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Thieves in Queen Victoria Park (June/August 1914)

In June 1914, on the night before Victoria Day, someone stole the German flag hanging in Berlin near Queen Victoria’s statue. Since a flag represents the pride of the inhabitants and reminds them of their home country, the journalists at the Berliner Journal were upset by this crime and emphasized their hopes that the police would catch the thief. This type of anti-German vandalism was becoming a trend in the area and was followed up by another incident on August 26 when the bust of Kaiser Wilhelm on display in Victoria Park was demolished and thrown into the park’s lake. The German press again reported the shock felt by both the German-Canadian and much of the English population over the actions of these vandals.

 

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(„Zur Schandthat im Victoria Park“, Berliner Journal, 3 June 1914; „Wiederum ein Bubenstück“, Berliner Journal, 26 August 1914)

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Upcoming provincial elections (10 June 1914)

This appeal, published in the Berliner Journal in mid-June, was intended to encourage the German citizens in the Waterloo Region to vote for the upcoming provincial elections. The authors emphasized that the German population would be big enough to influence the elections if everyone exercised their right to vote. The paper begged the people to think carefully and seriously about the candidates and the future of the region and to choose wisely the candidate they thought might be the best for all. The authors were discouraged over the general political apathy among German-Canadians, and argued that they must overcome their lack of attention to political issues. The author self-identified as a Canadian and was proud of being a citizen in this country. Every man who will not fight for his freedom, the author continued, and who would let the politicians restrict his liberty is not worthy of being a citizen in this “beautiful rich country.” The article concluded that it is an “act of self-defense” to vote the right man into the government.

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(“Die kommende Provinzial-Wahl”, Berliner Journal, 10 June 1914)

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German armament (17 June 1914)

In June of 1914, the journalist Hans von Kaltenborn was sent to Berlin for four weeks where he reported on Germany’s guns, munitions, and overall readiness for war. He told his readers that there would be continuous armament and that even the smallest details of waging war were being considered, and by doing so, he reinforced the popular belief that no country in the world had ever armed itself so strongly and energetically for a war. But von Kaltenborn also emphasized that in contradiction to that visible war preparation, Kaiser Wilhelm would be the man most determined to keep peace between the nations.

It is estimated that, at the outbreak of war in 1914, the German standing army consisted of 880,000 men, and for generations, “Prussia’s best and brightest” had been entering the military. This trend had continued after the unification of Germany. “Well-trained and led, especially at the junior officer level, the German Army was ready to the smallest detail. It had more artillery per corps than any other army and was the best supplied army in technical equipment […] Germany also had the world’s second largest navy, the result of the Kaiser’s decision to build a powerful battle fleet.” (Tucker, Spencer C. The Great War 1914-18. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 1998. Print. P. 17)

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(„Deutschland ein Feldlager in Waffen“, Berliner Journal, 17 June 1914; Tucker, Spencer C. The Great War 1914-18. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana UP, 1998. Print. P. 17)

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Prohibition (24 June 1914)

When the discussion over prohibition was being revisited in Ontario in mid-1914, the Berliner Journal tried to give an objective view, but clearly the paper was against it. The Catholic Church in general was against it, because  the Bible did not ban it, but rather gave the advice of moderation. Furthermore, the liturgy required “wine with alcohol”. The article stated that German Protestants and Lutherans were also against prohibition. They too argued that moderation was a virtue, whereas abstinence was just self-sacrifice.

These articles then mentioned a report prepared about prohibition in Canada, which showed that it had not been a successful policy. The money spent on alcohol had actually increased and instead of beer, people tended to drink homemade whiskey instead. In Great Britain, there was less consumption of alcohol without prohibition. A Canadian bishop said that it would be a restriction of the personal liberty to force him into this situation. A human being could not become a better person because of restrictions.

Even in Germany the issue received press coverage. In a speech from Kaiser Wilhelm to soldiers of the marine, he asked them to be abstinent because then they would be stronger and win battles. He thought that encouraging an ideal was more useful than legislation to get rid of alcohol. Drinking was a hereditary defect of the Germans according to the emperor, and not worth trying to stamp out.

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(“Prohibition, der Feind von Temperenz”, Berliner Journal, 24 June 1914; „Prohibition in Canada“, Berliner Journal, 24 June 1914; „Der Deutsche Kaiser über Trinken“, Berliner Journal, 24 June 1914)

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Deportation of German-Canadians? (8 July 1914)

A short notice without further explanation in the Berliner Journal stated, before the war had even started: “The Canadian government wanted to deport all immigrants who were a burden to the public.” Later that year, the government published a proclamation which explained that only German immigrants who were involved in espionage or any other suspicious behavior would have to face consequences.

