New-York tribune., 1901-04-08
THE CITY OF LEIPSIC.
AN AMERICAN GIRLS DESCRIPTION OF
THE SAXON TOWN.

The following letter. describing the appear
snce and life OF Leipsic. one Of Germany's most
famous cities. is a continuation OF interesting
series OF articles on European towns written by
an American woman and published in The Trib-
une:
Leipsic March Is.
Up TO the time OF my arrival In Leipsic never had
any very definite ideas about the city. The only
two things seemed TO remember in connection
with 4; We're. first, that certain wineshop here
the prototype Of the Goethe describes in
that famous in Faust and, next. that
Nikisch is the conductor OF its noted Gewandhaus
orchestra. / found with the assistance Of a land
lady whose patriotism is always at white heat
that my ignorance little less than criminal
Not 10 have known snd remembered that from the
days OF Johann Sebastian Bach most Of the great
est composers the world (for of course. these all
come from Germany. anyway have lived in LeP-
sic! Not TO know TINT the university is one of the
most famous in all Germany, and therefore in the
rnfversef Not 10 have heard that almost every
great singer began his her career in the bepslc
Opera House And. finally. not TO realize that II is
today still the great musical centre of the empire
with the finest orchestra. the most WohuerIui
leader the best conservatory. the greatest number
OF concerts and operas through the year. ana the
most noted critics! IN fact SO far as can Judge
from Frau MS remarks. II we had come straight
80 this world centre from New-TorH, and had been
STAYING in it ever since. We might by this time
have got something really worth while out OF our
trip.
THE OLD RATHHAUS.
The trnosing nature OF the place doesn't strike
one Overwhelmingly at first II is rather at
,ractive slightly bourgeois appearing city, with
rlenty Of wide open squares. where the principal
buildings are grouped; some quaint narrow streets
where tall gabled roofs almost meet and all about
within easy distance. delightful parks and woods
in spite Of the antiquity OF many OF It's builolhss
,he CITY has sort OF scrubbed shiny look, that is
deceptively youthful. The houses themselves are
generally Of the fat front factory style, with the
usual bleak court and stone stairways leading 10
the different apartments. few OF them however,
still keep the projecting second stories, gambrel
roofs and many gable windows Of the sixteenth
century The most fascinating OF all is The old
Rathhau. In place of the seven gables OF Haw-
thorne fame there are almost twice the number
here The dark, weather stained walls, the Tiny
panes Of slass the second story, with its gables
rrotrudng far over the hrst-everything is just as
a was In 1000 Within. the huge rafters. deep
paneliings and stone stairways are also unchanged
I.epsc Is building new City Hall now, Its site
being where a still standing medieval tower marks
one OF the gates Of the old wall once surrounding
the town.
A "REMINISCENCES OF FAUST"
Opposite on a corner in Grimmaische strasse, is
Auerbach's Keller. This. its name implies Is
an underground cafe. where YOU can pay large
prices for very ordinary drinks and eatabes, with
the privilege thrown IN Of seeing the whole place
and hearing its history. Built, or excavated, as
seems more correctly the term for this hole in the
remained apparently unchanged for three hundred
wears The first room you descend into from the
street is the level OF the ordinary cellar with
two little windows near Its ceiling. Small and
dark holding perhaps six tables. its walls are deco
rated with a series Of frescos supposed 10 have
been painted in sixteen hundred and something.
Most Of them black in tone that the sub
jects are largely undecipherabe. They are said TO
be scenes from which Goethe evolved parts Of
Faust" Presumably they were in less battered
condition when the poet spending his off hours
with the joy crew he affected at the time Of his
short student year I'm Leipsic. Besides the mural
decorations. autograph letters from all kinds OF
famous men hang about the walls. the most pre-
cious being some by the great poet-philosopher
himself. A visitors book TOO is shown. with en-
tries long before Goethe's time. The fat. pompous
waiter who leads you about and declaims in long
winded German chiefly impressed with the
fact that the keller has never passed out OF the
hands Of the descendants OF its first owner. Al
corner OF the room is tiny cupboard whose
shelves piled with tall. yelloH-brown 'nubbly"
nineglasses. and at side is a flight OF
steps. At the foot Of these is subterrasSon
Gothic room, with groined roofing and gayly paint
columns upholding it. Pickering oil lamps make
away with part OF the gloom and here still
grewsome paintings tables and a
chance at least for more beer. For across end
rests on platform the great-grandfather OF all
beer casks Five hundred years old is IT, So the
waiter says. IN thick impressive tones AS #
couldn't by any possibility ever have got its huge
circumference down those stairs the room must
have been built around Il. Black as the Imp Of
Darkness is described. bound with heavy iron
bands. fits dripping spout sti proclaims it's useful
ness Personally wondered If hot water BATH
with free Of soap mightnt be a tonic good
for its inside as well outside.
THE CITYs ANNUAL FAIRS.
Besides being the musical, literary and scientific
centre that Frau NJ claims for II, Leipsic is
commercially known a trading metropolis. /
Twice wear the town is given 10 fair that
takes in and sends out from the furthest |
parts OF the empire In the spring this fair is for
the wholesale trade. and goods for sale only by
the dozen. the hundreds the barrelsfu In Sep |
tember comes the retail one and the great specially
of that time is the display OF furs. Although Of
course. were there for The former, found that |
by waiting tn the last day two could gen |
orally buy at extraordinarily low prices many OF |
the samples the merchants had been dspla ying |
Some bits OF pottery from Thurngia, amber |
cigarette holder, two three quaint toys and
Bavarian glass fell TO our share. Not wishing 10 /
repack these samples, the merchants sold them at !
prices THAI for once made me feel as had come |
achieving every Yankees desire 10 get some |
thing for nothing Many OF the exhibits are in the
Kaufhaus. a building something like Mechanics |
Hall. in Boston. only less than quarter Of the |
lstter's size. Many more were in any unoccupied |
building obtainabe and still others introduced
the counters OF the regular stores. Meanwhile |
the middle OF the principal business streets
wholly given up to heterogeneous collection of |
men I'm every kind OF a costume. each one adver-
sistng his special ware. Some carried signs their
shoulders Of Einel Tower height: trundled |
carte bedecked with glaring specimens OF their mer
ohandise; some footed horns: some rode in triumph
on the top Of fantastically decorated carts: some
le>red at the crowd through masks: some the
familiar sandwich men, From all the shop doors
ano WINDOWS nass and banners and enticing signs