The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-05
BY NJ VTGGO CAVLING,
Editor of Copenhagen Newspaper Tells
of Conditions He Found During
Trip to German sapitaL.

Editor-inchief the Poiitiken, Copen-
hagen.
.' (The editor-in chief of the Copen-
hagen newspaper Poiitiken NJ. VlCEo
Cavling. gives some Of his impressions
of daily life in Berlin during a recent
visit to the capital The Politiken has
never been anti-German tn its views,
so that the conditions described by
the editor are not by any means ex-
aggerated- This article is translated
from the Copenhagen publications.
Our train arrived in Berlin at night
and fairly well up to time, The streets
we're shrouded in darkness. You could
scarcely see any taxis or motors. and
the horses of the cabs looked terribly
underfed. The lack Of motor cars is
occasioned by the scarcity OF rubber.
tIf you carry a pair of goloshes with
you take good care OF them, and do
not, for example. hand them in to the
attendant OF the theater anteroom or
you will never see them agaiu)
The darkness OF the streets Is to be
ascriheas to the lack of lighting mate
rial. Indeed. theaters must close at 10
o'clock and The restaurants at half-pa
II. The heating Of private houses was
forbidden up TO the E5th of October.
Small Meat Rations.
You can understand how hard it Is
to live in Berlin at present when you
hear that most households have 20 be
carried on without supplies of butter
fat, white bread, sugar. coffee, tea or
chocolate The meat ras ons are
small, and on meatleSs DAYS the slight
est portion Of meat is forbidden. olga
rettes arc fairly plentiful, but there is
a great scarcity or cigars. Cigar shops
shut four hours day, and no more
thaQ FIVE cigars may be sold 10 one
customer.
A common sight in Bertha la the
long rows of Waiting people, In the
FriedrichstrasSe we saw a long row
before bakers shop, and a little
farther on several hundreds of people
were patiently standing In front of a
green grocer's who was said to have
received a supply OF cabbages that
morning.
In the large beer halls OF Inter
Den Linden nothing but war beer is
served. 1t is q bitter yellow drink and
tastes like ships beer. and almost
moves one to tears when one remem-
hers the foaming Munich beer or
former years.
Masters I'm Substitution
II is well known that the Germans
are masters In the art Of providing
substitutes. Their coffee substitute
Is not bad, while the German tea, made
of different plants. tastes rather like
China tea.
The waitress places on the coffee
table small bottle OF sweet stuff"
which Is a white fluid prepared from
sacchartne. and supposed to take the
place of sugar. French wines are still
obtatnable. and bottle of Bordeaux
costs 0 marks. Sherry is also still to
be had. but no whiskey. Madeira or
fiQueur.
Since soap and starch are cut OF the
question, we only receive paper ser
viette Even in the most wealthy
private houses no table linen Is used.
Every one dimes off waxcloth. Our first
breakfast in the dining-room OF the
hotel was composed OF a cup of tea
substitute, two pieces of dry war bread.
literally, a drop of marina tide, which
had been prepared without sugar.
There was no butter. yet for such a
meal you are asked TO pay marks.
/ This Spartanlike fare has rather a
strange effect when~erved in this mag
nificent hall, with its Persian carpets.
It's silk tapestry and cleaning chande-
iiers.
You see nothing but women as M es-