Evening journal., 1919-01-23

Lu6 ObNbF was not SUCH "a Ddu AyAAON
after all. Some doughboy would catch
J the smile Of a pretty German girl, and
] forgaye his enemy that evening after
supper.
A strict army order against fraterni-
cation went into effect, but that did not
prevent doughboys in many instances
from seeming forgetful that they were
al war with the Germans
The American soldiers here are for
the most part those who did the most
fghtlng. This means they had been
for several months IN the mud Of dew
astated France. Then they reached the
Rhineland, got good beds 10 sleep in,
had a rather easy time, and decided
that Germany was not such a bad place
after all This means, In short, that
some slight feeling OF camaraderles has
grown up here and there between
American soldiers and German civilians.
Girls and children.
One evening ! overheard a doughboy
talking 10 a German girl. He knew
German and was saying: "You know
we came into the war 10 whip the
Kaiser Now the Kaiser IS gone and
the war IS over. Let's be friends, you
and l." Nothing unpatriotic was intend
ed by that man.
Doughboys who are found seated on
/ the banks Of the Rhine with a German
child on each knee plan nothing against
their country.
Yet 1t is just this humane character
| or the American doughboys that has
/ been seized upon by the German propa-
gandlsts TO further their own ends.
It should be borne In mind that the
district Is overrun with officials. They
are In most cases imported from Prus-
sla. The revolution has brought no
change in officials Of the Rhineland,
who are the same as In the Kaiser's
regime II should be borne in mind also
that this Is a Catholic nation, and the
priests all play politics, their party be-
Ing the controlling political force here
about. II should be borne dn mind
again that this is a conservative region
wnere the most influential people love
democracy at heart as much as they
love smallpox.
Hence It is a field for DR.. Ahrens
His work has been done subtly and
well. In common with many other
Americans here, l had almost begun 10
believe in the German sincerity In the
profession Of high regard for America
and Americans until | was made ac-
quainted with the fact that instructions
to coddle the Americans were coming
from Berlin despite the effrots Of the
American military authorities to pre-
vent IT,
Under the instructions the Germans
who came In touch with Americans
wore ordered TO emphasize what kind
ly persons they were-so different from
the French, who were cruel and savage
ccnquerors. If l have been told once
have been told a hundred times how
Germans hope that the Americans Will
stay in Coblenz until all the allied sol
dlers Withdrew, for the coming OF the
French would be a calamity. One finds
That some little incident that could be
construed unfavOrably to French con
duct is magnihed and spread to all
quarters Of the area occupied by
Americans.
A Misehiefmahing BOniface.
There is an old hotel proprietor in |
whose establishment American officers |
are quartered and past whose place the !
correspondents must go to reach the /
headquarters Of the Third Army. He |
delights to halt one and tell the new
story Of the day about how mean the
French are and how good the Ameri- |
cans are. He will do this when he /
knows he is working for Germany every
day in the week.
Germans here, who would give their /
right hand to have Wilhelm back on
the throne, will tell you how Germany
must have a governmental organization /
just like that Of the United States, the
best in the world
But il is among the doughboys that
do most work, and every
German is a potential propagandist
They talk to the doughboys about their
cousins in America, and how they are
going across the ocean after peace is
made. They end up by some new story
about the French. Sometimes that
has his petty grievances
against a Frenchman and thus the
grievance grows.
Bearing in mind some Of these stories
about how unpleasant the French were
to the German civilians, l made a trip
with French offlcer into French-occu-
pied Germany and saw for myself what
had been told Frenchmen
treat Germans firmly, but in no case
cruelty. I saw Frenchmen talking to
German girls as doughboys are not al
lowed to do. I heard from a French
how stories Of bad conduct had
been investigated and proved ground
less.
There came 10 the advanced American
headquarters one day a story from q
German source Of how a regiment OF
passing through the end {
OF the American area, had pillaged the
village and made all the civilians line ,
1p mad salute them. ] went on a trip '
Of Investigation with an American on
ser and found that one French orderly
had taken a chicken and paid marks ,
Instead Of the 10 marks demanded, and [
how one French Lieutenant, seeing a !
ierman at work in the field with a {
oitchfork, had made him present arms
with his tool Of labor These facts are 8
part Of the American army records. &
secret Service Kept Busy.
This work goes on increasingly. The $
American Secret Service Is day after
lay running down evil stories about {
he French which turn out TO amount I
% nothing. u has reached such a stage '
hat yesterday two ardent american 1
Sermans" were told that the next good
hing they said TO an American soldier '
lbout America would get them into Jail q
The German propaganda among the G