El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-04-08

and complete victory shall be ours
Food Cards. No Food
The huns swallow all such yarns
with avidity.
on the other hand. the military Of
ficers connected with the Farious nris-
on camps know little peter They
see the thousands Of parcels which
arrive from the homeland for the Brit
ish prisoners Of war, and have heard
them laughing over the newspaper an
nounesments about food conditions on
the other side Of the North sea
During the latter part OF the year
1917 g was almost impossible 70 OBJ
tain meat Of any kind. and potatoes
were equally scarce
True, the citizens are fully provided
I with 6 plethora Of ration cards, en-
fitting them 20 purchase quantities Of
various kinds Of foodstuffs. but the
trouble was that the shopkeepers had
not the goods 70 sell
Plenty Of Substitutes
A greaI deal has been written about
food substitutes invented by the Ger
labor under the impression that such
things adequately fulfil the functions
of the real articles IN this colnec-
zion ] would state that the vast ma
iority Of the substitutes have done
more harm than good, and the opinions
. eXDressed about them by their victims
are Of an unprin table character
Thousands Of deaths have been d.
recly attributable TO the use Of FOOD
So bstitutes IN the fatherlard, and Il IS
nos too much 20 say tnat tney nave
4 seriously impaired the health and
] strength OF the nation as whole In
1917 the average German working
man was So weakened by lack OF prop
er and nourishing food that his pow
srs OF production were reduced at
least 50 percent, compared with pre-
war times I make this statement on
The authority Of the managing director
OF the largest paper factory in Ger
many. where I worked for 2 period
When was taken prisoner in the
spring Of 1915 the Germans were lusty
iand lumpish in body, while mentally
they were puffed up with the pride or
{ victories won and c0nceit as to the
glorious and all-conquerin future
In those days the streets OF the
Iancient city Of Munster were crowd
ed with happy, wei fed Teutons. and
the numerous cafes and restaurants
did roaring business The beer IN
the beer gardens seemed to be about
as plentiful as water, and the strains
OF "DeutEclerlanu uber Alles I'M
DiuEed upon the ear from every dtrec-
ton. FiEurativelg speaking Munster
was a city in a land flowing with milk
land honey and The ''heady' vine Of
success
The first camp was taken 20 was
near Munster, and whens as some times
happened. was pat TO work IN the
city. / was, CO course accDulp anled Dy
a sentry with loaded rifle and liked
lbayonet
Must walk in Street.
The pavsments were sacred to the
Huns. 1t was 'Verbateu' that the feet
Of a British HschWs inehund" should
( nerambularc anywhere but IN the cen
ter Of the roadway
, j0urneyed in front OF the sentry
and as we made our progress along
3 the thoroughfares I became target
for the duh and gross wit Of TIE oiea-
/ ginous citizens.
asee the Briusheri how thin he isi'
cried a pedestrian one day adding;
and before we are done with them
the whole cursed brood VIII be hiring
themselves. out as pipe cleaners"
Heaven knows ] was as lean as q
rake az that period, the reason beng
that my parcels from home had not
started TO arrive, and had perforce
to exist solely on the meager ratons
d0led out BY ny captors-
The Laugh Is Turned.
And the laughter Of the hystanders
on hearing the prophecy which have
quoted might have worked ne Up into
. q temper and got me into serious trou-
7 bic had i not remembered the old saw
which declares that De who laughs
last laughs longest
The adags proves true in this par
ticular case and. although could not
afford to rejoice openly my carefully
concealed merrinseut placed q severe
/ strain upon my rislble faculties The
! lTunsterftes looked as fine and dandy
as e Is possible for Germans 70 look
Der, 1915. Prior to that date business
as usual accurately describes the
state Of affairs in the way Of eating
and drinking Food was plentiful, and
the Whcpping corporations o. the
Huns. respecting the terrible Trials
and hardships that lay in store, re-
NAMED in a state Of bissful igno-
cursed the British blockade.
Il was about this time that ] be-
gan 20 hear the Germans refer to the
/ British blockade To put It mildly,
their language was OF an unparlla-
msntary chara cter-
They considered themselves the most
! prosecuted and maltreated people un-
der the sun. As Tor the British, they
I were the vilest and most depraved Of
3 evil G1srE-a nation that wanted to
I starve the civilians Of the fatherland;
. that was Incapable Of adnering 70 the
I recognized rules OF civilized warfare.
Truly. the psychology OF the Teuton
is about the only comical factor with
which he IS endowed his sense OF
right and wrong is gr0tesque IN the
! extreme. Pit briefly there are IN
Vulnerable Things that are fit and
I proper when done by a German-and
I lar character performed by men Of
another race-lf they affect the vel
] fare OF Fritz-are. he win seriously
I inform you crimes OF the blackest
type.
Strange German Stories
Kurt Brleger, farmer for whom I
I worked for q time IN WesIpalia. was
a typical Hun IN this respect ! got
I fairly vel acquainted with BrieEsr,
who. DESPITE his nationality, was not
az all a bad sort He would talk quite
freely to me about the war, and some
Of his views sounded strange 70 ny
! British ears
one day. when the zeppelin raids
were at their height, Brieger came 70
ne with Earish story a1cut the de-
! struction Of London and several OF the
leading provincial cities. Thousands
I Of citizens. he declared, had been slain
and great conflag rations had de-
/ stroyed square miles OF buildings.
That's what we 90 10 gour country
for trying 70 starve Us" he cried eZ-
ultinEly-
Speaking IN German told him did
! not believe the zepps. were capable Of
doing so much damage, and that
scarcely q week elapsed in Munster
without the prisoners of war being
assured that London had ceased to
exist
The Peculiar German Mind.
7 grant you. Brieger. added,
chat nothing would please the Ger
man people more than 20 know they
had RACED London TO the ground: aDd
] an equally sure that no tears would
! be shed IN the fatherland although