Evening star., 1917-11-27
HOMES IN GERMANY
!. ARE DARK AND COLD
Herbert Corey Depicts Misery
Endured by the People
Due to War.
PREDICTION OF COLLAPSE
BY HERBERT COREY.

| tIopyrlgHt lSia, Uy berpert SoIey.J
tThis is the last Of series of nine letters on
conditions in Germany
BASEL, Switzerland, October 25.-In
considering social conditions in Ger
many from across the border in Swift
zerland one is struck by this apparent
fact:
The Toad line" of national misery
4 does not mount to any peaks. But it
| continues along a monotonous and un-
deviating level of privations and dis
| comfort which must be Infinitely de-
pressing.
No one starves, but no one has
enough to eat.
| No one freezes, but no one is warm.
| No one goes naked, but no one is
well dressed.
| No one is deprived of the actual ne
cessities of life. but no one has the
| smaller alleviations that lessen the
| nervous tension of life in war time.
| There are no minor amusements
Once the German hausfrau might visit
| her favorite coffee house for coffee and
| cakes in the afternoon. There is no
coffee now, and no cakes, and conse-
| quently no coffee houses. 1t is true
| that the nationally endowed opera
| houses are banging away full blare and
| that military bands play in the public
| squares in almost every German CITY
Beer Drinking Once National Sport
| Beer drinking was once a national
sport. That is a statement of bare fact
| The German had the best beer in the
world to drink. and he drank it with
all the will in the world. 1t was a
poor or a sickenirg German who did
not visit his favorite beer hall at least
once week with his family, to listen
Ito good music and sometimes good
L n ~ IN NNl-1
4 various huge pots of brew. His
stammtisch' night was far more sa-
cred than Sunday. Then he met his
cronies at the table which had been
set apart for them on that night of the
week for generation. and gossiped
and told stories and drank beer in
happiness.
THE German is gemutlich." says one
VINO knows the German we'll He
lives for his social hour and glass with
his friends"
All that has gone by. The German
peer IS poor thing nowadays. 1t has
oeen Watered and rewatered and water
ed again until it is practically undrink-
anie. | have been told by people who
LETT Berlin not long ago that for
months they have not tasted beer.
II Is thin. soap-and-watery, distress
ing beverage that has neither flavor
nor punch: Only the victim of long
haolt continues to drink it, and he IS
Drawn by the habit and not by the
beer. In certain localities the manu-
facture of beer has long been forbid
den. In others it is still being brewed,
under strict government regulation as
TO content and the hours in which il
may be drunk.
Comparatively Free in Bavaria.
Only in bavaria is beer comparative
y-note the comparatively-free to
fight and go hungry and half clothed,
but go absolutely thirsty he would not
He has never had vast liking or re-
spect Tor the kaiser anyhow. and his
prompted by his realization of the tan
gfble advatagnes of membership and by
the further fact that he cannot get
away. Therefore he had no patriotic
sentiment strong enough to induce him
to give up the beer which had been
j good part of his life. He bluntly re.
kaiser. So the courts took cognizance
| of this menacing attitude and formally
held that:
In Bavaria beer must be considered
as a prime necessity of life"
His poi-.t gained. the Bavarian conceded
something to circumstance. Beer drink
ing in Bavaria is limited now, that
each man has the right to one full glass
of beer and two half glasses during the
course of each day. and to no more. The
beer, be it understood. is no more like the
Bavarian beer of old than SKINNED milk
is like Jersey cream. No beer cards have
been issued and the rugged and determ-
ined beer drinker can still go from beer
hall to beer hall. drinking his one full
glass and two half glasses in each place.
But that is not the custom of the Bavar-
ian. He wants to puddle himself slowly,
| hour after hour, in revery of BEER con-
/ temptation, music, sausage and smoke. He
has the attachment of the house-cat foS-
his beer hail. Having once placed him
| self he is good for the evening. Not even
the Bavarian can stand his permitted al
lowance of modern Bavarian beer. Fathers
a of nil 10 rho
have not seen their families by candle
light for years.
Home Is Cold and Dark
Nor is the German home a pleasant
one nowadays, even if that national bur-
| weigh upon every rooftree. 1t is cold and
dark. The street lights go out in all
| cities at II o'clock. They are not needed
later. for there is no ons on the streets
In many cities. and perhaps in the whole
empire. a police curfew is to rirsg this
winter at O'Clock. SO that lights shall
not be permitted in the homes, or on the
streets after that hour. Even earlier in
the evening not one light twinkles now
where a dozen shone before. The Cnter
den Linden. Berlin's show street. is bare
ly picked out of the darkness by the
lamps that shine at distant intervals.
The lesser streets are in some instances
not lighted at all.
So that the householder fights his way
nome a1ter the days WORK on tram lines
| that are crowded to the last inch OF ca
lpacity. Once no more than two standees
were permitted in tram in most German
cities. but now the last corners hang peri
lously on the steps. The roadbed has
gone to pieces. for repairs are only made
when they are forced. The cars have
not been painted for two years, and If
they are not coming to pieces. at least
their joints are loosened. Flat wheels are
as normal as round wheels used to be.
The householder has been hungry for
months and he is as hungry as ever when
he gets up from the meal Of mildly meat
favored vegetables which is the German
dinner Of today. One lamp and no more
is the rule in the average household. At
9 o'clock in many cities that lamp must
be put out
During the long summer evenings life
mas perhaps been not SO positveiy un-
Is to be no central heating hereafter. be-
lcanSa ~ he lack IF coaI