BOOKS OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2510, 10 July 1915, Page 9

BOOKS OF THE DAY.

EUROPEAN CAPITAL3MN. WAR TIME. - How the war is affecting the everyday ■ lite of the European capitals is the interesting subject dealt -with m a book entitled ."What- I Saw in Berlin and Other-European Capitals During War Tune" (London; Eveleigh Nash). The author, who signs himself "Piermarini," is apparently an Italian, but 'ho is evi■V■' gently, not a little ofa .cosmopolitan,', for he is, it would .seem, equally- at Itflina in Vienna and Berlin as at Homo I , or Constantinople, and writes also, of i Brussels, Amsterdam, and Paris,- as one I ho intimate: acquaintance with I , these cities. Tlie: contents of ."Pier-1 manni's" book first appeared, for the I most part, in the columns of a London newspaper, the "Evening News," the record.of the author's Continental experiences being brought up to some time m February last.' Two visits to Berlin are chronicled, one in October,: the second at 1 ilio end of''December. On : the hrst vibit the .conhdenco of the people : was. everywhere noticeable: ■;' "Theso people, V-: writes the' author, "have a keen relish and delight in tne.fact; : as ;they : .a3mt' at orice'/Hhat' the whole ■ .■ world is' against theni; they' seem to .. be proud! ot t&ieir isolation, and despise infinitely their only Allies, the Austrian. ■}' ' On his second visit, however, "Piermanni" noticed a. .. quite perceptible change. ' The Berhner still says. "we aTe ,■■/■■ certain .toMnn,"vbut, -remarks 'the au- . ,thor,"if. you go on talking, you will detect, from the way in. which the man tries to avoid certain'subjects, and how he sigliswhen some others—notably the navy and tlie-Crown. Pnncor-come into the/discussion, that the beautiful assurance of former days is' gone, and that eomesmall cracks in the war/organ- • isation. begin to be. evident even to his f oyes.V "/rhe Emperor's conduct was discussed much more freely, and on every side there was a feeling that while tho army, has been a. success German diplomacy has proved, "un ratage 1 complet" (a complete failure). /"Our diplomatists," said / one . higlily-plaoed oihcial, "seem busy making . mistake ■ after mistake; we have lost the sympathios of all countries on earth, even • of those.who were formerly our friends." "Piermarini" confirms everything that has, been -written on .the insensate hatred of England and the. _ English, which has now become a.. national, and -. individual, mania. ■■■■■■■ ■■■■:- >: Curiously l enough' (saya>. the . ■. author),' this.'' hate, _ which is-; very ' ■ .moderate in the military class] and > 'not too strong among . commercial •- v and industrial people, who have al- • i<'; ways-considered: Great Britain as *• ■ : one of theiv best customers, and who are longing to start tracing, -with.. her again when the war is over,: A , Teaches iihe highest possible degree of volume amongst < the upper ■ classes, ' the sedentaiy/men of -tho.- ' . laboratories, the Professors, pride, ; ; arid in former-, times,.amusement,of .. :' Germanyherself:"We ;have- been. . very humane up to now; we have , : >not.killed,'half/the;men-we could;; ' wo have not destroyed half the I towns -it' would , have beeneasy-ior . ■ ; ■ ■ lis to destroy," said to me a quietlooking little man,-with gold-yimmed . spectacles and a white beard, "but if wo'ever manage to reach England ' in force, wo shall respect nothing'. \ We shall 'fully justify that' name of ; Hun which British papers' seem 60 fond. of. giving ■us. 1 ' . , i ■ ■ : ■- . ' 'Another point insisted -upon by "Pier- . marini" is that' he - is ".absolutely per- .. suaded that oven Englishmen who recogniso the spy peril/' • ; ' ' • • 1 do not realise the : len^h'.lfa-.;wliicK,.'' /it.goes./ They have been''suspecting; / , waiters- and servants, while'tho spies ' are iin high social they : : have / contented; V /' . searching the 'houses ! of- A German- : barbers .'