, 1891-03-12
SOCIETY IN BERLIN.
THE CITY ON THE SPREE IS STILL
IN A TRANSITION STATE.

thing-Great Wealth l. Not Seen In
Any Part Of the Big wom-
en- Oversee Their Domestic Affairs.
Il has been said with much truth tina
Berlin is stil in its FleceI-jlhre, the Ger
man name for that period Of transition
when the child develops into the young
man or woman. As a capital Of first rank
Berlin is not fully Hedged even yet. in
spite OF the gigantic strides TO maturity it
has taken since ISL
However, 1t refuses ohstiuateIv 70 CON
slider itself otherwise than grown up;
hence a sort Of hesitation, an uncertainty,
a difddeuce perceptible TO the outsider, the
uuacknowIedged consciousness OF which Is
thlnly yelled under ostentatlous assurance,
and eugenders a watchful jealousy in so
eiAl relations that has often been attrib-
uted 70 other motives.
Sometimes this feeling has created dim.
culties. In the simple and p]erfunctory
matter Of calls, for instance. no definite
rules are possible. At whatever hour a for
elgu visitor pays n visit he is liable to fall
on the dinner hour. which may be at any
time between 2 and = All the b0urgeoi-ie
does not dine At ., all the ari>tocracy does
not dine at the later hour, the former
strives to postpone its meal, the latter en-
deavors 70 forget how very lately it has
adopted the more fashionable time.
ECONoNT ~ HIGH lTTE
These erudities are apparent in other
things. With very fine houses, elegant
and really artistic furniture, good pictures
q choice flowers in abundance, with the
comprehension OF the rehnemeuts OF life
that springs from superior intellectual ed
ucAtiou, the Berliucse are by nature and
tradition a race Of simple and primitive
VarF.. ar~a aE#rw4a-an UV4g1Hr Fbs
Israelites-are the exception, not the rule;
the wealth Of the Christians is chiefly ter
r~itorinl, and the rich land owners, whose
extensive domains are often situated In
distant provinces not easy OF access, do not
think themselves justified in spending the
revenues OF their property ia the capital
only.
Thrift and domestic economy are prnc-
ticed and viewed in the light Of hereditary
virtues sinful u. neglect. Even women OF
title consider themselves bound to super
wise their household, not by a deputy
housekeeper, but in person. They are act
i've and intelligent, share in the manage
ment, expect their daughters 10 assist
them, and train them to be proficient IN
their turn in all the branches Of house
rule.
Impossible as they think It is to act
otherwise. this adherence 20 old teachings
creates a certain distrust and shyncss OF
strangers. and a fear OF possible ridicule.
which is the real reason OF difficulty ex.
perienced by foreigners in penetrating into
the inner life Of the Germans. The diplo
matte corps especially Is viewed a. n dan
gerous competitor and critic. II is looked
upon as generally worldly, subversiye, eN
travagant and supercilious; to be courted
withal, sometimes nnttered, often cnvied,
but always and prudently kept at u safe
distance.
THE MILITARY.
Setting aside the court and the imperial
family, who are extremely hospittble, the
chief social functions devolye upon the en-
bassys and legations. These Entertainments
retain Is certain official character which
in itself has a charm for native society, the
Prussian houses at which receptions on =
large and cosmopolitan scale are given are
very few, and for many years have always
been the same. Conspicuous among these
are the houses Of the Radzywills, not mere
ly those Of the heads of the family, but OF
the younger and allied branches.
The universally. it may almost he said
the excess, OF the military element preva-
lent in Germany, is no doubt responsible
for many social restrictions. There Is vir.
tually no other profession than the army
for young men OF good birth, they enter II
at IA very early nge, having been prepared
for Il from childhood; they frequently
marry young; their epAulets are in the
minds Of even prudent parents sufficient
guarantee Of their fitness to assume the
care OF a wife and family,
Except in the Guards, where some Of
the officers have private fortunes, military
men are content to depend and live on
their pay, and their existence Is necessarily
very unpretentious, although their uni.
form precludes them from praCticing some
of the small economics that "A clerk In a
10 900
losing caste.
Each officer Is allowed 20 take a private
from the ranks as his own servant. This
chosen soldier goes by the generic usme Of
"Bursch" aud is literally "a jack Of all
trades. He n valet, h~Uusemaid, butler,
cook, goes TO market. tends the children,
waits at table, runs errHuds, aud would die
without a murlnur for his master il his
death could afford that master the slightest
qualification. Many instances of this dog
like fidelity and devotion were recorded
during the Franco German war. not more
admirable. however, than the humber
round OF daily service these soldiers so
cheerfuily perform.
"A ToR OFFICERS.
An officers pay is ri~dicuously small;
many a dashing young lieutenant deems
himself in luck il at the end Of the day he
has thirty pfeunigs three peucel left for
A-a eAfENA ~ - 80 - 49, hHa'hh So 49,
lin his condition is brilliant compared with
that Of his comrades stationed on the from
tiers. There are a great number of the lat
ter; their barracks are wretChedIy incou-
yenient and uncomfortable, and possess no
accommodation for married officers, who
are compelled 70 leave their wives behind.
But whatever their hardships, they
never grumble. Woe betide them il they
felt inclined to do so; they would be
bracketted Immediately MS unworthy OF
their cloth. Dissatisfaction is a very rare
occurrence; German officers live exclusive
ly for their profession, supported by the
ardent, innate, blind, hereditary military
instincts Of their race.
The external politcness Of officers cannot
be exaggerated. II constitutes one Of the
features Of Berlin society, where they reign
supreme. Until quite lately high play was
carried on in CLUBS and casinos, but the
young emperor his expressed himself 50
strongly aud repeatedly against this prtc-
tice that excessive gambling has been dis
counJenanced if not actually prohibited,
and has almost disappeared among the
corps Of officers.
The emperor has a great prestige, which,
II not quite equal to the worship inspired
by his grandfather, has still given him an
immense influence In the army. He has
remained on the most friendly terms with
his Did comrades, frequently visiting them
Informally in their quarters and sitting
down at the midday regimehtaI mess with
them-Cor New York sur
The following item has been going the
rounds of the press, and as our druggist,
L. - --a 80 H. -AAAn ! TwmV