Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-10-26
Modern Vienna.

The famous letter-writer "Gath, VI
recently said: Although Vienna is one
of the most popular cities in Europe,
it is very far inferior to Paris in the
regularity and importance of its street
architecture and the brightness of its
shops. There are some rather hand
some women in Nienna-particuln
Hungarian women-and the Viennese
often possess the amiable countenances
of the French, and are. perhaps, better
modelled in bodily form, but they seem
to me to be dirtier people. and with but
slight taste in dress. The public life OF
Vienna around the cafes, etc., is very
languid and phlegmatic, compared to
that of Paris. The large suburbs of
Vienna remind me of the Bowery side
of New York. The city is improving,
and the great street called the Ring
Strasse has noble buildings of not very
pure architecture to celebrate the crea :
tion of the element of popular Govern
ment III this old absolute despotism.
The great palace, around which the city
clings like a set of old Southern cabins
close to the planters mansion, was
subject of somewhat horrid mystery to
me-, considering the evil influence it
has exercised on modern times for more
than three hundred years, I went
through the imperial stables, where
were many Spanish barbs for riding
purposes, and saw some of the Princes
exercising in their riding school; and
went down into the crypt of the old
church, where a monotomous number
of great, numbering bronze coffins of the
imperialists lie--Maria Theresa in the
middle, her husband at her feet, the
second wife of Napoleon off at one side,
with Napoleon's Hapsburg son silent
beside her, and at the far end Maxi
milan, of Mexico, his big casket. shell
covered with silver offerings and faded
flowers, and in q darker part of the
crypt, behind higher railings, lay the
long, high collins of series of misera-
BILE rulers who fashioned an empire out
of the sufferings and humiliation of
discordant races, and have but recently
surrendered any portion of it, in obe-
dience to the iron will of Bismark.
Yet this surrender has made all of Aus
tria that is pleasing at the present
moment, and her sovereigns, at last
throwing themselves upon the populace,
begin to recognize Joy their fathers
never Kugw.
/ went to the celebrated Turkish bath
of Vienna, which would be the noblest
in the modern world if there was any
patronage in Vienna to keep it up.
But it is rapidly tumbling into dirt and
decay for the want of money Built
for the needs of the Vienna Exhibition
several years ago, it had briCf period
of success. aud still is a reminder of the
old Roman baths, in It's huge halls,
large swimming pools and proficiency
Of space; but find no bath in Europe
more acceptable than are those IN Lafa-
yette Place, New York, though the
Hammam in Paris is admirable for its
economy of space and architectural
nicely. The Turkish baths in London
are too public and have too many para
sites hanging around. Nowhere in
Europe did 1 get the manipulation in
these baths that one receives in New
York.
In Vienna l went to hear Edward
Strauss, one of the three noted Jewish
brothers who have composed dance
music, lead bis orchestra at the Volks-
garden, near by the palace. This Is
fat, enclosed piece of ground, shaded
with horse chestnut and other trees,
with pretty walks and hedges, and with
two music stands opposite each other,
one of which has attached to it sort Of
restaurant hotel for balls and suppers.
At this latter music stand Strauss led
his fiddlers to his own tunes and those
of his brothers, John and Joseph, and
about half the music played was of the
Strauss family's composition. Edward
is fne-looking man with dramatic
address; rch Jewish eyes and black
hair; his clothes are carefully made.
He leads his orchestra in dance fash
ion, moving his feet and knees as if he
could scarcely keep from waltzing while
he handles the baton. The music of
the Strausses is Yaluptuous. confden-
tial, insinuating, coquetting and pretty,
but tolerably shallow and made alto
gether for the feet and fingers. The
audience, as a matter of pol1teness,
always applaud the Strauss compositions.
A military band in the other stand
alternated with the string music, and
seemed to me, like military bands every
where, to have a great deal of brass
gathering and din of drums, There
were some gentle, graceful people in the
audience, which toward nine o'clock
numbered nearly one thousand; but the
cyprians, III considerable number, pa
raded up and down the walks in pairs
and threes and s1ngly, snd lurked around