The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1918-09-20

hlnS aVallaDle outside. OF the SubSti-
flutes which were soap only I'm name. A
smal! cake of toilet soap easily brought
81 "A servants plain woode- wnrd-
rome, formerly costing So, was unob-
tainable for less than $50. We pnid
as high as SS pound for butter, from
Spectator. and my last Christmas
dinner In Berlin consisted of a small
goose, just enough for one meal for
'hree persons, for which i paid $25.
one OF the things the people missed
most, OF course, was their beer. While
IL was put on sale at 8 D. m. every
night, only a limited amount was avail
able and as soon as 1t was DISPOSED
or, only coffee or tea substitute. with
out sugar, milk or lemons, could be
had.
The scarcity of metals required fo. I.
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-
m'num fixtures or cooking utensils that
wasn't absolutsly necessary was
seized.
Horses were gradually disappearing
from sight when l left early this wear.
One saw them lying about the streets
where they dropped rom exhaustion
and what disposition was made of their
corpseS can well be Imagined. II is
quite certain that no part was wasted
Dogs, too, nearly vanished from city
life. A man / know, who had kept n
fine Newfoundland dog, told me that It
had disappeared one night and the
next day It's skin was found hanging
on the fence with 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 75 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 eating 1t oneself.
To obtain oil. prizes were offered to
the school children to collect fruit
seeds, from which 1T could be extract
ed, and veritable mountains of the
seeds were thus obtained.
The last meal had in Berlin was
on January 81, 1913, when I dined at
the Hotel Adlon. It consisted of one
sardine, three thin slices of cold
smoked salmon, soup which was hard
iy more than hot salt water, two small
boiled potatoes and asa substitute for
cornstarch pudding. No butter and no
sauces of any kind were served. Black
bread took in my pocket. The check
for this elaborate table d'hote meal
amounted to $3.50.
To sum uD the situation as / was
able to observ> 1t, living conditions I'm
Germany in January of this year were
rapidly becoming absolutely unbear-
able. How much worse they can be-
come without bringing on internal
troubles which will bring about the
collapse OF the German empire can be
only matter Of conjecture
The twentieth century has seen such
radical changes In world conditions,
views and aspirations, that Lam afraid
history will prove but a poor guide to
the future. In the past few centuries.
Germany has experienced several more
or less serious social revolutions, but II
would be dangerous to predicate very
y.
AS long as the officers remain stanch
to the kaiser little may be expected
In the way of successful revolution,
no matter how discontented and rebel
lous the people at large may grow, but
believe that the time will surely come
when the officers themselves will turn
against their government.
There may be two revolutions. The
civilians. consisting of women, old men
and youths and others who h. we not
been called into the army. may rise up,
but their effort will be In vain. The
defeat OF such an uprising, however,
may be the signal for n greater one In
which portion of the army itself will
take part, and then civil war will re-
suit which Will have no counterpart In
the worlds history.
The basis for this belief lies In the
fact that the officers of the German
army realize the extent of the distress
prevailing throughout the country.
Their families. as well as those of the
rank and file are suffering from under
nourishment and privations, and they
Know. even better than their interiors,
the extent OF the reverses which the
German army has suffered and will
continue to suffer and how the govern
ment has misrepresented actual con-
ditions.
If the German officers consisted en-
tirely of men of the old school-men
who were willing to fight for fighting's
sake and WHO would rather continue
the war until the last German had
dropped than give in-we could not
look for much in this direction.
But the ravages Of war have dis