New-York tribune., 1901-12-07
A BRISK TRAVELLER.
SOME PRACTICAL NOTES BY A PRACTI-
CAL MAN

sEEN IN GERMANY By Ray stsnpard BaKer pS
lips & Co.
| The new Germany, together with many of it's
| interesting types and peculiar customs seen
| by professional observer, is the theme of Mr.
| Ray Stannard Bakers book He has kept away,
as far as possible, from the paths usually traV-
| elled by the American tourists who flock to Ger
many every year, and has written entertaining
| y about the things he W. The effect of many
| of the descriptive bits is heightened by photo
| graphs and sketches by George Varian, the
| artist who accompanied Mr.. Baker on the visit.
The first discovery which the author made
| that he had known what it was to be
governed in small things. Nor could he under
stand the German desire to be looked after. to
| get pfenngs worth Of government for every
| pfennig paid in taxes. There feeling that
| he being watched from the moment he
| landed and he promptly begins humorous quest
| for what is forbidden. He finds comfort in the
fact that the seats labelled clearly For Chill
dren," For Nurses with Children Only and
| For Adults Only" He found it good rule to
discover the "verboten" before he discov
cred yet he came home with the feeling that
| there were many undiscovered regulations
awaiting another visit. He tells of the recent
success of automobile bus company In rum
ming its big cars at excessive speed through the
streets. The statute books thoroughly
| not mentioned they had no authority to regulate
the speed The lawmaking machinery was put
in operation, but lawmakng in Germany is a
matter of deliberaton, and by the time law
was passed the mobile had pushed many of its
slower rivals to the wall. Exactly the same
thing happened when the bicycle was first in
troduced in Germany. For months bicycle
riders rode when and where they pleased, tipped
over pedestrians, and generally demoralzed the
,,1oroI ont If all
fort There is a great fortune awaiting the
Yankee who will introduce flying machines in
Germany and sell out before the machinery of
| the law overtakes him.
Americans always like to know what other
people think of them, and this is the German
idea, according to Mr.. Baker:
The ordinary German has rather hazy idea
of America and Americans, although 1t is per
haps as clear as the ordinary English idea. He
knows Milwaukee for he has cousin there; ne
| knows Hoboken, for that is where the German
| ships land; and ne has heard of Niagara rams
| and Chica go. The only Americans l ever heard
| mentioned, not of course among the educated
people, who are tolerably familiar with things
American. were Carl Schurz. Dewey and Nc
| Kiney. The Spanish-American War did more
| than anything else has ever done TO educaIee
! Europe on American affairs. Previous to Is3S
| they heard of our lynchings, train robperles'
political dishonesty and international marriages.
which confirmed them IN the view that we We're
vulgar, energetic and rich but now the papers
contain good deal of American news All
Americans, it may be said in passing, are sun
regarded as rich
The German work!ngman made an interesting
J study and his manner of spending Sunday meets
with the authors thorough approval Even IN
the big cities, where it is impossible to escape
from the streets, the poor German gets an IDEA
of the country he loves from high-fenced inn
ward where the trees grow in green tubs and
there are always sociability. music and beer lie
works for eleven hours a day ana slXtF-slA
hours a week and is satisfied to be paid at tie
rate of GO cents day.
To work eleven hours, especially if he lives
miles from the shop or factory, which is often
the case a man must be stirring at cock crow.
AS soon as he is up. usually IN the gray t"4-
1igbt or in winter by canGlelight, he has cup
of strong hot black coffee and wedge OF rys
bread This is the first meal Second breakfast
comes about o'clock: and If a man Is WORKING
he stops at that time and sits down lor lev
minutes while he eats. Again he has BLACK
coffee. hot possible, and rye bread WIN
sausages or cheese. Then comes the long noon
ing of an hour or sometimes longer. 1t is
sight we'll worth seeing the rush OF Worhinei
from German factory at noon tsuahy I9l
fifteen minutes or more before the WhtstlS
sounds short-skirted, comely women, girls ans
OLD have been gathering at the g;it WIN
baskets and bottles; and at the S"uild OF III.
whistle they rush in and are swallowed Up by
the outhoWing current of men. Dinner l. the
most pretentious meal OF the day. Usually t1eTr
is meat. soup. sometimes with the meat from
which it has been made boiled potatoes, or some
other veeeta BILE. bread. and beer or coffee. FaF-
little thinking little and waiting for the WhlSiie
to call them hack again. At / o'clock IN IN"
afternoon there is another meal called N"S9HrS'
for which there is a recess of 10 or II miHnt"--
The last meal of the day comes after niEhtiaL
when the toler reaches home. II is as simple a.
the others. consisting of the inevitable coUee or
beer bread, smoked fish. or sausage or cheese
That is all; and when it is eaten tho workman
is quite ready fer his bed. especially If ne ms
had TO walk several miles to and from his work
a many do.
The German soldier, student professor ana
other types are taken up in individual chapters
The story of the creation of a new industry
the glass and lens manufactures of Jena-is tol
in an entertaining manner, as is the GerInaH
method Of building big ships, with the familiar
Deutschland example. New educational
ideas involved in the commercial university es-
tabIished by the Leipsic Chamber of Commerce
in 1896 and the development of the school gar
den system in a number of German cities are
striking examples of the German effort at I'M
provement which is the keynote of seen IN