The Better Germany in War Time Part 23

Again, "On the whole the Germans behaved well at St. Quentin. Their rule was stern but just, and although the civil population had been put on rations of black bread, they got enough, and it was not, after all, so bad." This testimony is the more noteworthy because, "as one of the most important bases of the German Army in France the town was continually filled with troops of every regiment, who stayed a little while and then pa.s.sed on." (Philip Gibbs, "The Soul of the War," p. 152.) It is a little startling to read some more that Mr. Gibbs has to say.

French-women were ready to sell themselves to German soldiers, and "such outrageous scenes took place that the German order to close some of the cafes was hailed as a boon by the decent citizens, who saw the women expelled by order of the German commandant with enormous thankfulness."

I am not so surprised at this now as when I first read it. An English soldier has since told me that the "silliness" (as he called it) of women for soldiers leads them, in more cases than he could have imagined, to bestow themselves on either friend or enemy. Women with child had said to him quite proudly that it was by a German soldier!

From a private letter: "One of the party is a French officer who tells the tale. After the Marne retreat he was crossing over the territory evacuated by the Germans, and made inquiry of the villagers who had housed the enemy, how they had been treated, what barbarities had been committed, and so forth. The villagers were surprised. The Germans had behaved like gentlemen, had paid for what they used, and had treated them with perfect courtesy. What, no looting? On the contrary, the German officer had a soldier shot for a very small act of pillage....

'We're soldiers, not robbers,' he said." I cannot vouch for this story, but it gives just the same impression as the account given by Dr.

Scarlett-Synge (see pp. 149ff). It is also remarkably similar to experiences recounted by C. A. Winn (Baron Headley) who was with the Prussians in 1870. ("What I saw of the War," p. 44.) When he himself had taken some vegetables from a garden, he was told by his officer friends that any sort of pillage was the "greatest offence a friend of the Prussians could be guilty of." And Mr. Winn speaks of "the many instances of the remarkable efforts of the authorities of the Prussian army to prevent plunders by their soldiers." It must be remembered that deliberate destruction for military reasons, or as punishment (carried out by all armies) is very different from theft. I do not for a moment suppose that this standard is always reached by the German armies. That it has often been aimed at is something to remember.

I may add here a rather interesting quotation from Colonel F. N. Maude's book, "War and the World's Life." On page 11 he writes: "I do not suggest that life in the Prussian army has at any time been ideal, but I do a.s.sert, from personal knowledge, that relatively to their respective stages of civilisation the treatment of the Prussian soldier, since 1815, has at all times been fairer and more humane than in any other army. The fact is proved by the very high standard of discipline maintained, together with the extraordinary absence of military crime which has so long distinguished it."

I am reminded, too, of one of the first experiences of a friend of mine in France. He reached a village through which the Uhlans had pa.s.sed. Had the inhabitants any complaints of their behaviour? None whatever.[62]

Their only indignation was directed against some English soldiers who (if their story be correct) had behaved abominably. It was a curious shock of reality for my friend. He realised that sometimes the enemy might behave well, and sometimes bad stories of English soldiers might be circulated (even amongst Allies). I am quite sure that no soldiers in the world would, in general, have more natural humanity than the British, and perhaps none would have as much. I contend only against the belief that one side is impeccable, and the other hopelessly barbarian.

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL REVIEW; A COMMON MEMORIAL.

Here are a few extracts from the _International Review_, a periodical published at Zurich, and with co-operators in Russia, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, America, Great Britain. "The yearning of human beings towards mutual understanding needs to-day a new organ for its expression." Hence this review-a review naturally p.r.o.nounced pro-German by our Junker Press, since it presents, amongst other things, moderate statements of the German standpoint. The only internationalism which this Press can recognise is one that is exclusively English. So exactly, _mutatis mutandis_, do German and English chauvinism coincide. The extracts which follow are taken from the first number of the review.

"Under the t.i.tle, 'German-French Chivalry,' the _Volksstimme_, of Frankfurt a.M. (June 19, 1915), describes the dedication of a memorial to three thousand dead at Sedan on June 12. The leaders of the German army were present, and the French authorities officially shared in the proceedings. The short inscriptions on the simple monuments are in both French and German. They refer alike to the seventeen hundred French and the thirteen hundred Germans who fell on August 27 during the battle on the heights of Noyers."

A STORY FROM FRANCE.

