Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-12
AMERICA IS FAR AHEAD.

Mrs. Werner's Conclusions From a European
Trip Cleveland, Tolstoi and Bellamy
Very Popular-Pittsburg Like a Mad.
house as Compared With the Quiet Old
World.
Mrs. N. Werner, the popular librarian OF
the German Library ON Wood street, re.
turned last week from four-months' trip to
Germany, the land of her birth. It is now
more than 80 years since she left that coun.
try, and the many changes which have
taken place in the meantime have removed
nearly all the old familiar features by which
she remembered her old home.
During the course Of a conversation she
said: "When I took the trip it was Eot with
the intention of making a lengthy tour Of
it, but merely visit to the cities and towns
along the Rhine, which were so we'll known
to me in my early life. found the change
was even greater than expected. Few of
the many places / visited still retained any
thing familiar to me. Germany can, in no
sense, be compared with this country, as far
as progressiveness is concerned, but every
where a change has taken place, that change
has been for the better. Thirty years ago,
it was considered high treason to utter a
single word of protest against the methods
of royalty, but now the Emperor, his fam
lily and their actions politically and socially.
can be and are freely discussed.
"They take the liveliest interest in Amer
lean politics over there, and follow every
move made by our several parties must
say, the greatest American in German eyes
is Grover Cleveland. This, no doubt. arises
from his views on the tariff question. By
the way, you would he surprised at the man
ner in which Bellamy's book, Looking
Backward has taken hold over there. 1t
sells for about Is cents of our money and
everybody has it or has read it. Not sin
gle house which visited but contained one
or more copies And speaking of books re-.
minds me that Tolstoi, whose 'Kreutzer
Sonata has excited so much unfavorable
comment here, is looked upon in Germany
as one of the greatest men Of the time, and
his opinions are freely accepted as those OF
one of the most deep and logical thinkers Of
the age.
''In mechanical Improvements the Ger
mans are not nearly SO far advanced as the
Americans. They have several electric
street car lines in Berlin and one in Stras-
burg; also cable line in the first named
city. That is, believe. all they have in
the way of rapid transit except the electric
cabs which have not seen.
SIN one particular this country could well
take pattern after the old and that is the
appreciation of the beautiful. have been
in many of the most famous parks in the
United States aud have never yet seen any,
thing to compare with those on the other
sde of the sea. 1t would be simply impos-
sible TO describe the wonderful beauty of
the Palmer Garten in Frankfort. Even the
railroad depots are literally set in mass of
flowers and plants. In everything the Old
Country betokens what it really is a land
OF poesy.'
"Its business is conducted so quietly that
one imagines in visiting the various towns
that he has travelled in continuous series
of Sundays. Why, the change was so great
when arrived in busy Pittsburg, after my
four months sojourn in those quiet places,
that could hardly keep from thinking 1
was in o madhouse."