In 1915, I lectured at the summer school of the University of Colo- 

 rado, a part of the state which I had last visited in 1886. I was very 

 much struck with the progress of the region in all Hnes of civilisation; 

 the amount of permanent improvement accomplished in so short a 

 time quite astonished me. All that summer, which, by the way, was 

 unusually hot for the Colorado mountains, we were in a state of great 

 anxiety over the German advance through Poland. Every day, we were 

 expecting to hear of some catastrophe to the Russian army, which would 

 practically eliminate Russia as a belligerent. That did not happen, how- 

 ever, till two years later and then by the unexpected way of revolution. 



After the summer session had ended, I went to San Francisco, where 

 I had been invited to make one of the addresses before the American 

 Association for the Advancement of Science. I travelled by the Union 

 Pacific, which I had not seen for nearly thirty years. I was astonished 

 at the complete reconstruction which Harriman had effected, shorten- 

 ing and straightening the line, eliminating grades and curves, double- 

 tracking, etc., etc. It was a remarkable achievement, especially the 

 "cut off" which had been built across Salt Lake. San Francisco I found 

 to be greatly improved since my visit of 1889. The "Panama Pacific 

 Exposition," in celebration of the opening of the Panama Canal, was 

 in progress and interested me greatly. Of course, the War prevented 

 the attendance of any considerable number of European visitors. Even 

 before hostilities began, several European governments had refused to 

 take part. 



There were special days, which brought together the foreign-born 

 residents of California. On the evening of one such day I found myself 

 in a great crowd of Germans in the ferry house at the foot of Market 

 Street and I heard them soberly rejoicing over the capture of Warsaw, 

 news of which had just arrived. Shortly afterward I received an exultant 

 letter from Fritz Winter, junior partner in the Hthographic firm of 

 Werner and Winter, of Frankfort o. M., with which I had had such 

 extensive dealings. The letter was written from the German army on 

 the Russian front and displayed complete confidence in the eventual 

 triumph of the German cause. It said (in effect) : "Our troops are now 

 far into French and Russian territory and soon will put Russia and 

 France out of action; then it will be the turn of the supposed power 

 of England ("dann geht es gegen die vermeintliche Macht Englands"). 

 The writer was killed in battle shortly after this letter was written, 

 and lies in PoHsh soil; he was, at least, spared the humiliation of seeing 

 his Fatherland go down in defeat. 



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