The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-12
GERMAN WATERING PLACES.
Wiesbaden as It Is-Changed Scenes.

Correspondence OF the London Times.]
The German watering places are this year,
at least, as crowded as they have ever been
before. There is q large amount Oh ready casn
floating throughout the newly-formed Empire,
and there Is no lack of people willing 10 spend
part of their young wealth In fashionable
pleasures, which they may have ormeriy
enyIed. and which they find now within easy
reach OF their heightened purses. The certain
tact that gambling Is TO cease at Inc enc Oh
this year contributes also a good deal IN al
tracing idle, wealthy and adventurous peo-
ple to WIesbaden, Homburg and Baden. They
are sure that the tempting chances OF "trente
at Isuuaraute, will not be offered to
them any more when this year IS
gone, and they are anxious to try their luck
while ..roulette,''f and .r0nge ct noir" are still
fourishlpg. Addsto this a considerable num-
ber offnyslids of the late war, who come here
In search. of health, and you will understand
why the landlords and innkeepers OF Wies.
badenEand Homburg speak OF 1872 as one oil
the. best years they ever had. They get
thoughtful. however, and q shadow spreads
over their smiling faces when they are asked:
ttAnd how will 1t be. when gambling has
ceased Pr It is q momentoIs question ior
them, and they do not dare to look It IN the
face. Meanwhile, they take full advantage OF
the prosperous movement, and charge hlgner
prices than ever for the ccommodation tney
offer 20 their guests: Lite In Germany 10
16O0InluR H6Jyu 0dIs ~ SloWu WV NSSto 80
the "Kufsaaln is, however, the crowd OF OLD no
more. Fne French company one used to find
around the German gambling-tables was not
alwsys of the best, but there Is no denying
that, as q rule, 1t was q pleasant company 10
look at-nearly everybody. was well dressed,
and there were beautiful women and ele-
qant men amcng those Representatives
Of the .Grande Nation" They felt them
selves quite at home among, and very supe-
rior to, their hosts. They were on the best
terms with the ~sscroupiers;" they laughed
loudly when they won; they swore louder
when they lost, and they ordered their supper
with q Parisian sWagger never TO be Initiated
BY any 'sprovfnclAln being. The inspectors OF
the g~am6iing-sables smiled on them with their
blandest smiles, and the walters, seldom In q !
mildly called !'keuner, flew Wild
IL about, neglecting and forgetting their Ger.
man customers as soon as they heard q snrlll
or imgsrious voice want. wanting E me Rso gars Shsn o one
was able to order things In French. These
times are passed. High German Is now at a
premium; and foreign tongues are at q dis
count. It il ali the result OF Sedan. Very
little French Is now heerd In Wtesbaden,
and, when It is spoken, one may be sure
that It Ia either Belgian or Russian French.
Ftenchmen stand for once on their dignity,
and will not appear among their hated
enemies; Here, and there one sees still o
pet,t ) crepS, or q golden-halred, small
looted. dian ond-rInged lady, Enthusiastically be
longing to ihe Paris d~emi.monde. But they
are few, anIgthere Is nothing OF the old vlcto-
rious air sabout them. They come and go
quietly; they seem to be here for Dusiness
rather. Than for pleasure; they lose aud win
their moneyinsa painfully nervous but out
Wardly duiet way, and they order their little
snpperin a low tone Of voice. Tue % OF
their glory is past and gone. They remlnd
one OF the ex-Vice Emperor Rouher at the Trl-
bunetof Versailles. They feel chat they have
ceasedt to be the envy and admiration OF the
world. and that their presence Is more tole,
rated than desired. Though they are treated
with courtesy, nobody seems to care LOT tnem,
and they must feel sadly out OF their element.
They keep together In small, angry, Whisper
ing groups, In which, l suppose, not mucn
goot is, said about the German. 1t seems to
me "a II Epglishmen and Americans were also
less numerous here than they used to be;
hnt the Russian colony musters strong, and
the Dutch element forms q considerable por-
ton of the floating population. Whatever the
political sympathies OF the wealthy Inhabitants
Of holland. may be, 1t may be safely stated
that they prefer, under present circumstances
to spend their holidays In Germany ralner
than In France. They feel evidently and quite
natuuIlysakin to. their German Cousins; lney
are here almost at home, and nobody consid-
ers them as strangers. In France, on the otner
aide. their blue eyes and light complexion
make them at once suspect. Prlma fscie they
are supposed to be Prusslans, and this expo
ses them to unkindness and to incivility, II to
nothing worse. This, I am tod, Is the cnlel
reason why they have this year congregated IN
large numbers In Wiesbaden, Homburg and
Baden.