The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-04-12
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.


The week between Christmas and |
New Yearsis, In Vienna, denomlnated
The polite week. IL you are la
Vienna during this week, and are II,
any degree mysliiied by the daily oc-
currences around you, II Is u mystihca-
zion which will be dispelled by, nj least,
the evening Of the second Of January.
Every one who sees you IL 80 unusually
attentive TO your wants, so remarkably
polite, that you fancy the servants Of
Vienna are equal In their manners TO
the princes of other lands. The man
who builds your fire appears promptly
mt the appointed hour, your boots are
your clothes without u speck,
your breakfast Is servedpunctually, the
sudden appearance of the chamber
maid, in answer to your call Is like an
apparition called up by magic; your
order when given is Immediately exc
cuted. AS you pass along the corri-
doris the servants, both male and
female, greet you with such marked
reverence that you wonder II they do
not mistake YOU for n n0bleman in
disguise, and your appreciation OF the
grace aud dignity of your bearing takes
an upward tendency. The porter
takes Off his hat as you pass out Of the
door. The cabmen salute you humbly,
but you eau see Il mercenary motive in
that, 80 that 1t does not touch you so
profoundly; but II you have any deal
ings with them you find them eX-
tremely amiable, aud quite strict in
adhering tolhe tariff ofcharges. Atthe
restaurant where you take your dinner
you are compelled to admire the dis
patch with which your wants are met,
and the personal soliciCude displayed
by the waiter for your welfare. AS
YOU depart, a couple Of active walters
spring forward to help you on with
your wrappings, and mold the door
open for sou, and bow you out with the
most reNerentml poliIeness.
Upon New Years morning the fire
builder offers you his kind wishes and
congratulations to which you respond
with warm thanks. The boy who
brings your breakfast wishes you all
possible blessings. You thank him
too. Boots" brings your feet cover
ings to your bedside, and as he places
them on the floor offers his sincere
good wishes. You thank him, and
think show yer, kind In all these peo-
pie to remember the stranger" Now
follows two or three chambermaids with
congratulations, and sunday other SER
wants call upon you to wish you health
and happiness. To each and all you
return your thanks and good wishes
for their prosperity. The walters in
the restaurant greet you with "ich
gratulire,n and you find by your plate
d tiny calendar with the compliments
of the "pay waiter" You are pleased
with the kind attention, and rs you
pay for your dinner you express to him
your thanks, and you depart feeling as
if you were among friends instead of
being stranger In II strange land.
The second of January dawns upon
you, "Why, where is the fellow who
builds the fire." After repeated ring
ing he appears, gives sullen good
morning. in reply to your greeting,
puts q few sticks of wood in the stove,
lights small piece of paper,
lays it with the wood and goes away.
OF course it does not burn, and you
ring again. After long waiting, and
numerous hasty pulls at the bell, the
chambermaid pops her head in at the
door, and inquiries petulantly, "What
do you want?" In your establishment
ut the sudden transformation from
the smiling, atiable girl of yesterday,
into the frowning, impatient girl of to-
day, you forget to answer her question
until it is repeated even more petu-
lantly than before. You state the case,
and she departs. An half hour passes;
no one comes to build the fire, and no
one answers the bell, so in despair and
anger you at last get up and dress
in the cold. Feeling that it is no use
to ring for your breakfast, you pre-
pare to go out for it, and look
ing abou: for your boots find
that you must bring them in from the
hall where they have been placed.
Looking at them somewhat critically
you fail to see any marks of u polish
and conclude that Boots" must be
sleeping Off his new years dinner, and
has failed to attend to his duty, but you
meet him in the hall carrying couple
of pairs of boots that shine like mir
r0rs. You stop him and holding up
one of your feet to his view, ask If he
calls that BACKED? He replies gruffly
that they are "poOr boots, miserable
leather, won't take backing" and
leaves you with your foot still in mid
air. Strange he never discovered how
poor the leather was until this morn
ing, isn't it? But this seems to be n
day of astonishing disclosures. The
servants who greeted you so politely
Yesterday, are to-day, utterly
oblivious of your presence, and
yet you see them bowling low
before u man who is no better dressed
han yourself. The porter lifts his hat
20 this same man, and does not see you
1t all as you pass out. At the restau
ant you are ignored as long as possi-
Die, and your food, when it comes. is
'old and VI palatable; no one helps you
IN with your overcoat or hold the door
open when you depart. What is the
natter? Is this this the same world
n which you felt yourselft 80 at home
yesterday, or are you under the in
iuence of an unpleasant dream? NV
lear sir, the secret Is this, you made a
mistake in supposing that thanks were
sufficient return for congratulations
IN New Years day. All these people
to be paid for their kind
wishes, and because you failed in this,
'ou have henceforth no rights
which they are bound to respect.
Your expressions of astonishment at
his disclosure are more forcible than
legant, but fyou, who are a stranger,
eel SO deeply this small tax laid upon
.ou By custom think how much greater
ne burden, yes, we may say the impo-
ition, upon those who reside contin-
ally IN the city. You care nothing for
he estimation in which you are held
" ambermaidS and Walters hnt