Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-08-23
THE HERR LIEUTENANT.
He's tho Deuce of a Fellow, and German
 Society Pays Homage to Him.

dude. He has few characteristics, how ever, in common with the American dude, asserts the New York Star. He is intelli- gent and manly. He wears no ultra fashionable attire and talks no ultra-foreign jargon. He has no yellow top coats, nor wide trousers, nor pot hats, nor patent leather shoes, nor big-headed cane. But there IS red stripe on each of his trousers legs, big imperial eagle on his helmet, red straps on his heavy ulster, spurs on his boots, and at his side sword in Q massive scabbard, which strikes the pavement at every step. He often wears a monocle, and always Q mustache.
 After the Lieutenant has been refreshed by his barber from the fatigue of early morning drill, he goes to the most popular cafe to show the poor humdrum chaps with out swords or spurs or trained mustaches or curled front hair what 9 mighty fine fellow Lieutenant of the Guards is. As soon as he enters the cafe his faysrite waiter begins all sorts of feats of acrobauc politeness. He bows himself double whenever the Lieutenant turns Q hair. He scurries around like mad after the military periodicals and shouts himself hoarse in ordering for the Herr Lieutenant the very best caviar, the freshest rolls and the strongest coffee which the cafe affords. He never addresses the Lieutenant as 'you." That would be too disrespectful to a real Lieu tenant, though it is good enough for men in bobtail coats and trousers without stripes. No, the waiter always asks: Twill the Herr Lieutenant kindly have sugar in his cof- fee!' "Win the Herr Lieutenant have Q two-cent beer or two and one-haif-cent beer!" "Will the Herr Lieutenant have 8 fine domestic cigar for three cents, or a supertine imported cigar for four ceents!" All this servility costs the Lieutenant 0 cent It would cost an American double that amount. A German civilian would have hard work to get 1t at any price. A Frenchman could not get it at all.
 After coffee tho Lieutenant takes two little brushes from case in his pocket and brushes his mustache. Then he goes out to give the girls q treat. In Berlin he ex- hibits himself on Inter den Lenden; in Leipsic, on the Promenade; in Dresden, on the Bruhl Terrace. Pc marches along in the middle of the walk, as erect and con- scious as if he were on dress parade. He turns neither to tho right nor left, save for an officer of higher rank. Civilians make way for him, for he is a bad man to bump against. He is keen to resent any incivll- ity, and the man who shoves him rudely, or gets on his toes, is apt to bring up opposite | him with swords or pistols the next morn | ing in the Grunewald or Rosenthal. The Lieutenant on this street parade, however, | is not so busy admiring himself that he has no time to admire all the girls who admire him. He ogles every pretty woman through | his monocle. His admiration of hand | some young wife on her husbands arm is | just as open as his admiration of the CO., quettish shop girl who walks alone. This does not bother the young wife very much, | because most German women like to be | looked at by Lieutenants, but it frequently l gets the husband into one of those scrapes | with swords or pistols.
 | At dinner in a restaurant the Lieutenant always gets the prettiest waitress, her incest smiles, tho fattest bis of roast goose, and the biggest piece of cheese. He | is admitted to the theater for almost ncth- l ing, and attracts moro attention there than the rich banker who has c proscenium boz all to himself. He leads all the dances. His red and blue coat attracts more favors than dozen swallowtails. In the damcntour he is the first man on the floor. In fact his l social domination is so complete that of late years disgruntled critics of German higl | life usually speak of it as Lieutenant be ridden society,""
 The Lieutenant's social success IS not dut entirely, however, to his fne clothes, per fectcd mustache, curled front hair, and goo( dancing. The German Lieutenant is gen | erally a noblcman and gentleman. He i always well educated and well informed concerning topics of the day. Long afte entering the army, he frequently subscribe | to university lecture courses, and appears il the lecture room regularly with his ittl' leather bag full of notes, just as if he were au ordinary student. He reads great dea about civil government, political economy Bismarck and the Hohenzollerans. He car say hisGoetAe backward and can cite Shakes peara moro appropriately than three fourth of tho Englishmen. He can quote Hein
 with the professors pretty daughter O.
 Roscher and Rau with the professor him
 self He is clevcrly venturesomc, too, and
 though he may not know the difference be
 tween knowledge and belief, he does no
 avoid bouts with old metaph ysicians con
 corning the theories of Kant, Hegel an
 Schopenhauer. He is so superfcially onlnis
 cient and audacious, that his presence at | reception always ensures some one goo
 time. The criterion of the success of Ger
 man party is consequently the number o LieuteHants present.
 Notwithstanding all his attractions fo
 Fraumammas and Fraulein daughters. th
 Lieutenant usually terminates his triumph
 ants social career by marrying very plai
 woman. This is the reason: The heuter
 tenants life is an expensive one, as life |
 Germany goes. Three-cent- cigars, win
 and flowers, and actresses. social obligs |
 ducks and drakes with his salary, which
 little more than one third the salary of a
 American Lieutenant. If he has no privat
 fortune he makes debts at every turr
 These debts are piled up year after yea
 "An angel fles through the room and
 Lieutenant pays his debts," is Germa
 proverb. Tho German Governmenthas ha
 . lifelong experiences with the young Lier
 tenant, and knows thing or two about h , expensive habits. It has therefore forbi' den him to marry unless he or his intende
 wife has money enough to support th
 family When Q Lieutenant's det.s hay
 become mountain high and troublesome, |
 begins to scurrv around after riC
 marriageable woman. Money is the or
 ss,,e qua non of his choice. A woman ma
 be plain, stupid, erratlc within limits, (
 American yet if shc has money enough put the Lieutenant square with the wor after he has had his fling, he jumps at u chance to marry her.
 Tho Humcrist of Plants.
 A good-natured plant has been discovere