The record-union., 1892-09-26
THE GERMAN VILLAGE.
Beautiful Pen Picture Drawn by a
French Writer.
How Simple Fun and Music-Loving
People Enjoy Themselves in Rheims
berg-Quaint Customs in the Dining
Hall and Beer Cellar

The following sketch of the village life,
and particularly of the tavern life, of the
little German town of Rheinsberg, is
from the pen of NJ. Ernest Lavesee, the
newly-elected member of the French
Academy. 1t was given in letter last
year to the Journal des DebatS, and is
very fair specimen of his lighter style. 1t
has gentleness and humor about it not
always shown by Frenchmen, of these
days, writing of Germans:
The town has 1000 and some hundreds
over of inhabitants. and L find half
dozen hostelries of clean and dainty APP
pearance. ] hardly know where they get
their business. 1t is question that has
often occurred to me in the smaller places
of Germany, especially as you are al
ways served well and with a certain
style.
AT the Rathskeller, or the Cellar of the
Council, where am, there are two cham
bermaids, one cook, one valet, and one
kellner, i. e., waiter. The latter may
be 10 or Is years, as he does not yet wear
the waiter S coat, which would be for him
sign of advancement in his career. He
wears black trousers. black vest, black
cravat, is very clean, and well brushed
from head to foot, with little pOmade to
soften his stiff locks, stiff and supple
himself IN equal proportions, SO that /
can hardly say whether it was the stiff
ness that had the start.
He is a sort of little mechanism moved
by rule and a most jolly good will. AT
the stroke of the bell he comes promptly,
holding napkin grasped exactly at the
center; he stops three steps away, in
clines exactly the upper part of his body,
and raises 1t again as exactly; he listens
to the orders with the respect and atten-
ton Of a soldier. He takes them to the
= n On "a "a
which he does with ceremony. He
spreads the cloth without wrinkle,
places the plates accurately, then the
tablespoon, and then the three-tined fork.
he never touches two objects at once.
Each must be treated by itself, on tltd
fur sich.
The knives are handled with especial
respect; he brings them on tray, care
fully in line, the blade toward him; he
takes each by the handle, and, describing
curve, places it by the fork. The upper
part of his body bends with a regular
movement, like that OF a bell-ringer
ringing his chimes, and at every act that
brings him near you he excuses himself
with Bite schoen," 81 beg your par
DON"
If you have ordered Rhine wine or
Moselle, the bottle is served to you regu-
larry in tin pail with ice and water, and
you must confess that you would net find
this luxury In the chief village of your
own ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
The wine card and the bill of fare
Weinkarte and Speisekarte-are of suit
able length. Naturally you have not to
do here with the cosmopolitan cuisine, of
which the English have imposed the
menu on all the great hotels Of the CONT
nent. You have the fish of the neighbour
ing lakes, and German dishes cooked in
German fashion; boiled, unseasoned, but
with luxury of accessories; potatoes
boiled without salt, compotes of various
Kinds IN plate, with divisions for
prunes and cucumbers, pears or turnip
cabbage, some preserved in sugar, others
picked In vinegar, and all these go bet
ter together than Fronchman could be-
neve-doubtless by an application of the
philosophic principle of the identity of
contraries.
The dish recommended to me by the
inn-keeper with entire confidence is the
Wiener-SchnitZel, an escalop of veal
sprinkled with bread crumbs, and sur
rounded with mushrooms and other
pickles." and charged with ornaments
that rather puzzle at first glance. There
are minute baskets ranged methodically
and filled with little fruits. The basket
is woven of herring fllets and the fruits
are capers.
At the close of the dinner the Kellner
watches the moment to light your cigar
I for you. You would offend him if Won
took the trouble to do it yourself. He
brings you an ash cup, in faience, square,
with corner folded like folded card
and illustrated. l have seen MANY OF
these little dishes in Germany; some
bear advertisements; other genre scenes
for instance, the military drill in Came
room; red-faced German sub-officer
shouts orders TO negroes, clad only in
drawers, with pointed hat and gun who
stretch out the tips of their waxed feet:
the sun, which is gazing at them from the
heavens, is on broad grin. Some of these
ash cups are political / read on one OF
the latter, where is Bismarck ?v But I
prefer the one at Rheinsberg; through
the middle runs a little furrow, about
which is written: "kuhepIatZchen fur
brennende Cigarren''-"Litt place of re-
pose for lighted CIGARS" You would not
have thought of that; nor /. either. ann
making a collection of inscriptions of
this kind, and l have already several
series.
Still, as / said, don't know how the
Rathskeller gets its business. 1t enter
tains few travellers. The lake and the
chateau draw a few Berlinese in summer.
drummers, lumber dealers, lawyers make
a brief appearance. The traveller is so
little expected at the inn that one finds
no railway porterS and no timetable
i had to borrow the Railway Guide Book
of the Empire from the Postmaster
Who, then, pays the expenses of the
The petite bourgeoisie of Rheinsberg
contributes good part.
On entering the hotel one sees at the
left and at the right large rooms. Above
the door of one Autograph represents a
noble of the seventeenth century, one
hand resting on barrel, the other rails
ing a glass. 1t is the Lord of the
Barrel" Her ron F'dSS. He guides To the
room where one may find drink and play
cards or billiards. The other room is
the Guest Hall. There the evening so
Gals meet.
Some amateurs of the place, making up
a little orchestra, give concerts there, and,
/ am sure, for pleasure. have seen and
heard them; they do not impress me as
paid musicians. They come one by one,
the ladies without hats and gloves, the
gentlemen in frock coat or sack, with
cravats of soft eolors and scarfpins.
They gathered in groups around tables,
where the little Ketbeeg, rebuilding his
bows, brought enormous glasses of beer.
The talk at each table was animated and
gay. No one drank until he had raised
his glass in honor of a neighbor. From
table to table healths were exchanged
heartily in the regulation manner. One
calls the name of the one he wishes to
honor with health, raises his glass, say
ing, 'ProSit! May 1t prospe you'll
sProSit.'' responds the one saluted, and
both drink together. Meanwhile the lit
tie chdpetle plays military marches Like
ssThe Joys of a Soldiers Life,'' the over
ture to 1.-THE Caliph of Bagdad'' and that
of "Don JUAN" potpourris and waltzes.
This lasts until after 10 P. NJ, that is to
saw. for RheinSberg, late into the night.
am astonished TO see how happy all
these people look and the pleasure they
take in being together. They amused
me by the way they amused themselves.
The pleasantries they exchanged are not