The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-07-04
cosroF LIVING IN GERMANY.
Some Facts Interesting to American

Some Facts Interesting to Americans.
Tn these restless days Of international inter-
conrse and cosmopolitan culture thousands OF
persons in America are making eager III
oniries about the costs and advantages oi
living for time In Europe. Eagerly deVour-
inp hooks of travel and letters from abroad
they find 10 them-alas just what they kne"
before. Why does not the writer give me
some positive, available Information about
food. rents, schools, servants wages, method
of instruction
yery mistaken rlpresslops have got abroad
of the almost iaughable cheapness Of every
thing in Europe. AGerman professor is sup
posed to be able to rear family of sixteen,
accumulate a ponderous library, and achieve
q European reputation on six hundred dollars
wear. A bachelor German coGnt Is traol-
tEnally credited with power to wear lmmacu-
lsSe kids, drink champagne, ride ms oWa
horse. and frequent the festive scenes OF
Homburg and Baden-Baden on half the
amount. But the days in which broods oi
children could be jacketed and trowsered, the
days in which gay Lotharios could have the
run of all the nectar and perfume OF nie. on
American cobbler's wages, are over 1oreVeI:
Prices have gone up throughout the whole
civilized world-peices and human desires also.
StlI living is much cheaper In Germany than
at home. What has been said above Is mainly
hv wav of caution against romantic eXpec-
tatiors. Moderate antIclpations will not be-
broupht 10 grief. dollar In Germany Will
buy good deal more music, meat, arr. cloto-
ing, instruction than In America. Inc nrst
thing to be done by the individual or family
coming ont to Germany for protracted stay
ia to decide upon the place OF sojourn. we
nav for the lodgings, including linen. crockery
and all other household necessities, twenty
four dollars In gold per month-nearly three
hundred dollars per year. Our single ser
vant-a most excellent one-costs US less tnan
three dollars month. PROVISIONS aVerage
abont two-thirds what they do IN America.
CIothInp does not cost over one-thlrd as much
and in this item parents who have large broods
~ hoys hard on the knees OF pantaloons, or
eiven TO protrudlng rapidly outside OF the cults
Of their Jackets, can confidently rely on gratl-
tying saving.
HOUSEKEEPING N GERMANY
Is an utterly different affair from Wnat IL ls ln
.,the land of the free, and home Of the brave"
have long been persuaded that the eVer,re-
curing. work of baking bread ana Wasning
clothes Is in American families tne ny 10 Ghe
ointment which not only, to pursue tne he
brew simile. causes the whole house to-Well,
ssy smell strongly of soapsuds. but far worse
than thIs demoralizes to the foundation even
the most happily constructed COOKS and wives.
Exasperatlon has In all ages tended 10 ACT ols-
turbingly on sweetness and serenity OF temper;
RTt here in Germany how different! Instead
of the tanner of cook and wife being put out,
The washing Ia mt out And "oh the differ.
Vace TO me-" as Wordsworth sings. instead
& a whole house, up stairs and down stairs
and In my lady's chamber, a
SINGLE FLAT OF ROOMS
ia all that needs looking 10. Bare floors. with
strips by the beds and ten-foot square OF car
net in the parlor, ecOnomize amazingly tne
limited quantum of broom and carpet-s~eeper
power Inherent In the female arm, and enece
as marked saving OF lorce as Tue Sns,iny
does over the breast-wheel. Cooking, dnsilng
and he'd. making OF course remain. But IN the
nome case Bridget Mcbride undertakes the
ioh and ont here nellenbogen. Contem-
nlate the two az beheld In the full beauty OF
life and action. While the first thumps along
like an erect elephant ID pettlcoats: slaps
down with one fell crash whole set OF CROCK
cry into the iron SINK burns out nCta,na CoTnan
private boardiug-house on the stealinge,
and finally. on the mildest suggestion OF I'm.
movement, storms out OF the house Win sour
rilons abuse: the second moves round quietly.
carries q bull's.erS tumbler as though u were
Venice glass, kee os up just fre enough 10 re-
tain the vital spark. knows now 10 make tne
afraid she cannot please sufficiently to be able
to stay. One other point OF difference. kath-
ar,nchen modestly asks for three dollars 8
month. and lives on the Lord only knows what
In The way of food. Bridget roundly announces
that If YOU do not give her more than tnat per
week, she'll quit before dinner. AND YET lhe
first is altogether the superior and napier
nHno rvot m GQrmanV and Won Will
breathe In
THE LANGUAGE
with the very air, or drink 1t in with the beer,
"a the hilarious word spoken to US on the other
aide of the water. Sheerer nonsense was
Newer uttered. One sees plenty OF people mere
who for months and even years have resplrea
none but Teutonic oxygen, and have 1altniul-
ls gone down to the bottom of lnnumeraole
casks of lager, and who yet are unaoie 10
stagger through dozen sentences Witn0nt
tum6ling into some grammatical gutter. The
fact ia. paradoxical as 1t may sound, 1t is at
frat very difficult to hear any German spoken
at all, at least to yourself.
German Is not to be absorbed from the very
atmosphere. Adult persons have TO attack II
with teacher, grammar and dictionary. IL Is
a grand but sullen fortress, entrenched against
ali hGsty surprise aud capture oenlnG Ie1 enaess M
series of cunning grammatical pitfalls ana
brIstling abatis Of impaling separable and
inseparsble verbs. Months Of severe study
are requisite to gain tolerable mastery OF 1t.
Knowledge of the language has to be paid
for-paid in toll and paid In money. This nolds
especially true of the family living by Itself
and keepine house, and, indeed. constitutes a
most serious Offset to the undoubted agreeable
ness of such mode of life. There ID put one
right thing to do with
YOUR BOYS OR GIRLS.
Send them into some village into the family OF
a clergyman blessed with whole culver full
of sons and daughters, or Into the home OF q
widow In reduced circumstances. Tnere let
them devote themselves exclusively 10 SPEAK
ing, reading, writing and skating IN German.
In six months they will use the language with
facility. Then put them Into the public
schools, or hire private tutors tor them. You
will then be satisfied, and theic after educa-
tion thorough aud admirable. Life In Ger
many will be found delightful and improy-
Ing; True, some distasteful cookery Will
have to be swallowed down. But what is
that to well-regulated mind. bent on mas.
terIng the glories of the Teutonic speech !?
The one family, In which you soon feel at
home, opens the way to acquaintance with
other families. Clubs can be formed tor
reading and conversation. The theatre oners
cheap and pleasant opportunity 10 accusCom
the ear to the sounds of the new language,
and the sense of rapid progress Keeps the
mind cheerful.
JorTINGs ABOUT THE STATE.