From _L'Action Francaise_, Paris (June 12, 1915), is cited a description of the poignancy of war, of which the following is a translation:

There had been a fierce fight in front of a fortress. Many dead lay on the ground, and a few wounded who were dying. In the night we heard weak cries, 'Kamerad, Kamerad!' We answered, thinking it was a German who wished to give himself up. The cries were repeated. We thought of treachery, and each took his stand in readiness. Suddenly, there came in pure French: 'Camerades Francais!' 'What is it?' 'A wounded man lies near you.' 'No.' 'Yes, in front of the trench.' 'We have just made a round, and found only dead.' 'Yes, but there _is_ a wounded man there who is calling. Can you not look for him?' 'No.' And then in the silence we hear again, 'Kamerad, Kamerad!' The German officer speaks again, very politely: 'French comrades, may we go to look for the wounded man?' An inflexible 'No' is the answer.

Is not some trick concealed under his apparent humanity and his persistence? 'Well, then,' calls the German again, 'go yourself and look; we shall not shoot.' Can we trust a German's word, after all that they have done? But there is no long delay. A man from Lille springs forward: 'All right, I will go to fetch him,'

he says. 'I will go with him,' I say to the Lieutenant. The leader of my squadron brings some others. The wounded man calls: 'Kamerad! Do not kill me!' We rea.s.sure him as to our intentions, and as he has a shattered hip we carry him to our lines, and on the way in spite of his suffering, he keeps on repeating with every kind of modulation, 'Good comrade.' He was a young man, scarcely eighteen years old, of the 205th Infantry.

I call to the enemy trenches: 'We have brought in one wounded man, are there any others there?' 'Yes. 20 metres further to the right.' We look round. 'There are none there, only dead.' 'Wait, we will give you some light.' A few words in German which we cannot understand. Will they simply shoot us down? Suddenly two splendid rockets go up: we can see as if it were midday. We are half a dozen marines and are standing twenty metres from the German trenches. On the other side of the wire entanglements an officer and men, behind the breastwork pointed helmets and caps.

All remains quiet. We look round carefully. 'Nothing. There are only corpses here. We are going back, you go back, too.' 'Merci, camerades francais!' calls the officer, and his men repeat the greeting of their superior. As soon as we are behind our breastwork our Lieutenant gives a command loud enough to be heard at sixty metres. 'In the air-Fire!' From over there once more, 'Thank you, comrades,' as answer to our salvo, and all falls back once more into the silence of the night; the work of death can go on again. But for this one night not a shot was heard around us.

How much sanity is there in a world that sets such men to kill each other, and eggs them on to hate?

GERMAN HELP OF "ALIEN ENEMIES."

In Germany (as already mentioned in Chap. IV.) is a 'Committee for advice and help to natives and foreigners in State and international affairs.' It deals with those of all nationalities, and one branch of it corresponds in many ways to the similar Emergency Committee in England for a.s.sistance of Germans, Austrians and Hungarians in distress.

What, however, is most striking is the number of cases of individual kindness shown by Germans to "alien enemies." The minds of many might be cleared on this subject if they would read a charming and unpretentious little book, "An English Girl's Adventures in Hostile Germany," by Mary Littlefair, published by John Long, Ltd. The auth.o.r.ess saw and heard absurd Press charges on the other side, and something, too, of the irrational hatred of war-time, but the little book is a record of almost nothing but kindness, and gives fresh hope to those who had begun to despair of human nature.[63] Here are two cases of singular beauty from Nauheim. A postman "happened to know of a poor English lady whose funds had come to an end, and who had in consequence offered to wash up the crockery at her pension in return for her board and lodging, and he told her one morning that he had forty pounds saved up which she should have, and welcome, if she was in need." The case of the bath-chair woman was not less touching and generous, for she and her husband, a crossing-sweeper, also put their savings at the disposal of an invalid lady his wife used to wheel out every day, telling her that, though their cottage was only small, they did possess a tiny spare room, and they would be so glad if she would come to them as their honoured guest, supposing-as at present seemed likely-the English would have to spend the winter in Nauheim; they would indeed do their best to make her happy and comfortable.[64]

On more than one occasion in the railway trains the "enemy" character of Miss Littlefair and those who were with her was revealed, but no unkindness was shown. The last occasion was in October, 1914. "'Shall you have to travel farther, or does your journey end in Munich,' 'No,' I said, 'we hope to go on to Switzerland to-morrow.' 'O, how delightful!

You are lucky. It is such a beautiful country. Tell me, are you foreigners by any chance-American, or perhaps English?' she queried.

'English,' I replied. The truth was out, and I looked to see a change of feeling reflected in her pleasant, winsome face; but her expression remained as kind and as interested as before, and her manner as cordial, so I told her more about ourselves, as there was no longer any need of reserve, and she had told me so much of their affairs." There was, of course, the usual patriotic bias, but it was expressed with real good feeling. "'Of course, we don't hold the English people personally responsible for the war,' she said, 'but we think that England[65] has behaved very shabbily. It is very grieving, though, that the two countries should be at war.' She had two or three English friends, and told me about them till our arrival in Munich, where our confidences were necessarily cut short, and we took an affectionate leave of one another." (p. 123.)

