The New York herald., 1922-10-22

delight when we walked down the streets
of Cobenz and were able once more to
call out to a passing soldier, Hi there,
Buddy!" While it whisked us back through
four years to see the familiar khaki on the
streets, it was not exactly familiar, either.
To old timers of the A. E. F. it would seem
that every buck private over here now is
better dressed than our Major Generals in
the war used to be-or even our Second
Lieutenants. For genuine style in mill
tary clothes they have everything in Amer
lean army experience outclassed hopelessly.
Tailored uniforms that fit like mustard
plasters, belts, riding crops, gloves, trick
caps and all kinds of fancy decorations
make them the idols of every feminine
heart in Germany. couple of NJ. P's
going down the street would make two Bel
gian Field Marshals look like a detail of
kitchen police.
As for the officers (although they have
TO work overtime to do it), they somehow
manage to go even a little stronger on ap-
pearafce than the bucks" They all dupli-
cate the fashion plate myths we used to
see pictured in the windows of the army
cantonment stores back in the States.
Any American, however, would be proud
to see these men as the representatives of
the United States Army. They are the
finest looking soldiers in the world 1t is
no wonder that the German respects them
Much has been said and written about
the presentiattitude of the average German
toward the American. 1t is a large sub
ject, and any observer will be prone to
err more or less on the side of his own in
clinations 1t is indeed difficult to arrive
correctly at all the facts.
In the first place. Germany is now COM
posed of various groups which do not agree
among themselves as to their form of
government or, to tell the truth, much
of anything else 1t has been thought that
all these groups were unanimous in trust
ing the American in preference to any
other nationality To certain extent, this
may be true. but only because they incline
to us as the least of number of evils
1t is not difficult to discern that any
German hates the French with an undying
enmity. 1t is indeed terrible in it's in
tensity and disquietiDg to any individual
VIM liidSiifcS tHdl the Wal HdS the
Germans a lesson.
To suffer the French in any part of Ger
man territory is bitter pill: the seemingly
cordial welcome they give to the American
Army of Occupation, therefore, is in the
nature of a contrast. To them, anything
is held to be better than the French. On
the other hand, we have yet to find an
American here who believes that they ac-
tually prefer us to any other nationality.
AT the same time we have arrived at the
conclusion that the average German has
also bit of lurking fear of the Ameri-
can. The German, it appears, knows that
he cannot judge the American tempera-
ment exactly. He realizes that he has
made several very disastrous mistakes in
the past in this regard, and he has become
trifle uncertain as to what the American
attitude in any given situation may be-
BY Americans here that is deemed a good
sign for the future
The German opinion of the Allies, includ-
ing Americans is manifested in many
ways especially in matters pertaining to
money and prices. In stores one may see
Continued on Page Eighteen.