Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1905-02-08

Nothing in Berlin so much impresses
me as Rixdorf, the Whitechapel of the
German capital
You know the east end of London
the sitting courts. the grimy alleys, the
roaring taverns, the tattered children,
| the suffocating reek of frying fish and
the groups of gossiping slatterns at
every gloomy doorstep. Now let me
| show how another European city
houses its working classes. Come with
me into the "slums" of Berlin.
| From the center of the city, with its
| splendid houses and its ceaseless shops.
| an electric tram carries one swiftly to
| Rixdorf, a district connected by every
| possible means with every quarter of
| the city, however fashionable or mag
niiicent. And when you reach it you
scarcely know that you have left the
| fashionable and magnificent quarters
| at all, for on every side of you are spa
cious streets, with trees planted at the
| curb, and on the other hand tall white
| palaces rising up with solid dignity to-
ward a clear sky; huge houses, bright
! and speckless, with wide doorways,
many shining windows and iron rallied
balconies. where creepers Irvine and
I children play; splendid and noble
| houses, such as you would look for
with difficulty in almost any quarter
| of London. 1t is here that the work
| ing classes of Berlin live out their care
| full, thrifty and laborious lives
The jerry builder does not exist In
| Berlin. As soon as land falls vacant 1t
| is purchased by companies of recog-
nized repute, often by banking houses.
and only such streets are planned
which meet all the requirements of
| sanitation and art. The houses are
! built. and the working classes enter
! them. the well Off renting the ground
! and first floors, the poorer folk mount
ing to the doors above. From the door
step to the fan light in the roof every
| thing is clean and orderly.
| l have had the pleasure of entering
some of these flats and talking to their
owners. l found the interiors no whit
| less pleasing than the magnificence of
| the facades. Here. for instance, is the
| home of n man who keeps a little
| greengrocer's shop in his front room.
| On the walls are shelves bright with
! polished china and tin. \ stove filed
with hot bricks diffuses a pleasant
warmth and shines in all its tiles with
| the labors of the housewife. 4 table
! spread with a neat cloth occupies the
! center of the room and is set out with
the frugal tea of the little family. The
| grandmother, with Il warm shawl over
her shoulders, sits in q high backed
chair beaming at her visitors. The
good housewife, radiantly clean, hangs
over the back of the chair, nodding
! sympathetic head at every twist of the
conversation. Big and bury, leaning
| against the wall, with his cap In his
hand, his arms folded across his deep
chest, is the master of the household
an ex-seaman. with shining dark eyes,
black hair and red face.
The big boar hound which pulls the
vegetable cart through the streets
presses his full weight against the
| legs of the English visitor and drives
him slowly and resolutely to the wall,
where he holds him prisoner till the
master, laughing, and the housewife,
apologizing, call him off. We learn
from these good people that they have
their hard times and that it is often
difficult to dress the children as they
could wish. but nevertheless they
never go short of food-no, no; that
does not happen in Berlin. AS for
work-why, life would be a poor thing
| without it, and there is usually an
hour or two in the evening when they
can go and hear music at the cafe Oh,
yes; they are comfortable enough, and
Berlin is pretty good as cities go. But
the country-ah, that's fine, that is!
But everywhere, even in this order
" quarter Of the city, there is evidence
of what the Berliners hate and resent
more than anything else-''the control"
''Look!' said my guide, a working
man, as we mounted the stairs of one
of these Rixdorf palaces. His hand
pointed to door Oh the first floor, and
1 saw to my amazement that it was
police Office. Yes" he said bitterly,
they live with us; even in our houses,
The control; always the controlr' |
| asked to be allowed to enter. and. hav-
ing magic name on my lips as an in
PRODUCTION, | was permitted to inspect
the place. Tie police greeted me in a
pleasant fashion, taking their cigars
from their mouths and pausing in their
games to give me information. As we
passed out and stood for moment
looking at the photographs and descrlp-
tons of missing citizens ON the wall
told my guide that the police seemed
to me agreeable enough.
They are all right" he said. but
they are only the strings. The people
who pull the strings-ah, those are the
devils! You should see them. Oh, my
heavens, you shouldr'