The following incident also shows simple folk made clear-sighted by kindness of heart: "On another occasion Christine and one of the ladies in our hotel went into a shop to buy some beautiful lace which was being sold at half-price. 'We have to sell it cheaply because of the war,'

explained the a.s.sistant: 'ach! it is terrible! We never wanted this war, and I am sure you did not either. You and I are not enemies, it is ridiculous. Let us shake hands to show we are friends. Yes!' And they did."[66] Good! That handshake, let us hope, will outweigh many a hysterical outburst on both sides.

An English schoolmaster was, with his wife and family, in Germany at the outbreak of war. He testifies to the quite wonderful kindness he received. Almost daily he was taken by his hosts to other houses, and at the _Kaffeeklatsch_ which ensued there was never anything but a finely chivalrous courtesy. So grateful did the schoolmaster feel that (just as with Germans befriended here) he felt he must make some sort of return to the "enemy." He explained the situation, and obtained permission to take two interned enemy nationals into his house. They in their turn felt that movement of grat.i.tude which the preachers of hate refuse to believe in. They wanted to make some return to the schoolmaster, for schoolmasters are usually poor men. "If you do that," he said, "I shall feel I am doing nothing." There was a dispute of kindness, and in the end a _modus vivendi_ of grat.i.tude was arrived at. How strange the methods of force seem by comparison. The two men are now interned once more-surely a sorry end to a story of such fine humanity.

From Mrs. K. Warmington: "There are two little instances that stand out in my mind very clearly, and I think speak for themselves. The first relates to an English lady, her husband, and her son, with whom I made acquaintance at the English Consul's office. Later on I met the same lady at the American Consul's office; she was in deep distress, as her husband and son had been arrested and put into prison. Through the influence of an American that we met at an hotel, we got a permit to go and see a military commandant at the barracks to see if anything could be done for them. When we arrived, he treated us most courteously, and listened patiently to what we had to say. He rang a doctor up on the telephone, and, as far as we could make out, told the doctor to examine these men, and to p.r.o.nounce them ill. He then turned to us, and told us to return in the afternoon, when he would fetch them in his own motor-car, which he did. He also gave us a paper asking the civil authorities to do all they could to aid us to get away, shook hands, and wished us a safe journey.

"The other instance relates more to myself. We were at Nuremberg, Bavaria. We had permission to leave for Lindau, on the borders of Lake Constance, on our way to Romanshorn in Switzerland. The journey was a rather expensive one for me, as I had very little money, little more indeed than a cheque, which was valueless. A young German, who was shortly going into the Navy, whom I had known only about a month, hearing of my case came to me, and gave me 9 in English gold to enable me to travel more comfortably.

"My father was German, my mother English, and my husband English. I was in Germany in 1914 from July 26 to August 26. As my son was of military age, and I did not want him interned, I got what influence I could to get him away. He was finally released at the end of August, and we were allowed to go on to Switzerland."

In the course of 1915 an English born woman returned to her husband in Munich. Her sister wrote to me of the extreme kindness with which this lady was received by her German friends. Many English wives of interned men have gone to Germany to their husband's families, and one hears the same account of extreme kindness. In Offenbach alone there are twenty English wives with forty English born children. _Special cla.s.ses have been opened for them._ After all, there are some German methods which are worthy of imitation. There seems at times a danger of our imitating what is _worst_ in our enemies, partly as a result of a desire to ignore what is better.

The letter which follows appeared in the _Times_ of September 2, 1914:

Sir,-Various rumours are finding their way into the German papers respecting the harsh treatment which certain Germans are said to have received in England. We British subjects who are being kindly and hospitably treated by Germans earnestly hope that these reports are, at any rate, much exaggerated.

It is well that the British public should understand the position of their fellow countrymen here. At the outbreak of the war British subjects in out-of-the-way places were given safe conducts to suitable centres, such as Baden-Baden, and there allowed to choose places of abode according to their tastes and means. Such restrictions as are put upon their movements are in their own interests. The authorities have exhorted the inhabitants publicly as well as by house to house visitations to treat foreigners with respect and courtesy, taking pride in thus proving their claim to a truly high standard of civilisation, and the people have responded n.o.bly to this appeal. Not only have hotel and pension-keepers done everything in their power to accommodate their visitors, at the most reduced prices, giving credit in many instances, but several cases have come to our notice in which Germans have housed and fed English women and children, who were perfect strangers to them, out of pure humanity and good feeling.

