The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1901-04-05
A GERMANS DAILY LIFE.
FOND OF HARMLESS AMUSEMENTS, He
FITS THINGS TO TINE.

FITS THINGS To TINE.
The German likes to be amused,
and arranges his life accordingly.
Everything possible to celebrate in do
mestic. religious and public life he cell
ebrates. He never does it by himself.
If it is family affair the family as
sembles. When it is not merely a
family affair the celebration takes place
in the "verin." There is no public to
which moro amusement are offered, at
various prices and free as we'll than
those enjoyed by the German people.
A German stays at home when he is
entertaining. Appropriateness and
friends he invites to dinners, dances
and balls. For tue family and its
intimate connections there is the after
noon cofflc. This occurs between 1
and clock every afternoon. If you
are stranger an'l are invited to this
very simple function you may consid-
er yourself one of the chosen few, and,
with a marriageahle person in your
own family, you have every person to
suppose the ulon of families through
matrimony would be pleasant event
ual arrangement.
AT HOME.
The coffee party has all Of the form
ality of a regular meal about it and is
served in the dining room at a set ia
BILE, although it consists only Of sand
wches, cake and coffee. 1t is not a
thing for which you can happen in."
Even for members of family invita-
tions are issued, and that the sacred
ness Of the function may not be inter
rupled all formal visiting for men
as we'll as women occurs in the morn
ing between halfpast eleven and one
o'clock.
A German dinner table differs from
an American one in one detail chiefly
there is less display of crockery and
silver (not that the German hest pos
sesses less, but everything comes in rs
it is needed), and the table does not
make the impression that it is more of
an exhibition than a feast. After the
fish coarse each plate brought in has
y ing across it a knife and fork neccs-
sary for the course-a method to be
recommended and to save embarrass-
ment to the ignorant or incautious.
Rising from the table. everyone
bows to his neighbor, repeating the
blessing, "Gesegnete mahlzeit.'
In the drawing room every guest
shakes hands with the host and hostess
and when the guest happens to be a
man in taking his hostess's hand he
bows low and kisses it.
German and American hostesses re-
ceive alike, but guests present them
selves differently. Young girls cour-
tesy to their hostess, older ladies shake
hands with her and the gentlemen all
click their heels together and, bending
low, kiss her hand.
If the occasion is the presenting of a
daughter to society, the young girls
shake hands with her, the older /. Ii, 5
also; the gentlemen only bow.
ATADANCE.
In a ballroom the men stand toJeth-
er and the women gather apart. There
are always programs, and an intro
ducton is followed by an invitation
for dance. This business is all set
tied verv early after the arrival. AT
ter three or four dances the procession
for supper. 1t is III o'clock before the
feast is ended; for ball in Germany
is an affair of feeding as we'll as of the
fantastic toe. There arc soup, roast,
fish, entree, game, salad, sweets, fruit,
cheese. There is a great deal of wine,
but never any sign Of intoxication.
Supper is followed by "polonaisa,"
a species of promenade resembling a
figure Of cotillion, and everyone takes
part in it. lfanyone has not been at
tractive enough to fin1 partner for
supper she must sit the polonaise
through-thc greatest modification
possible, But this is not often ones
fate, as the Germans are perfect as
the hosts, and they make it their pleas
ure to see that their guests are mated
pleasantly. The polonaise is some
times replaced by a few figures, of a
cotillion, and after it the dancing is
general.
Mothers or aunts always 60 to the
balls with their daughters or neices,
and they spend more or less Of the
evening together. a man seeks his
partner for dance, bows before her,
waltzes her madly around the room
once or twice and returns her to her
seat besi lie her mother. Then he gees
to the other 81 lie of the room, joins
group of men end looks at her. If lie
has not lost his senses and his breath
in the race with the music, he is al
lowed to promenade around the room
with his partner or to sit with her in
another part of tho room, but under no
circumstances in any place where all
of the hundreds of eyes present cannot
see them. If a man sits out a dance
with his partner it is a case
At various intervals during a ball
refreshments in the way of coffee and