The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1918-12-19

III NOiot uNlii'otioh - go
lack Of fats. The people showed 1t
very plainly. One seldom saw a fat
man or q fat woman, although before
the war fairness was almost character
istic of the German physique. Indeed,
I saw q rather stout woman being fol-
lowed by at least twenty boys who
were jeering at her and making slur-
ring remarks about the manner In
which she had retained her avoirdu-
pois. A fat person in Germany today
is regarded with suspicion.
Naturally the weakened condition Of
the people makes them all easily sus-
ceptible to disease. Epidemics spread
rapidly and | am inclined to believe
that little care was taken by the au-
thorities to protect the older people
from Infection. l know that my Sec
retary's mother fell and broke both
her legs last summer (1917) and was
taken to the accident ward Of a hos
pital where her fellow-patients were
all crippled. Ten Of the inmates Of
~dysentery, and the following day the
death list was increased by twelve,
the old lady with the broken legs be-
Ing one of them. Twenty-Five more
bread cards saved at the expense Of
twenty-five useless women in one hos
pital alone-a fair record for two
days! l have no proof that these I'M
fortunate victims Of disease were de-
liberately infected by the hospital au-
thOrities, but the mere fact that twen-
ty-twO patients in an accident ward
died from dysentery in two days is
certainly evidence of gross careless
ness if nothing worse.
To buy new clothes it is necessary
to secure a certificate from the gov
eminent to the effect that you are alb
sOlutely in need of clothing, and, even
then, you are compelled to give up the
suit you are discarding.
Branch offices for investigating the
necessity of replenish.ng ones ward
robe have been established all over
the cities and they are always crowd
ed. Women are in charge and they
seemed thoroughly to enjoy their au-
thority and their power to deny an
application for new clothing.
When l left Berlin the law permit
ted a nan just two shirts, two collars,
two pairs of socks, etc., a year. Since
soap had disappeared from the mar
ket so many inadequate substitutes
had been tried that ones laundry liz
variably came home full of holes.
In November, 1917, 1 paid 500 for a
suit of clothes which If it had been
made out of cloth Of good quality
would have been worth about $50. AS
it was, the tailor frankly admitted
that the goods was made of re-wOrked
yarn, and because of the lack Of cotton
thread, the seams were worked with q
material which looked like paper
string.
This paper string was in general use
at that time, the department stores all
displaying notices warning customers
not to carry their parcels by the string
Many purchases were no longer
wrapped, to save paper, and no pur.
chase amounting to less than IS was
delivered.
Before I left Berlin, artificial silk
was the principal fabric obtainable for
ladies' wearing apparel. Almost every
woman in the land, princess or maid,
was attired in art taffeta. 1t sold for
$40 a yard. In normal times it would
have been worth from Is cents to 81.
In the fall Of 1917, a cloth suit was I'M
obtainable for less than $500. 1t would
have been worth $25 in normal times.
All fur skins were needed for SOL
diers' wear and the few that were still
obtainable for home use in the form
Of fur sets sold for $1,000 up.
Through spectators, we obtained
some imitation soft soap at "a per
pound. People said 1t vas made from
human corpses, but 1t was the only
thing available outside Of the substi-
tutes which were soap only in name. A
small cake Of toilet soap easily brought
81. A servants plain wooden ward
robe, formerly costing SIS, was unob-
tainable for less than $50. We paid
as high IS So q pound for butter. from
a speculatOr, and my last Christmas
dinner in Berlin consisted of q small
goose, just enough for one meal for
three persons, for which / paid $25.
One of the things the people missed
most, of course, was their beer. While
1t IA put on sale at 8 p. m every
night, only a limited amount was avail
able and as 5000 as it was disposed
Of, only coffee or tea substitute, with
out sugar, milk or lemons, could be
had.
The scarcity Of metals required 70:
munitions was evidenced early in the
war when the interiors and exteriOrs
of houses throughout the country were
thoroughly ransacked and everything
in the way OF copper, brass or alu-
minum fixtures or cooking utensils that
wasn't absolutely necessary was
seized.
Horses were gradually disappearing
from sight when / left early this year.
One saw them lying about the streets
where they dropped from exhaustion,
nnd what disposition was made of their