You, sir, can imagine how galling it must be to these people when they read in their papers of the very different treatment alleged to have been shown to Germans in England, and how painful and humiliating a position is thereby created for us here. England has. .h.i.therto enjoyed such a high reputation for chivalry and hospitality that tales to the contrary cause Germans a half incredulous shock. It it not too late for England to prove that she is living up to her old standard and that she refuses to be outdone in magnanimity towards the stranger within her gates....

(A paragraph follows as to the means by which money can be sent to Britons _via_ neutral countries.)

(Signed) DOROTHY ACTON (Lady).

F. BULLOCK-WEBSTER, M.A., Oxon, Resident Chaplain of Baden-Baden.

WM. MACINTOSH, Dr. Ph., Resident English Chaplain, Freiburg, i.B.

Baden-Baden, August 20, 1914.

Some account may be given of a party of 190 Englishwomen and 14 children who landed at Queenborough on September 22, 1914. (_Times_, September 23, 1914.) "... With one accord they spoke in terms of praise, both of their treatment in Germany and of the kindness shown to them on the journey.... 'We have received kindness everywhere,' said one of a party from Dantzig. 'The Germans have been absolutely stunning to us.... I have not heard of one English person being molested anywhere in Germany.'" The Englishwomen did n.o.ble work on their part, especially for the fugitives from East Prussia. "One Sunday we fed and clothed 290 who had come in without a rag to their backs."

"I was arrested in Berlin as a Russian spy, because a bomb had been found in the house next to mine, and because a woman in the street said that she had seen me putting bombs in my hat-box, and that she had seen me with a Russian. I did, as a matter of fact, know a Russian student, but he was not the man she meant. I was taken to the police station and searched twice in the same day. They kept me in prison for two days and nights, giving me very bad food, and then they released me because they had no real evidence against me. When I came out, strangely enough it was German people who gave me hospitality until I was able to leave Berlin."

Again, "The German women are crazy over our Scottish troops and their kilts. Some of them used to go out and give the prisoners cigarettes, chocolates and flowers, but that has been forbidden now."

A party of 178 who landed at Folkestone had varying stories to tell.

"Nothing could possibly be better than the treatment we have received,"

said one, "everybody-official, police and public-treated us with the greatest kindness and the utmost courtesy." "The Germans are brutes, absolute brutes," said another. Probably a third, who described both statements as exaggerations, came nearer the average truth. One of this same party described the kilts referred to above as causing matronly indignation in Berlin.[67]

In the _Times_ of September 24, 1914, appeared a letter on the subject of English exiles in Berlin:

I have read with interest and approval the statements of Englishwomen who have returned from Germany, as reported in the _Times_ to-day, with regard to the conduct of the German people.

As one of the party which arrived at Queensborough by the special boat, I wish publicly to express my warm appreciation not only of the considerate treatment which the people of Berlin showed towards English people there, but particularly to the splendid services rendered to us by the American Emba.s.sy, which made all the arrangements for our return, and by the Consular and munic.i.p.al authorities in Holland, who supplied us with food during our journey through that country.

May I add that I went about in Berlin as freely as I can now in London, and that at no time since the outbreak of the war have I seen a single British subject molested.

(Signed) L. TYRWHITT DRAKE.

Ladies' Imperial Club, September 23.

Here also is a fact that should give us pause. In a prisoner camp at Frankfurt a-Oder is a large building erected as a place of entertainment and general meeting hall. It is used by Russian prisoners, and _a considerable contribution towards its erection was collected by house-to-house visitation in Frankfurt._ To appreciate this fact at its true significance we must remember that Germany suffered from direct invasion by Russia immediately on the outbreak of the war, and that all the stories of atrocities and devastation that we heard of Belgium were also told of East Prussia.

"An old friend of our family," a correspondent writes, "has been residing in Bavaria over forty years. He is an artist, and married a Bavarian lady. His eldest son is a doctor in London, and two of his daughters are married in London, but the father has no difficulty in getting permits to paint in the Austrian and German mountains, and still finds a sale for his pictures in Germany."

Forty years is, I know, a long time, but not by any means always sufficient to prevent persecution in the present war. On my writing table is a little ivory elephant. It was carved by a German who had been forty years in the service of one British firm. He was dismissed (a man over seventy) because of the war. This is not a unique case. "N.S., clock-maker, who had been here thirty-nine years, and P.W., baker, fifty years. (He had two sons at the front, and 'the longer he thought the more the number of his English grandchildren grew.')" (See the Third Report of the Emergency Committee for these and other cases).