The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-01-07
.BERLIN UNDER THE NEW EN-
PIRE.o
How the City Looks Through mr..
ViZetelty.s Eyes.

How the City Looks Through mr..
vizeteiiy's Eyes.
lPall Mall Gazette Review.I
As pictured in this book the city is the
fitting headquarters of Heme's. "Tartuffe
among Nations" the true capital of the
brand new iron-handed, brazen-headed
Empire of craft and force. Its appear
ance is ostentatious and unprepossessing,
pretentious and unattractive, garish and
yet not brilliant. To the Viennese it is
the "Sandbox of Germany" to its own
people it is the "Athens of the Spree" !"
To the world at large the sandbox quail
ity of Berlin is great deal more appar-
ent than the Athenian; and it has withal
a mingled favor of brutality and science.
of pride and vulgarity, of poverty and
annoyance, peculiar to itself, and giving
it place apart among cities. Apparent
ly, tits built of solid stones actually,it is a
town of stucco and plaster. Apparent
ly, it was designed for the use Of trade
and society; actually, it is arranged for
military despotism and with an eye to
the prompt suppression Of revolution.
Apparently, it is universally educated,
exceptionally intelligent, abnormally
prosperous, preternaturally pious and
obedient, content to be the center OF a
grand military system; actually, its
roughs are the worst in Europe, its press
and its theaters are paltry and corrupt,
its misery is excessive, it is a headquar-
ters of political and theological scepti-
cism, it numbers some sixty thousand
male Socialists alone among its popula-
ton; apparently it is supplied with all
kinds Of modern improvements, and gov
erned and ordered on the purest modern
principles; actually, it abounds in open
debauchery, its roads are scandalously
bad and comfortless, its stenches are as
gross and multitudinous as those that
Coleridge counted in Cologne.
1t is almost needless to add that every
second person in Berlin is specialized
Youth glances amorously at beauty
through one pair of glasses, and beauty
returns the message coyly through
another. The Prussian Cupid is moi
blind, but only short-sighted. Possibly
this is the reason why he should be the
keen hand he is at bargain. OF course
Berlin is not withal healthy city. Mr.
Vizetelly confdentially expects it to bt
one of these days the prey OF tremen
dous epidemic. There seems to be NJ
money to spare on such commonplace
matter as sanitation. Sewers are useless
from a military point of view; and not {
penny of the Ell 100000 Prussia re
ceived as her share of the Five Milliard
could be spent on anything wholesome.
The Berlinese are extremely thrifty
They live cheaply, an officers dinner
costing him no more than ninepence or 6
shilling; and as they have a hard strug
gle to make both ends meet, economy
takes very severe shapes. Add to thi
that they are divided into castles, which
castles are themselves divided into sec
tions, which sections in their turn art
subdivided into cliques, and it will b
seen that the difficulties in the way o
social intercourse are many and great
The Emperor is the All-Highest; an(
after him in a genteel diminuendo, re
minding one of the mouse's tale in n"Alic'
in Wonderland" his anxious subject
troop. Mr.. Vizetelly processes to hav
seen a card inscribed with the styl
and dignity of the Royal Sweeperes
of the Apartments, and declares tina
"a shopman or domestic enterin
the service of grocer who during tn
whole course of his career has by som
chance or other once supplied the Roys
Palace with a pound Of coffee, will b
compelled to address his master on ever
occasion as Herr Hofierant-Purveyc
to the Court" And then every male
privileged to extend the style he bea1
to his female, and it is etiquette to az
dress them both by it in full. 1t will
noted how admirably the Emperor IS vel
} known principles Of Divine Right an
the Authority of Kingship have con
/, to carlcature themselves. What is mo
Prussian and lamentable of all is II
little regard that, with all this strai
ing after the shadow of birth ar
l authority, is paid to good manne
} and even common decency. Yo1
Prussian, says Mr.. Vizetelly, is tt
: most impolite of men. He may SEN
mentallze devotedly with a lady, al
e quote pages Of the hyperbolical rhetor
: Of German erotics to her; but he will n
stir to open door for her, or hand her
chair, or assist her with her cloak.
the salon as it exists in Paris, or t
q drawing room asitexists in London, Berl
knows next to nothing. Either its visi
are purely formal, or its meetings a
,s manifestations of the caste spirit, and
v little interest to anybody who is UNI
n tached to particular gronp or part
It ular section. Sometimes Berlin dir
r solemnly; but Mr.. Vizetelly declal
e that Berlin cooks badly and fares poorl
q On the whole, this author is clear tn
v society in Berlin. is not only dull
+ itself, but singularly we'll qualified to
n the cause of dullness in any one who 6
n into it.
~ It is to be noted that Mr.. Vizetelly
is shockingly ungaliant to the ladies OF b
le lin. He looked at them in vain, it
le pears, for a single classical nose; he
n impoiite enough to insist that in Ber
re beauty has always big feet; and he