The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-24
Regarding Robert Smyth's Ex-
perience With the Strange Stoves
of the Austrians, and His Remedy
for Them.

sta found his chief Christmas joy In two
stoves He was in Vienna studying mu-
sic The other day he fell TO talking
about his experiences among the people
of that country.
Among other things he told about the
stoves they have there. Now the good,
old-fashioned, bulgy base-burner which
warns you all over is a stranger in
Vienna. They have instead tall porce-
lain stoves rounded at the top, and re-
sembling tomb-stones. Rob got into the
custom of calling them tombstone
stoves" There is no isinglass or other
transparency used in their construction
and Mr.. Smyth says that you just get
the fire to going and then stand around
and freeze. In the course Of three or four
hours there are indications that things
are heating UP little, but you can not
be sure about it. All during the first win
ter, that of 1897, he had to heat himself
half at a time, and he there and then re-
solved that if he had TO be in Austria an
other winter he would stay warm or die
in the attempt. So from that on he kept
his eye peeled for something in the way
of an American stove. He finally ran to
earth two tiny stoves, such as are used
for heating a very small room. Trium-
phantly bearing these home he placed
them in front Of the porcelain stove, the
door of which he closed with sheet iron,
and from which sheet iron he ran stove
pipes leading to the little stoves. Then
when winter came on again Bob sat
down before those two tiny stoves and
nestled in the conviction that in all
Vienna he was the only warm sojourner.
Did you get any pie in Vienna?" he
was asked.
NO" he answered; ''they have no pie
But they have something which comes
mighty near beating American apple
pie" and he gave the German name for
it. The pastry cook makes big lot Of
dough and kneads it out thin so that it
becomes a great wide expanse of dough
forty times as big as a pie. Then apples
are cut up very fine and spread over this
evenly, and bread crumbs are sprinkled
over it. Then spices of various kinds are
added, and the cook takes up one corner
of the thin layer and begins to roll it up
until it is in the shape of a massive club.
1t is placed in the ovens, which in Aus
trian kitchens are built into the houses,
no ranges being used, and baked Mr..
Smyth said it is very fine, he thought as
good as pie. Everybody eats it.
One of the first things which strikes the
observation of an American in Vienna,
Mr. Smyth said, was that Of women in
wooden shoes climbing ladders carrying
mortar and brick. He says that you ex-
pect momentarily that one of the wo-
men in short skirts will come tumbling
down, and when they do not you are still
astonished at their agility in clambering
up the rounds with those wooden
shoes.
Speaking of the newspapers there, he
says that some mornings right in the
middle of the first page will be a col !
umn which is vacant except for the word |
'Confscated." This means that the CEN /
sor has prohibited the publication of the !
article intended for that column and the
editor has had to leave it out Occa- |
siOnaHy the censor is late in getting
around and the paper is put out with an
article of which the censor disapproves. /
\ corps is then sent out 10 gather up
those papers. Mr.. Smyth says that man
viii be sitting in a street car calmly read
ing his paper, when a police officer will /
step up, tap him on the shoulder, kindly |
take his paper away from him and /
pocket it.
Police spies are plentiful in Vienna, /
and the foreigner soon learns not to talk. |
Spies are everywhere, in theatres, on the /
streets, in the cafes.
He found many accomplished musicians |
of standing there who did not like |
Wagner's operas. He never heard a coon |
song or ''rag-time" there. although at |
that time both were raging in America.
The most marvellous thing in Austria IS |
the police supervision of labor. Every /
man and woman. who works, is under the |
eye Of the police.
In the matter Of servant girls for in /
stance. the girl carries with her a little /
book in which all people she has ever /
worked for enter the length of her stay |
with them. She has also three settles"
documents telling all about her, and in
Guiding a statement from her past en-
ployers in regard to her industry, hon
esty and cleanliness. These Settles are
peculiar documents. They are made out
by the police. The police keep two. the
new employer gets one and keeps it.
When a girl is out of a place she notifies
the police: when she finds a place she
notifies the police and they duly register
that fact. If she steals from a house
holder and the householder gives her a
settle for honesty" and she steals from
the next employer. the police come back
on the first employer mighty quick for
explanations.
on account of this strict supervision
and the necessity of recommendation in
regard TO tenure Of service. it is a point
with a servant girl 20 remain in one place
as long as possible. But she does not
have happy time. She sleeps in the
kitchen and is otherwise neglected. In
der the kitchen table is a small trundle
bed sort OF an arrangement which at
night is pulled forth and made into a
couch for the servant girl. It is not
very inviting bed.
In the Austrian homes and no Amer
leans, by the way, follow the custom, all
the dainties and real good things left over
from the meal are taken by the house
wife and locked up. What is left of the
poorer food is taken to the kitchen where
the servant girl has 40 make her meal
Of it.
Meat in Vienna IS good but very high
priced. All the celery seen IS hleache6 !
and high priced. Asparagus is rare. To-
matoes are high. The apples 10 he Oh
tanned are poor grade. and like every
thing else. are sold by the pound. Break
fast foods are only lately coming in. and
the brands used are those advertised in
America.
Intellectually the great mass Of people
impress You as benlghted. and en-
nh 81 in ell -sn ~