Booty Exhibition in Berlin. Captured Cannon.
Germany has always been the land of Ausstellungen, or "exhibitions," and the war has only served to increase the number. In every city I was in during the two years I saw dozens of Kriegs-Ausstellungen advertised. Every city has had exhibitions of artificial arms and legs with demonstrators showing how they work. Then they have displays of uniforms, guns, aeroplanes, ships and photographs. In Berlin they had an exhibition of the forts around Verdun. It was wonderfully made—everything in proportion, with tiny soldiers, wagons, wire entanglements etc. The greatest show they had when I was there was the "Booty Exhibition" in which all kinds of captured war material were displayed.
The Germans are very fond of walking, and the war has not decreased the pleasure which they find in this pursuit. Before the war the walkers did not carry their lunch with them, but now they must if they want to get anything to eat; and every afternoon you can see crowds of people starting out, each with a little package of lunch. The Berliners like to go to the Grunewald where they stop at a little inn and order a cup of Kaffee-Ersatz, eat their sandwiches, and feel they are having a very nice time.
Sitting in a café with a cup of cold coffee before them, always has been and always will be the favorite amusement of the German people. Here they can read the magazines and papers and look around. Most Germans do not entertain their friends at home but meet them at a café, and each person pays for what he orders.
All through the war they have boat and track races, and these sports are very popular. Before the war they had aeroplane exhibitions, but these are not held any more. All the hospitals have concerts and moving picture shows for the wounded soldiers.
The main amusement of the people now is talking about things to eat. A man I know in Dresden meets eight of his cronies at a Stammtisch every Saturday night. Before the war they discussed politics, art, music, literature and science, but he says now they talk only about eating. In March and April when we had that awful run of a vegetable called Kohlrüben, the man I know said his Stammtisch was going to get out a cook-book for Kohlrüben, for they knew twenty-five different ways to cook them!
THE CLOTHES TICKET.
It has been said that the sign Verboten was the most seen sign in Germany, but now that sign has a rival in Ohne Bezugsschein, which means "without a clothes ticket." All the store windows are decorated with these cards and merchants are pushing forward these articles because they are more expensive than the articles which require a card, and most people would rather pay a few marks more than go to the trouble of getting a card.
Along in May, 1916, there were rumors of a ticket for clothes, but the people only laughed, "How could there be a ticket for clothes?" they asked and "What will we do if our clothes wear out and we can't get a ticket for any more?"