■. ing the-heads who.collected for- .. ward to Berlin the ■ information gathered,by more, hiimbte satellites'.'' . v . • In Berlin., i ■/1 ' "heard . 1 ' people, well-informed people, say-, ing that in every British toivn of ■ / . importance, on every spot of strate-/.. ! gical value on the British coast; Germany has got a few friends keeping their eyes open and roady to receive an eventual German raid and to lend friends as strong a hand as possible. ;• v .:. • The night cabarets.and other places • . of questionable amusement which were ■ still in full: swing on the author's first visit to Berlin he found closed in. De- , ■ cember. The great amusement of Berlin is now tho picture shows, -where, says "Piermarini,":. really, wonderful pictures, are shown. "Most of tlie 'pictures/-are faked, but thoy'are so cleverly done lihat' the public -does ijot doiib't for' a second : that it is'-'seeiiig^real/battles,"-and tries' to pick oiit "relatives;"amongst. the soldiers ill/,the pictures' /represented as fighting at the front:"';.;Tlie, show is ; generally closed by films nnder the title of "What we' Have' Achieved'',; photos of Brussels, ; occupied '; by, .the Germans, of the rains/.'of ;French. and Belgian towns, of destroyed bridges and shelled cathedrals., -The/audience cheer loudly at each picture.',; ./■ j,' - Food, sold at comparatively, reason-able-prices/on-his first visit; ; had be- . come muchi scarcer in /December, ■ hut what tho Berliners wero most gloomy about was the threatened/stoppage of : the favourite brands , of beer. : Good Munich beer, "says tho author, is now \ a luxniy,;.obtein»li!le. : <>iily''a: lew ;liigh- ■ "class cafes.';/ ,The materials, at seems, come, mainly "from Russia, and the supply has stopped. It woiild not bo surprising, says tho author, in a few months, "to see Germany,, reduced.'to drinking aerated waters.?®'' / And what would the dear "Professoron"-do then, poor; things? ? To. preach hatred; of -'England to a beerloss would be a dry, flat, 'and thankless jobIn Vienpa the author found general elooin amongst the civilian population. No hatred of /England was expressed. Officialdom • keeps adverse criticism or, even •pessimism (expressed) severely, in checK.- If, says the ' writer, anyone is iieard talking pessimistically about tho war ho is, denounced to tho authorities. One unfortunate Viennese got •two months' imprisonment for having said ho did not believe the newspapers! "Piermarini" gives some interesting notes on his experience's in Constantinople and Rome/ but space ; will riot aljow/of further'quotation. , . In Holland lie found feeling was much more in favour, of the Allies than the Germans. "Men, women, . and children have gone 'Tiporary' mad;" but the Dutch are in a very difficult position, and'for the present, at least, neutrality is, compulsory upon them. In-Brussels the Germans have tried hard to break down tho hostility of the people, but. all in . vain. "Nearly overybody ignores the Germans completely. .Rich and - poor,- ,everybody wears a Belgian rosette,'or King Albert's'portrait in his buttonhole, and'

"by so doing defies the, Germans, who regularly rage at tho sight." "A little story on this subjcct is often repeated in Brussels. A ; German ofEccr asked a Belgian / lady to tako off the rosette she was - wearing, but she refused. 'Very well, then,' ho said, 'I .will do it myself,' and, catching hold of the rosette, ho threw it on tho floor and stamped on it. Tho ladystared at mm contemptuously, and said: 'After all, a rosette is much • easier, .to, take tbhn -Paris.'- She ; ' / then, walked away:"; . ' ■ ' Tho German atrocities.at Louvain and elsewhero have not been,- says the author, in the least exaggerated.. 'On the contrary,: new instances of the ferocity and beastly liist of the Huns are continually coming to light. "Picr- . marim's" hook is a most'interesting and readable coutribution to tho literature of the war. (Price 65.) • ,