News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-06-04
UNTER DEN LINDEN.
Helen Isabel Mars in the Pacific Magazin

! Helen Isabel Marrs in the Pacific Magazine ]
Inter Den Linden is one Of the
most famous and magnificent streets
in the world, unequalled except by
the Boulevards of Paris. We found
ourselves for the first time in this
historical and interesting part of
Berlin, in the late afternoon of a
bright day in February, and joining
the throng of promenaders, felt we
were in the center of the political, in
tellectual, social and military life Of
Germany, for here are the buildings
of the University of Berlin, the pal
aces of the nobility, foreign embas-
sadors and ministers of education
and religion, the arsenal, the guard
| house, the fine shops and famous
cafes. One is at once impressed by
| the prevalence of the Greek style of
architecture On the Linden and in
! the immediate vicinity are those
,,1eaItilulpdifiees erectedin imitation
of well known Greek and Roman
models, many of them built in the
time of Frederick the Great and his
father, Frederick William /; for both
of these Prussian kings delighted i'm
embelishing their capital with fine
structures, which make Berlin to-day
one of the most imposing cities in
Europe This grand gate at the
west, through whose massive Doric
columns of gray sandstone is seen
the dull red of the sunset sky, surely
through these portals are marching
helmeted Grecian warriors, as Homer
says they march,
in perfect phalanx to the Dorian mood
Oflutes and soft recorders. F"
About us rise, in harmonious pro-
portions, their noble classic forms,
their pure outlines against the even
ing sky and little birds flutter around
the statues of heather gods. Here
are fawns, nymphs, dolphins and
centaurs and we see Apollo with his
Tyre, and Diana drawing her silver
bow. Are we in the nineteenth cen
tury? May be, but if so, looking back
ward to Hellenic days, to the infancy
of the world, when time was counted
by olympiads.
A few squares away from the Lin
den, on the Schiller Platz is the Berlin
Schauspielhaus or theater, a fine ex-
ample of the application of Greek
forms to a modern edifice and in inn
agination we see a slow procession of
white robed GTecian maidens ascend
ing the broad fight of steps, and dis
appearing through the Ionic portico,
for they are bearing votive offerings
to lay at the shrine of the diety of
the temple. Not far away is the
church of st Heding, built in imita-
ton of the Pantheon, at Rome and
on the Linden is the Royal Guard
House, constructed in the Doric style,
in the form of Roman fortified gate,
at one side of which stands the large
canon, the Valerie" brought from
Paris by the Prussians in 1871.
The stately Brandenburg Gate, e.
rected in imitation of the PropylR, at
Athens, is at the west end of Inter
den Linden and forms the entrance
to the town through the Tier Garten,
and is surmounted by the colossal
bronze chariot of Victory. carried TO
J Paris by Napoleon, but restored TO
Berlin after the peace of 1914. The
Tier Garten is seen through the Bran
denburg gate. Later during our stay
in Berlin we drove and strolled i'll
this immense tract of land which com
bines the attractions of wild forest,
sequestered hooks and charming
Arcadian bits of natural scenery,
where Corydon might pipe and Phyllis
dance, with the advantages of a well
kept park. Here the Deutscher Kais-
er takes his early morning constitu-
tional and the little Crown Prince may
be often seen cantering on his pony,
quite as pretty a sight, in his bright
Prussian uniform, as a Little Lord
Fauntleroy, although we see no flow
ing locks under a wide hat, for the
Crown Prince Frederick William wears
his hair cut short in military fashion
under his soldiers cap, quite betting
Hohenzollern Prince, whose train
ing must be quite Spartan, for one
day he may be the commanding officer
of the finest army in the world. We
wonder if the little boy is as much of
philosopher as was Mrs. Burnett's
hero, and if anywhere in that lofty,
gloomy palace has such friend as
| Cedric Enrol found in Mr.. Hobbs, who
kept the "corner grocery" and if
| the little Prince, like Fauntleroy, re
lieves his mind" by discussing the
duties and responsibilities of his po-
sition.
Inter den Linden, proper, extends
from the Brandenburg Gate to the
statue of Frederick the Great, one
mile distant and is one hundred and
ninety-siX feet in width. A double
line of trees, lime interspersed with
! horse chestnuts, divides the street
into three broad avenues, the central
one reserved for 1rC menaders. Here
we are really under the lindens and
can imagine what an enchanting
place it must be in spring when the
trees are green and covered with great
punches of fragrant snowy bloom.
How exhilarating to be for the first
time part of this novel and diversi-
fed life!
We admire the handsome Prussian
officers, with their bright uniforms,
glittering helmets and clanking
swords. The Emperor's Guard are
conspicuous in their white uniforms
and the large silver eagles which form
the crest of their casques, suggest to
us the symbolic swan which CLEANS
from the helmet of Lohengrin and We
think these protectors of royalty
almost as radiantly attired as is th,
son of Percival, the mystic knight o
the swan as seen in Wagner's opera
Some of these Prussian officers, thes,
sons of modern Sparta, " are so tai
that We recall the days when tn
agents of Frederick William | search
ed the civilized world for the veritabl
giants, the sons of Anak, two thou
sand four hundred strong, who form
ed his tall regiment of Potsdan
Grenadier Guards. Thrifty, hard.
old Brandenburg Spartan, say
Carlyle and who but Carlyle coul,
have understood so well the characte
of this eccentric monarch, and pres
ented it to us MS he has done in hi
S life of Frederick the Great. Fred
e erick William not only drilled tn
= Prussian army and laid the founda
;, ton of its present greatness, but wa
? the drill sargeant of the whole Prus
), sian nation. He urged diligenceupo
: all mortals and Twas truly, as his pee
pie called him, the great landlord
der CROSSE Wirth." He invente
the iron ramrod for his soldier
and no one in the kingdom of Prussi
i could fold his hands in idleness-
a even the old apple-women on th
Il street corners of Berlin must occup
u themselves with knitting. And tn
d poor little Fritchen, who afterwar