Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-02

@sslzgfssfEA had 2"
GS%#g "a And they still
xI#eSg MSz| were asking that
f,x4ysxssaF A35 when l left l was
<8xIaJs VIII H. in Warsaw two
M weeks, visiting a
SzIlas.N Polish girl friend
SC of mine.
everybody there was thoroughly
disgusted with German rule, and
they had had it only a short time
Bad as the Russian rule was"
they said. lat least we did not ex-
pect anything better from the Tsar.
BUT we relied on German promises.
The Russians at least let us speak
our own language, read our own
books"
When the Germans occupied War
saw, they forbade any person to
speak the Polish language. Every
body had to speak German and those
who did not know it had to learn it.
Children and aged people were not
excepted.
Every Polish book was confiscat
ed. Even the Bible had to be in Ger
man. The people had to pray in
German.
cit almost seems like praying TO
a strange God" the woman said mt
whose house 1 stayed, and she crietl.
L don't want to tell their name, ds
they still are there and l am afraid
trouble might be made for them. |
know the German way of finding
people and, even here, in free United
States, can feel the fear of the Ger
man militarism.
High Cost of Living
The cost of living was terribly high
in Warsaw, although they had far
more to eat there than in Germany.
1t was in Warsaw that l paid $14
for pair of satin shoes.
The only food cards issued in War
saw when | was there were for po-
tatoes and bread. Other things you
could h"- as YOU wished.
But no person was permitted to
send anything into Germany-that
is, no person but German soldiers.
The German officers bought up great
quantities of food, articles of dress
and other things and sent them 70
their wives and families in Ger
many. But the woman with whom
stayed had another daughter in
Germany, and she was not permitted
to send her anything at all.
In Warsaw, the Germans did not
live in the houses of the conquered
Poles, but in hotels
The worst evidence of German oc-
cupancy / saw there was the sending
of young Poles to the German army.
You would be talking to man one
day, and that evening he would dis
appear. You never would hear of
him again.
One family knew had two sons
the elder a violinist, the younger n
student. One day the student dis
appeared. A long time afterward,
the father received a letter, written
on rough wrapping paper. Il am
SAFE" the letter said, but don't try
to answer this or find out where l
am. And don't tell any person you
got this"
Poles Bitterly Disappointed
Before the Germans came to War
saw. the Poles had high hopes that,
at last things would be better for
them under German rule. They had
suffered so greatly through Russian
misrule that they looked to the Ger
mans for relief.
But they found out their mistake.
One of the hardest things for them
to endure was having their Polish
books taken away. The Poles are n
the women. And the women are
beautiful and we'll formed, with the
daintiest, tiniest hands and feet.
To realize what the Poles endured,
let an American imagine what It
would be like for conquering enc
my to walk into his home tomorrow,
take away every English book, and
command that hereafter no English
word must be spoken or read or even
prayed.
The Germans made the Poles ac-
cept the German money and stamps,
as we'll.
The Poles want a ruler of their
own, and the privilege of speaking
their own language, of receiving an
education openly and of cultivatlng
their country. They would be will
ing to have another country RUE
them if that must be, but they want
that country to remain at a distance
They are almost despairing now
of things ever being any better for
them.
The Poles now must report to the
police just as any alien must in Ger
many. They are under the same re-
strictions as an enemy resident.
A Trip to Potsdam
Another interesting trip 1 took
(this of course all was before the
United States entered the war;. was
near Potsdam. One of the palaces
of the Emperor is at Potsdam. OF
course. even then I was not allowed
in Potsdam itself. but l went past
there. I could see the famous old
mill there, about which so much has
been written.
This mill belongs to farmer who
owns his own farm. It's screeching
annoyed the Kaiser who ruled be-
fore the present Emperor and he or
dered the man to take the mill down,
or remove it. Strangely, the man
had some independence about him
and he said the mill was his means
of livelihood and he would not re-
move it. The Kaiser took the case
to law. and lost. The mill still
stands.
Potsdam is the breeding place" of
the Zeppelins. I caught a glimpse of
the great buildings which house
these enormous dirigibles. They
seemed to be miles long.
You don't hear much talk In Ger
many of Zeppelins now. They have
been rather a failure. They often fly
over Berlin and think they arc try
ing to perfect them ato make them
more effective, but no person talks
much about them. All the German
faith Is pinned to the submarine.
The common people in Germany
seem to think that the submarine is
some sort of an actually inyincible
invention which has supernatural
qualities.
They credit II with the most mar
velous feats. And the German rulers
encourage this way of thinking, for
they want the people to think that
E, r..,~ a'uiris. 80 ~--"+ t,o S~feot-
ed. That is why l think and say.
that IL the rel news of what is