The sun., 1919-04-21


Germany does not wear a pretty dress.
1t IL "homespun" and very rough at
that The slouchy, careless soldiers
were not the only evidence OF that.
Inter den Linden looks like the lane
approaching a circus. Both sides OF
the broad avenue had tho appearance OF
continuous biliboards pasted with varie-
gated posters OF every description In
lurid coiors The broken windows In
the guard house at BrandenburR Gate,
where formerly Die wacho" (the
goard) came out and presented arms
when tho Kaiser, the Crown Prince or a
General hove In sight. were filled UP
with boards or the cracked panes pasted
over with newspapers.
The building itself was but the back
ground for an indiscriminate mass OF
posters and bills. The Russian Emba ssy
was another handy billboard and covered
with big placards as high as the bill
poster could reach How the men with
paste and brush must have received in
that freedom OF pasting wherever there
was a bare spot. Even the plate glass
show windows of the stores had not
been respected by them. In two or
three riaces some one had differed with
the tone, purport or color OF the pla-
card or poster and expressed that dis
sent by throwing a missile through
placard and window.
Arsenal n Side show.
The arsenal looked like the outside
OF Coney Island side show. The palace
OF old Emperor William J.. the Crown
Princes palace, empty and desolase. had
to do plebetan duty of supporting white,
black. red. green and yellow abomina-
tons Even the Russian cannon from
the battle OF Tannenberg. around the
statue OF Frederick the Great, looked
Inundated in the screeching intellectual
weapons" that had been pasted on their
black tubes I was surprised to find
that the billboard iend had turned aside
from the Cathedral. but had taken his
satisfaction out on the Eaiser's palace.
Two huge bills Of vivid green and white
calling mass meeting for protest
against giving up the Saar Valley
decorated the main portals. In New
York billboard company would have
gladly paid Thousands Of dollars for the
space here appropriated by the new free.
dom free Of charge.
Flaming all red posters screamed
Help! Immediately Men and money
needed Come TO the rescue of the
fatherland!" Ancient Greek warriors in
red helmets and huge red swords with
an equally vivid shield carrying the en-
vreathed r." called for volunteers for
the Reinhard Iron Brigade. Good pay
and food are assured. Placards of tho
Sharpshooters Division OF the Guards
We'd with the Greek warriors OF the
Reinhard recruiting bureau.
Enormous white and black posters nd
bills are headed: Citizens! The pre-
liminary peace is at the door. We want
M <,f toll
that leaves the seed OF revenge be-
hind"
A crayonllke black and red poster
represents a group OF Idle workmen be-
fore a factory; below them sits a hor-
ribly emaciated woman with two skel-
etonlike children. recalling to mind the
Famine in India" pictures.
Red and black letters read: Who
ever does not work is the gravedigger
Of his children" Another futuristic pos
ter, of which there are thousands, shows
a vivid green skeleton striding over Ber-
lin. It reads: Workers! Death from
hunger nears! Work nourishes. Strikes
destroy. Do your duty. Work.
Many Anti-Red Posters.
Most conspicuous o; all are the anti
Bolsheviki posters that hit you in the
eye on every side. But of those I shall
write more In detail. Amid these war
like clashes of colors and words IL a
pastoral poster in black and white and
green and yellow showing the peaceful
scene OF cottage entrance. Near the
door hangs yellow canary in green
cage. on the other side a green vine
twines itself up past the window. Big
black letters read: Returning war
riors, Members of the Guard Corps.
Build yourself a colony cottage" And
then instructs such members to apply at
the barracks.
The camps OF the Specialization of
mines" and the 'anti-socialization" fol-
lowers scream their tenets and ideas at
one another
In many places the posters and bills
have been scratched of and others
pasted over. The rains have made the
colors run. Often they are befrazzled
AT the edges. Turn where you will in
the centre OF the city every artistic
and aesthetic sense revolts. Berlin, once
the cleanest and neatest city in Europe
Once when the throwing OF a small piece
Of paper in the street might have
brought a summons or policeman
tapped you on the shoulder with a re-
quest to pick II up and place II In the
baskets near at hand for that purpose.
To-day the Friedrichstrasse and Inter
den Linden often look like a snowstorm
had swept over II. from the handbills