The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-05-31
~ ERNEsr 1IoNEn PIXIE,


itary or national service. Nearly three
years ago the German High Command
adopted a simple plan for utilizing
their man-power. All except the
manned, the halt, and the blind were
roped in to do work of national i'm
portance.
The streets of Berlin are not crowd
ed with able-bodied citizens strolling
along, blissfully believing that the war
is being won for them. No, indeed,
the High Command gave them a sort
of iunior partnership; the wage was
onlv FIVE shillings a day. it is true,
hut every Hun was given to under
stand very plainly indeed that his
nrivate feelings and interest did not
matter in the least.
There are no crowds of compare
lively young men flocking to the rail-
way stations at Friedrichstrasse, Zoo
| logical Gardens and Letter Barnsholf.
No ninnble young porter is waiting for
YOUR luggage or call a taxicab; there
are no taxicabs for one thing. No,
knickerbockered, plainfaced Hun fe-
male surlily craps your belongings
with outstretched hand for the tip.
|
their well-filled restaurants, would
cause the average German to go into
an apopIectic fit. Liverpool street
and Kings Cross Stations at night
would make him wonder if the stupid
English were not really more ld1otlc
than he ever hoped for. L do not
/ know if the Germans will ever get
the opportunity to read these articles
but I hope they will. Then, perhaps
another nail will be driven into the
i coffin of the official liars whose bust
ness it is to make their long-sutfer1ng
countrymen believe that England is
at her last gasp.
Fancy telling the German War o.
fee a man of certain age is no use 10
the nation! Anything on two legs
between the ages of Is and 60 is use
full to the Germans. Men OF 30 guard
the prison camps, some OF them 100
weak to stand the weight OF their
rifles. There is no such thing IN Ger
nanv as a business house pleading
that a young man is indispensable TO
them: it would be tlese majestic OF
the worst description. There are no
comnlaisant tribunals to listen with
svnonathetic ears to the tale OF a
/ small wife and a large family. You
cannot do those things in Hunland;
sentiment is entirely dead about such
matters.
Every young man in Germany fit
for the trenches has to go; his place
is taken by one of the 50year-olds.
The streets do not TEEN with hale and
hearty men discussing what their
l. OF 10 front
War is a business with the Germans,
and it is a business in which every
German is compelled to take more
than passing interest. No actors
find it possible to get nice "cusny
iob' close to Berlin and do their per
formances at night
It is the proper utilization of his
f man-power which makes the German
, suchs a formidable enemy and ac7
counts for the position he is in today
There are no time wasted in discuss
? ing whether a man is physically cap
f able of working for the nation at 81
wears of age. Two eyes, two legs, ano
two arms-that is all the High Com
mand asks for. He is soon found
work essential to winning of the war
Once a, month all able-bodied citizens
are medically examined, and the doc
tors are not so obliging as ours. Yol
are not asked if you have ever suf
fered from any particular disease
5 The past does not interest the Ger
, man.
There are over 100000 prisoner
s of war in Germany, most of then
Russians. When 1 left Berlin the!
: were still to be seen about the streets
: driving carts, cleaning the streets, re
pairing the tramways. I do no
: think the gentle German has any IN
tention of letting them return to thei
native land yet awhile. Women an
children do most of the work in tn
, big stores. Even the men of so an
! over cannot be employed there.
The administrative departments o
: the Army are carried on by badl,
wounded men. There are no "cush
jobs there either. Men up to As ar
put into the trenches; those up to 5
= guard lines of communication, escor
prisoners, dig trenches, man the med
ical service. In Ruhleben we had
mixed collection for guard. Their
were commercial travellers, ban
clerks, porters, and farmers (who ha
l. frequent leave). Highly skilled pee
9 pie like druggists and opticians wer
1t all employed in working for the Army
&c The streets of Berlin are not fill
ed with young men who should hav
been fighting for their country thre
years ago. Most of those I saw dun
ing, my numerous visits to the Gel
man capital had been discharged an
were sporting black and white rit
hon of the Trou Crocc n
"On War Service" badges to be see
in Berlin. The whole system is s
beautifully simple. Eiether you al
in the Army, or, for some very goo
reason, you are not You may be @
''Civildienst" (civilduty), in whic
case you receive five marks day 6
compared with the SS pfennigs til
private soldier received, although eve
then you are not guaranteed tn
greatest inducement any German ca
be offered-that of three square mea
a day. The food in the Germa
Army is, apparently, appalling, juds
. ing from the rations I saw supple
to the prison guard in Ruhleben- Tn
food was SO bad that the men use
to search our offal tubs for scraI
left from our meals.
z From the German point of view tn
question of man-power is purely on
. of business. do not think the Wa
ONCE has ever thought of a man bt
ing physically fit for work. If he
| able to earn his living in civil lii
+ he must be able to wok for the Arm,
SO the Army takes him. The pre-:
ent age limit in German is 48, bl
: men up TO 60 are taken by the author
, tiles if required.