Germany is the land of hoaxes which have a satirical
value if not exactly a satirical intention. Nobody will ever forget the hoax perpetrated upon the dull militaristic spirit of pre-War Germany by the shoemaker who called himself Captain von litipenick. The latest feat has been performed by a coal-heaver, who passed himself off as a son of the German ex-Crown Prince. He got himself nobly entertained by the principal military and civic personages of Weimar, Gotha and Erfurt. At Gotha a gala performance was given at the theatre in his honour, and the royal box, which had remained empty and melancholy since the War, was refurnished for his Royal Highness. Perhaps all this shows that there is still a strong monarchical spirit in Germany, but with more certainty it shows that the old tradition has left Germans without enough humour to be on their guard.
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