The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-05-20
BEER AND MILITARY GLORY.
Vain Efforts to Find the Bottom of a Mug
The German Military System.

Vain Efforts to Find the Bottom OF n Mug
The German Military System.
]. NJ Emerson in European Glimpses and Chances.
Desiring to test the genuine German beer.
and being directed to a special restaurant
for that purpose. we find 1T typical Ger
man establishment. Only one kind of beer
is served, and limited number of dishes in
the way of edibles. The array of elaborate
and ponderous beer-mugs, hung by their
handles on the wall extending almost from
floor to ceiling behind the counter, is quite
overwhelming. and when three of them are
set before u.s. filled with the foaming bev-
erage, one of our party remarks that he did
not order the Atlantic ocean, and the young
woman says she feels like fly about to fall
into pail of milk. The immense size of
these mugs creates in our minds doubt as
to whether this is a wholesale or retail
transaction. But we find, on doing our
level best to solve the problem, that We
so far fail TO sound the depths of our pom
derous tankards as TO be compelled to take
our position in the retail ranks. while our
neighbors all around us are, without excep-
ton, in the wholesale line, for they sue
coed to a man-and woman, too-in touch
ing bottom. Indeed, many of them sound
the depth of several specimens of the same
sort and we leave them, in q halo of smoke
and good cheer. calling for more.
An American is here reminded at every
turn that this is a military nation, by the
soldiers in training at the barracks, by the
marching and countermarching of military
tramp, tramp he daily hears from the
window of his hotel as the files of soldiers
cross and recross the bridge of boats. re-
calling wildly the enactment of similar
scenes in his own country during the period
of the civil war.
Many amusing incidents occur among the
soldiers in their street parades and march,
ings. We saw recently little squad
dawdling along in their uniforms through
the heat, the most ambitionless, hot, weary
or lazy souls. dragging one foot after the
other as If a cannon-ball were tied to each.
Poor fellows" We thought. how plainly
every line about them tells the oppression
and misery of the whole brutal sys-
amazement they stiffened up like
ramrods, flung one leg out in
front at an angle of forty five degrees with
force enough to kick down a rampant and
then brought the heel of his ironclad mem-
Der down upon the pavement like black
smiths hammer the sparks flying in all di-
rections. We looked on in amazement,
wondering what had happened TO them.
when in the distance appeared diminutiye
corporal, the occasion of the whole excite
ment. The same awe of their superiors runs
through the entire German army. A COM
mon soldier having his boots BACKED will
instantly stand aside, before the operation
Is completed. as corporal steps up, He in
turn gives place to an officer, and IN few
minutes three of these accommodating in
dividuals are standing in row, bolt up
right, with their trowsers turned up and
each one with boot BACKED. When tho
fourth has been served, he passes along,
with dignity, and each of the other three
takes his turn in regular order until the
| common soldier is finally reached