Snt,—I read with greatest interest the Duke of Bedford's article
about " Life under a Tyranny " in The Spectator of February 7th, but I feel I have to write to you specially as to the last paragraph of that article. Being a German refugee myself, you will surely trust me to know circumstances in Germany. I know of two families where children denounced their parents in school for having criticised the Government's attitude. This happened in two families amongst my personal friends, and how many other families may have had to suffer in the same way?
Then let me tell you that there is no family life left in Germany at all. Women complain that their husbands are never at home. After their intensive daily work the men nave to do social work; they have to work for " Strength through joy " (Kraft durch Freude) and for all kinds of National-Socialist purposes. Mothers complain that they cannot do anything individual on behalf of their children's education because every schoolboy and girl ha5. to join the " Hitler Youth " (Hider Jugend) and all their spare time has to be devoted to common playing, singing and all kinds of training. The result is that family life in Germany has practically vanished. For many years men and children in Germany cannot live any private life. They are taught that they belong to the German State and are more or less forced to devote their free time entirely to the National-Socialist party. The Government is their " Dictator " in everything whatso- ever, so that no human being can live in real freedom. For instance, married couples, who have had no children, have to testify on medical authority, why they have no children. They need even a medical report if they have only one child! Is this to be called a free family life? For instance, men in civil service can only get on successfully if they have children—the more children the better their advance! This is the so-called wonderful family life nowadays in Germany. The information which the Duke of Bedford may have got from a Nazi official was therefore entirely wrong.—Yours faithfully,
REFUGEE.
Previous page
