The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-04-03
THE GERMAN CHICAGO.
Manners and Customs Of The Berlin
0fieisb-Sheet Numbers and
Slitides-A COmmers in
Homer Of virthow.

hAVmvb VI uuOuUVs
o.pyrseM 1893 ~ s. Z c7smen.
feel lost In Berlin. II has no resemblance "a
the city had supposed 1t WAS. There was
once Berlin which would have known from
descriptions In books-the Berlin OF the last
century and the beginning OF the present one:
dlngy city In marsh. with rough streets.
muddy and lantern lighted. dividing straight
rows Of ugly houses all alike. com pacted into
blocks as square aud plain and uniform and
monotonous and serious As so many dry
goods boxes. But that Berlin has disappeared.
It seems to have disappeared totally and
left no sign. The bulk OF tho Berlin Of to-day
has about It no suggestion Of former period.
Tho site Il stands on has traditions AMI his
tory. but the city itself has no traditions and
no history. It is new city: tho newest I h ave
ever seen. Chicago would seem vener able be-
side It: for there are many old.loSkins dis
tricts In Chicago. but not many In Berlin. The
main mass ofNthe city looks IS II It had been
built last week. the rest OF It has Just percep-
tibly Rraver tone. and looks a. II It might be
six or even eight months old.
The next feature that strikes one Is the spa
ciousness, the roominess Of the city. There IL
no other city In any country whose streets are
80 generally wide. Berlin 10 not merely city
OF wide streets, It Is the citv Of wide streets.
Az wlde-street city It has never had It's equal
in any age OF the world. "Uuter den Linden"
IL three streets In ono: the Potsdamerstrasse
10 bordered on both sides by sidewalks which
arc themselves wider than some OF tho his
toric thoroughfares Of tho old European capt.
tails: there seem to be no lanes or alleys:
there are no short cuts: hero and there. where
several important streets empty into . COM
mon centre. that centres circumference is Of
tk,sA~ A. A. - -
spAclousness into your mind again. The park
in the middle Of the city 10 SO huge that it calls
up that expression once more.
The next feature that strikes one IL the
straightness Of the streets. The short ones
haven't 80 much as waver In them: tho long
ones stretch out to rrodigious distances and
then tilt little to the right or left. then
stretch out on another immense reach as
straight as q ray Of light. A result OF this ar
rangement IL that at night Berlin is an inspire
ing sight to see. Gas and the electric light are
employed with wasteful liberality. and 50.
wherever one goes. he has always double
ranks Of brilliant lights stretching far down
into the night on every hand. with here and
there wide and splendid constellation Of
them spread out over an Intervening "platz."
and between the interminable double process.
sion Of street lamps one has the swarming
and darling cab lamps. lively and pretty ad-
dillon to the fine spectacle. for they counter
felt the rush and confusion and sparkle Of an
invasion OF freflies-
There Is one other noticeable feature. the
absolutely level surface OF the site Of Berlin.
Berlin. to reoapitulate. is newer to the eye
than IL any other city and also blonder Of
complexion and ttdler: no other city has such
an air Of roomlncss. freedom from crowding:
no other city has so many straight streets: and
with Chicago It contests the chrome for nat
ness OF surface and for phenomenal swiftness
OF growth. Berlin is the European Chicago.
The two cities have about tho same populs.
tion say million and q half I cannot speak
in exact terms. because only know what Chi
caeo's population was week before last: but at
that time It was about . million and half.
Fifteen years ago Berlin and Chicago were
largo cities. OF course. but neither OF them was
the giant It now Is
But now the parallels fail Only parts OF
Chicago arc stately aud beautiful. whereas all
OF Berlin Is stately aud substantial. and 1t is
not merely in parts but uniformly beautiful.
There are buildings In Chicago that are archi-
tecturally hner than any in Berlin. think. but
what have just said above Is still true. These
two flst cities would lead the world for phe-
nomensl good health II London was out OF the
way. As It is London loads by point or two.
Fourteen years ago 1t was a third higher
Berlin is a surprise In great many ways
In Q multitude Of ways. to speak strongly and
be exact. It seems to be the most governed
city In tho world but ono must admit that It
also seems to DO tho. best governed. Method
and system are observable on every hand
in great things. In little things. In all details.
OF Whatsoever size Add 1t Is not method and
system on paper. and there an end-it is meth.
Cd and system In practice It has rule for
everything and puts the rule in force; puts
It In force against the poor and the pow
erful alike without favor or prejudice. It
deals with great matters and minute particu.
lars with equal faithfulness and with plod-
ding and patnstaktng diligence and persist
ency which compel sdmiration-and some
times regret There arc several taxes. and
they are collected quarterly. Collected is the
word: they are not merely levied. they are
oollected-every time. This makes light taxes.
It Is In olttes and countries where a consider
oble part OF the community shirk payment
that taxes have to be lifted to q burdensome
rate. Here the police keep coming. calmly
and patiently. until you pay your tax. They
charge you i've or ten cents per visit after the
first call. BY experiment you will find that
they will presently collect that money.
In one respect the 1900. 900 OF Berlin's popu.
ISuon are ike tRmlly. The head OF thts large
family knows the names OF it's several nom.
bers and whore the said members are located.
and whom and whore they were born. and
what they do for living. aud what their re.
llgious brand lie. Whoever comes to Berlin
must furnish these particulars to the police
Immediately; moreover. II he knows how long
he IL going to stay he must say so. II he takes
q house he will be tlxe on the rent and taxed
also on his incoma He will not DO asked what
his income is. and SO he may save some lies
for homo consumption The police will esti-
mate his income from the house rent he pays
and tax him on that basis.
Duties on imported articles are collected
with innexible fldelity. be the sum large or
little: but the methods are gentle. prompt.
and full of fha snlrit Of acoo,n N, Cd atIon Thu