The Days of a Man 1:1913 



Walz introduced us to Dr. Paul Albert Helmer, 



an able authority on Alsatian affairs, who defended 



him at Leipzig against the charge of treason. This 



was not Hansi's first offense in the eyes of the law, 



however, as he had previously suffered arrest for 



disrespect to the German uniform. Being in a Colmar 



cafe where a number of officers were also seated, upon 



their departure he lighted a piece of sugar saturated 



with alcohol, and (apparently for disinfection) held 



it over chairs previously occupied by the Prussians! 



In his second series of brochures, entitled " Vogesen- 



hilder'' (Vosges Pictures), as "Prof. Dr. Knatschke," 



assumed writer of the text, and "Hansi," artist, he 



described with sarcastic effusiveness the dedication 



of the restored castle of Hohkonigsburg, situated on 



an outpost of the Vosges overlooking middle Alsace. 1 



Futile It appears that the Kaiser, thinking to throw a sop to 



gestures Alsace, decidcd to revive the ancient structure, and 



with characteristic thrift required the province to 



foot the bill. The dedication took place in pouring 



rain, of which incident — as of many others — the 



author took telling advantage with pen and pencil. 



As to the political outlook, Walz was even more 

 pessimistic than Wetterle. These two, alone among 

 Alsatians, expressed to me the opinion that the 

 Pangermanists would force a war even " against the 

 will of the Emperor, whom they had practically 

 A difficult annihilated." Said Walz: ** It is as easy to make the 

 feelings of Alsace understood in Berlin as to inject by 

 osmosis the essence of violet through the skin of a 

 hippopotamus." 



At Guebwiller we spent our day with the kindly 

 Schlumbergers,! after which we went on to Miil- 



1 See Chapter xliii, page 498. 



n 508 -} 



task 



