The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-01-25
New Years Day in Berlin.

New Years Day in Berlin.
Editor Vermont Watchman.--It goes with.
ont saying that the Germans celebrate the
Christmas holidays with the greatest zest:
and they may well succeed in making the
most OF the glad season, for they have as a
people been trying for centuries to get a
| living anu to en1 " life at the same time
Their country is the natural habitat of the
| Christmas tree; for here, az Christianity took
into gracious captivity the heather inhabi-
tants az an early dav, so IT. exalted to its own
blessed uses some OF their customs, and the
| greenery which was once employed in pagan
ceremonies came to be purified and clarified
| by association with homage to the Christ
But every body has read Of the Christmas fes-
tivities of Germany, while the character of
| the New Years observauces is not so
! widely known, so perhaps you will permit
me 10 tell the readers of the WArcBMAN
how goodly number of the Beriners greet
the opening year. In order to do this thor
oughlg for thoroughness in all departments
chdracterizes this noble people, they begin
on the iast uay OF the waning year-St Syl-
| VeSters day 1t is, believe, in the calendar
OF the church - and begin with the dish
which ancient custom prescribes for the
evening meal on that day viz. fresh fish
cooked in beer D. will not attempt to
| give the reason for so strange a selection.
a. oAA " CioCh Ou ludi evening services
| held in the Protestant churches, while i'm
the homes the gaily-decOrated Christmas
| trees, which have been kept standing in
their bright array since the tweuty-fourth.
! are lighted afresh, and many family reun.
! ions are enjoyed, while multitudes Hork 10
! places of amusement, theatres circuses
| bathrooms, etc, and ON their wav crowd
| the mail boxes with New Years cards for
! these, rather than Christmas cards are now
a-1ays INDUCED in by Germans. Later, as
h!anlght draws near, the bell-ringers lay
| holu oil their ropes, and the strnlers in the
| brilliantly lighted streets clear their throats
| for shouting, FROST Neues Yuhri" Just
! before the clocks struck twelve, | heard If
L may pass to the first person SINGULAR
through the windows, which had been left
| slightly aJar, few scattering explanations
from over-zealous and too previous - Ten.
| tons; but when the hour had fully come.
| then, as 1t were in a moment, tile bells
throughout the city began Joyous peal,
aud the scattered cries became a rushing
| torrent of boisterous sautations Had not
known what to expect, it would have sup-
| gested to me choir of Bedlamites or a
| baccbanalian revel; Or, to approach more
nearly the literal truth, an alarm of fire. for
| the dominant vowel sounds that rose to nv
room from the streets around were almost
exactly the vowel sounds that would have
been most prominent if hundreds had been
crying AT the top of their voices, Feueri
feuerl as at home men shout "Fi.eri
Fl-erp After while there was a measure
oil quiet, and had a few hours of rest. But
in the morning, quite early, even before sun
rise 1--WE are so far north that the sun rises
very late here in wintei) the more orderly in
PRODUCTION OF 1898 began. A large crowd Az
ssembled before the imperial palace await.
| ing the outcoming of the great military band
tnat was 10 awaken the echoes of Inter der
Linden with musical greeting TO the new
year. Being on the ground early, passed the
throng, anu went on to the city hall and
there listened for while TO band stationed
in an alcove in the tower of thar fine adj.
nee as, IN spite OF benumbed fingers, thew
discoursed sweet sounds Then. retracinS
my steps, soon caught up with the broad
ranks OF hters, drnnmers buglers and NAV
ers ON various other Instruments who were
marching with stately, measured tread
through the gala thoroughfare OF the city.
Inter den Linden, from the palace to the
majestic Brandenburgsr Thor and bacl,
Thousands accompanied them all the wav
but i contented myself with following a
short distance, and letting them pass me ON
their return. They played all the while but
one tune repeating il over and overe re-
Ilevlng one another at intervals,-a tune
which carried me back in thought TO nv
boyhood, when my mother used TO nlav Il
on the piano. An old German song. called
l think " Lifes JOY" used to be sing In IT,
The throng in the Inter den Linden in
creased throughout the morning until about
N"h'Poo' ohci ioi HullUuutS are ALWAYS
eager to get any glimpses they can of the
emperor and members of the royal family
Early In the forenoon his relatives came Ia
the Schloss to give New Years preetino IN
his Majesty; later the members of the dip
lomatic corps, in their gorgeous eo,il.
page, with livered coachmen and footnen
bewigged and bespangled, drove IN and
presented their compliments and Good
wishes, while in the " Lust Garten T" onno-
site the palace, a detachment of artillery
hred salute OF hundred and one onns
Then the emperor went into the "HaIl M
Fame" an impressive structure, wherein
historical and allegorical paintings. and
statutes and busts, rifles and cannons and
the varied enginery of war, banners and
other spoils taken in battle, are massed To-
gether most effectively, with the evident
purpose OF deepening patriotic devotion and
military ardor in this nation of soldiers to
all OF whom its doors are almost daily Oman
without Zee. Amid these most appropri.
ate surroundings, His Majesty received the
GENERALIZATION of hundreds of the officers
OF his army Thus was he kept busy for
some hours and his loyal subjects, who by
the thousand were stamping their feet and
rubbing their ears and noses In the frosty
air outside, were kept busy also, fed mostly
upon expectation, but occasionally pratified
by glimpse OF some diguitary whom thew
were anxious TO see. Besides reoeiying
these formal and official salutatiops tb.s
Kaiser, according to report, was to attend
church both on the evening OF December 81
and on New Years day but that he actin,
ally did so this deponent averreth not
J.E.w
Berlin Prussia, January, 1898.