Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-08-30

cmies and. although restricting their liberty Of
sction. allowed American newspaper correspend-
perform e. the unusual and diacuIs feat OF re-
vas W I p.rnitted By the aesnsn autheriti.:-
thoughts and feelings Of nation at war with
Bern. Switzerland. and, now free from censor
ship, has written m Illuminating series Of srti-
this Is the arst.j ''''' -
By OSWALD +. sCHUETTE-
(specsal oorrespondence Of The Star
and Chicago Daily Newa)
BERN, Switzerland. Aug. g. Three
years of war have left Berlin looking
much like q frail convalescent whose
clothes are too big for him. Berlin Is
the knees" It's clothes droop from the
shoulders. Its streets are too wide for
their trafiic, its show windows too big
for the wares that are left to display.
Explanatory cards tell you that the
empty.
Inter den Linden. once numbered
among the busiest thoroughfares of the
globe, Isl now filled only on sunny Sun
from its six converging streets makes
Potsdamer platz seem a busy spot.
Leipziger strasse Is fairly so and the
narrow sidewalks and narrower road
blockade of a new underground in
course of construction, actually have
a crowded aspect But that is about
all
The underground service is over
crowded and so are the street cars, but
that is because all the transit facilities
are on half rations and hopelessly out
of joint. The street cars have not been
painted for two years, repairs are inn
possible and fiat wheels a habit. They
remind you of nothing so much as the
Chicago street cars of fifteen years ago
The 'fBesetzt" (occupied) signs that
car are gone. and car is full now only
when no one else can hang on the step.
Sad State Of Automobiles.
Automobiles are only for the military
authorities: private machines, except
for diplomats. disappeared two years
ago. Taxicabs. In the last stages of
dissolution, go clanking along on steel
spring tires, leaving behind them the
odor of a dying automobile. because
their ancient engines were not built to
use benzol. The electric autos are
even worse, because they are of an
earlier and unsteadier vintage. usually
emphasized by wheels of varying d.
mansions. The "droschkes" are in SINH
lar stages of decay. with ancient horses
whose uncertain shamb1ing reveals the
lack Of real food as much as do their
corrugated Sides The Berlin papers
recently published a scientific treatise
to explain that the hairless patches on
these poor brutes were the results of
the forays of moths, whose operations
failed longer to arouse the deadened
sensibilities of their equine hosts.
Yet the horses never get chance to
rest. for they and the taxicabs are the
only means of reaching Berlin's rail-
road stations with baggage. and there
are always two travellers for each
horse. So they probably will still be
shambling along when peace arrives
home"
Needless to add, Berlin's once i'm
maculate streets are not immaculate
any more. 1t takes labor to keep
streets clean. and labor Is now more
necessary for other tasks. Yet, some
how. the hundreds on tiny parks and
squares and triangles and circles of
public garden spots scattered about
Berlin are kept in good shape. Three
times the flower beds have been
changes are due before the winter
bulbs are tucked away for next
springs opening.
CaterpiIlars Damage Tiergarten.
The Tiergarten. however, that pride
OF Berlin. has suffered heavily in the
war. There was not enough labor at
winter to clean out the nests of the
lemon butterflies" So when the cater
pillars emerged by the millions this
spring they made short work of the
foliage of the Tiergarten's famous oaks
and then chewed up most of the other
trees for dessert. 1t was late in June
before pedestrians could use the park
in comfort because the pests had
|disagreeable habit of tumbiing of their
dinner tables and dropping down the
back of your neck. To make matters