The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-17
new EXPERIENCE.
Hutchinson Editor Not a Friend
Of German Railways.
Their System a Sort of a "Hold
Up" Over There.
HE "SASSES" AN AGENT
Our Canned Meat Trade Has
Gone Glimmering.
Germans Think Even Human
Bodies Are Used.
HE "SASSES" AN AGENT
CasseI. Germany. July g.


We came to Cassel because the Ger
man railroad schedules are fearfully
and wonderfully made. Unless you hap
pen to be in just the right city to get
a through de luxe train at extra fare,
it requires two days to cross the Ger
man empire. about as far as from
Hutchinson to Chicago. We undertook
to go from Dresden to Cologne and do
as they always do in Germany, break
the journey" A German or even tour
list never thinks of taking one good long
railroad ride in this country, where
sleeping car is an accident and
through train dream. but he goes as
far as he can one day and then stops
at night and starts again the next day.
So after a ride through a very pretty
part Of the Hartz mountains we lit in
Cassel and found it to be a good town
of about 100, 600 people. This is the
place where the Hessians came from
who were hired by George the Third to
60 to America to put down the reVolu-
ton. In a public square is a fine statue
OF Frederick the Second, the prince, or
landgrau, as was his title, who took the
500, 900 600 for II 600 men. Just think of
it, only a little over a century ago an
enlightened and Christian German ruler
sold his soldiers to fight people with
whom he was at peace, took the money
they earned with their life blood and
stuck it down in his jeans. And then
}
ument in his honor. Russia isn't so
very far behind the times after all
made a face at the statue of Frederick
and expressed in a few terse American
words my opinion of him. Then had
a square meal and felt more kindly and
laid it on to the spirit of his times
There is also monument in another
square to the soldiers who returned,
but that is for the men who served in
the war with France, as I don't think
many Of the Hessians ever got back.
The railroads in Germany are owned
by the government and run under mill
tary regulations. I have heard a great
deal about the iron clad rules and to-
day had some experience. On second
class ticket (and We travel second class)
it is only permitted to stop over once en-
route. We knew we had to stop at Cas-
sci or sit up in a car all night. When
we got to Halle "a city of 100000 people,
there was a change of cars and tbs
officer, with a gilt braid uniform, in
charge, told US we should wait two
hours for the Cassel train In a few
minutes I showed my tickets to the sta
ton master, whose uniform was that OF
a colonel Of militia in our country, and
he broke out in a lot of German words
which meant that we should have taken
an earlier train. He said we had
broken our journey and proceeded TO
stamp the tickets which had incau-
/ tiously handed him to show him our
! destination. That meant we would not
| be allowed another stop-off and would
have to sit up all night or pay fare
from Casse1 to Cologne a second time.
put up my best smile and appealed to
/ him In the name of Roosevelt and the
! friendship between America and Ger
many, not to mistreat two poor innocent
! travellers who had only done what the
officers had told them to do, and who
! didn't want to stop at Halle at all but
/ had been forced to do so. No use. He
! said the regulations were clear and that
/ by missing the earlier train we had
/ broken our journey once and could not
! do so again.
Quite a crowd of Germans collected
and were sympathetic with the stran-
gers but the representative of the i'm
/ perial government was obdurate and
/ obstinate. I abused him little in
English, which he did not understand,
1 and begged him in broken German,
but the honor of the kaiser was evil
/ IDENTIFY at stake. didn't mind any
+ thing much except the mean trick of
making US wait that hour and then
I Furnishing us for it, and I knew I was
up against those ironclad rules which
are so generally talked about. After
some reflection I told my troubles to a
waiter. In Germany the proper people
/ to call on for assistance are walters.
He tried to out talk the colonel but
also failed, and he explained the case
/ just as it was in German which I was
4
something I never am about my own
/ German. Then the waiter advised me
and 10 and behold the royal uniform
of the station master was not so much
after all The stop or stamp was
/ rubbed off the tickets made good for
my purpose, the regulations Of the
/ country were tattered and torn-and I
gave the grandly uniformed official q
fifty pfenning, equal to II y cents in
| our money. AS our train pulled out
and the colonel stood at salute, as is
/ required, I leaned out the window and
waved goodby, to which he responded,
and I said, in English, you are a
blank rascal" to which he thinking it
goodby. I wish he had understood my
English.
But just think of an American sta
ton agent who would do either of two
things: Mistreat strangers, or break
the rules for 125k centsi Ordinarily
in Germany we have been treated with
the utmost consideration, but I suppose
that Germany, like America, has some
men who swell up inside a uniform and
want to show their pOwer-and Incl
dentally make few pfennings.
Whenever I get to a German town I
ask where Is the best music. There is
always a selection. think there are
thousand bands and orchestras play
1 ing every night in Berlin and in the
smaller cities the number is in proper
ton. Every place has its garrison and
its regimental bands, and it municipal
bands. as well as the private concerns.
In Berlin we went to the geological
garden and the art exhibition, where
there were two bands. so that as soon
as one stopped the other would begin.
It was one continuous round of music,
and good music, from early evening
until long after we left. The cities
and government subsidize the bands
and have them playing every night and
I thus the kaiser shows his good sense.
You can't get up a revolution among
men who are sitting all evening with
their families drinking beer from gov
! eminent breweries and listening to
music from government bands. The