Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-19

the heart of the town. The proprietor Of he
hof came out and greeted me as if 1 were
his long lost dollar. Then he went in and
charged his effusiveness to my bill-but
that's only joke Qike the one that got the
Devilbug into trouble) for the hotel charges
are reasonably low, and there are no extras
to speak of. There is an elevator here mat
the manager of the hotel is very proad of,
even If 1t does wabble about in nervous
sort of way during it's snail-like passage.
The fahrstuhl, as it Is called, Is run by
young man who is wearing his life to an
early close in his maddening endeavors to
do the right thing by the guests, for he
throws open both the folding doors of the
elevator, makes grand salaam as he exits
ahead of you, and, whenever you happan to
be the lone passenger, persists in pilo.ing
you to your room. He seems to be in mortal
dread of your getting hopelessly lost, thus
falling to fee him on your final departure
from the hotel
ated safe, but am not sure whether me big
box in the office of the hotel is indeed a safe
or only refrigerator l asked in English
what it was and the clerk answered that the
porter would procure me tickets for the
opera if l wanted them. Then I tried my
peculiar German on him. 1 could have my
meals sent to my rooms If 1 wished, but it
would be twenty-five pfennig extra for each
portion. So am still in doubt. I let it go
that wanted to go to the opera and didn't
press the safe question. The porter secured
me seats for "Lohengrin"-best seats in the
house for seventy-five cents-same company
that We pay two or three dollars a throw for
in the states.
Before l went to the opera I took a
street car ride. and saw bit Of the old
town that escaped the big fire in 1912. A
good many buildings We're saved from be-
ing burned up, but they got terribly warp
ed. They're propped all around, but l was
awfuily nervous while sketching few of
them. They seemed liable to fall at any
moment. but l was assured by soldat,
who had made himself my volunteer pro-
tector, that they would last for many
years yet Those shaky old houses may be
quite safe, but they don't look it. After
ward l went by another street car to the
outskirts of the city and saw whole slew
OF beautiful residences surrounded by park
like grounds. One can see everything from
street car or other low vehicle in Ger
many. There are no prison walls or i'm
penetrable hedges around the handsome
residences and finely laid out grounds of
the wealthy people here, as there are in
England. The British "hupper clawses"
are always in deadly fear that the cav
mon people, doncher know" will steal or
even see what their bettaws have got.
Neither have the Germans cultivated that
awful 1-haven't e-pleasure-of your-ac-
Quaintance manner that makes life so
agreeable to the stranger in England.
Then 1 visited the Free Harbor There I
saw the shipping and the sailors Every
one is willing to speak to the stranger in
Hamburg on the slightest provocation-
unlike the English exclusive-even If he
can't quite grasp what you are saying
They're all very polite. and 1 am getting
little bit that way myself.
As an overture to my dinner ordered
= half dozen Holland oysters. Afterward
the order was increased to four dozens
Few tourists will admit it, but l firmly
believe that one of the principal reasons
Tor their leaving their comfortable homes,
with all the modern convenences with
which these same homes are provided, is
TO get change of food and drink And
they get 1t with a vengeance. have met a
number of my countrymen on their way
Dack 10 the states, and about the chief
topics of their conversations were the
hotels and restaurants that they had WIS.,
aed- Don't 90 to such and such town"
- -, sanpie tourist would insist vigorously
The hotel there is vile, and the stuff at
{he restaurants is only fit for Eskimos"
They haven't word to say about the nat
ural or the historical attractions of the
places they have visited-of course there
are exceptions.
To be frank. one soon gets into that
way one's own self" remarked a friend
VINO left New York last spring, not for
amusement but TO make close study of
fompellan excavations. He was already
past master of American yernacular
. AT the restaurants here in Hamburg II
Is rather startling to an American when no
EIiuS ms order filled with such supernuous
pnish OF detail. Imagine ordering a roast
ed chicken and having the head and feet
Eicely cooked and served with the rest of
me towl. just as the small reed birds are
CcoAed where you are. Presumably the
paternal government requires 1t. The Ger
Man government Is peculiar in some things
1 may say so without embroilng myself
with the imperial authorities. The govern.
bheut doesn't permit people to express too
much in the opinion way, and 1 am Keen
Ug within the law by sending my crude
opinions by post. 1t is a strong govern
@ent they have here. somewhat in keeping