Evening star., 1922-07-03

Especial Correspondence Of The Star and Chi |
cago Daily News.)
BERLIN. Germany. May 10.-The |
middle class of Germany has lost it's |
wealth through the devaluation Of |
the mark. Who has picked it up?
The visitor gets part of the answer !
in the first day he spends with Ger
men people. He asks German
friend to dinner at some clean, pleas
ant restaurant.
II really don't enjoy going there"
replies the German friend. ut is full |
Of schIeber."
You look UP "schieber" in your
German dictionary and discover that
it means "one who shoves." After
further investigation you find that it
means "one who shoves illegal goods |
under the hand when the police are |
not looking"
The word was adopted during the
war to describe that furtive fra
ternity who provided the German
burgher with milk and butter and
eggs and meat and sugar and coffee |
when these things were nominaliy |
rationed and actually almost unob- !
tainablc. 1t has been retained to de-
tionable practices during the war. !,
and especially those who since the
war have prohted on the suffering of !
others.
Work On Wide scale. |
The schieber. who once were sneaks |
peddiinE Jumps of sugar from back !
door to back door. are now those who
smuSEie German stocks Of food and |
clothing into Switzerland; those who !
bring Geek crowns in their shoes !
into Germany: those who buy up the |
sugar beet crop and hold it for high |
er prices: those who purchase dollars |
with marks and later transform them !
Into double the number of marks. |!
When supplies of food and clothing
are short there are some who will !
know how to accumulate them and |
hold them until people are willing to
pay more for them. These are the |;
scieber. When paper marks flow
every month there are whose who |
know how to grab them and purchase |
things to resell later to the people |
at double prices. These are the |
schieber. When industrial securities |
are falling there are those who know |
how to buy them from needy holders !
and reap stool. bonus at the next !
semi-annnal distribution. These are |
the schieber.
The schieber go to the best res
taurants. The schiebcr have the best |
scats at the opera The schieber buy |
cost months wages. |
Buy Pictures and Books.
The schiehcr buy pictures 1t is !
said that the schieber want the PIC |
lures which are said to be the best |
pictures. SO they hire art critics to |
select them Hence it is said that the |
taste in art has not yet noticeably |
declined. But the schi.ber also buy
books. and for some reason do not |
hire book critics. Hence the taste !
in literature ha" decidedly declined |
A schieber recently entered one Of ,
the best book shops in Munich and !
saw the exqufsiteiy bound volumes |
shelved against cne wall.
How much do ttosc books COST"
he asked.
Well. which ones would you like"
replied the proprietor. can sell |
you Goethe. or Schiller. or-%
oh. ! don't care what they are" /
my house. Make an estimate and !
send me the bill tomorrow. AnG |
while you are about it. send me the !
bill for those books on the other |
wall. And you might as well send |
me an estimate on the bookcases. / |
need bookcases. too !
The story has the double advan-
tage of being interesting and abso- |
lutely true.
1t is clear to the visitor at the |
first glance that the people who |
nowadays occupy the best places in |
the theaters and restaurants are not |
people capable of fine discrinfna ton !
in art and music and literature. not |
people capable of wise and moderate |
political thought. or Of deyoting
themselves to unselfish public service |
or OF adding to the nations stock of !
learning and beauty
Effect Oa Character, |
Certainly this shift of economic !!
power from the middle class to the |
schieber must have a profound ef-
1ect on the life of Germany 1t is
TOO early to estimate its extent or
character Exactly a sf,nilar change
came over France during the great
revolution. after Napoleon had shot
the popular protest. full of grapeshot
France suddenly blossomed with a
cAass OF noQveaux riches. who had
speculated ta money. supplied the
army or pnrchaEed natiorsiized land
with deprecated assignats. And
these people became the ancestors
Of the dominating class in France
today.
When and if Germany attains sta
b1lity. the schteher may become can
tsins OF industry end finance, leaders
0I thought and arbiters of taste.
Iheir si'ns and daughters are al
reaay READ entering the private schools
German Pre-war aristocracy We're the
dest'endants Of high-class bandits
But for the present the public graces
and amenities Of German life are In
the hands OF those who are chief,v
expert In Showing illegal goods nm.
DER the hand when the police are NOT
looking" 'o'