Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-11-07
GLIMPSES OF GERMANY-X1.
BY CHARLES PALMER EMERSON.


at the southeast corner of the square
an Ivy hedge" Passing behind this
you find yourself in the retirement OF
a fine cafe garden, within few yards
Of the hustle of the city's trade.
Wherever possible an attempt seems 10
Dc made at an outdoor garden. Many
Il keeper with a space of
but few feet before his establishment,
has this space surrounded by an ivy
hedge and occupied by refreshments
tables. 1t is often divided into booths
The hedge consists of ivy planted
in oblOng, green-painted wooden boxes
and trained up on trellises. Many To-
calitieS, however, do not present the
possibility of even this attempt at an
outdoor sidewalk garden. But one often
finds the interior decorated with paint
ings, frescOeS. and plastic figures Of
Iife-siZe. These interiors, where prac-
ticable, are characterized by booths
around the sides of the room, and the
kellner or walters. usually perform ex-
cellent service. When requiring the
services of these walters it was the
custom TO call "kellner.' The strong
tendency TO be courteous, however,
gradually substituted 'Ober' (short for
''Oberkelner," or chief waiter). and
this is the form now generally heard
in Hanover. II two of these kellner
happen to stand near at the time, the
number If chief walters interested
is amusing. When you are served 1T
table. you are supposed to say "Danke"
or 'Danke schOen" ('thank yOu").
The walters reply is 'Bitte" schOen.''
which comes SO close on the instant IS
to anticipate Your own word. So gen.
orally c-sided has it become that the
Bite" is usually swallowed, ard all
we hear is "Schoen! Schoen. Schoen!"
as one person after another is served
at table. Not only at the family table
but in stores and on the street the mid
day greeting is "MahlZeit" Literally,
'meal-time"). 1t is repeated upon leaT-
ing the table. When you leave II store
in the middle of the day. however the
usual word is "Adieu." pronounced as
IN French. When a gentleman and a
lady meet. the lady waits for the gen.
tienan to speak first. An elderly lady
20 whom the American custom was eX-
planned. expressed great surprise, in
timating that it would be very difficult
for her to bring herself to do a thing
man before he had spoken to her
They never had ''Injuns'' in Germany;
anu 50 regardless of the inside or
the outside of the walk. the lady
takes the right arm of the gentleman
who attends her. She is entitled to all
the support he is able to afford. This
is a day as we'll as an evening custom.
When you move into community.
1Sa.r
you get settled and to signify the
fact by making the first call. The re-
nOval of mis- hat by a gentleman upon
entering Il store is doubtless very polite.
but if the day he rainy and an umbrella
and 4 package already in hand must
be cared for. the hat becomes inc1n-
venient.
There was a time when there was
no such thing as the clipping" system.
Then. as is supposed. some gentleman
of leisure or convenience started the
bali rolling by giving a tip for Some
extra service. keen-eyed and quick
Witted walters and other servants
soon developed Il knack of sizing up
newcomers, and proceeded shrewdly to
work this, that. ard the other service
gradually on to the extra list. En-
ployers winked at this. They saw that
while the present was the harvest
time for servants. their own turn to
reap an advantage would come later
When the customary income from tips
to kellner, etc. became sufficiently es-
tablished to be q matter of reckoning.
it was easy for employers to use the
fact i'm negotiating for help. The
former servants had feathered their
nests and gone their way. The insti-
tuition which they had established and
which had been to them source of
profit, had now become to their sue
cessors necessity of existence. 1t
had been case or after
us. the deluge," and the later
kellner were ''in the swim" with
a vengeance! One drizzly afternoon
early in October. / called upon a res
taurant-keeper on the other side Of the
city. Business was slack, and. at the
moment the Writ" stood alone behind
his COUNTER
"Guten Tag. Herr Johannis," I said.
How goes it?''
'Ach! Wen nave to call it good till
il gets BETTER" and he laughed a big.
round, jovial, hearty laugh as he came
out and filed the order. Yet this mans
life has been no path of roses. He
was for years a kellner in a hotel until
he had saved up money enough 10
start 4 hotel Of his own in Bremen.
For while things went we'll; his pa
tronage had Increased and his accumu-
lations had amounted TO a good SUN
when a crash came. 1t was the old
story: his name on a friends note him
self held for payment. The sum WAS
SO large that his hotel was sold to pay
the claim. Herr Johannis went to