Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-18
six Months in
Hell and Back :"
German Socialists Vicws After
Six Months Traoel Through
out the Empire.
~ IGNATIUS f<INAsT.
Copyright. International News Bureau.

1 report this incident because 1t is "A
very fair sample OF the present day
German temper. Wherever you 20, in
every part of Germany. men and
women seriously quarrel over the
slightest disagreement in opinion. On
hundreds OF such unseemly verbal dis
cussions take place in public places.
OFTEN these discussions end In physical
encounter. and have seen. with my
own eyes even women OF good breed
Ing and appai ent former culture come
to blows in street cars. thcatcrs or
other public places. l also saw ever,
in private htmes visitors quarrel O. er
IL discussion. and | have noted by ac-
tual count that in sixty-four private
homes physical encounters took place
between the guests: in fourteen homes
The hosts attacked the guests. whilo ir
twenty other homes guests first
struck their hosts over some war dis
cussion. out of nearly 400 homes
visited during my six months In Ger
many. only twentyseven homes ] left
without witnessing coarse exhibitions
of temper on all sides
WAR RESPONSIBLE FOR HIGH
STRUNG GERMAN MENTALITY
Ny paciflcd fellow passenger friend
explained TO me that the last two or
three years the German temper had
been high strung. He confessed TO me
that on many occasions he found him
SELF beyond control over the slightest
provtcation. He was fearful over the
future Of the German nation. From
day tc 1ay we arg becoming more and
more uncivil to each other and rude to
strangers. Our open enemies hate us
and our neutral neighbors will soon
dcspise us IL we continue in our present
conduct
why are YOU going to Germany"
What induces you to return to coun-
! try where there Is great privation?'
! he then asked me sympathctically.
explained to him that I felt compelled
/ to make fraternal visitations. He then
! confided to mo many things. all OF
which I am not at liberty 70 make
, public. But this much ! can report
: that In the Munchen municipality alone
/ the birth rate was 10000 less than
the peace-timc average In the second
year OF tho war: 1900 in the third
year. and In the fourth year the death
rate among the children of baby age
was so high that between the ages OF
two months and five years the death
rate was larger than the present birth
rate. counting each month. His con-
illusions were that IL the war con-
/ ttnued taking toll ut this rate. and the
f, birth rate not increased, within three
or four years there will be a period OF
! childless Germany. This had never &C.
/ Cured to me in such concrete form.
PREDICTS PERIOD or
! SERIOUS IMMORTALITY
I Proceeding further, lie reasoned that
land with unproportionate sex de-
crease, the male sex decreasing IA pidly
would surely bring about Il period OF
serious immortality
! The marriageabIe young women
would emigrate. In such emigration
tho alert and the courageous, the men
tally and physically better equipped
would leave. while tho propagation OF
! the future German nation would he
left TO the backward. timid and physi-
cony weak or tho near-the- m id lie
aged women. The young men to com,