Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-04-05

Il
VI ,..,chusctt. tn Walt her daughter
Mrs. wilfrcd jefferson.
Beryi A. Wilson IL taking care 81 Ms
Daniel Adams who IL still very feeble.
BERLIN, TIE IMPERIAL CRY.
\ Eliior Ds.ecrH.
Fulfilling q promise I made your rad
~r., last week, I will CIV. you extract.
from letter received from Dr. j. u
Gehring 81 Bethel since his arrival IN
Berlin. The doctor needs no introiuc-
tlon from me, yet II may b. interesting
10 your reader. Ia know that Dr. Gehr-
Ing 4. ot Germ,n parentage, q highly
e,iucatel physician, q professor w a
medical hospital In Cincinnati, Ohio.
~. health being much broken, he came
To ilethel .om. years ago, ani bee, m'
sc,luaInt-i With Mrs. su.le N,rion
Fsrn.worth. daughterof Dr. y. u True,
anitwo congcnisi souls were unlici IN
marriage. lie say.:
Though In the heart of the great na-
tlon from which claim lineage, ] must
nevertheless confess Ia myself, that New
England, and not Germany, ]. the real
raiherland To which belong. sup
pace I am like many another exotic
plant, that thrive. better Ia the lsni
Into which IL I. trsn.planted, than In
the home of its ancestors.
eve fini our..l,e. In the midst ~ th.
most wonderful aud Interesting ciSlllts-
tIon. the like ~ which exists probably
no here el... The city IL an enormou.
one--a population of I, go, 900, the third
In .ise after London aud Parts, situated
In ia. midst 90 q wholly f,t, sandy
plain, With a horizon q. level as q table.
"iI.rlin !. q great succcs.lon of blocks
~ buildings, mo,lern, not un-Amef,c'n
In architecture at dr., sight. bat very
much un-American upon clos. scquaint-
ance. Nearly all the buildings are made
Of brick aud .tuccoei q mortar compost
ton, that makes thru look Ike stone
ON III. out .IIs. Their. I. hut little .tone
used, and that only for facing. aud
.c,,lptufci front.. Msssi,eue.. ani .o-
lidlty are the rule.
The street. and .liewalks are IDEAL.
Every street Ia ia. city IL paved with
either stone or asphalt. The sidewalks.
az. superb, aud th. .utire gigantic .y.-
ten of .tr-cts IL swept AMI almost feath-
er busted continually. The street. are
dream ~ cleanliness. There !. nothing
In all America liz. unto u.
III. police system IL one that makes
an American accustomed Ia slack Amer
lean municipalities, stand agh,.t viii,
admiration! III. control ~ the popul'-
tIon 4. a. rompleisly In IA. hands 81 the
nf,lci.l., a. AZ. the checker. upon the
boird In IN. hand. ~ the player. Not
one stranger of any sire or age can AT
rive or depart, but that u IL all c,refully
reported aud recorded at headquarters,
even down Ia hi. age, religion. belief,
social status, aud intentions'
"The .cienc. of convenience of living
!. worked out "a q most wonderful de
gr-~, and an American must wonder ani
sdmirr! social relations, bose,er, q.
they exist here, aud In other parts ot
Germany, max. on. glad b. !. an Anen-
can. III. line. are drawn Ia riilcu-
Iou.ly doe degree. Zach station crinec.
Ia the Que Immediately above u. Two
.ho-maker., working side by side. " the
one doe. q elias. Of work that may be .u-
p.rior Co that done by the other, draw
ia. .tricte.t social lines. when they ar.
on their benches, and their families do
not mix With each other. The general
tendency l., that whoever IL vested with
authority, no matter how petty the posi-
tion, feels himself to exert all possible
dominion aud even tyranny, ani 10.
publlc on their eide submit to IL With q
corresponding ser,illty.
The military element !. the all pre-
yailing one. Nearly 1910 soldiers,
twice a. many q. the United state.
standing army, are quartsr.'i In aud
near the city, and their brilliant unl.
form. are everywhere. The Highest so
ciiI .tatu. I. that 10 the army. Only
the army L. eligible AZ court. Civilians,
even the highest by reason of wealth
or learning, come after the army or titled
gentry.
"I,erlln suffers under the seyere.t Kind
90 home projections. Taxes are very
high, even exorbitsnt. Rent. ARE tr~-
mendou.. The cost of all fool pr,dnct-
mach higher than la the tnitei stsir.,
aud wsg,. more than one-half lower.
(i'his latter ! mean, with partleulsr
reference "a the working population of
the large ciiie..) 10 be SURE, there are
many rich people In Berlin, therr are
~ my p,r,enus, hut the great msjoriiy
Of the people of the middle classes are
much poorer than they are with us, ani
m ,lniain their social .taiu. on much
smslIer incom.s. Generally speaking.
our middle clas.e. nj home, waste ~.
much a. would support the same class la
Germiny. We DO not know howto save
or live economically. An American can
learn the richest lessons Of social ani
domestic economy herr, u %. only Will |;
although II IL likeuise true, that the in-
.ritutions of the country make possible
the German thriff and economy, aud
ours do not.
1--WE do not zee only the virtues. how.
ever, Of Germany, We see also the evils.
And they are here as elsewhere. The
German domestic life his some things
that are undesirable. There IL nothing
Ike unto Oh. mental ami intellectual
Equality between husband aud Wife, ss
! IL exists Ia America. In truth, America
stands ahead Of all other nations In this.
Here the wife IL usually not tie hus-
hand. equal. and her intellectual life IL
less developed. The husband does net
talk over his business aDd other ,nsirs
with his wife, but goe. al Ia the society
of other men, aud here his thought az
wilt or fancy dlsports itself. The Ger
man husband has no home circle like
unto ours. In which 10 stay at the close
Of the day, In which to read ar study. or
cultivate the acquaintance Of his family
The family. consisting Of wife and chill
dren, accompanies him To one of the
hundreds of great assembly places wher,
they sit down together and listeu "a
music or song; aud where the husband
smokes, the entire family drinks morr ~
less beer, and the ladies thereof do
various kinds Of knitting aud fancy
work"
This, to me, most interesting descrip-
ton of Ilerlln, the doctor says, he doe'
not write with the thought Of describing
To me the Innumerable new impressions
he receives Of the customs of the people
OF the treasures Of the great storebous'
of learning and Of art, but merely u
reach his hand across the four thousan'
miles Of land and water and grasp yours
You my get gilmpscs ut the land an.
people and customs Ia the limited IN!
they can be written shout. lie turtle
writes: eve are ell very busy witt
study of sons Kind. We try 10 Improv
our opportunities % ne to hiring bac
minds enriched u we can" TIE docfo
u Q subscriber to the Democrat, aud
send 90 him the kindly greeting Of u