The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-02-28
LETTER FROM DRESDEN.
WHAT AN AMERICAN LADY SAW.
Cold Weather Porcelain Stoves-The Elbe-skat-
g-Hotels-Theaters-T Gallery Of
Paintings-The Museum.


county, to their brother, who resides
there, was not intended for publication,
but we have been So much interested in
perusing it, that We are sure our readers
will read it with pleasure:
DRESDEN, Germany.
January 18th, 1880.
The Winter all over Europe has been
a bitterly cold one. The papers give ac-
counts of great suffering everywhere, and
especially in Paris, where the snow and
cold has been something almost unprece-
dentcd. Even in Italy it has been very
bad. The Arno has been frozen as we'll
as all the fountains in Florence and Rome
If that was the case in the South, you
may imagine that Dresden had it's share.
and yet | nerer felt the cold so little in
my life. These porcelain stoves are 4
charming way of heating a room; in my
opinion worth all the furnaces and iron
stoves they produce i'll America. During
that cold spell in December We never had
IN idea what the temperature was out
side. until we went out, and yet there
WAS no disagreeable dry heat us there is
from an iron stove. We have learned to
manage ours beautifully. (You know
your sister Lu was always great on man
aging stoves, and the faculty has not de-
serted her in Germany.) Fill your stove
entirely full in the morning. let the coal
De reduced to red mass, then turn
al the screws, shut it up tight, and you
have your room warmed for the whole
lay. and even the next morning there
will still linger some heat When the
weather is mild, you need not put in so
much, nor shut it up, and can regulate
the heat according to taste, like sugar in
pudding. OF all the personal luxuries
| have seen abroad. | admire the Ores
len stove the most; and as came here
much preiudiced against them, they have
achieved triumph. | grieve to say that
time brings changes even to these old
conservative countries. and now the mod
arn abomination of iron stoves is creep
ing in to do away with the porcelain.
The rooms we have occupied this Winter
nave been much smaller than we have
usually had. and that may have had some
ding to with our being so comfortable
when the weather was SO icy outside; but
We like it much better than shircring in
l more spacious apartment.
The Elbe has been frozen over, and
mas been considered great sight. At
.irst We refused to go to look at it. think
inr that to those cultivated eyes. which
uad looked upon the frozen Hudson (not
WAS all the Same). what could there be
uncommon in the Elbc to make fuss
bout? So We stood OF in digniiicd dis
lain. hugging the memory of our great
NATIONAL rivers to our hearts. until one
lay. just before the thaw, we happened
80 be in that direction, and condeScend-
ing to cast a glance that way, found we
had made Il great mistake, and there was
4 grand sight spread before us. We were
not in time to see it in its perfection. as
The thaw had commenced. and it was
broken i'll large masses of ice. and i'll two
lays time the water was rushing like
mad, threatening to overflow all obstruc-
lions.
For several weeks there was little
Thought or spoken of in Dresden among
the younger members of the community
out skating. and every pond WAS brought
INTO requisition that would bear the hu-
nan form. The fashionable place was
the pond i'll the Crosse Garten. where
three times a week band of music
played, and the young men and maid
ems danced and disported themselves
Oh the ice as if in ball room. | have
not the slightest doubt that, as you were
sometime in Berlin, you came to Dres-
den, though do not remember ever hear
in. YOU speak of it. No doubt the part
of the city where we live was then the
country. as the houses are all Of the most
modern description, and you might i'm
lsine yourself in an entirely new city.
Ne came here for health. as the other
parts Of Dresden are said to be badly
trained. and the vicinity of the Eibe is
MT considered desirable as residence,
though most OF the large hotels are i'll
the old part of the town. 1t is very well
tor men, who are strong and who come
TO a place for little while and wish to
see the customs of country, to talk
about living among the people : and
putting up with all sorts Of inconveni-
enccs, but for those who have been accus-
toned to living in a certain way, and are
rather dependent upon certain things, it
Is different thing. Besides, We lire in
place for a long time. and have no wish
to come down to the Impoverished way,
which is usual among real Germans. For
instance. know young lady who is
acre to learn German. who lives 'an0hg
Tie pcoplc." as all you Americans are SO
fond OF advising us to do, and | should
certainly not like her bill of fare. Break
fast ! A. NJ, one roll and bowl OF coffee:
second repast at II A. NJ, piece of rye
bread and an apple: dinner l.3O, another
bowl of soup (very greasy, occasionally
/ piece of meat, four cups of coffee, and
another piece of rye bread; and at 80 a
so-called supper of the meat they ought
To have had at dinner, and few extras.
She sometimes comes into our room in
the afternoon, and when we say How
| are you to-lay?' her reply is, oh. pref
ty we'll; We had djnner today OF else
she reports the soup diet minus the dim
ner.
Musical and theatrical people delight
in Dresden, because there are such fre~
luent opportunities of gratifying their
tastes. Every night there is Il concert
some where. marvelously cheap, and also
theatrical performance, which only
| costs few marks. more or less. accord
ing to place. These concerts are. most
of them, smoking concerts. where the
| men puff vigorously all the time. ire
| spective of the presence of the gentler
sex: but such numbers Of English and
| Americans have come here of late years
| that the Germans have consented to give
one concert a week (every Tuesday night,
| .,+ Which II il fnrbiII.r f,r bn D,ola ynx