^he Days of a Man 



ClQIO 



Bertha von 

 Suttner 



" Wafen 

 Nieder!" 



At the outbreak of war, however, the mob drove him 

 from Vienna, when he took refuge in Zurich, where 

 he continued to pubUsh the "Watch Tower." But 

 his money being all invested in Austrian government 

 bonds which became perfectly worthless, he soon 

 found himself reduced to penury with the other Aus- 

 trian intellectuals. Learning then of his deplorable 

 situation, I appealed to some broad-minded Ameri- 

 cans who appreciate the man and his work. As a 

 result certain sums of money as well as food orders 

 were generously sent to relieve him and his family. 



The Congress over, we proceeded to Vienna, where 

 I met and dined with Baroness Bertha von Suttner, 

 author of the epoch-making story, " Waffen Nieder!'' 

 (Ground Arms!). Her invitation to dinner came in 

 response to a letter of introduction which I had sent 

 by mail from Gratz. This found her resting in the 

 Semmering Mountains, but she kindly traveled the 

 hundred miles to Vienna just to show me a courtesy. 

 Arriving early in the city, I looked up Fried and spent 

 most of the day with him. But toward the end of the 

 afternoon I exhausted all my available German and 

 so asked the privilege of an hour's sleep in order to 

 recover my tongue ! 



I much enjoyed my visit with Madame von Suttner, 

 a woman of great moral and intellectual power, then 

 sixty-seven years of age, well preserved, large of 

 frame and fair in feature, attractive in appearance and 

 manner. I asked her if "Waff en Nieder!" was the 

 story of her own life. She replied: "No, my life has 

 been a very happy one, but this book has made my 

 life. To have seen what I have seen, and felt what I 

 have feh, has forced me ever to work against the 

 hideous curse of war." 



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