ill. All the infirmaries are overflowing. Small-pox
has broken out. You are being shot at the front, and at home we are
gradually perishing."

" ... On the Kaiser's birthday, military bands played everywhere. When
one passes and listens to this tomfoolery, and sees the emaciated and
overworked men in war-time, swaying to the sounds of music, and enjoying
it, one's very gall rises. Why music? Of course, if times were
different, one could enjoy music. But to-day! It should be the aim of
the higher authorities to put an end to this murder. In every sound of
music the dead cry for revenge. I can assure you that it is very
surprising that there has not been a single outbreak here, but it
neither can nor will last much longer. How can a human being subsist on
1/4 lb. of potatoes a day? I should very much like the Emperor to try
and live for a week on the fare we get. He would then say it is
impossible.... I heard something this week quite unexpectedly, which
although I had guessed it before, yet has depressed me still more.
However, we will hope for the best."

"You write to say that you are worse off than a beast of burden.... I
couldn't send you any cakes, as we had no more flour.... We have
abundant bread tickets. From Thursday to Saturday I can still buy five
loaves.... My health is bad; not my asthma, no, but my whole body is
collapsing. We are all slowly perishing, and this is what it is all
coming to."

" ... The outlook here is also sad. One cannot get a bucket of coal. The
stores and dealers have none. The schools are closing, as there is no
coal. Soon everybody will be in the same plight. Neither coal nor
vegetables can be bought. Holland is sending us nothing more, and we
have none. We get 3-1/2 lb. of potatoes per person. In the next few days
we shall only have swedes to eat, which must be dried."

* * * * *

A letter written from Hamburg in February, and others from Coblenz are
tragic reading:

" ... We shall soon have nothing more to eat. We earn no money,
absolutely none; it is sad but true. Many people are dying here from
inanition or under-feeding."

Or, take these from Neugersdorf, in Saxony:

"We cannot send you any butter, for we have none to eat ourselves. For
three weeks we have not been able to get any potatoes. So we only have
turnips to eat, and now there are no more to be had. We do not know what
we can get for dinner this week, and if we settle to get our foo