El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-12-24
GERMAN NERVES
ARE WEAKENING
Among Soldiers and Civil
ians the Strain of War Is
Telling Sharply.
Continued from Page -

ldllS Gll6 OIL dill VI w d. IL
Telling Sharply.
CONTINUED from Page ID
tain subjects" Of which the nstruc-
ton so guardedly speaks. But neither
this nor the highly instructive refer
ence TO the well known suspicion.
nature OF our troops" is the most sig
nificant thing in this document. i
is rather the elaborate care witt
which the company commander is in
structed 10 approach his men This
is an utterly new and strange tone
in Prussian discipline. There is &c
be no bullying and driving. We have
glimpse, instead, Of German Off
GERS meeting together as secret con-
spirators TO elaborate the most tact
ful and discT eet way Of influencing
their men.
There are numerous examples
that could be given of the suf-
ferinE Of German soldiers under
the brutal behavior Of their Of
flccrs. An Essen paper last April
bitterly complained that the apa-
tlence and fOrbe-rance of troops
are tried by the outrageous nm
ncr in which they are addressed
by their Officers"
But now in discussing Certain
subjects this is to be entirely
changed Officers are TO get into lin
formal intercourse" with their men
Starting with the events Of the day
they are to lead unobstrusively Ut
to certain subjects" they are actually
to hear the mems views"
German Soldiers Are Thinking!
II they are to do this il is because
something has got into the minds OF
the soldiers, too deeply ir6edded to
Re reached by bullying THE MEN
ARE BEGINNING To THINK-and
TO DISTRUST! There is fear in these
cautious Instructions. The higher
comm nd must be finding in its mer
something never before dreamer Of
in the iron discipline Of the German
army.
So much for the soldiers. What o.
the civilians2 How are their nerves
belrinE the strain Of the fourth win
ter? Here the evidence is more
vOluminous and more definite Re
turning travellers have not mingled
with the armies IS with the civilians.
the armies have no newspapers in
which their grievances leak ont: the
armies are regularly fed. and do not
know to the SINE extent the food
troubles that are at the bottom OF
much OF the discomfort and unrest in
Germany
MANY pitiful letters from mothers
and wives at home to their men al
the front have been captured. COM
planning OF hunger anc hunger dis
eases-DE SENTERY, TT2HUS AND
EVEN CHOLERA. IN MANY PARTS
o. GERMANY. Some Of these letters
have been published by the French.
so I will not give here these fur
lished by the British, for they all
tell the same tale
Food a German BOEy.
In dealing with the problem Of ner-
.Ousues s-'nervositat' the Germans
All the question Of food looms to
he fore. The meaning Of those fig
lres concerning so many ounces Of
lre-d and potatoes less than last
year, in terms Of their effect upon
erman chances Of victory. becomes
evident in studying German nerves.
The waves Of depression and opti-
nism that alternate in Germany no
onger depend. in Germany as they
- in other countries. upon military
'ictories. Il is a striking fact that
nervousness IS conditioned upon the
God supply not upon successes or
le-eats in the field. The effect Of
ne great success in italy when 300.-
100 prisoners and nearly 5000 cannon
we're captured proved this to the hilt
n England or France, such a victory
y
oy. But Germany is past caring
much about victories. Her nerves do
To- react TO such stimuli any longer.
n proof Of this I viii give some
hings said by Germans themselves
turing the past few weeks. most Of
hem since the beginning OF the
Italian successes.
Germans Faint Hearted.
Gen. Won Stein. minister Of war, in
telegram TO the German National
mon, said: An excessive anxiety
nd faintheartedness are still troub-
.nG many people"
Admiral Won Scheer. IN a telegram
@ the Margurg branch Of the Pan
.ermon league. begged the German
eople not to 'collap-e ANONYMOUSLY
n the threshold Of victory
cen Won Blume wrote in the
Zeitung. The people
ONE are becoming faint hearted"
The reuseitung had leader on
he necessity Of strong nerves
The semi-official Strcs sburg Post
cid that signs were multiplying that
he nerves OF the German people were
ffected. II attributed this TO the
iii tary situation. as not enabling tn
nd OF the wy to be fOrecasted with
a-tainty. AMI said that an important
ctor was the perception Of the fact
nat the submarine campaign had no.
ct BROUGHT England 20 her knees.
krupp's paper. the Rheinisch West
lli-cne Zeitung, after prais ng the
-my. talked Of the ghastly contrast
atvce1 home and battlefield" I'VE
horne lend more and more water t.
en- turn the mill Of the entente" il
lid.
DR.. Franz Berns has published an
1Deal for strong nerves in the Tag.
e attributed the failure Of GERMANY
this respect. TO cunning psychic
.S.cal strategy" on the part Of Eng
nd. But he remarked, very signifi-
lntly, that the state Of our zoo
IMPLY need not weaken our nerves.
~ he added that there vas q rem
" for week nerves. which must be
1plied II the worst cores to the
ors+." thou~h he unkindly omitted
tell what II was
The rertZzeitunF said that there
eye people 1T home who "revile ou-
lrld 01'v understood victories which !
-ought in ~ l1rCe amount OF p~is-
lers. tarrito~ip1 ooils auf ho~tv"
pr.vr'cri Co--F'tFo1 Is P-d.
such heinz the f@ctS. n writer f. .
ie Eoniunl-tr- hos lcir7lv e-7'aine' !
.cv1 fo- ne. HIS ta~t iV a tele~~a--- I
ON central Won Tirritz to He-- I
% SERMON. which sold. "Ne7tFe- !
m~o~ary dfffic~lties srou1d c~use 20 {
lose c"~trol 81 ou- nerves " Z
- siIv said" remarks the writer I
iI't orl- ne0n'e are WON'T n lost con-
81 o. f~Air rerves whom thew rh,- I
u co0Si+t0n IT, e''ob th7t control e. I
~ r0-~ih1e V-1,a1 this n~a-e-irfeffo 4
'~-1-i1-- tive ~-ee~hes an1 aFr7ouf- I
1us 20 80 -~.ss,7o~
--T~- ~-'-~r---S ~ -rvrr' -,'-n-