The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-05-08
GLIMPsEs or GERMAN LIFE.

OoA o AOW elCpo IlOui my OOOA anu
leave it a few steps from the Opera
House. The performances begin at
seven or six-thirty, so that L get down
/ town before dark. Saturday evening
L heard Goethe's EgDlont. l had
studied the play thoroughly before l
left Cornell, and found the presenta-
ton of the greatest interest, though
for the general public L should think
/ it might be tiresOme A government
theater is after all a great institution.
Everything given in the loyal Thea
ter is perfectly done. The most sub
ordinate parts are as carefully studied
and as well played as the star roles
and the stage setting is wonderful. = =
Monday morning l went through
those parts of the Imperial palace that
are shown to visitors. For the suns
of 80 pfennigs, said to be devoted to
charity visitors are taken every half
hour through a number of really gor-
geous rooms. You are furnished with
immense felt slippers so as not to in
jure the polished floors. The palace
contains great many historical paint
ings, and portraits of Prussian monsr-
chs anu their queens of great interest
snd value. But on the whole 1 don't
think 1 care much about palaces. /
enjoy the streets of Berlin, the pretty
shop windows, the innumersble little
parks, the people and the signs better.
My German friends are much amused
at my interest in all sorts of signs and
notices. In the street cars learn the
warnings about getting in and out by
heart. You would fancy from them
that these Berlin horse cars were
really dangerous. They are just begin
ming to put in electric cars now.
On Monday evening 1 heard Wag-
ner's Tristan and Isolde, one of the
longest and hardest of the Wagner
operas. 1t lasted from half past six
till eleven. 1 had read the text over
twice, and had gone part way through
the score, so that l was fairly well
prepared. 1 felt sorry, though, for
some American acquaintance who
sat next to me. They knew nothing
of the story, couldn't understand a
word of German, and were not particu-
larry musical. 1t must have been tor
ture for them. The opera is chiefly
musical dialogue, and very little ac-
ton, so that there is not much which
appeals purely to the eye. Coming
home from the opera there were nine
teen women in the car, and one man.
good illustration of the way in which
women 60 to the thesters alone here.
a great many men can't get away
fro I. business at half past six.
An American is impressed with the
management of the street cars here.
There are twenty sitting places in 8
car, six standing places on the back
platform and five on the front. When
these are all occupied no amount of
entreaty will move the conductor to
let any body else in. You must wait
for the next car. This is delightful
for the people who happen to be in,
but vexation sometimes for the out
siders. l always have good luck about
getting in, however.
The Germans are much
more demonstrative in their friehdIi-
ness than we are. l never shook
hands so much in my life as l have in
Berlin. In a German household you
shake hands the first thing in the
morning and the last thing at night;
and after a formal meal. Aequain-
tances parting at street corner or on
the car, shake hands.
This afternoon 1 walked through
the "Thiergarten" which lies between
Lutzers and VERT streets. The Tbier-
garten is not, as one would judge from
the name, geological garden, but an
immense park of over 600 acres. 1t
looks more like natural forest than
a park, and yet it has the fine roads
and walks, and the convenient seats
of park. On fine afternoon, such
as this has been, one gets an enter
tanning view Of Berlin life there
men and women on horseback, horses
and riders of the properest sort;-no
end of babies with their nurses; off,
GERS in handsome light gray uniforms,
and military gentlemen of other ranks;
swell carriages with well dressed oc-
cupants, and likewise second class
droshkes, and people on bicycles, and
all sorts of "eitizens on foot" like my
self. The t wo most picturesque classes
of people in Berlin, to my mind, are
the Wendish nurses and the military.
These nurses come from a colony of
Wends, Slavic people who have set
tied on the islands Of the Spree, near
Berlin, and preserve the customs and
laws oftheir own race, never, or rarely
/ intermarrying with the Germans.