Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-22
"Six Months in
He'll and Back"
German Socialists Vic,ps after
Six Months TraueI Through
out the Empire.
Through the unjust conscription o!
the agricultural products OF South Ger
BIZ IGNATIUs KISAST.
Copyright. International News Bureau.

>--------------- -----------------------I
Through the unjust conscription OF
the agricultural products Of South Ger
many. the imperial government at Ber-
lin has accumulated enough in Prussia
10 feed the upper classes and the upper
middle classes, who are the backbone OF
Germany'S military caste. Thus found
. that wherever the imperial govern
ment was in direct charge OF the food
distribution. II played d sinister IA
vor!;ism. ] also noticed that members
OK powerful labor unions and skilled
mechanics received better treatment
from the imperial food distributors
than the middle classes and the lower
middle classes. In truth. the great
majority OF the actual starvation is
amongst the middle classes and the
lower middle classes.
count provincial bank president,
I middle class man. and l count The
average educator. lawyer, minister OF
the Gospel. judge. storekeeper. and
other lesser magnates or professions as
belonging TO The lower middle classes
The privat!ons amongst these are in
describable.
a, Munehen l became :, SAD wit
ness and tortured observer 0: Ger
man familyS plight and privatiou.
had become acquainted with this FAM
i!y about twenty-eight years ago, when
! "'as an educator. ana missionary in
Palestine. The head OF this family.
who is now very near seventy. was then
At the head OF his Eeyrout Palestine)
house. Though he is a devout Roma
Catholic and ] a Protestant minister OF
the Gospel. al such distance from, the
Faiherland X was natural that warn,
friendship should grow between us. and
later this friendship was extended TO
our family circles. Many years later
this friendship was again renewed in
various parts OF Germany SO Il was
natural that / should seek him al
Munich. where ne had retired to a com
Portable hone On Macmillan Strasse.
20 spend the remaining years az peace
with lis children and grandchildren.
l cannot md words in describing my
grief on entering his home. Eight
male members o: his own blood and
flesh had been conscri7.ed by tho war.
only one o! whom had been spared, and
he Z totally incapac ita,ed being as far
as future useful service to the Father
land is concerned. HIS WIFE had sue
cuH.bed to grief in the second year OF
tie war. l think l should note here
that. through my six months traveiinss
IN Germany alwa"s found that the
women succu"i5ed u grief far more
t-eG 2"n'ly than men. Women do give
men do.
., his daughters, two both OF whom
a.. oyer Twenty-Five Years OF age had
los; tae!r husbands. In The home that
is.o-c ;he outbreak II the war had
been N Ideally happy place. there were
f.u. salon faced, !s!.-sta-red women,
AM two !acapacitat+d soldiers.
Why we.- ;hey starving?
IN the first place. while their food
cards entitled them 10 u certain amount
ot good cac. week, Il was impossible 10
procure their allotment, az food shop.
and provision stores did not have
enough food 70 honor the cards that
were presented.
!; had repeatedly come TO my notice.
mat by pay!-s eNorbitan; prices ono
"a able 70 orIbe the food shop keeper.
70 Withhold food from those who are
E.fHtI!!: entitled 70 i, and furnish
you "i.a the stolen goods Put. Tx.
- May ot.e- men of midGie class Ike
:l!Nse.t. ais income was derived from
!r|eGtrre nts and bonds. which. although
n :safc tame we're unqucstionatly good
investments. now had become worth
less Their a!rE-day fund al the saw
.u-s hsnh co-la no, b. withdrawn in
s0!" or egf-.ncy, but il. no;ca. and
10" that The reprte OF the German
"ahcts IS :cFy low. even the "pa,rio-
tli food dealer refuses 70 take pribes
"a aEy o,her currency hut gold And
l.i1 cInnot be obtained from any bank.
t"d H"!c ~as my friend and his
'ami!y actually starving bit by bit.
"a! been ".ii my friend nearly an
n+GT ~hcn the eighteen year-oid grand
carHater, var orphan, returned from
no'Hsi!"s 1t was then very near
hooHtsy' and tho poor young CIR! had
.".t me nous" d: IN the morning.
VAN her haske, in her arm she came
20 r gtr -,
HFai!r tired ana d!spir!ted Nearly
:opf hours sne had tried 70 ob:al.! the
!u!l LEGAL family food allowance, bu,
could secure no more than two-.h:rds
~ tho amount to Hhicn she was en-
'i'!"d. she had etood Ia !iHc two hours.
and when she rcached the pro.ia!on
store Ehs Uncovered that she could OBJ
iain no more than Mali her butter
allowance. Hea, Is out Of the Gu.s-
tion and very !i;tle quantities q. other
substantial 'ood ane could buy az per
allotted 20 her family. In other words
NC German food ration III ius; about
'""'iAirda u! what IL absolutely neces-
"ary 10 nourish "A well person. but on
the average th.a amount IL never pro-
durable IN !u!l. SO that to-day the
whole German paop!. rs slowly going
through Starvation Diet, The reguit
- az ! nave obHc.vcd ea!l!er. Deonle
are Ill nrurighed and aubicct TO in
Hurnerahle d!aeages az a consequences
Of bad food.
~ SIT comfortably In NY studio
ahd dictate these words 10 my grand
~ 81 Nh Na ~