NOTES AND COMMENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15932, 1 June 1915, Page 6

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

♦ GERMAN SOLDIERS GO MAD. According to the National Suisse, Professor Gaupp, a nerve specialist, of Tubingen, has been drawing attention in the Munchener Medezin-Wochcnscrift to the alarming increase of cases of madness in tho German army. At tho commencement of tho war. he says, the etato of the nerves of thn troops ras better than could have titan hoped for, but- even then numerous cases of ovcrexcitement could be observed, manifesting themselves in the shape of insomnia and a tendency to abnormal intoxication. Smco then, however, and especially since the Frer.ch offensive of tho middle of December." a very large number of j gaps has been caused by nervous and mental affections, morbid excitement, and nervous prostration. These breakdowns I occur among the unwounded. the explosion if a liniiili or the fall of a comrade being sufficient to produce them. The acute symptoms of these affections such as paralysis, convulsions, loss of speech, delirium, and hallucinations, often disappear under careful hospital treatment, but in most cases reappear on the return of the men to tho front. Tho i suggestion even of a return to the front ha* often been sufT.cicnt to send the men mad.

EARNESTNESS OF FRANCE. An embusque is, strictly speaking, a member of one of tho non-combatant services of the French Army, though tho word is not to be found in tho dictionary in that sense, writes the Paris correspondent of tho London Times. The name was most commonly applied to a whitefaced, peaked-nose typo of individual with a Mercurr'n staff embroidered on his collar, who worked as a clerk or telegraphist ill military depots or the Ministry for War. Since tho war, however, it has almost lost its original meaning, and has become a term of reproach of the most scathing kind. There arose an outcry at the number of strapping adults who were employed in embusque work, making inventories of stores in the depots or driving unnecessary motor-cars abont the streets of Paris, while boys of 18 were being sent to the front, and swiftly embusque became a synonym for a man who shirks his military service. It is by no means confined to uniformed non-combat-ants, and the woman whose husband and sons aro in Lorraine or Flanders has no deadlier taunt for a civilian who looks as if he could bold a rifle than " espece d'embusque." This bitterness of feeling towards any man who is not actually in the trenches exterminating bodies sheds an interesting light on the popular French attitude towards the war. To use a slang expression, tho French are " all out" on tho issue. They are more in earnest about it than English people can conceive. The average middle and lower class family is giving literally all for the nation—its men, its still growing boys, and all but tho very shreds of its income. Hence they feel that it is almost a sin for any man who might reasonably bo killing Germans to bo employed on anything less vital. SOUTH-WEST AFRICA. In view of the recent occupation of Windhoek, the capital of German Southwest Africa, by the Union troops under General Botha, the speech by the Governor, Dr. Seitz, in opening the Landesrath there, is interesting : —Tho diet met early in March last, and the Governor, in opening tho session, said that much had been said and written about the fatal hour towards which the German people | ■were advancing. "This fatal hour has struck, gentlemen," continued Dr. Seitz, "we are in tho midst of it. The first official intimation of tho threatening war wo received on July 29, in a telegram from the Colonial Office, which stated ' that the Powers were endeavouring to localise tho war between Austria-Hungary and Servia, and that there was no dangei for the Protectorates.' In roite of these latter words, we began at once the necessary preparations, particularly by ordering the removal from the coastal towns of tho official balance of foodstuffs. On August 1 we received a further telegram, containing only the following : ' August 2, first day of mobilisation.' Against whom we mobilised was not mentioned: we learned, however, from other telegrams, which arrived some time after, sometimes in cypher, that war with Russia had broken out, and that war with France was imminent. On August 6 another telegram arrived, reading: 'War with England, France, Russia!' As this made war also probablo for tin, martial Jaw was dc tared in German .oulh-west Africa ; volunteers were called for, and, in order to make possible the payment of numerous claims for cash now reaching the Government in largo numbers, five millions worth of Treasury notes were issued. These measures were taker in consultation with representatives of the banks and the merchants. A largo number of those notes haw again been redeemed by us in the meanwhile. Though in the beginning there was reason to doubt whether tho Union of South Africa would .oh England against us, this doubt was soon dispelled by tho speeches of the Union Ministers Botha and Smuts in Parliament and on other occasions. So we had to reckon not only with an attack by the English, but also with one by the Union. Tho revolt in South Africa, which collapsed completely in January of this year, might retard this development, but could not frustrate it. So the position now is that tho English are in occupation of the Orango line, Luderitzbucht. the railway as far as" Garub, and the Swakop Valley."