The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-09-29
GERMANS WATCH
AMERICANS PLAY
NATIONAL GAME
Baseball However Arouses
\ No, Enthusiasm Among
4 - ~Coblenzites.

Coblenz, Germany. Sept ISIS the
doughboy of the Army of Occupation
dowuhearted? Not so that you would
notice il. HE is the only American
for whom the war is not oyer and he
hates war, but he manages to have, a
pretty good time. in Germany. Note
the fact that here in Germany the
German mark is worth almost a mark
which is. about like what a quarter
used. to be back home. But it has
deprecated in the foreign exchange
market 50. that one dollar of an
Annerican doughboy's, pay will buy
nearly. fifty marks.
( THUS in strictly German purchases
the American enlisted patriot who
missed the war and got the occupa-
ton now can be a potentate. The
trouble is that most of the purchases
he wants TO make are from the Amer
lean quarternlaster's stores. There a
,Quarter is a quarter and rs cents ends
lit But even there the good old coin
does fairly well. The Q. M is no
There was keen interest in the army
in the Olympic games, as there is in
deed in everything pertaining to
sports. We are sporty little occu-
pationary force. The Germans watch
us with great interest. &rhere is Curl
osity in their eyes and~perhaps a lit
tie pathetic envy of our surety of the
future. They don't know what will
Happen to their Germany, while they
know that our little old United States
us all right.
Impressed by Antwerp Victory
The American victory at Antwerp
impressed them more than it did us.
i've all felt that 1t was obvious Amer
lea would have a walkover because it
had only had a lunch and not a twelve
course Banquet of wars horrors and
had not lost the best of its young
men. But they have become inter-
ested in American sports anyway.
They have thrilled them during the
whole summer, and. baseball, which
with the beginning of the season be-
came one of the Yankee army's chief
occupations, especially seems to cap
ture their attention. They are still
tgraveIy fascinated by the efforts OF
1.-THE doughboys to catch and field,
lpound out base hits and make home
runs. The Allies watch all this with
real enthusiasm (all of them usually
iare represented at each game); the
tGermans watch it with a solemn
One full series has been played of
this year and another now proceeds
upon its course between the First and
Second Brigades. This is the major
league here, anad its importance may
be Judged by the fact that Edouard
Rohn-Jacquemyns, member of the
Belgian Rhineland High Commission
has presented a silver cup for the
Three games a week are played ir
this league in each area, and only
spressing military duties interfere with
the attendance. The trees near the
hall lots are as full Of German kiddie:
as those in the States are full of Yam
lkee youngsters. They seem to ge
the idea, although their seniors show
only that grave, puzzled interest. Some
of the latter think that baseball is Z
kind of drill, others regard it as {
kceremony, a few who have been II
lAmerica are kept busy explaining the
Yankee national pastnne.
Exhibition baseball games are alst
played in the French, English. anC
Belgian areas. generally between twt
Yankee teams, but the Europeans oc
OCCASIONALLY put forward a nine of thei
own -
Other Sports sNumerous
Other sports also have their devo
Itees among Americans, and part o
tthe daily programme for all member
of the force is an hours workout witt
iboxing gloves Boxing competition
with the allied troops are frequent.
The troops arp kept posted on tn
fpennant races in the National an
American Leagues at home by dali
wireless dispatches to their newspa
ipers, the Amaroc News, which ais
informs our plutocrats in olive dra
of the quotations from Wall Street.