Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-11
Effect on German Character of the
Pfennig.
SMALL ECONOMIES PREVAIL
The Many Things That Can Be
Had for Little.
L III RIFT IN SMALL COIN

N'N4s NAitiG ~ COiiiIHon circulation all over
Germany. give notice TO the American trav-
e4er that he has reached a land OF sman
economies. in France the centime exists.
and may occasionally he seen. but il is al
most a curiosity TO foreigners: perhaps the
Partisan shopkeepers think that the prince
ly Americans would be offended by the Of
Ter OF so small coin as a centime one
NTH of cent; so they keep all change
until the value of a cent, and l don't think
any traveller will complain, for the conner
sous now in circulation, as big and cum
bersome as cur old copper coinage of forty
years ago, are nuisance enough without the
aodllon of confines. How the French the
readers OF Europe in matters OF taste can
persist in fillng their pockets with pounds
OF copper change long after Belgium Ger
many and Austria have discarded copper
Tor nickel is one OF the Paris puzzles. and
the change of French currency recently de-
c!ded upon will surely be welcsmed Inv
natives as well as visitors In Germany
the copper pfennig exists and is in every
DAY use, but ii is a small COIN and il is sell
ucn that ! ind more than half a dozen of
tAenl III my pocket at a time.
Less Than Cent.
In fact, if you wish to illustrate 70 a
German the extravaganza and high cost o.
me IN America, you have only to say that
literally nothing-not even a box OF matches
or shoe-string-is sold there for less than
one cent. Such a state of things is almost
inconceivable to a German. once told our
sood landlady in Munich that a faw ,,e.rs
ago nothing less than the five-cent nieaa
was known in California
Yes, she replied. but that is because
IN CdllIorni- you have only TO mick M f,nII
whenever you want money"
-door-saNlng devices do not seem TO he
much priced in the fatherland: bur s,tpp,sD
some way OF saving a pfennig. and YOU viii
edrh the gratitude of people 1 have lust
Tau occasion to mention thar "A single ~
Oh matches costs two pfennigs. while a
package of ten boxes costs ten pfennIgs or
we've, according 10 the shop. Thus box
OF matches costs really about one nfenDitg
al RETAIL and yet to what devices have
not seen people resort to save a frw
matches 1t was but few DAYS ago that
a man next me in the railway car between
Deriih ana Dresden was about to light his
cigar, and had match out ready 10 strike
against the box. Just then he noticed a
VIM OF tobacco smoke from the next COM
partment to ours So" he rnuttered IN
himself. as he carefully replaced the match
IN the box Then he got up. went into the
next compartment. borrowed a light from
me smoker there. and returned, treading on
my toes IN so doing, and sat down with a
Well-satisiied air He had saved his match
value, l-2uOth part of cent
Saving Matches.
L have still another illustration i'm INV note
BOOK of the care taken of matches A clock
maker urged me to buy a certain kind of
CLOCK, because by pulling a string Il struck
the hour. L would save matches in the
night, he said. Clocks with this device by
the way, were once far more common in
Germany than they are now. and IN the
Gays. or rather nights, when matches were
uhknoWn, ii must have been convenient to
fha hart ltr.
the string. / bought one near Munich
which strikes both the quarters and the
hours, but upon different gongs Thus
when pull the string in the night and hear
the lighter gong strike three and then The
deeper gong strike two, 1 know that IL is a
quarter OF three. and go TO sleep with no
match on my conscience.
IL is 10 uncommon thing in these uarfs
TO See men fill their pockets with matches
from the box on the tables in the cafes and
restaurants. The small allowance of sugar
TO a cup of coffee is a constant source of
sorrowfui amusement, if there be such a
thlng, 10 travelling Americans. Such a
thing as a bowl full of Jumps of sugar is
almost unknown, perhaps for the good rea-
son that the first customer would empty it
of every lump. l have seen much more
curious things than this done. l have
watched well-dressed women take the re-
mains OF steak or chop off their plate in
restaurant and carefully wrap il in q
piece of newspaper for future consump-
ton.
Left Nothing Behind.
And no German was ever known to leave
bit of sausage behind him. As an old
lady, German, of course, once remarked
to US as we were dining together at an inn
in the Tyrol. You have paid well for all
this food, and why should you leave half of
1t on the table, as you rich Americans al
ways do? 1t is sim" So she put the re-
naming sugar into one pocket, the figs and
nuts into another, and wrapped the bread
up in her handkerchief. l have nothing to
say against this practice: l merely mention
it as curious to Americans.
To economZe labor is, / have already
remarked, apparently of no Importance.
Servants are worked In a way unknown TO
U.S. They do all their work without the aid
the German housemadchen trudges cheer
fully to market with basket that our
maids at home would refuse to carry upon
any terms.
The military caste makes the social laws
here, and it is against the rule for an army
officer to carry bundle or even UNI
brella in the street, partly because he must
have his hands free at all times so as 10
be ready with his military salute, and part
ly because a lot of bundles would detract
from the imposing appearance the uniform
is expected to lend its wearer. So we have
the curious spectacle Of officers walking
with ladies and letting the ladies carry the
bundles IL there any to carry. j have
even seen officer marching grandly
along, his sword clanking upon the side
walk while beside him trudged his wife.
meekly carrying his hat box. Or. more
curious still to American eyes. 1 have seen
a big strapping officer. full to overlooking
Of beer and sarsages, going to the railroad
station followed by a servant maid carry
ing his heavy valse! And i saw the girl
carry the valise to the car, and not only
that but aboard the car put It up in the
rack for him!
Brutal to Women.
The custom of the country seems to be to
give women the hardest and most unpeas-
ant work. In southern Germany women
mix mortar for new buildings and act as
hod-carriers; women clean the streets. and
1 have met scores of women dressed in
trousers working upon the country roads.
The sight of a woman and a dog pulling a
cart together is almost too common in the
streets Of Munich and Dresden to be men
toned here. The whole custom seems to
come from the desire to save pfennigs, for
women will work for less than men.
Not to stretch this account OF the i'm
portance of the pfennig beyond proportion,
/ will add but one instance Of the pains to
which the average German will put HIM
self in order to save them. At the Munich
opera house a line Is formed every alter
noon by those persons who want to buy adj
,,ssrfon ficrofe RI the gallery and SOme-