still later a court se-
cret rat, and later still '.wirklicher. +"
or really and truly secret court rat
+. 10 which may be added the title OF
! excellency." and puts the man who
has attained this absolutely at the
head OF the rat" ladder.
/ But see the insidious working of
the system. BY German custom the
woman always carries the HUSBAND 8
title The wife of successful builder
is known as Mrs. Really Truly Secret
Court Building Rat. and her social
/ precedence over the other women de-
Ponds entirely upon her husbands po-
lsttion in the rat class, Titles OF no.
bility alone do not count whau they
come In contact with a high govern
ment positioa
forty years old and is not some SORT
of rat his wife begins to nag him
/ and his friends and relations look at
| him with suspicion, There must he
something in his life which prevents
his obtaining the coveted distinction,
and II there is anything IN a mans
past, II he has shown at any time any
! spirt OF opposition to the government.
as disclo led by the police registers.
which are kept written up TO date
ABOUT every German CT izen. then ne
! mas no chance of obtaining anv of
these distinctions which make up so
much of the social life OF Germany.
! II is means by which the govern
ment Keeps far tighter hold on the
-.'NN'ENNNaHA PatA VI It's POPULATION than
/ III they were threatened with torture
and the stake
Those Social Democrats. who. OF
course, have declared themselves
agalsSt the existing system OF govern
ment and in favor of republic. can
receive no distinctions from the gov
eminent, because they dared TO nft
their voices and their pens In crltI-
clsm or the existing order For thcm
there Is the fear OF the law. Conyic.
tons for the crime OF lese ma ieste are
of almost daily occurrence, aud Mt the
opening of the war an amnesty WV.
4 granted in many OF these cases the
ministry OF war withdrawing many
prosecutions against poor devils wait
| Ing their trial in Jail because they mad
dared TO speak disrespectfuuv or the
army The following quotation from,
German book, written since the war
shows very clearly that this state OF
affairs existed:
In the beneficent atmos-
/ phere of general amnesty cana
the news that the minister OF war
had Withdrawn pending prosecu.
| uons against newspapers on nc-
count of their insults to the. army
or It's members" CDR. J. Jastrow.
I'm kreigszustand"