Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1918-11-27
The Kaiser as | Knew lin
for Fourteen Years
@1
By ARTHUR N. DAVIS. D. D. s.


Ss~J
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! have no proof that these un.
fortunate victims Of disease were de-
liberately infected by the hospital au-
thorities, but the mere fnct that TWEEN.
ty-two patients in an accident ward
died from dysentery in two days is
certainly evidence Of gross careless.
ness II nothing worse.
To buy new clothes 1t is necessary
to secure certificate from the gov
eminent to the effect that you are abb
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 replenishing 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 I left Berlin the law permit
ted man just two shirts, two collars,
two pairs Of socks. etc., year. Since
soap had disappeared from the mar
ket so many inadequate substitutes
had been tried that ones laundry in
yariably came home full Of holes.
In November, 1917. paid S1OD for a
suit of clothes which if it had been
made out of cloth Of good quality
would have been worth about $50. AS
1t 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 a
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 SIS 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 yard. In normal times 1t would
have been worth from IS cents to 81.
In the fall Of 1917, cloth suit was un-
obtainable for less than $780, 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 81 per
pound. People said it was 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
s.. A servants plain wooden ward
robe, formerly costing SIS. was unob-
tainable for less than $50. We paid
as high as IS pound for butter, from
Spectator, and my last Christmas
dinner In Berlin consisted Of small
goose, just enough for one meal for
three persons, for which paid $50.
One of the things the people missed
most, of course, was their beer. While
it was put on sale at p. m. every
night, only limited amount was avail
able and as soon as 1t 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.
and what disposition was made Of their
corpses can well be imagined. It Is
quite certain that no part was wasted.
Dogs, too, nearly vanished from city
life. A man know, who had kept q
fine Newfoundland dog, told me that It
had disappeared one night and the
next day its skin was found hanging
on the fence with q sign reading:
"Died for the fatherland."
One of the principal articles of fresh
meat to be seen In the butcher shops
consisted Of black crows. They were
selling at Is cents apiece. There was
something ludicrous in the thought of
the Germans being compelled to "eat
crow" but there was little to laugh at
In exiting it oneself.
To obtain oil, prizes were offered to |
the school children to collect fruit
seeds, from which it could be extract
ed, and veritable mountains of the
seeds were thus obtained.
The last meal had in Berlin was |
on January q, 1918, when I dined at
the Hotel Adlon. 1t consisted of one
sardine, three thin slices of cold
salmon, soup which was hard.
ly more than hot salt water, two small
boiled potatoes and as substitute for
pudding. No butter and no
sauces of any kind were served. Black
bread took in my pocket. The check
for This elaborate table d'hnta maal