(“Die canadische Regierung” Berliner Journal, 8 July 1914)

 

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Deutscher Schulverein – German School Association (8 July 1914)

On July 8, the Berliner Journal reported that the meeting of the Deutscher Schulverein (“German School Association“) was poorly attended. The association wanted to uphold the German heritage and language as well as promote teaching German in local schools. Therefore, the Berliner Journal invited its readership to become members. The other German clubs of Berlin, “Concordia” and “Deutsche Eiche” had about 400 members altogether.

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(“Deutscher Schulverein” Berliner Journal, 8 July 1914)

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Kaiser Wilhelm worried about Situation in Europe (8 July 1914)

After the assassination of Austria’s heir to the throne and his wife, the Berliner Journal described the events and stated that the news “shocked the senile Kaiser Franz Joseph terribly”. Furthermore it was reported that Kaiser Wilhelm was sad about the death of his “friend”, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and “deeply worried” about the tragedy and the ensuing situation. Therefore he had talked to the Austro-Hungarian ambassador about the possible consequences of anti-Servian outbursts.

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(“Österreichs Thronfolger ermordet” Berliner Journal, 1 July 1914, “Kaiser Wilhelm besorgt über die Lage in Oesterreich” Berliner Journal, 8 July 1914)

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Threat of a World War (29 July 1914)

On July 29, the Berliner Journal reported that Servia had refused to fulfill the demands of Austria-Hungary and instead started mobilizing for war. The newspaper stated that non-Slavic countries in the Dual Monarchy were glad that the “day of reckoning” with Servia had “finally arrived”. Furthermore it reported that people in Berlin and Vienna were enthusiastic about the upcoming war.

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(“Ein Weltkrieg droht” Berliner Journal, 29 July 1914)

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“Germany and the German socialist abroad” (5 August 1914)

In the years leading up to the war, Canadian immigration was at an all-time high. Many of these immigrants came directly from Germany and arrived with different political and nationalistic ideals. This article was written by a German immigrant and addressed other recent German immigrants who held socialist views and were opponents of the German emperor. The writer admitted that socialist ideas could be useful, but argued that it did not mean that one cannot love his homeland and worship Kaiser Wilhelm. He claimed that Germany was the best ruled country in the world under the emperor’s constitutional monarchy. The author dismissed the complaint of the socialists that Germany was wasting money on a massive army and navy. Peace in the world was a nice ideal, the article continued, but was not possible at this time. The writer claimed that Kaiser Wilhelm had led Germany to its leading position in the civilized world and that the disarmament of the German army would lead to unemployment.

This strong defence of German militarism is interesting coming just after the declaration of war. In the future, the Berliner Journal would be forced to choose the words it spoke about Germany and the Kaiser much more carefully.

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(„Deutschland und der deutsche Sozialist im Ausland“, Berliner Journal, 5 August 1914)

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Canadian Recruitment (5 August 1914)

When the outbreak of the war became public in Canada, volunteers to support Great Britain were searched for immediately. The Parliament held a special session to discuss what to do about the war and to prepare the Canadian military.

On August 12, 1914 it was reported that the Canadian government had asked for 21,000 volunteers to send to Great Britain, but that more than 60,000 men had rushed to enlist. Therefore, there would be a medical examination included at the enlistment facilities in order to find the healthiest and strongest men. Also, recruits would be divided into three groups: 1) single men; 2) married men; and 3) fathers with children. New recruits would be chosen from those who enlisted in that order.

The paper also reported that Canada had bought two submarines, which they would provide to the British navy. Canadian soldiers would leave for training in about two weeks, at which point they would meet at Quebec and then travel to England. The first Canadian troops landing in Great Britain were announced in the issue of October 14, 1914. The British government was pleased with the troops, but asked Canada to send more money to purchase military equipment as well. By October 21, thirty young people from Berlin had volunteered for the second Canadian contingent, and Berlin had raised $896,726 for the Patriotic Fund.

 

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(“Die kanadische Regierung…”, Berliner Journal, 5 August 1914; „Kurze Lokalnotizen“, Berliner Journal, 21 October 1914; „Die Freiwilligen für das dritte Kontingent…“, Berliner Journal, 3 February 1915)