The record-union., 1897-01-17
CHRISTMAS In DRESDEN.
Extracts From q Sacramento Girls Home
Letter.
German Customs and CuriositieS and
Opinions on the Sphere of
Women.

=
and not intended for publication, but
contains SO much that is of interest in
relation to German customs and places
that it is worthy of perusal:
1t is all excitement here, as within
about half hour the Christmas tree
is to be displayed to the impatient
children.
One little boy is dancing a most noisy
and hilarious jig out in the hail. but he
has been in this state for the last two
days. 1t does seem so jolly to have
children around, and we are looking
forward to seeing them have their
presents tonight.
This is such pleasant pension The
people are so agreeable and so con-
genial. This is an unusually large
pension, too, and with the usual variety
of people. There are Germans, Italians,
French and Americans.
One family is from California, and
the mother is very interesting. She is
German woman who has lived all her
married life at least, in America. Her
husband died about two years ago and
she is now travelling through Europe
with some of her children-fve are with
her. | think the other three are III
America They are such lovely fam
lily, all so lovely together.
But the mother is the most attractive.
She sits near us at the table and keeps
up such an interesting conversation all
the time. She is very much interested
in Child Study" But says that she
thinks she raised her first child better
without any theory than she is raising
her last with all the accumulation of
theory. And it is not hard to believe
it possible, for this last, small boy,
is the most spoiled child you ever saw.
Frau Kosinska herself, however, the
one who keeps this pension, is the most
attractive woman l have met for some
time She is a German woman who
married a Pole. She has large, dark,
sad eyes and delicate, refined features.
Her voice is SO pretty and her manner
| is perfect. Everyone here loves her,
and it is no wonder. They could not
| possibly help it.
She has little girl years old whose
name is Loui-Loui Kosinska. Isn't
that odd and pretty? The child is not
so pretty as her mother, but she is al
most as sweet and lovely.
| She sang for us the other even
| ing and nothing could have been pref
| tier than to hear her sing that love
song-every word of which incidentally
called up memories-all in her delicate,
sad voice. 1 don't know how long her
husband has been dead, but he will
never be forgotten.
| Her little girl is only here for Christ
mas. She lives with Frau Kosinska's s
sister, as Frau X. has not the time to
| take care of her. It is just as well, too,
/ I guess, for everyone would love her to
death for her mothers sake, if not for
| her own.
! Christmas evening - the tree last
night was so jolly. l don't think L have
ever seen prettier Christmas. The
tree was elaborately decorated in spi-
der webs of bright glistening tassels,
and the usual candles and ornaments.
| All the presents were piled under the
tree. and instead of distributing the
gifts one by one, the children were al
| lowed to scramble around and find out
what belonged to them and to the
others.
1t was such a pretty sight. On one
large table We're packages without num-
| ber from which each one was to make
his choice I drew two cakes of soap
very appropriate. Always appropriate
| in this land of dirt and SCOT, but at
present we were almost out of the
necessary article, so my Christmas
was most successful.
After the long process of admiring
the different presents, we pinned the
tail on the donkey. There was dis
tributed hot punch, German cake,
mango. apples, nuts and candies. Then
until fully II we aDternated with dane
| ing and singing. So our first Christmas
away from home was made extremely
interesting and jolly for us.
| There is a doctor here who is an en-
gineer and has some-I don't just know
what. He came over here to try to put
some of the American machinery into
use. He wanted to introduce the snow
plow. but says the Germans refuse to
use it. They prefer to keep the snow
off bv hand labor. Think of it,
| Last Monday we had the pleasantest
day we have spent since we landed on
this side. We took a days trip to
Meisser. We had a large party and
Ann Arbor College, their little boy and
| D.
Deople. We left here about 10 and
reached Meisser at II, going through
the town, quaint old place, and said
to be one of the most ancient towns in
Saxonv. We went to the Schlossberg
| o6O feet above the town., on which
}are situated an old cathedral and castle.
We went through the old cathedral
first. and such romantic place. 1t was
founded in the thirteenth century, and
in the choir were some old painted stat
ues which also date that far back. They
were so interesting. Looking on the
heavily grated windows, which are also
covered with pretty green ivy, you can
see clear up the river-Such a pretty
view.
| In this same room, too, was a four
teenth century stained glass window, so
odd and artistic. We walked. most dis
respectfully, over the reliefs, which
roint out the resting place of fifteenth
and sixteenth century ancestors of the
royal family of Saxony.
| But the Albrechtsberg the castle
built by the co-Regents, Ernest and
| Albert, was so beautiful. 1t was erected
| first in 1411-S3 but has been thoroughly
| restored since 1865. The vaulting is all
so fine Just this last September the
King of Saxony gave a large banquet
in the banquet hail. So the castle is
kept up all the time in good condition.
T mean. although of course not fur
nished, yet there was some glass now
and a few gorgeous beer mugs in the
| smaller banquet hall that / would not
at all have minded having.
| In the rest of the castle the halls
have all been frescoed with scenes Illus
trative of it's history by German art