The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-25

our compartment was CEoWucu WilH oA ficers on their way to join their regi- ments and very grand and important they felt in their vew field-gray uniforms which may have long been put away in moth balls for just this opportunity, put which took the German people as well as the allies completely by surprise.
 SOLDIERS BOARD TRAIN
 At Nauemburg, which is about half way between Frankfort and Berlin, com pany of soldiers boarded the train and guarded the corridors while noncommis- stoned officer questioned the passengers.
 My wife, who was asleep in corner of the coupe 1, was the only woman in the compartment. Believing that her sleep might be feigned and she might, in fact, be a man in woman's clothing. the officer yelled at her Where are you goingT' Her American accent, revealed when she answered him, ineensed him the more and he demanded angrily: What right have you to use this train? Where Is yous passport?'
 By that time had produced all the pa- pcrs of Identification I could find and triei to tell him that my wife and were returning to our home in Berlin. but hs was too excited to listen and would have dragged us off the train had not an offi- cer, with whom I had been talking en route intervened and said: T shall make myself personally responsible for these people," I was glad l had admired ms new uniform.
 From the coupe next to ours saw sol- diers drag six Russians, throw them down and kick them in the face, and one was a woman! The train pulled out as the crowd closed in on them, so that I was unable to ascertain the fate of those in nocent but helpless passengers.
 When we finally reached Berlin, about 5 the next morning, it seemed like dead city. There was not droschke, a taxS or a train in sight. Every available means of locomotion had been mobilized for the time being.
 FINALLY FIND CAB
 As we had heavy bags, we simply had to find something to take us home ana after half an hours search far from the station I found an old cab driver who thought he could take us for the liberal bonus I agreed to pay him. We had hardly got seated when an officer tried to force us out, and only my wife's quick plea of illness haved him black eye and me iron bars or a large fine.
 We found that the Berliners had been seized with the same desire to store up food ae we had observed elsewhere. and the stores were closed for lack of mer- chaudise 10 sell. The banks were filled with long lines of people trying to draw as much money as they could in gold. Even though the papers and all the off cers were quite confident that the war would be of but short duration, still there were many who remembered previous wars when only gold would buy food, and there were many who were preparing for that emergency.
 COULD NOT TALK ENGLISH
 After England declared war, the er- forts to capture spies were doubled, and the mob had new. lot of signs to tear down. We were forbidden to talk Eng fish on the telephone or on the street. We kept to our homes rather closely. Most of the buses, taxicabs and horses had been communicated, and the only signs of life in Berlin were furnished by soldiers marching through the streets and officers driving madly about in high powered cars which exceeded all speed limits and other traffic regulations.
 Alter a few days, things began. to re- turn to normal again. The food supply seemed ample and the headlines in the were so encouraging and the reports of victories upon victories so con- yincing that everyone expected the war to be over within very short time, and they began to eat up the stores they had so excitedIy collected.
 Of course, there were no private mo- tors, few taxis and almost no trains, Lut there was apparently an abundance of the necessities of life Gifts of choco- late. woolens and tobacco were showered upon the soldiers at the front and 1t was not until the spring of 1915 that Herr Reventlow aroused the people and the to sthe danger of the coming food shortage which England's blockade had made inevitable.
 Bread cards were initiated. it is true. but the amount allowed was more than adeuuate for all except, perhaps, the very poor. who depend almost entirely upon bread.
 The press began advising the people to conserve food, but at the same time said that if care was taken there was no dan ger of there not being enough for all School teachers gave daily talks to the cIildren to eat everything on their plates. One went so far as to announce: T all wavs lick my plate, children. and you should do the same!
 The result of these warnings was merely to increase hoardingt and buying from food speculators. l never knew Of . single German who voluntarily deprived htrself of a single article of food out of natriotic motives. The only sacrifice q Iierman is willing to make for his country ia the one he cannot escape
 Az tilne went on and England's
 blockade became increasingly ef-
 fective, the internal condition of
 G~rmany went from bad to worse.
 aud long before I left Berlin, on
 January 22, 1918. conditions had
 become well-nigh unbearable.
 Gro Be Continued TonoErew).