Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-12-15
GERMAN SOLDIERS
FACE PROBLEM
Find Old Things Have Fallen
When They Return From
Battle Front.
WORK AND FOOD NEEDED
BY A. r.. DECKER.
Cablegrnm to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1918.

CabIeeram to The Sunday Star and
Chicago Daily News. Copyright, 1918.
BERLIN, Germany. December IA
| 'Welcome home" is the sign that
greets returning German soldiers at
the railroad stations, in the shop win
dows and under the arches at the
head of Inter den Linden. What
! Homecoming!
For the moment all the soldiers
foundations for thought are swept
away. He believes that the world Is
turned upside down and loses faith in
all traditions, even confusing the
good with the bad.
At the stations wife and children
greet father and son returning to-
gether similarly equipped and equally
thin and war worn. They carry gray
packs which are almost empty.
At the station the father and son
trudge through the crowd. There is
no cheering and no beating of drums
While they crowd past anxious wom-
en- and children looking for husband,
father, brother or lover they stare
into eyes cold from disappointing
waiting At last there is a shrill
trembling call and mother and sis
ter hold son and brother by the hand.
The mother wipes her eyes with
corner of her shawl and the father
gathers the packs, the sister takes the
hand of her soldier brother. and off
they go home saying over and over:
"At last!'
Tell Story of Trenches.
In the home the soldiers tell the
story of the trenches. The mother
shows the empty cupboard and the
tells of the long Struggle to keep
alive on cabbage soup, morsel OF
bread and going months without
meat, the vegetables giving no .nour-
ishment because they were always
cooked without fat. The soldiers say
that all must be right soon, for are
they not at home? They will work
and will provide plenty. But with the
fall of power, which commanded de
struction they find have also fallen
all the old things, economic life, rae
tories, exchange, commerce and even
social life.
This is a period of transition, during
which the German people, torn by con-
flicting emotions and forces. mental
ly tense and expectant, are almost
physically wrestling with problems Of
liberty, peace. work and food.
train arrived in Berlin. The horses
were cadaverous, the wagons were
caked with dried mud from long
campaigns, and on the sides OF the
wagons were chalked: 1--WE come from
Flanders" I stood on the curbstone
who were captured September u.
1914, at Charlesroi, and were stu
dressed in red caps and trousers. Be
side us, joining in the conversation,
was wounded German soldier.
Get Their Old Positions.
When the wagons passed the Ger
mans on them waved cheerfully to
us and we waved back. There is no
animosity here. Already one-fourth
of the Berlin troops have, returned.
The law requires that they be given
their old positions where the factories
are still operating. The women who
replaced the men did so with the I'M
Outstanding that they would be dis
charged when the war was over. The
rest of the troops, about 100000 in
all from Greater Berlin, will return
in February when billets will be ask
ed for them. The German employment
agency is working smoothly under
James Crack. Twelve thousand per-
sons daily ask for employment, and
of these 5000 are new. Some $4,000
soldiers have made application for
work. They seem satisfied with the
arrangements and ask only for work
with an assurance of enough pay to
secure food. The government is pro-
jecting public works for employment
at Charlottenburg, having appropri-
ated 100000 marks c$2,500,000).
The situation of the women seems
to be worse. as there will be 100000
of them out of employment. The
mems walters union has decreed that
there shall be no more woman wait
ers in Berlin, as there were none be-
fore the war. but $4,000 women are
placed on the municipal farm. which
is reached by ride of an hour and
half from Berlin. where they sleep.
On the farm they receive marks
($1) day and food. The main desire
of all seeking employment is to find
a place with board.
Soup Kitchen Resembles Factory.
The soup kitchen is a model insti-
factory. 1t contains 200 quart ket-
ties. in which soup is made from
vegetables. barley. potatoes. fats and
meat three times a week. Cabbage
seems to be most plentiful this year,
while turnips led last year.
Many of the factories are closed be-
cause of the lack of raw materials,
such as cotton, wool and leather. The
unemployed receive from IL to Is
marks (S3 to $500 weekly from the
trades union and also 4 marks (S1) a
day from the government with an
additional mark (25 cents) for each de-
pendent. Discharged soldiers receive
suit of clothes, an army overcoat
and SO marks (s12.50). There is evil
dence that Berlin is making an effort
to provide work and food for the re-
turning soldiers.
AE[A|Re IN Al EYANDpIA