The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-29
PRINCE AUGUST
PROMISING MAN
Is Said To Be Studious and
Earnest Thinker
AN UNIQUE EXHIBITION
OF Plans and Idens For the Building
of Cities and Places of Resi-
dence-New Civic Ideas
Made Prominent
AN UNIQUE EXHIBITION


Wilhelm of Prussia the Kaiser's fourth
son, who is destined TO carve out career
in civil life, will shortly take over an
important executive position in the ad-
ministration of the province of Posen or
the Viceroyalty of Alsace-Lorraine. The
prince, who won the title of Doctor in
brilliantly successful university examina-
lions, is meantime being put through the
PAGES of civil administration at Potsdam.
He Is serious and studious, and is said to
have developed genuine executive talent,
as distinguished from the purely military
bent of Hohenzollern princes.
A very interesting exhibition has just
been opened I'm Berlin unique, too, of its
kind as nothing like 1t has been attempt
ed in any other country. Described brief
ly it is an assemblage of all that can d.
rect the makers OF cities in laying-out,
building and organization of ideal
place of residence for populations. large
or small Plans, pictures, photographs
and models Of parks, streets and houses
are to be seen and not alone of the
Greater Berlin of the future, which is
even now engaging municipal attention in
the German capital. but of cities like New
York, Paris Boston and Chicago.
1t is recognized in Germany that a great.
and perhaps the chief glory of the nine
tenth century is the public awakening,
which occurred during its last quarter, to
the so-called social question:" and par
ticularly that part of 1t which is concern
ed with the organization of towns with
a view to dwellings,, to Transportation,
and to the exploitation of the towns
natural surroundings for keeping young
and healthy It's inhabitants of every q'fss
down to the poorest.
The city fathers of Berlin are enthusi-
astic on the subject and are powerfully
encouraged by the Kaiser in their efforts
to prepare for the health and happiness
of future generations as well as to secure
the same, SO far as money and technical
skill can do It, for the present one
Situated. as their city is, in the middle
of Europe, and with a steadily growing
influx and passage of merchandise and
traffic they offer prizes for the most
promising plans and most practical sug
gestions with view to realization later.
They are satisfied that their system of
communications is on a sound basis and
that the same may be said of their water
supply. They are now principally con-
cerned about the dwelling question and
the utilization of the woods and park
lands and water surfaces around the city
In respect to the first they look with
envious eyes towards Vienna and Boston,
while to Chicago they turn for ideas re-
garding public gardens and Fairgrounds.
The exhibition is being held In the large
annex at the Geological gardens.
Nothing escapes the German spirit of
experimental Investigation. One of the
latest subjects of it-there are always
hundreds of Investigations going on-is
the suppression of noises in dwelling
houses.
This time it is Hanover professor
named Nussbaum who has given his at
tention to the matter, and kept steadily
at it for nearly Is years. He has ex-
perimented in both the laboratory and
private houses and though some of the
results are already known his whole re-
port may be commended to the notice
of architects and builders everywhere.
One thing he has ascertained is. that the
more solid and tough and strong the
building material is, the more quickly
and loudly 1t conveys sound: and its con-
with a piece of metal. The higher the
tone, the greater the conductivity.
Another sound law in building is that
the conductivity increases with tension,
as is the case of wires of piano. The
professor made many experiments with
partition walls. The oudest noise was
transmitted by those of tiles and cement.
while the least was transmitted through
walls of solid clay. Between the two. In
respect of conductivity, comes the wall OF
ordinary brick, and the more the brick is
burned the more noise 1t carries.
quickly hardening lime mortar Is to be
preferred to clay mortar.
One experiment showed that when a
floor is covered with sand and cork mats
spread over it hardly any noise pene-
trates to the room below but that when
the mats are Joined together by any ma
terial underneath. noises are at once per-
ceptible.
Among the sef-evident results were.
that the thicker the walls the less pene-
trating the sound. that double windows
and double doors sensibly diminish sound
and that wall curtains and hangings have
a like effect.
of the piano or violin. in the neighboring
fiat to be excluded? The professors he
ply is a suggestion to treat the ceiling
as he successfully treated his telephone
cell, namely to line it with layer of
zinc or lead.
An opera by female composer Is q
rarity, though songs and pieces for the
piano by women are plentiful enough. At
the Court theatre at Weimar an opera by
a women has just been produced for the
first time, and like Mr.. Arthur Niven's
''Poia" in Berlin recently, failed to win
the approval of the critics. The lady
composer-for one can hardly say COM
poseress-is Cornelie van Oosternee. a
Dutchwoman to judge by her name, and
the title of the opera is 1.-THE Vow" The
story Is founded on a tale by a popular
German novelist. Richard Boss; the ac-
ton takes place about 1890. amid the Ttal-
ian mountains; and the dramatis per-
sonae include shepherds, charcoal burn
ers. banditti, and the Italian gendarmerie
called SbirrI The chief defect of the
work, according to the critics, Is that IL
ia too conventional, and this notwith-
standing the free use in 1t of exciting
elements like fighting. pilgrimages. we'd
dinxs. love and death. The characters
are said to arouse no interest and the In
cidents to be not very clearly defined
while the whole action is confused by
unnecessary religious ritual and declama
ton. The music is dismissed as dis
creet and respectable. On the whole,
judgement not calculated to arouse
much desire to hear the opera.