MILITARY POLITENESS IN GERMANY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1373, 8 May 1883, Page 2

MILITARY POLITENESS IN GERMANY.

Everything in Germany is subordhv ate to tbe„anny, and this subordination makes the, officers 5 perhaps the most arrogant set'of men on the face of .the earth*;' they wallc the side walks and never think to give way to anyone, man or woman; whilst the least infringement of their dignity calls forth the sword, which is used by them with the utmost freedom. Sometimes they find that with an American they go a little too far,.;- In Dresden, Julian Hawthorne,'' the - author, is. credited with the following■exppVHe"' had been driven from (the,,.sidewalk"many And many a time by the German /<&> cere, till finally one day coming over the Elbe on one of the bridges with a friend, he vowed that the next German officer he,met should at least give him half of the' sidewalk!' He soon met one and neither being willing to give away, they walked directly into one another! Hawthorne did not budge, neither- would v the German j they glared at one another for afewmoments, when the German drew his sword and attempted to strike Hawthorne with the'flat of the blade, In a twinkling Hawthorne knocked the officer down, took his sword'away from him, broke it across his knee and threw it into the E|be. The'disgrace of having lost his sword was so great that the office never dared mention the circumstance, so Hawthorne escaped without fine. As a rule, Germans have little gallantry for women ; seldom give way to them on the sidewalks, v The, i sidewalks in the majority of streets are exceedingly narrow, with only room for one to walk on, Once in Dusseldore, the wife in front, a German meeting us crowded her off of the sidewalk into the gutter, and on the impulse of the moment I pitched him off into the street with more vigorperhapß than wasneccessary. It took no end of explanations to soothe his wounded dignity, nor could.the officials—lhadto gobefore the Mayor—; at all understand why -_'iy was that a .maishould ever give placebo a lady on the sidewalk.