The sun., 1895-03-03
AT A STUDENT COMMERS.
THE IMPRESSTON ONE MADE ON AN
IMERICdN GIRL ~ BERLIN

OF the Founding One society
with swords nnh Gay Costumes, Re-
Iuctnnt Rrnsp Hand, and " SninmRndcrs"
BERLIN. Feb. ia German Ccmmcrs is not
distinguished by the same features which char
nctcrlze Greek letter society dinner In New
York, but yet each is supposed to be the out
ward expression OF intense frnternal feeling.
The feeling III the 1cu,onic breast may be n-
tense enough, but the expression OF II Is rcsnru-
cd ns too slow and stupid for American patience.
"Juristischcr vcrein " celebrated the twCnty-
hfth anniversary Of It's founding few dnysago
and the eminent legal lights OF the bar and tho
university who had once been members of the
Ncrein. a.sisted the budding lawyers to cclc-
| brnte the great event, and several Amer can
| girls witnessed It,
| The ceremony was very promising Mt first.
| In the antcroom thcro was pleasant, excited
| hustle ms people laid aside their wraps and went
| toward the en- rance Into the main hall, where
dnppcr ll;tle Gcrmans III most claboratcy ern-
! brodcrci shirt fronts and long fingered white
! gloves received them with bows that would
! have done credit to an !nukccpcr of the time OF
| Mrna Won l3arnhclE,. GA either side of the door
stood youth with drawn sword who cere-
| moniouSly salutcl ench ncwcOmrr rs hr surren-
! dcred hi, hrty-pfcnniG ticket aud passed over
| tho threshold The hall was an ordinary
| room, with 4 stage at the further end
! and narrow gallery around the other
three sides. In the gallery sat the friends of tho
society. mostly OF the sex called by courtesy here
| the fair SEX" since most of the goodlookinn
| people "a this part of the world are men and be-
! long to thc army. The floor of the hall was COW
| cred wit half dozen rows OF long, narrow deal
! tables, innocent Of linen or china ur anything
| save thci. glass beer mugs aud an occasional
| saucer for burned matches ashes. In
| ncr sal the members of the brass band ucering
| longingly over their big instruments a. the
! foaming Munich beer tho tables in front Of
| them. High NJ in the inches ut either side OF
| the stage the statues OF the old Kaiser and of
| Kaiser Frederick looked down on these nOhen-
| zocrn subjects Of later dav
There was a tremendous hustle of preparation,
! but it was long in coming n head. Occasion-
| ally the band In the corner gave three solemn
toots and then those in the gallery looking down
! could sec the two youths who had stood sentinel
at the door, cscorting to a long table at the up
| per end OF the hall, set ut right angles TO tho
| other six and furthermore distinguished with .
! linen tablCcloth. some gray haired old gentle
| man. who bowed to the right and left he
marched up the aisle between the tables. ono
| youth went in front OF him. tho other behind
him. each bearing his naked sword, and
each marked of from the common crowd
by adornments ia the shape of a red
and white satin girdle, red and white cap
set coqucttishy over one ear. deep celluloid cuffs
turned back to tho elbow. and white cotton
gloves. Others were fine as they in green and
gold girdles. red and blue ones, but most Of
the students who lounged in and took places at
the tables were arrayed in every day garb.
Finally the seats at the tables were ali occu-
pied. The spry little waiter had filled every beer
mug thin clouds of smoke began to arise, and
there was 1utter of anticipation among the
women in the gallery as the band gave appre-
hensiye blast and then sailed soleinnly into the
well-known melody which we call America"
the English sing God Save the Queen " to it,
and the Germans say it is an old Prussian hymn.
1t Is apparently common property. A little man
with very abbreviated legs. who begirded
and becapped in red and white. had taken his
seat among the graybeards at the upper table,
and whea the music had ceased he rose and
gave three smart raps on the table with the
blade of his sword. Silence followed. and the
little man went on in cultural lisp, TO remind
the students of the important event which they
had met to commemorate And then he intro
duced Professor So-and-So TO follow up his
marks Professor So-and-So was very solemn
and very dry, and made those who heard him
very dry. too So to counteract the effect of his
speech they drank salamander This is how
they did it. The little leader with tho
abbreviated legs and the cultural lisp
gave signal to all the others
begirdled and becapped personages. who had
seated themselves at the heads of the six tables.
with their naked swords upon the bare tables.
Thereupon, all the students in the hall arose.
and all together, as If pulled by string. threw
back their heads and tossed down their beer in
unison. brought their glasses down on the tables
and ratified them from side to side. lifted them
GA high again, and brought them down all
together with tremendous crash. Then the
gallery burst into applause. and the students
took their seats with n smile of satisfaction and
a n rl gl at heir nd m
The beer mugs were quickly emptied, and the
waters were kept on the alert. but every body
else settled down into smiling stolidity. There
were long intervals between the speeches and
the selamandcrs, when the band was quafing
its portion of beer. and the people did nothing
but sit and drink and look at each other in con-
tented stupidity. IL they had only become q
| little excited. and gwen three cheers for their
Nercin, or pummeled each other as n vent to
their animal spirits. the Americans would have
found It more more, interesting spectacle than that
TO- omakc tanks OF themselves.
The speeches were unspcakably slow and
heavy, though one learned gentleman tried to
be facetious in his "reminiscences of twenty five
years ago. when he was IA priyat-dOcent in tine
university and had only two pupils, and they
presumed to dictate 10 him What he should
tell them in his lectures and the speed at which
a tone that american women would be apt 10
resent Ms altogether too condcscending and die
| galleries glgged and cappcd their hands ~
the saamander which followed it was raped
| in their honor
And 50 the time wore away, and the" wee sma'
| hours" approached. Walters came up into the
| gallery with herring salad and ham sandwiches
| and cheese that was very good II one could only
| be "acat and dumb in ones nose, as small boy
said. About midnight the curtain of the small
| stage went ny, and gave an opportunity to tho
! leaders To march up there with the banners Of
| The society. 4 solemn dedication of new flags
| and ersigns followed, after which the band
| played funcrcal march. ard the bearers OF tho
| banners pronenAded NJ and down tho hail he
h. lnng al MI lp -
| ed bravo" and their swe"theHrts in the gall
| lcry said 10 one another: Es siuAt schr hnbsCh
! aus niCht wQhrr" IL seemed like such ridicu-
| loas chids play that could not under
stand how grown-up persons could take such
| performances IN earnest.
| Put the best part was 10 come. they say,
| though we did nor stay to see H. Some time
! along toward mornnga play was to be given,
| written by students Cf the I'TTm and PLAY ed ny
| them. II was called The Founding ~ Rome"