Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-09-18
GLIMPSES OF GERMANY--II.
BY CHARLES PALMER EMERSON.

| reversible, but were fixed back
to back and face TO face, SO
that when all seats were occupied one
half of the passengers must ride back
ward. The backs of the seats were SO
high that when one sought view Of
passengers occupying seats i'm front
one could see only the tops of theit
heads. A feature of the upholstery on
| the backs of the seats was a pair of
projections. one at each end, so located
as to present a convenient cushion
| against which the side of the head
could be rested. The seats were num-
bered; and. curiously enough, those
which we happened to occupy bore the
same numbers as had our dining chairs
on board the steamer.
| The train started with a perceptiblc
| jerk, but ran very smoothly out of the
| station and off across the country. For
| some time the motion was agreeable
| but seemed no more rapid than that OF
| our accommodation trains in New Eng.
land. We met a number of trains
| which dashed by with an explosive re :
| port, as air. suddenly compressed be-
| tween the lines Of cars running in OPP
/ poSite directions, vas as suddenly re-
| leased. Occasionally, upon slowing
| down" or stopping at a station, we
| could observe the locomotives of other
| trains. They were innoce II cow
catchers." aild were all OF light build.
The scenery during the early portion
| of the trip presented a very American
appearance. After we had passed sew
| eral stations the engineer speeded oar
train up to American ideas. and the e.
feet was something dreadful. We ware
| dashed from side to side with the mo-
! ton of a sewing machine shuttle. as tie
| narScS of the car-wheels alternately
| thumped against and recoiled from the
rails. We tried to be philosophical and
| to comfort ourselves with the reflection
| that it would not always last; and that.
| indeed. while it did. it was no woEe
than what we had long ago survived,
when, as speechless and defense.ess in
fant5. our parents and the world in
general had bamboozled us as reckless
~. under the strange hallucination that
| they were tcnderly petting us!
1t was quite dark before we reached
| Bremen. On the train an agent of the
Lloyd company sold us at a low figure
a transfer check for our trunk The
| conductor punched our tickets bat Cid
not take them UP. for each was worth
| ten pfennige to the holder The large
| German BahnhOefe are two-Story at.
| fairs, and trains run at an elevation
above the neighboring streets. Tie
| platform on the plane with the rails is
| reached by stairways in various por-
! tons Of the building, located with ref
| erence to convenient access to the diff
| ferent tracks. During an epidemic
| years ago it became necessary. in the
interest of public health. to restrict
that freedom of access to tracks and
| trains which had. previously been en-
| Joyed. I.Oafers were eliminated by Il
charge of ten pfennige for ascending
and descending the Stairways. This
| arrangement proved So convenient in
| the dispatch of business that the gov
eminent continued it after the causes
which produced ii had ceased to exist
An incident of this system is that when
you leave your train. advance across
| The platform and essay to descend the
| stairs, You are met by an official who
| demands your ticket. You must either
| surrender it or pay ten pfennge before
you can go down. Upon reaching tho
| street floor of the Bahnhof we pro-
| ceeded to the Gepaeckraum and check
| ed Il portion of the hand-luggage. At
l
| ing the hotels. we set down the remain
der Of the luggage and looked out
| across the square. The large arca was
| bathed in full flood of moonlight.
while from the distant hotels and
| street lamps electric light heightened
the beauty of the scene. The ''Haus-
diener' belonging to the various hotels
stood far back in the square, drawn
up in line like a company of soldiers
on drill. Not a step nearer the Balm
hof did they come! nor make any OF
| that clamor which was customary
years ago. Passing along the line we
simply spoke the name of a hotel. The
proper party stepped out from the |
ranks. accompanied us across the |
square. and conveyed our luggage to |
it's destination. Registration 1T a Ger
man hotel includes Il statement of Oc- |
cupation as well as of name and resi- |
denCe.
The next morning, after a late break |
fast. we instructed the HausdienCr 10 |
be in MARKETABLE of the Bahnhof with |
our luggage in time for the L.: is train |
for the south. Meanwhile we took a
short walk in town. We had intended |
to visit the famous Rathskeller before |
proceeding to Hanover. but discretion |
prevented. 1t was already so late that |
we saw very little of Bremen that day. |
Passing through one street we were |
struck by the great beauty Of one of |
the buildings. and paused to see what |
It WAS. over the front entrance, il L
beautiful letters of the German Fraktur |
form. and done in gilt. was the word |
STADTGiBLIOTHEK Getty LibraryD |
High up on the wings of the build
ing were mottos also in Fraktur II
gilt lettering. The one at the left read: |
"Wer das Eergangene kermit. der weiss
auch das Zukuenftige (He who knows
the Past, knows also the Future)."
The other motto read. Der Buchstabc
toetet. abar der Geist macht lebcn1ig |
(The letter killeth, but the spirit
maketh alive)."
At a certain street-corner we came,
during our walk, upon party of cur
recent fellow voyagers. who were do
ing" Bremen in high spirits. Nearly
two weeks before they had formed
union under the euphonious German
American appellation "The katzenjam-
;ner Kids" and had really done Won