The record-union., 1894-08-25

Tourists themselves are partly to blame
for some of the less worthy alterations.
Thus many enterprising hotel managers
have bought up fine old houses which
have been much admired by strangers,
and have turned them into hotels where
the tourist may dine and sleep in ex-
quisite interiors. The trouble with this
change is that the old buildings are not
adapted to the hotel service. are not
healthy and are seldom well lighted.
There was a tax on windows in Germany
once, and houses were built for period
with as few as possible. Moreover, the
ceilings are low. and the rooms are either
too large or too small. They serve we'll
for shops, and as such many an old work
of art is used.
Strange to say, the villagers and bergers
oppose these changes, especially if they
are members of old families. An inn
keeper of Luneburg, complaining of his
fellow-citiZens, said their conservatism
was of ancient date. In the fourteenth
century, he said. the town owed its pros
perity to its position at the head of navi
CATION on the Ilmenau River. There the
vessels were unladen and the goods for
the East were packed in wagons TO be
carted in caravans over the sands of the
surrounding waste. The Grand Dukes
Government proposed to build a road,
but the shrewd old moss backs smoked
and drank out the theory that the road
would hurt business. They reasoned
thus; We should not need so many horses
on good road as on the sands, therefore
some of our animals would become
worthless. The smiths and wheelwrigh hts,
fingers on noses, said less horses meant
fewer Shoes and better roads fewer re-
pairs. The inn-keepers along the route
toresaw quicker time and fewer stops,
stations wider apart; and so on through
the community. The Grand Duke ac-
cordingly laid the road through Celle, the
next town, and hurt the wiseacres' town
and business woefully. Yet they fought
the railroad IN the same way in this CEN
tury, fortunately for their interesting lit
tie nest without success.
Oddly enough, it is the Central Govern
ment that must receive the credit for
these various improvements. Conserva-
tive as kingdoms and empires are, the
Government at Berlin throws all its In
huence and encouragement in with the
few comparatively who are introducing
the works and inventions we associate
with material progress. The Capital City
itself is thoroughly alive and its model
city government complete, supplements
and beauties the enterprises OF private
capital. This is, indeed, necessary in
Germany, where the social arrangement
or subdivisions of the population differ
very widely from ours and in way l
have never seen pointed out.
Men of big brains do not usually go
into business in Germany. Honors have
been so distributed that other careers are
more attractive. This can be illustrated
by the attitude OF merchants toward
their own place in society, Sc far as their
ideas affect their family. They direct
their ablest sons into a career Of scholar
ship or science, where they can attain TO
rank among the highest in the Father
land. Young men of attractive person
ality are found places in the diplomatic
service or some of the more brilliant de-
partments of government. Boys with
talent are brought up in the arts, where
there is no limit to the worldly honors
they may win. Ii the money still holds
out the duller sons are given Lieutenant
cies in the army or navy. Those with no
inherent parts and for whom no other
provision is made are kept in the busi-
ness. But business is not looked upon
as a career at all. The reason is that the
Old World has not learned to respect the
brain power of the industrial captain
and considers the man of successful en-
terprise as mere money maker. Money
itself is far more reyered everywhere IN
Europe than in America and fills more
of the peoples thoughts. And 1T Is mere
money they worship, too-money to
spend in show and vanity, not the capi-
tai that can do the hard work of produc-
ton. Money here is to draw interest,"
not to be risked. Courage in war is un-
derstood, but daring and nerve in the
conduct of business are unknown. But
then these virtues, so associated, are
rarely recognized, even in America, so
the Germans are not to be blamed, espe-
cially as they have certain awe of the
life-work of some of our more famous in
dustrial geniuses.