The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-07-31
GERMANY'S GREAT CAPITAL
It Has Become One of the Worlds Most
Important Manufacturing Centers.
Well Built, Comfortable and Clearly City,
Presenting Many Attractions for Travel
ers from This Side the Atlantic.

age OF uneXam pleO emOOtnneeS leVen the
treacherous North sea being calml we land
ed at Bremerhaven. The last few hours
on board were enlivened by the anxiety of
an American girl who had brought twenty
pounds of candy from Chicago, and who
feared that the customs officials might be
so unreasonable as to tax her upon 1T. AS
measure of precaution she opened the
twenty boxes and took out plum or two
from each. Whether this ruse was sue
cessful do not know as we lost sight of
her In the confusion. 1t seemed from her
account that five pounds more had been
sent to her on the ships. but had in some
way miscarried. to her great distress The
examiner told us that American ladies. al
ways brought candy In their trunks. Can
dy and tobacco formed the burden of his
quest, and when *" assured him in her
best German that she did not eat candy,
and that her mann" did not smoke. he
pasted the coveted labels on all our bag
gage without further inquiry.
An hour and half by rail brought us to
Bremen, where we stopped q day to rest
and repack after the voyage. A beautiful
city it is. The old Notifications have been
RACED and laid out in beautiful parks, the
old-time moat now taking the form of
chain of lovely ponds, circlina about the
heart of the modern city. To similar peace
full uses have the Notifications of the last
century been put in many European citv.
The number and the beauty of the parks
and pleasure grounds provided for the
urban populations of the continent is one
of the first things that attracts the inter-
est and Wins the admiration of the Amer
Inon frou otar my arI Ia I'M nj
side. but it, at least, looks after municipal
affairs diligently and skilifully. Fall
creek. White river, and even Pogue's run,
would speedily be transformed from their
present unsightly raggedness into places of
unfaiiing beauty and refreshmenr if tho
Kaiser or one OF his III unicipal councils had
control OF us.
Linking this modern loneliness with the
past, the venerable cathedral. rathhaus,
and statue OF Roland about the market
square. exhibit the dlngy traces of decay.
The cathedral facade is now hidden by
a maze of scaffolding. and when this dis.
appears. two new and lofty towers will
bespeak added centuries of life for
the ancient pile. A visit to the in
terror brought US upon wedding GER
emony, which we took to be an
omen of happy tour for us in the
v a,t In the raths hlh Tor
saw the great casks In which are
stored Rhine and MOselle wines of famous
reputation. Among other quaint cOnccits
in this labyrinth of vaults We found row
of tw Give casks. named after tho twelve
apostles, of which eleven were filled with
choicest wine, but the twelfth. being the
one named for Judas, was condemned to
stand forever empty. To round out day
already full. We attended. in the evening
q Luther festspIel, dramatic perform
ance OF great power, representing the
prominent scenes In the lie OF the re-
former. A strong and well-trained chorus
contributed to the impressiveness Of the
performance.
IN THE CAPITAL.
The next morning we were off for Ber-
lin, distant eight hours by rail from Bre-
men, little south of east. Berlin is now
one of the great manufacturing cities of
the world. and is surrounded by belt of
factories. which give the traveller his first
glimpse of the famous capital. The clean
Illness of the city seems to extend even to
its suburbs, and dirt and squalor, If
they exist, do not strike the eye. a
broad spreading Clearly, well built.
industrious and prosperous city, is ones
first impression. To describe Berlin In
greater detail would be to fall into the
commonplace of reproducing scenes and OBJ
jects already familiar to your readers
through pictures, printed and oral descrip-
tions. or personal observation through
travel. The superficial characteristics Of the
city are. oe conrse, tie handsome and varied
architecture of its modern buildings, the
perfect cleanliness of its score or two of
miIcs of seamless and fawless asphalt
streets the universal use of electricity for
lighting streets, public buildings, shops
etc., the efficient and minute regulation of
all matters affecting the public safety,
comfort and happiness. the martial Air
Darading all, and the omnipresent polite
ness. Add to these advantages q cool and
pleasant atmosphere. daylight lasting un-
til P. NJ, splendid collections of pain tings
sculpture and industrial art, beautiful
suburbs and hospitable homes. and it will
be seen that Berlin has many attractions
for the American summer traveller.
In Berlin. as elsew here in Europe, and
more and more as one goes southwark the
use of stucco offends the travellers taste.
Even the wretched custom of frescoing ex-
terror wall surfaces predominant in Italy,
has crept as far northward as Berlin,
though rarely observed here. Even
under the blazing sun and azure heaven of
Italy. these street frescoes seem unius-
titable; but in land of clouds and rain.
with winters of snow and ice. they seem
to lose every possible excuse. As regards
the use of stucco one may be diffdent in
condemning, on artistic grounds. a custom
which the art-loying nations have SO large
ly practiced. Yet / notice that, while
stucco still holds its own in domestic archi-
lecture. the large and more prctentious
buildings are now faced with stone. To
build monumental gateway like the
Bradenburg gate. or palace thrice as ex-
tensive as the Indiana Capitol. like the
Kaisers schloss at Berlin, with q
core of rough brick and to
cover and decorate this rough wall
with holdings, FREEZES bases, capitals.
cornices and statues of stucco in imitation
of stone, is certainly obnoxious to crit
iclsm. Berlin architects, however, are not
lacking in the pleasing application of red
and yellow facing brick in structures of
even the largest size. The school build
lngs, railway stations, police headquarters
and noticeably, the new rathhaus exhib-
It's facades of brick and terra Gotta most
agreeable III arrangement and color. and
imposing In their general effect. AS the
| stucco recalls the palaces of Rome. SD the
brick recalls the palaces of Boulogne and
other cities of modern Italy. In both types
of structure the Italian influence il clear
" shown.
The Berlin lighthouses tgymnasia) are
imposing structures. generally of brick and
terra Gotta, covering large area surround
ing a central court. In those that we have
visited the primitiveness of the furniture
was in marked contrast with the grandeur
OF the buildings Desks and benches of pine.
painted black, and of the plainest FORM
with but little black board space, serve the
purposes of the Prussian school. The sum-
mer holiday. OF five weeks only, begins
July IL. Among parents we hear complaints
that the children suffer from pfolon ped
confinement and severe tasks. The teachers
take the contrary view. Certainiy the re-
suits as shown in the scholars Ger many ex-
hibits to tho world. are successful. II many
fall crippled by the roadside in their march
through the Prussian school ey STEM their
fate is unknown to the would at large