German Obedience.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 964, 22 August 1890, Page 10

German Obedience.

M. Paul Blouet (Max O’Rell) gives the following illustrations of German ‘ obedience,’ whioh remain to him as souvenirs of prison days spent in a German fortress in 1870: The chief of the canteen had a way of calling his wife which, novel as it seemed to me, was clearly quite effective. When he wanted her, if she was within hearing, ho simply whistled and she camo. The first time I was a witness of this little Teutonic scone I started in amazement, the second and third time it still interested me; but the novelty wore off, as novelties will, and I ceased to wonder why the good frau did not slap her husband’s face. The second illustration may be called literally a striking one\ A company of Landwehr were being drilled in the fortress, and up and down the line went the officer commanding. Among the rest was one good roundabout fellow whose circumference near the waist line was not muoh under two yards. He had ranged himself well in line in front-, and was oblivious of the back view. Presently the efficer passed along the rear, and quick as lightning the protuberance there caught his eye. He hesitates not an instant, no superfluous words does he trouble himself to utter, but bang comes a neat application of tho sole of his foot, which promptly brings tho too luxuriant form of Fritz into line with the others I A French soldier so treated would have turned and knocked his superior down, even if he had had to die for it. The good fellow had neither turned nor shown signs of turning. And these were no raw recruits, fresh from school either, but middle-aged men, fathers of families, men of standing, very likely, in their own town. Looking at them thus reduced to a mass of machinery, I said to my fellow-prisoner, a captain of my regiment, ‘The sooner France concludes peace the better. With our regular army in prison, our young levied masses can never hope to compete with this.’