The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-25

7
German boys and girls went wild with
delight over the horses and the indians,
but none of them cried for the peanuts
and popcorn which were on sale there.
A great many Germans have never
seen popcorn. 'Is 1t true, fraulein.
said an old man to an American girl
at German pension, 'is 1t true that
you have in America kind OF grain
that bursts with the heat into beau
tiful white flower? I will not believe It
until 1 can see it myself" So the girl
sent for few ears Of popcorn. and
when 4. came her fellow boarders fol-
lowed her down to the pension Kitchen.
where she popped the corn over the fire.
They were as delighted as children. and
would not allow a single grain OF the
wonderful flower-like corn to be lost.
CANDY, GUM. TOBACCO.
Candy one can get. of course. but
compared with French or American
confections 1t is as moonlight unto sun
light Os as water unto wine. One must
content oneself here with MarZipan
candies. of which the Germans are very
fond. but the decided almond taste,
which characteriZes them. Is sickening
TO one who likes a more delicate and
evasive tlavorng.
Chewing gum is not often on the mar
ket. 1t is supposed TO he especially
dear 10 the heart of the American girl.
and SO IL you carry the mark of your
nationality in your face or on your
tongue you need not lie surprised II
shOpkeeper some day detains you, say
ing:
Il have secured something, fraulein,
that the Americans like"
That something Is probably a small
supply of chewing gum. In German
novels of the yellow-paperb backed Or
der the American girl is always repre-
sented as very independent and
dashing young woman, who Is devoted
ly addicted to chewing gum and to
smoking cigarettes. / saw u striking
young woman at the riding school one
day who, after n hard gallop around the
course, sat down with her escort on
bench to rest. she had assumed most
comfortable attitude-feet crossed, head
back, and lips parted to emit q thin line
of smoke. while between her first two
fingers she held u tiny cigarette. Some
German girls. who had come there with
their governess to take their first riding
lesson, looked over their shoulders at
her and said. In u shocked but rather
apologetic whisper:
Zine Amerikanerin!"
They We're wrong. however. ] caught
some of the fair smokers conversation.
and. judging from the staccato sound of
the language which she spoke, ! should
say that she was u Russian, 1t IL to
De hoped that her cigarettes were not
made of German tobacco. The Ameri-
can who is fastidious about the weeds
that he smokes will have to forget some
OF his fastidiousnesS when he comes to
Germany IL he cannot import his to-
bacco. If he asks for a good cigar he
VIII get one which costs ten pfennings--
about two and a half cents in American
coin. Is it any wonder. then. that
American olfactory nerves are offended
by German tobacco?
GERMAN BOOKS.
Germany is the great book centre of
the world. Books are plentiful and
cheap enough. and If man is not fas-
tidiouS about their eXteriors, he may
fill his library shelves without much
cost or trouble. If he takes an aesthetic
pleasure. however, in the look OF the
book. i'm the feeling of 1t. his bookcases
will only be filed slowly and at con-
siderable expense. The Germans dis
bindings of their books. They like them
red and blue and green and purple. with
lavish gilt decorations, such as we
think out of place except on nursery
books. The paper Is very bad. and,
combined with the wretched Gothic
characters, to which the German print
ers still cling. has a very bad effect on
the eyes. Even at Christmas. 1t is diff
ficult to secure pretty holiday books,
r,c sp1, 4,
an abundance i'm America.
If you are fastidious about your book
bindings you will probably growl at the
German ink into which you dip your
American stub pen. sent you by order
through the mail. You want black ink,
of course, but after all sorts of strug-
giles with pale black ink and with pitch
black ink, you will probably resign
yourself to the use of purple ink, such as
most of the Germans use.
Your calling cards will probably
give out before you have been here long.
if you have the good fortune to be pOpu-
lar, and you will expect to get another
supply. of course, by simply sending
your plate to an engravers. That isn't
the way they do here, however. If you
want to send your plate to Paris and get
along meantime without visiting cards.
you can do so, but you had better in
cards, and in so doing observe the GUS
tom of the country.
SOME I.UXURIES.
There are few little American lux
uries which you must not expect to find
in benighted Germany. One of them
is dental floss. A German dentist will
look at you in bewilderment while you
describe the desired article, and will
politely tell you that he hasn't an
"thnung" Of what the "knadiges frau
lein" means. Another thing is witch
hazel You may bruise yourself black
and blue and bump yourself lame, and
have to do without that most soothing
balm unless you happen to live at
Grunewald, certain suburb of Ber-
lin. In one little drug store at Grune-
wald you will find witch hazel. and in
only one. That Is because Lilli Leh-
man. the great singer, lives at Grune-
wald. But she has not always lived at
Grunewald. She has lived i'm America.
and that is the very reason why you
now can get witch hazel at Grunewald.
The little druggist imports 1T for her.
l might mention open crate fires as
one Of the things which the Americans
in Germany sorely miss during the
winter months. One sees them very
seldom here. In America, although we