The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-06-20
Vienna.

There is no more agreeable and
amusing place In the world to live in.
than the capital of Austria, though
perhaps to enjoy its full SAVIOR one
should be an Austrian, have Austrian
connections, or belong to some one of
the great families of Europe, who are
recognized in all countries as pre-
serving and underlined right of entry
into every court and drawing-room. In
spite of constitutional experiments, the
Viennese nobility are still very exclu-
sive, even more so than the Faubourg
st. Germania in Paris and the court
does not acknowledge the quality of
merchant, collect the millions never SO
wisely. Democracy has, however, 50
far innovated that Vienna has now a
very extensive and luxurious society of
commercial people, who give dinners
which is not the custom with the arls-
tocracy, the hospitality of such mobiles
as the Schwarzenbergs and the Lich-
teDsteins assuming the shape of .fetes-
and travellers are readily admitted into
this society if they will only act as ro-
wing Frenchmen and Italians do not
that is, keep cut of political scrapes
with the police, who are still more
watchful than the altered state OF the
country might lead one to suppose.
Even the stranger, though, who has
neither business nor social position to
secure him admittance anywhere, need
never be at a loss for entertainment in
the Kaiserstadt. TO begin with, there
are the theatres, which are cheaper, and,
in some respects, better than most of
those in Paris. They are the great re-
sorts of all classes, from the Croatian
bagman to the emperor, who may be
seen In his white uniform four or five
evenings week laughing boisterously
at those broad farces, which are no.
where better put on the stage, or at the
operattas of Offenboch, which are gen
orally brought out at Vienna within a
month of their production in Paris. A
good feature in connection with the
theatres is, that they are always over
early enough, generally about half-past
ten, to admit of supping, which IS a
national custom allowing of no eradi-
cation, and which floods the streets of
Vienna with light, animation, and fes-
tivity, up to the hour when all the
thoroughfares of London look like
frozen water-tanks. Another good
point consists in the Viennese summer
theatres, which are not booth-like con-
trivances with shouting rogues in span
giles outside /; but merry, well-lit, and
delightful gardens, where one can
spend ones evenings IN the dog-days
lounging In an easy cane-chalr, and IN
haling comedy or drama between the
puffs of Smyrna cigar and draughts
of iced and yellow lager-beer. Ladies
abound in these gardens, and uncom-
monty pretty most of them are. They
have none of the milch-cow stolidity of
Prussian danes, and their maidens do
not affect the dreamy sentimentality
which reads so well in Feuerbach's
novels, and is such an insufferable bore
in real life. They like iewelry, dress
in smart bright colors, greet one always
with a smile, which displays the pearly
teeth for which they are so famous, and
are not perpetually on the Qati utUe
about propriety, though certainly none
the less virtuous for all that. Austrians
have often been compared to English
men, and they resemble the better class
of our countrymen in the neatness of
ther dress, their love of field and sports,
and their general bearing and COM
plexions. But in their social character
istics they incline. toward the French,
living much out-of-doors, and being
ever willing to come out to the cafe
with you Call upon an Austrian at
what time you please, and, let him be
busy as he may, he somehow always
finds leisure to stroll out with a chance
friend to eat piece of goose-liver cake,
drink a schoppe of ale, and smoke
cigar. The word intrusion has no
place in his vocabulary. If he be
merchant, he will cheerfully leave
Providence to sit at the receipt of Gus
toms forhim in his absence or if he
be one of those learned doctors of law
who waddle about the payements in such
numbers. he will look as though he de-
sired nothing better than to be called
away for a few hours daily from the
study of the classics he processes to
love