HITLER’S BEDTIME STORIES

Evening Star, Issue 21630, 27 January 1934, Page 2

HITLER’S BEDTIME STORIES

A GRIMM TALE Among the German hooks meant Tor Christmas presents is ‘ Children, what do you know of the Leader? ” designed for children of seven or eight. In the language of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, it tells the “ heroic ” story of the Hitler Movement, and turns Nazi ideas into bed-time stories. Chapter one shows how great men like Count Zeppelin, the inventor, and Adolf Hitler, are scattered among the many. Chapter two, titled, “How our Neighbours feared us, and wished to Destroy Black-White-Rod Germany,” tells the story 0 f “ Germany’s Encirclement.” “ Many years ago, before yon came into the world, when your father was still a young man, and your mother still a school girl, Germany was a powerful, rich land.” Whenever a German invented a machine, built a factory, constructed a ship, France, Russia, and England were envious, England was especially angry, saying' “ But we will have-the best ships.”

And because they were filled with envy, “ England and France and her other neighbours wished to kill Germany. But how can one kill a land, you" will ask. Ah, children, that is something terrible. They tried to do it through a war.” They said: “We will not allow Germany to be more beautiful than we. We will not allow Germany to be richer and greater and happier than we. We will kill her.” And so they placed their soldiers and cannons all round Germany to shoot at her. “ But our German soldiers were good and brave. Quickly they ran to the frontier and did not let in the enemy ” And because they had a good leader. General von Hindenburg (“ Y T ou all know his name ”) they fought well. Then came the Italians and Americans, -and “ because altogether they could not beat Germany they brought black-skinned and brown-skinned men from over the seas. “Four years long this terrible war lasted. But our soldiers under General von Hindenburg won many battles, and did not. let the enemy into the land.” THE “ STAB IN THE BACK.” Then a “ wicked spirit ” took possession or’ our land, it went whispering into peoples’ ears, “Stop shooting. You’ll never beat the enemy. Peace will then come.” Many listened to the “ wicked spirit,” who actually said Germans were guilty- of beginning the war. “ Naturally, that was a lie.” But so many Germans were poor and tired that they believed anything. Then the “ wicked spirit ” slipped into the munition factories, saying to the workers; “ Stop making bullets and bombs. Then our soldiers cannot shoot, and peace will come.” And poor Germany suffered like “ all good spirits in the fairytales, children.” Thus the war finished. But it was “ a bad end.” The enemy said, “ You have lost the war.” The enemy became impertinent and cried: “You Germans are guilty of the war, and must give us some of your laud You must pay for all that we have lost in the war. You must give us money to rebuild our houses and factories, etc., etc., . . . .” Thus the story of Reparations is told. Germany could do nothing. For it had given in to the “Wicked spirit,” and made an armistice: Many soldiers wanted to fight on, But the enemy had taken the weapons away, and the united will was not there. But while many shook their heads, and said we can do nothing, one man, a soldier, said: “No! It can’t go on like this.” He threw himself down on to his soldier’s bed and prayed to “ the good God.” “ Dear God, have pity on our poor German people,” he prayed. “ They have forgotten that they are German. It is a shame what they allow to be done to them. And if things go on as they are doing, we shall be a poor people without a say in our own land. The foreigners will be masters over us, and we must be their slaves.” And “ the good God spoke to him, ‘You shall .save the Germans from this tragedy, and I will help you.’ Then the soldier stood up. stretched out his arms to heaven, and cried; ‘1 will rid Germany of her enemies; I know that God helps me.’ ” That soldier “ was Adolf Hitler. Then he was alone. But now the whole world knows hiin._ His Germans love him. His enemies fear him. All the world knows that he is protected by God, with whose help he will save Germany.” The next three chapters compress the early parts of Hitler’s ‘My Struggle ” for youthful reading. Special emphasis is given to the young Adolf’s enthusiasm for the FrancoPrussian War. “No doubt, children, vou have heard from your grandfather of that war. He was probably in it. He was there, 'about six years ago. when the Germans, in a daring rush of victory, pushed the French back, and marched into Paris. Those were great deeds which the Germans did then.” The second portion of this little book deals with the political rise of Hitler since 1919. Hitler was gassed. How? Because “at the end of the war England threw dangerous bombs full of poisonous gases.”