UNIVERSITY RECEIVES GERMAN WAR DOCUMENTS

The collection of war books and documents which is being assembled at the Widener Library for the use of future scholars in political, economic, and military history, has been swelled by the receipt from Berlin of several packing cases full of German war documents and wartime periodicals, some of them presented by Mr. Ellis L. Dresel, American Commissioner at Berlin, and other purchased in Germany.

The new collection contains a wealth of documents which will be of interest to the historian who wishes to study conditions in Germany during the war from first hand evidence. Included in it are complete files of "Parole" the German army publication, and other official military journals, complete official casualty lists, complete files of a newspaper published for the enlightenment of Allied prisoners of war in Germany, and files of German revolutionary papers of the winter of 1918-19.

War Proclamations Interesting

A study of several hundred war proclamations presented by Mr. Dresel, which were posted in Berlin during the war, dealing with regulations for the civilian population, announcing sales of food, advertising war loans, etc., reveals the significant fact that the half dozen or so of these issued prior to August 1, 1914, are not dated. The dated posters begin on August 1, and thereafter every proclamation bears a date. The question whether the dates on the earlier publication were omitted by accident or because they were prepared in advance is one on which historian will draw their own conclusions.

The proclamations include a glowing announcement of General Hindenburg's birthday and an imperial statement of July 31. 1915, in which the Kaiser, commenting on the close of the first year of the war, declares that his conscience is clear and continues in characteristic style: "Full to thanks ought we to say. God was with us."

Another interesting item is a full set of the "Gazette des Ardennes", the German propagandist paper published in the French language in the occupied regions of France. Various editions of this paper contain innumerable photographs showing German officers doing deeds of kindness to the civilian populations of Belgium and France caricatures representing British injustice to France, group pictures of Allied prisoners taken in Germany and other material designed to have an appropriate effect on French readers.

The Dresel collection was brought to this country by Reginald C. Foster '11 of the American staff at Berlin, on his recent return to the United States.