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Story
August 7, 1913
Meade County News
Meade, Meade County, Kansas
What is this article about?
A young German ex-soldier in Munich, trained to obey orders implicitly, is instructed by his baker employer to renew the dog license and separately by the wife to have the dog killed. He faithfully executes both, obtaining the license and a receipt for the dog's euthanasia.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
ORDERS WERE ORDERS TO HIM
German Soldier Had Been Accustomed to Obey Implicitly, and Did So In This Case.
There seem to be some characteristics which Germans and Chinese hold in common. Many are familiar with the story of the Chinese servant who threw the broom down the back stairs every morning at ten o'clock because his mistress had done so when she first instructed him in his duties.
Recently a young German in Munich, fresh from his service in the army, where he had been taught to obey orders implicitly, got employment with a baker who owned a dog, for which neither he nor his wife had any great love. As the time approached for the renewal of the dog license amounting to 9 marks ($2.25), there was some discussion in the family as to whether it would not be better to have the dog killed. The baker, however, instructed the new assistant to take 9 marks to the excise office and bring back the dog license. At the same time, the wife, not knowing what her husband had done, told the young man to take the dog to the animals' home and have him killed: she gave him a mark (25 cents) for the fee and 12 cents for himself, because he appeared to be rather fond of the dog.
The valiant soldier reported himself later in the day minus the nine marks and dog, but proudly showed that he had executed both commissions faithfully by producing the license for the dog and a receipt for the money he had paid for having him killed.
German Soldier Had Been Accustomed to Obey Implicitly, and Did So In This Case.
There seem to be some characteristics which Germans and Chinese hold in common. Many are familiar with the story of the Chinese servant who threw the broom down the back stairs every morning at ten o'clock because his mistress had done so when she first instructed him in his duties.
Recently a young German in Munich, fresh from his service in the army, where he had been taught to obey orders implicitly, got employment with a baker who owned a dog, for which neither he nor his wife had any great love. As the time approached for the renewal of the dog license amounting to 9 marks ($2.25), there was some discussion in the family as to whether it would not be better to have the dog killed. The baker, however, instructed the new assistant to take 9 marks to the excise office and bring back the dog license. At the same time, the wife, not knowing what her husband had done, told the young man to take the dog to the animals' home and have him killed: she gave him a mark (25 cents) for the fee and 12 cents for himself, because he appeared to be rather fond of the dog.
The valiant soldier reported himself later in the day minus the nine marks and dog, but proudly showed that he had executed both commissions faithfully by producing the license for the dog and a receipt for the money he had paid for having him killed.
What sub-type of article is it?
Curiosity
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Blind Obedience
German Soldier
Dog License
Euthanize Dog
Munich Baker
What entities or persons were involved?
Young German Soldier
Baker
Baker's Wife
Where did it happen?
Munich
Story Details
Key Persons
Young German Soldier
Baker
Baker's Wife
Location
Munich
Story Details
A young ex-soldier employed by a baker in Munich obeys conflicting orders literally: he renews the dog license as instructed by the baker and has the dog killed as told by the wife, then presents both the license and the receipt proudly.