ATROCITIES DENIED.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 26 January 1915, Page 3

ATROCITIES DENIED.

"GERMANY GAY AND HAPPY. ' ■ A lady wbxn has just returned from a year's visit to Germany has brought back with her impressions of Germans and' their method of waging war very different from those that nost people entertain at the present time. She doso not wish to give her name, but is quite ready *<j give her version of German atrocities, German newspaper lies, and German culture. "What you hear out here," she said, "about the cruelty and barbarism of the Germans is quite untrue. They never did the things which they are accused of havfng done, and as for cutting off the-hands of children—why, they would scorn to commit such acts. You only hear these reports through unofficial riiinijors, >bii!t I have bri'en amongst it all in Germany, and I've seen it is not so. "There, there exists the name fierce nnscruplousncss towards the Allies, particularly the Russians and the Belgians; and tho atrocities and cruelties which these people a.re supposed to commit on the Germans and the towns they invade are as horrible as those which the' Germans arc credited with parctisiiig on their foes. The Germans know what i.s said and written about them outside, but they -feel their helplessness to combat rumor. They only say, "We can fight soldiers and guns, but we can't fight lies."

"It is the same with the newspapers in Germany. Here you don't see any but English papers. Naturallyy, you only read their side of tho question. In Berlin the editor of the biggest paper there publishes an announcement asking people who have received copiee of French and English papers to let h ; m have them so that he may republish versions of tho war from outside quart-

This lady also says that the reports about Germans wearing the clothes of the Polish soldier is ridiculously false. Poles, she says, are so dirty that no German soldier, however rough, would dream of wearing what a Pole had worn. This lady left at the beginning of November from Rotterdam by a Dutch liner (Rotterdam) carrying 2000 passengers to New York. .The boat which left before, had struck a mine, and it was reported that the Rotterdam would* be the last boat to leave. Two other boats followed alongside to pick up the passengers of the previous ship. The second day after they had left Holland an English ship came alongside tlw» Rotterdam, and a search was made for Germans. There were a number on board who promptly hid when they heard the news, and were only found after a great deal of trouble and searching three hours afterwards. All the way over to New York the Watch on the Rhine and other German airs were played daily and German was spoken freely. To get to Sydney this lady travelled across to. San Francisco where , she caught the Maitai and endured a, miserable trip, with lights out and tho Watch on the Rhine suppressed.

In Germany, this lady says, the enthusiasm of the people is terrific "When I left." she said, "1,300,000 young men had offered their services voluntarily, but owing to the number in the army already these had not yet been accepted. There i-s not a man or boy in Germany who is not just longing to be called to the front. They say they will feel ashamed and be traitors to their country if they have not been a soldier at this war. When I left Berlin the theatre .ind concert halls and places ol amusement were just as fiill and gay as before, and one wouldn't have known, that a war was going on if it hadn't lieen for the newspapers. The bigger ones published special war editions all through the night, and then motor cars were sent out to drop 'bawdies of them in Lhc streets. The people used to seize <ui these, and read them in groups under Rtreet lamps and then cheer and sing the Watch on the Rhino at the vaguest news of a German victory. Of course, Germans are confident that the war can only possibly end one way—and that way means tho defeat of the Allies.' , — Sydney Sun.