The Henson Journals

[161]

Tuesday, October 5th, 1920.

[Frank accompanied us to the station.] We left Berlin at 8.30 a.m., and reached Cologne at 7.45 p.m. The journey was without incident, save that we were nearly asphyxiated by tobacco smoke. I was eagerly watching the country in order to gather some evidence as to the actual situation of the German people. We mostly travelled through a flat land, cultivated, on which the people were busy gathering in the crops. The factories which we passed were almost everywhere idle, until we reached the great industrial districts of the west, when there were indications of activity. Mainly the impression left on me was one of stagnation & idleness. I noticed also the expression of despondency & hopeless resentment on the faces of everybody, whom I saw on the trains & on the railway platforms.

At Cologne we were met by General & Mrs Hutchinson, who most kindly led us into the Dom Hotel, where they had secured our rooms. In due course our luggage turned up, & we were pleasantly established. We dined in the Hotel, comfortably enough, wondering at the infinite mercy of the Almighty which permits this dénoument of the vast disasters of the War – British officers & men in occupation of Cologne! It seemed but too probable that German officers & men would have been in occupation of London: and what a tragedy would that have been for England, & for mankind! The Treaty of Versailles is hard, I think too hard, but what would have been the terms of the treaty which victorious Germany would have imposed on her defeated foes? It is better for mankind that the Kaiser should be at Amerongen!

---