Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-03

Viennese has his hours for being at GER
tain cafes. 1t is part of his daily life and
he uses these public places far more than
the Partisan or the Berliner, and fine cafes
there are there, too. Life is taken easily
in the Austrian capital. Many shops and
all banks and offices close for two hours at
noon while the midday meal is eaten. 1
had forgotten that lunch in Austria was as
formidable as dinner in London and New
York, and when a Viennese friend invited
me to lunch at his house l went gladly and
ment for 8 o'clock in the afternoon, never
dreaming that l was not likely to keep it,
Ny friend called for me at the hotel and
we drove for over half an hour until we
reached the suburbs of Dobling on the out
skirts Of the city. From the windows of
the house, which was built in the time of
Maria Theresa, the high hills of the Kah-
lenberg and Tafelberg seemed but few
miles away and the air was delicious.
Presently We sat down to the hospitabIe
table and it was two hours before the de-
lightful meal was finished. Most courteous
and kind, my hosts had arranged every
thing for my entertainment in true Wen
nese style and l must do justice to their
hospitality. The time passed rapidly, but
1t was long after five when 1 reached the
city again 1 asked my friend who is an
editor on one Of the chief Vienna papers,
how he managed his work, being so far
from his office and dependent upon cabs or
the slow-going funny little tramcars for
conveyance to and fro as he told me he
made the journey four times a day, always
going home to lunch, Nearly four hours a
day used in this fashion! The quick
lunch would not thrive in Vienna.
A Feature of Viennese Life.
Some English and American friends gave
an amusing account of the difficulties en-
countered with the concierge or porter, as
he is called there. It seems that the Vienna
specimen Is a sort of glorified New York
fat janitor and Paris concierge in one. He
is an autocrat who uses his power despot-
ically unless he is frequently insulted In the
Pooh Bah" manner. In the first place the
law uphoids him, and as Vienna is an early
to bed town, the porter Is allowed to close
the doors of your apartment house at 10
o'clock, and IL you want to get in later you
must pay him ten kreutzerS -four cents) for
the privilege. The newspaper correspon-
dents especially feel this imposition as they
frequently receive kilograms after 10, and
are obliged to go out to attend to them. You
see. 1t is ten kreutZers for the telegraph
messenger to go in, and the same for him to
go out after his messages have been deliv-
cred; ten for the correspondent to go out
and ten to go back. So one call of this kind
costs forty kreutZerS, or sixteen cents. Re-
peat this once or twice a night with two or
three nights week, and it amounts to a re-
spectacle weekly sum. The porter also
must receive decent pourboire every few
days. or your letters go astray or your
friends are told that you are not at home
when they call: your goods are not delv-
cred, and worst of all, you find your credit
diminish and your character is aspersed,
unless the friend at the door is appeased
The trades people go to him to find if you
pay your bills, new acquaintance who have
invited you to dinner send their servants to
him to find out how you live at home in
order to know how to treat you and a nod
from Janus is all powerful. 1t is marvellous
that people stand it, but custom has sane
toned his office. 1t Is not quite as bad as
this in Berlin, though one night when I
went out to dine door porter gave me the
rough side of his Prussian tongue because
l did not know that the closed door was I'M
fastened and made him leave his comfort
able chair to open it.
On another occasion one of these beauties
utterly refused to direct me to the rooms of
one of the occupants of the house because
/ did not pronounce the English name in
the barbaric manner he had fashioned for
himself. This. despite the production of the
mans card, with the name and same adj
dress on it.
An Automobile Exhibit.
That the marked development of the mo-
tor car since its more general use was made
possible by the passing Of the locomotives
on highways act Of 1896 is obvious to all
who visit the show of the Automobile Club
opened at the Agricultural Hall on satur-
day. On nearly 100 stands are to be seen
motor cars or every conceivable variety
dogcarts, phaetons, wagonettes, parcel
vans, sporting drags. butchers carts, cycles
and sociables. The chief change since the
similar exhibition held a year ago is in the
compactnesS and neatness of the fittings
and the finish of the upholstery The mo-
tive power is most commonly petroleum
but electricity is also in general use, and