GERMAN AND FRENCH OPINIONS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 58, 5 September 1914, Page 4

GERMAN AND FRENCH OPINIONS.

Before I went to Germany my ideas of the inhabitants' conversation were based on the familiar, "Where is my book?" "I do not know, but here is the walking stick of your grandfather." I found real German conversation, however, much more interesting (writes a correspondent in the Melbourne Age). I remember meeting a queer old German field-marshal at a, Prussian country house. He was talking one day at dintier of "the day." * I leaned across the table to say — "I am sure, your Excellency, you wish as sincerely as I do that that day may never dawn." He answered very simply, "I am a soldier. 411 my life I have been training for war. And I have never seen it."' That is the official military attitude — "is all our training to be wasted?" The General told us many little stories about the Kaiser, of whom he was a close personal friend. Once .the Kaiser was standing a window of the -Palace, in Berlin, Vhen there were rather nasty Socialist riots. Yon H.L. said — "Your Majesty is doubtless aware that you are an excellent target." The Kaiser did not turn, but answered warily — , "I am always that. But if I were to let it get on my nerves I could not go on living." Then we told some motoring experiences. f "When first the Kaise? took to motoring, he loved to go at full speed. We used to fly through villages like the whirlwind, running over ducks, geese, fowls, dogs, children, and old women. These continued jolts were very bad for an old man like me, so I thought T would see if I could improve matters. j I ventured to remark one day, when we j had just killed most of the live stock of a village, 'What a number of people 1 were waiting in M. to see your Majesty Some of them, no doubt, rose before daybreak and have^ walked many miles in order to see their Sovereign once in their humble lives. I think, perhaps, if your Majesty would give orders that the chauffeur^ is. to go more slowly through the villages it would give a very great deal of pleasure to some of your most loyal, if lowly, subjects.' "I didn't know how he'd«jtakp it," the General continued, " but ne saw at once that there was reasou in what I said, and gave orders that we were' to go more quietly through the villages. The only drawback was that then I nearly lost my life several times from bouquets." " From bouquets? " " Yes. Your loyal country folk make nosegays tho_ shape and size and solidity of large cauliflowers. When we went at a rattling pace most of these fell wide of the mark, but when we drove more slowly the bucolics aimed w ( ith deadly precision and force. As I have sworn to defend Hia Majesty with my life, of Course I had to interpose my poor body between him and the floral offerings. I nearly lost my head several times, and t\»s badly braised constantly. At last 6ne day I let him have one, and after that he had a fine wire screen, put up, which is some protection." /'The ugly little general," as he called himself, w»6 full of good stories. Just now he will be busy with deeds, not words. j The Kaiser was discussed very often at German dinner tables. The Prussians aro not loved by the other German States, and the fiery Prussian, who is their figure head, is loved by very few indeed. He 1 is their King or Emperor, and they are loyal, but he is arbitrary and despotic, and they know it. "Quite mad — but then what can you Expect with an English mother?" is a common comment. Joachim and I used to have endless discussions over questions of national policy, He was intended for dipkknacy, but was too honest, and so was secretary to a, Minister. All 'his brothers were officers. "Yotir hateful military caste dominates Germany, ' I would exclaim sometimes. 'You are all under the heel of officialdom. "I am a civilian, I love the military no more than you do," he would retort. 'But it is necessary. England, the great Jobber, is always armed, and so must we be. ' "How you hate us I" "Not personally," "You have no more cause to hate us as a nation than personally." "No cause to hate you as a nation?" he cries in intense indignation. "What about the Portuguese colonies? Here we are, a great growing people penned up in a little bit of land. We must have colonies. We offer to buy them from Portugal. Portugal is williuo-. England steps in or forbids it. What light has England? .Does she control the universe'/ We must and will have colonies !" "O'oJonies!" I reply with scorn, "What usd could you make of colonies? ¥ou are neither colonists nor colonisers. Germans will never have successful colonies. YoUr officials go out for a few years and goverii the poor peasants with a rod of iron. They are all the time planning to get back honie again. Your young men of good family will never settle in the colonies and take their wives out and make their homes there. Your people live happily in our colonies because they are free, but you try to make slaves, not colonists." "We may have made mistakes," he says, "So has England. What about the United States? . But we shall learn as England has learnt, and she shall not prevent us. Ach," he cries, growing excited, "if we once had your licet in the Baltic we would grind them to powder ! Add the day 1b coming !" "Never, never, never,!' 1 shriek, almost dancing. "Do you think that we would ever be conquered by you? Britain is the mistress of the sea, and Uermany will never rule it until the last Englishman loses his last drop of blood." lam only a midget. Joachim is 6ft 4in, and broad- in proportion. He has long ghastly crossing cutti on each cheek, and a head like patchwork under the brown hair. I feel quite equal to defending the honour of my country, but I dislike" squabbling, so I propose a truce, and he agrees, probably fearing that 1 should have an. apoplectic attack. In France 1 found somewhat the same impression of Great Britain — a sort of fancy picture of a voracious female, with an unnatural appetite for gobbling tip pieces of territory. However, this was tiMch modified, and King Edward had won golden opinions, though many seemed to consider it a mistake that so charming a man was not born on theii side of the Channel. Others expressed the old-titne fear of "perfidious Albion." A ' dear old French lady said to me, " Ah, yes. my dear, England is now very sweet to us. Your King Edward is a thctful and distinguished man, and has great diplomatic ability. But you have so often played with us. Your 'King twists us round his little finger while- he is here like this"— she smoothed her little, white hands — " but once he has gone back to England he will do like this " — hare she put her dainty fingers to her patrician nose. . But I cdii jusl imagine how my French friends would talk to me, and how gratefully they will acknowledge that this time England's word" is as good as her bond. No one who has not travelled la j

Europe can realise how enormously England will gain in the respect of other nations by her defence of France. We read that the Kaiser has boasted that he is a second Napoleon, but can avoid Napoleon's mistakes! However, the Germans will probably say of William the Second exactly what the French say of Napoleon— "He left his country poorer than he found her."