The Leavenworth weekly times. [volume] (Leavenworth, Kan.) 1870-1880, 1875-11-25
THE GERMANS,
A Young Frenehman Pays a Wis
il to the Eatherland.
What he Thinks Of Berlin, vii.
helm, Bismarck, MOltke
and Others.

guage, as also by good social and financial
letters OF credit, made flying tour through
Germany in the earlier portion Of the pres
ent wear During his travels he took notes
by the wayside, and on returning home
published them. Seven editions issued by
the Paris publishing house Of L. Dentu,
have been already exhausted. Throughout
France the book has been hailed with cry
OF triumph and consolation; and German
critics have done il the honor TO sneer al il,
while protesting that they noticed 1t only
because 20 many millions Of Frenchmen
would get from ITS pages an inaccurate idea
OF The Faiherland. As showing what the
conquered think and say when welding a
free zen among the conquerorS, the book is
both amusing and interesting. The authors
opinions are ayowedly superficial, but they
are nevertheless instructive with regard 10
the upper crust OF life as now TO be seen in
Germany. They may best be described as
a sticking OF pins into the sensitive hide OF
the new empire. 4 cat may look al a king
and the king may be worried thereby.
No possible amount OF money, brute force,
or science can render a community of hu-
man beings perfect at all points, without and
II,
tell the Germans. Moreover, admitting the
German dictum that every Frenchman is
more or less OF fool, philosophers have
ever held that something can be learned
even from a fool. TissOt admires the leu
tonic gif; of foresight, tie extent Of which
in a measure puzzles him. He sees plainly
enough that whereas France, has been and
is stumbling along a road running from
,nuber.. payVlere has nod
well-dehned routes and aims since she was
fogsed into desiring them by Napoleon l.,
and OF all nations is at present the one best
hiIched up IN the harness of discipline
The BOOK II divided into two parts. The
author first sketches briefly his experiences
in South and Middle Germany, and then
concentrates his attention on Berlin and the
Berlinese. "Berlin," he says, sis both the
head and heart Of Germany, by usurpatioH.
Berlin thinks leads, rules, and distributes
hOnors, Justice and glory in modern Deutsch-
land, no longer the land Of gentle ballads,
Gothic dreams and pious cathedrals, but
the land OF blood and iron, cannon, grape
shot and battles" For fear OF being over
run by the revolution, the new empire has
entered into alliance with it, and thus the
socialists are confident OF intimate success.
Hence the entire nation is deeply agitated
and i'll al ease. The Rhine is now only a
chain OF fortresses reared against France ;
il is no longer goal OF pleasure, for French
tourists at least. Meanwhile, as Germans
are spying out all France, it becomes
Erenchmen TO do unto Others what Others
are doing unto them.
The first thing that strikes the eye Of the
traveller IN getting out of the cars at Berlin
t. the ubiquitous placard in the station,
Beware OF rogues." This police notice has
something frank and ingenious about it,
and one lnvoluntarily says to himself while
buttoning up his coat: "Here are people
who are not afraid 10 show themselves in
their true coiOrs" In the station no GUS
toms examination Of baggage, which is
some relief; ugly old rickety carriages out
side at rhc doors. The first GLIMPSE of
Paris surprises and enchants the foreigner;
Berlin also produces a surprise, but by no
means enchanting. The surprise j. that
the city Of Intelligence, the universal CITY, -
looks les like a capital than Dresden,
Frankfort, Stuttgart, Munich, not to men
ton Vienna, which Is comparable only
with Paris. Berlin is modern, brand new
and, in 4 Gothic sense, anything but Ger
man, with the straight, monotonUus streets.
almost unpaved, and without monuments OF
the past. iru-sian kings never had any
taste .or the hsautifHl; a cannon ALWAYS
appeared 10 them superior TO a cathedral,
siz-ioot grenadiers To- kaphael's paintings.
Accordingly, when one has roamed a whole
day through the long Streets animated on
ly 10y sabre, helmets, and uniforms, he is
seized with an InGe~cribable ennui, and
readily understands why Berlin, notwith-
standing the prestige given it by the late
events, can never Ice the equal al Vienna
Paris or London.
Berlin smells bad the odors OF Vienna
and Paris produce a certain agreeable it'll
alton. The absence OF foreigners gives the
city quite a village air, although it num-
bers $4,000 inhabitants. After the war,
133 ,693 Germans tiocked 10 the capital as
10 the promised land Of miIIiards. Only
3,l0i were accompanied by their families;
OF the other $50, $50 single persons, 3. 400
were women, suhdivided as follows: 10000
servant girls, 10000 unmarried women,
300 separated from their husbands. Prus-
sian virtue, already seriously shaken, failed
10 Withstand such an assault, and so the en-
envy is master Of the situation. 4 Berlin
journal admits that the citv's swarm of
scoundrels and persons of bad life would
furnish excellent material for a Commun-
islic Instruction.
The principal thoroughfare of Berlin is
called Inter den Linden. The natives who,
prior 10 the war, boastiuIiv entitled them
selves Parisians Of the North. compare it to
Broadway, Newsky, Perspective, the Grand
Canal, or the Boulevards. except in length.
The people of Geneva claim that il Paris
reSembled Geneva, Paris would be 4 very
beautiful city. At night, Inter den Lin
den is the abode of brigands and free-lov-
ers during the day its most original sight
Is the crazy centenarian Field Marshal, or
"Pana," Wrangel on horseback, distribut-
ing pennies TO the small boys,
under the delusion that he
is giving them balls to shoot French
zouayes with. The grand restaurants OF
this street are directed by French cooks.
and patronized by the high army officers
and aristocracy only; for, although the
burghers are not opposed to good fare, they
can only be at their ease in dingy, dirty
brewery rooms. A promenade down the
much-talked-ot central artery has little
worthy of admiration. The Artillery
School, Aquarium, Imperial Gallery, Acad- |
envy OF Arts and Sciences, Imperial Palace |
land nothing Is more commonplace than
this last mentioned house whose only or |
namentatlon consists in two sentinels pac-
ing al the door, the Opera, University Ar
senal-all these structures are pinchbeck |
imitation OF GrecIan and French architec-
ture. The passers TO be met in the stree,
are in keeping with the dirty grayish as
pect OF the harrack-like houses; il has
absolutely nothing picturesque, gay, ami
mated, and stimulating, as The streets of |
Paris The various statues of warriors
give il all the originality it can claim.
The Emperor William is an economical, |
unostentatious sovereign, who lives now
Very much as he did when he was Crown
Prince, and in the same palace that he had |
built on his marriage in 1929 Perhaps he
came back from Versailles with couple of |
trumpets and drums the morc-but that
was all. He is robust, bald old man.
with a remarkably healthy face. His head
Is enormous, and rests on very broad
shoulders, his ewes gray and bright under
thick eyyebrown which frown with facility
his moustache, joined to thick white whis-
kers, completely covers his mouth and con-
ceals Its expression War for him has ever
been divine mission, and in his visions
the world appears only under luminous
cross formed by a gun and sabre. His
method OF life is very simple his love of
discipline and regard for strict military
dress and department are profound. 1t is
sand that Bsmark gained his good graces
py hinderlnS him one day from appearing