The Greeley tribune., 1905-01-12
\ PEEP INTO BERLIN
RxooRF, THE wHlTEcHAPeL OF THE
GERMAN CAPITAL.
There Are No sIums. and Everything
Is Bright and Clean and Under PO-
lice Control In the Quarter Where
the working People Live.

Nothing in Berlin SO much impresses
me as RiXdors, the Whitechapel of the
German capital.
You know the east end of London
the sitting courts, the grimy alleys. the
roaring tavcrns, the tattered children,
the sutfocating reek of frying fish and
the groups OF gossiping slatterns mt
every gloomy doorstep. Now lei 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
nifcent. 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 clear sky; huge houses. bright
and speckless, with wide doorways.
many shining windows and iron rallied
balconies. where creepers twine and
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.
Tho iarry Lnil1ap Inas pnt ayist N
Berlin. AS soon as land falls vacant it
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 floors above. From the door
step to the fan light in the roof every
thing is clean and orderly.
have had the pleasure of entering
some Of these fats 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 little
greengrocer's shop In his front room
On the walls are shelves bright with
polished china and tin. A stove filled
with hot bricks diffuses Il pleasant
warmth and shines In all its tiles with
the labOrs Of the housewife. table
spread with a neat cloth occupies the
center Of the room and IL set out with
the frugal tea of the little family The
grandmother, with warm shawl over
her shoulders, sits in high backed
chair beaming at her visitors. The
good housewife, radiantly Clean hangs
over the back of the chair, nodding a
sympathetic head at every twist of the
conversation. Big and burly, 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 of. We learn
from these good people that they have
their hard times and that 1t 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
vuvtk hos. L.,
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, working
man. as we mounted the stairs of one
OF these Rixdorf palaces. His hand
pointed to Il door on the first floor. and
l saw to my amazement that it was a
police office. Yes" he said bitterly,
they live with us; even in our houses!
The control; always the control"
asked to be allowed to enter and, hav-
ing magic name on my lips as an in
PRODUCTION. l was permitted to inspect
the place. The police greeted me in
pleasant fashion, taking their cigars
from their mouths and pausing in their
games to give me Information. AS we
passed out and stood for n moment
looking at the photographs and descrip-
tions 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 should"'
But saw no brutaliZlng evidence Of
the control in my wanderings. l en-
tered little beer houses. comfortable
places, with tables and chairs and mu-
Sic going cheerfully through the even
ing, and saw no check upon the enjoy
mont Of hn poNplo rhAv, hnyn %l,n;.