The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-10-25
ADJUSTMENTS IN GERMANY.
Working Folks There Don't Spend Much
on Mere Diversion.

ADJUSTMENTS play N co mparatively small
part in the lives Of German workpeople.
and such as they have are mostly confined
to Sunday. Games have not taken hold OF
them; they 20 to no football or cricket matches.
although there are matches. and other classes
In Germany show growing taste for games
and sports l went to see football match
between Dusseldorf and nsig hboring manu-
featuring town. 1t took place on Sunday
afternoon. The day was nne and the ground
very handy to both towns.
A similar match anywh here In manufactur-
Ing England would have attracted from
10000 to 10000 sons Of toll. who would have
shouted themselves hoarse from beginning
to end At the German match not one put
In an appearance. When l left the field.
toward the close OF the game, the spectators.
who had slowly increased during the after
noon. numbered exactly sixty-fve. They
were not working men and they showed no
excitement whatever.
l noticed a curious difference in the be-
havior OF spectators and players, In Eng
land the former keep up an almost continual
noise. shouting at nearly every kick. and
bursting into prodigious roar when good
point Is made The players. on the contrary.
maintain an almost unbroken silence. 1t
was just the opposite in Germany. The
spectators only raised n feeble sound when
goal was kicked. and for the rest were silent,
but the players called out necessarily. direct.
ing. exhortng and reproducing each other.
They played the Association game. and not
very well
The national game in Germany is kegel. .
kind Of skittles. and it is played at public
houses. but not by working men. or seldom
by them. They play cards sometimes. but
not great deal.
kull, Sar
but for nothing like 80 much as in England
and in America. They are les numerous
n proportion to population. and are only
visited by the working classes to a limited
extent on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday
is the great day. there are always two per-
formances. in the afternoon and evening.
and sometimes one in the morning ut II
O'Clock as well. The audiences are very large.
but consist chiefly of the bourgeois class
The places most freauented by working men
are the small. cheap music halls
The entertainment given at German music
halls closely resembles the English variety"
show, and often includes English performers;
The variety stage is indeed becoming nearly
as international as the opera. ] have seen
some very witty entertainments at these
places in Germany. and some rather extensively
gross. Some OF the newer music halls are
magnificent. far more spacious and COM
Portable than anything OF the kind in Engla
or America. There is one at Dusseldorf
which seats some 1000 people or more. and
does II handsomely. with tables, ample elbow
room. wide spaces everywhere for walking
and an excellent view OF the stage from all
parts. The prices arc moderate. from Sd.
up to 81.
This Is one sort of hall: the patronage Of
the working classes would not keep II going
for week. Another sort is room Of mod
crate size. not resembling theatre, but fitted
with q small stage: the entrance Is few
pence. Here the working men come on Sun
day, but not in large numbers Drink Is
always, and food generally. served in the
music halls.
The theatres proper in industrial towns arc
always run by the municipality. Every
large town has one and no more. but those OF
middle size generally do not. For instance,
/ Muenchen-G ladbach with 10000 inhabitants
has no regular theatre. and it may be taken
| as q rule that towns below this size have
no place of entertainment Mt all. In Eng
land little manufacturing towns OF 10000 or
! 80 900 inhabitants. such as Bilston in the
| black country, or Fenton in the POtteries.
| generally have "A theatre. which is entirely
| supported by the laborng classes. The
spectacle which may be seen night after
! night in every industrial town OF galleries
CrnmmeO WIN DOys-ln TluslC ndHs suOklnB
cigarettes--is unknown In Germany. They
| are brought up to do something better with
| their money.
The municipal theatres have stock COM
pnnies and very varied repertories: they
include serious opera OF oil natonalities,
| comic opera. Shakespeare modern dramas
| comedies and lighter pieces, such as farces
| and charming fairy tale pantomimes No
piece is played twice running. high aim
| ia maintained In the choice OF works 4
new play of Hauptmann or Sudermann will
| be mounted as soon as possible at every
! municipal theatre in the country. Last
winter Norma Wanna" was being played
| twice week or more in ever large town
| l visited and Nine. Maeterlinck was touring
| in most of them. The performances are
generally of fair merit.
mathematician in Cologne recently
| calculated the cost of the municipal theatre
there and found that the town pays an aver
age OF iohd to each spectator at every per-
formance.
The principal amusements Of the Ger
man working classee appear to be dancing
sitting in the parks in summer and listening
to bands. The dancing is carried on in
public houses. generally at some popular
resort in the neighborhood Of a town. and
takes place on Sunday evening. l have
visited some OF these dancing rooms and
have found large hall connected with the
public house, in which number Of young
people were dancing while others sat at
tables and drank beer. 1t was all highly
decorous and not In the least exciting.