The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-02-04
By Marie Ronini Brown.

"If I only had what I know is be. ing put into our garbage can at home." was my wish for long months before I left Germany, so hungry was
 Since have come back to America, I have heard number of people say that Germany never will be brought to her knees through hunger.
 Perhaps she will not, but if she doesn't, and her present Starvation diet" is continued, it will take three generations for Germany to come back to the vigorous. strong nation she was.
 The evidences of hunger and near starvation on every side are terrible. Food is so high and so scarce that there are millions of people in Ger. many who have not had one satis- factory meal for over year.
 When see how the German people themselves are suffering, I simply shiver when I think of the prisoners of war.
 have gone to the market day after day, and I tell the truth when I say often I saw nothing for sale but buttons and fly paper.
 Every month we all received bread cards, meat cards, butter cards. egg cards, cards for sundries and cards for everything.
 We paid ten marks, 50 pfennigs- $2.5O-for a cake of ordinary soap. to begin with. For weeks I have lived without soap to wash my face or wash my clothes. We were permitted hot water only twice a week, Satur- day and Sunday, and believe me, found that Saturday night bath" a grim reality instead of a joke, during the winter.
 Eating Crow for Dinner
 We paid s35 one day for a duck, just common, small duck, not even cooked. And once ate crow-or rather tried to. I get sick now when l think of it, but at that time I tried awfully hard to eat it, for l was hungry. Our small allotment of meat which we had bought Saturday for the Sunday dinner had spoiled. We bought crow, paying $1.5O for 1t. It was hideous big black thing. We picked it and cleaned it, and, early Sunday morning put it on to boil.
 We boiled 1t three hours and then it seemed no softer than when we began. Then we put it in the stove and roasted it two hours. We tried to eat it, but we turned against it. The meat was black, tough, and had horrible strong taste.
 We never again tried to eat crow.
 Yet have heard German women say with resignation: ."The war won't be over until we have to cat rats."
 Thank heaven [ got out of Germany before that happened.
 Butter was s2.50 a pound and each person was permitted less than one. fifth of pound a week. Each person got one loaf of bread a week. Bread is marks, 50 pfennigs-62 cents-a loaf, one loaf weighing little over two pounds. The bread is almost black, and sour and hard. They say in Germany it is made partly of sawdust. I know it neither Is good tasting nor satisfying.
 Ice is very scarce. Icemen will not carry ice above the third floors. If you live on the fourth floor, as we did, you have to go out and buy 1t. It is about 25 cents pound. To keep our food cool we would put it in water
 There was no coffee in all Germany, substitute said to be made from roasted barley, being used instead. I could not drink it. Also there was no tea, substitute being made of apple leaves. I could not drink that.
 Birdseed is $1 a pound. Dogs are taxed $15 a year. At that, few dogs are seen, and no cats.
 The most appetizing thing we had for months before I left was a soup we made of flour and water and lit. tie bit of butter, so our unappetizing meals can be imagined.
 No Candy and Ice Cream.
 We had no milk whatever. It was useless to try to buy any. All the milk was kept for the badies and the sick people.
 We had to use saccharine instead of sugar and that is so hard on the sys. tenn that stopped using it. pre- ferring to go without. Saccharine used as the German people are using it now in such quantities will ruin any constitution.
 Candy-I forgot what 1t looked like. Chocolates were not to be gotten at any price. Chewing gum of course was not heard of in Germany. Ice cream is an American dish and could