The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1895-03-27
LETTER FROM GERMANY.

Ed. ENTERPRIsE:-I a foreign land
ones mind naturally turns to former
familiar scenes and faces. And so |
thought would venture to send you IA
few lines and greetings to my friends in
Wellington. The Enterprise is one of
our most welcome visitors and is read
and reread each week, in our family
circle.
Leipzig has a population of over $780,
coo. But one misses the hurry and bus
tie which is found in an American city
of the same size. The houses are all
built of brick and many are plastered
over to represent stone, which as they
are all from FIVE to six stories high gives
them very substantial appearance.
All are built in flats and only the very
wealthy live in detached houses or villas,
as they are called. These latter are also
most substantial, but lack in the various
gables and corners that adorn our modern
architecture. Very often however one
sees beautiful carving in the stone and
frequentlya motto is painted in large
letters just below the roof on the wall.
The city, as Ear as broOms and shovels
go, is kept serupulOusly clean. Early in
the morning women may be seen sweep
ing the sidewalks and street The dirt
is piled in small heaps and wagons draw
it away.
The first of January we had a very
heavy fall of snow and the ground has
been kept white ever since by various
falls of snow. 1t has already cost the
city over 1900 marks to remove the
snow and they have not reached the
suburbs yet. We have a most excellent
system of waterwOrks. The water is
brought from the mountains and is as
clear as crystal and cool at all times Of
the year. There are however some san
itary matters in which the Germans are
very backward, which are not at all con-
ducive to health.
Coming from the land of freedom and
equality one cannot help noticing the
difference between the upper and lower
classes here. The rich ride in their ele-
CANT carriages with their fine horses and
liveried servants, while the poor bauer,
or peasant, bitches mis- wife and a dog
into cart. These dOg-carts are very
common sight. Sometimes one sees two
handsome and perfectly matched dogs
drawing the cart of milk or vegetables
guided by a man or more often by
woman. Then again one often sees such
carts pulled by man and woman to-
gether, and then we must conclude that
they are too poor to afford dog even. |
have a great deal of sympathy for them.
So many of them have interesting faces.
They can never rise above their own
level in life and are always expected to
marry those of their own class. We GER
tainly cannot appreciate America until
we know of other countries.
The poor of Germany are to be pitied.
Wages are so low that it takes all that
the father and mother can earn combined
with the labor of several children to sup
port the family of the average labOrer.
A woman will work half day mopping
floors, 1--WE have no carpets in Germany,
only rugs and painted flOOrs) shaking
rugs, washing windows and carrying
coal up several flights of stairs and
charge only so pfennigs or in our money
12 cents. We at first offered to pay more
feeling ashamed to pay SO little, but 1t
was generally refused as being too much.
And when one knows how little so pfen-
nigs will buy, it is apparent that the
labOring class here do not have the COM
forts which our poor enjoy.
| have greatly enjoyed my sojourn here
in Germany, having seen many interest
ing things, yet will be very glad when
/ am once more at home, in my native
land. MRS. j. L. FooTE.
LEIPZIG, Germany, Mar, 1895.
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