The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-08
DIR. SPEIR WRITES
 OF GERMAN PEOPLE
 IN RHINE REGION

Dr. Ross c. Sper, NJ C., of Furman who is with the first division army of occupation in Germany, has written the following to Mrs. Speir concerning the German people among whom the troops are living:
 Army of Occupation, Hillscheid, Ger
 many, April IS, 1919.
 Ten days of rain and sleet and wind and cold naves gotten us in mood to thoroughly appreciate this day of sun shine, warmth, beauty and fair weather. The German farmers are beStirring them selves.
 From my window I hear the coaxing commands of couple of plowmen. They are narrowing a strip of land about l2 feet wide and 300 yards long. Two milch cows are hitched to the harrow, and are apparently in a reluctant or rebellious mood, for the two men are constantly yelling 'Taw-w- ther! Haw-w-ther! and other peculiar gobbling exclama- tions. Milch cows seem to be the prln- cipal beasts of burden. Rarely are oxen seen. Horses are also very scarce. Oc- casionally one or two horses form the lead team, with two mflch cows next 10 wheels of heavily loaded wagons The precious piles of manure are being trans ferred to the fields In this task men, women and children are engaged. The small plots of land owned by each. fam fly are heavily fertilized and by intensive cultivation heavy yields of wheat or beets or what not result.
 Another matter of interest, but at tended by the most uninviting of odors' Is the hauling of what we know as liquid manure. They attach a barrel of some sort to the wagon frame. very long, thin barrel or thick, short one, and this product of the farm yard and stable is pumped from some underground cellar into the barrel, hauled to the field. and there the cork stopper underneath IS pulled out
 Every house, it seems possesses one of these cellars, and all are anxious to get the contents on their lands. Where our company holds retreat formations, we are between two of these pumps. In forma' retreat there are two calls of the bugle to fhe first, the company is at parade rest and when the second, or "call to the colors," is. sounded, the company is at attention, and the officer facing the mu- sic and flag is at a salute. When the pverpowering, indescribable oder from these pumps hits me, I long to be hold ing my nose with my left hand, while the right is at salute.
 When we are on hikes and pass one or more of these big loaded barrels we are again nose 'pinchers, or yell out "Gasi Alertl' While at Nice a party of us went out to grasse and visited big perfumery establishment. Our guide poured perfume into every mans cap Unable to reach mine, she emptied the bottle in a pocket of my trench coat, saturating a pair of gloves. These gloves have been lifesavers for me up here ir Germanys where the farmers never seem tc get through with their work of hauling their various brands of fertilizer.
 The farming people of these small Ger man towns remind me great deal O that class of people known as peasant. of the Europe of sixteenth and seven. seenth centuries They are all engage in farming, and from their little lots they eke out a meagre, scanty living There are a few wealthy families whc own most of the land. The rest are rem .-rs and rent is paid in produce. labor or money.
 Just as in France, village life prevails The people are all huddled together in these small towns around their conn,n central church Very rarely do we see a country farm house as in America These people have their town criers owe here, too
 The people are better educated tha one would think by casual study Of their countenances- An ambitious, ben eficent Emnaror has seen to that a1nns