Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-03-08
BY JAMES w. GERARD


for profit ia not like country hfr In
England or America Tho houses
ar" plain and, for the most part.
without the convenience OF bath
rooms ana heating to which We are
accustomed in America Very few
automobiles are owned in GcrmnnN.
There are virtually mo- small country
houses Vr bungalows. altup at a few
OF the sea places. 4, h Jews have
Villas
The wealthy merchant takes his
vacation IN summer at Carlsbad ar
kissiuscu or in some other resort
" here his physical constitution. dis
organized 10y oyrrcating and over
drinking. can he regulated somewhat
Many Germans take their families TO
switzerland where the German of
.uN ages with knapsack ana Alpine
stick is a familiar sight
lAruv~tncss uIe German MntChworti.
l,urnostness is the wutchwurd. For
should the people get taste Of
pleasure they might decide that the
Garth offered faircr possibilities than
lJfc In the barracks ur-fhe admiriug
contemplation Of tat and complacont
gruud dukes and princes.
Much of this syCuphlncy Is due to
the poverty OF the educated classes,
Salaries paid TO officials are ridiCu-
luuHly small The German working
men, both In wages and living, are
ON a lower scale than those OF other
western nations, with the possible cX-
ocptlon of Russia, Italy aud the Bal
Ian states. Tho professional and bus
mess Classea earn very little. The
ha 80
German In the chemical industry ~
because u chemist "a graduate Of the
university. can be hired for less than
the salary of an American chauffeur.
And thia earnestnvss OF life was In
sisted upon even to a greater degree
by the nutocrnCy with the opening Of
war. The playing of dance music
brought a visit from the police. The
theaters at first were closed. but later
opened, only plays OF "a serious or
patriotic nature were originally per-
mitted. Dancing WIS tahooed, but in
the winter of 1856 Neinhardt was
allowed tn produce ballet OF a Sc
Ncrely classical nature and at the
opera performances the ponderOus
bnIlet girls were permitted TO cAvort
uH usual
! saw no signs OF any great re-
liRious revival, no greater attendance
at tho churches. Perhaps this was
because | was In the Protestant part
OF Germany, whore the church IL un-
der tho direct control OF the govern
ment and where the people feel that
in attending an extra church they
are only attending an extra drill, IA
drl' whore they will be told of the
glorics OF the autocracy and the
necessity Of obedience. In fact, re-
ligion mao be said to have failed In
Germany. and many state paid
preachers launched sermons OF hate
from their state-owncd pulplts.
Always fond Of the drama and
opera. l was constant attendant AT
theaters in Berlin, The best-known
In Berlin Il Reinhardt, who
has under his control the Deutsches
thcater with It's annex, tine Hammer
spiel. and also the Peoples thea'er
on the Buelow Platz ] made the
acquaintance OF Mr.. Relnhardt and
his charming wife, who takes part In
many OF his productions. l dined
with them In their picturesque
house on the kupfel Graben. In the
Dcutschea theater the great revolv-
ing stage makes change OF scene easy
so that Reinhardt Is enabled to pre-
sent Shakespenr, n great favorite in
Germany, In most picturesque
He manages to lend even
10 the most solemn tragedy little
touches that add greatly 10 the in
terest and keep the attention fixed.
For instance. ip his production OF
Macbeth when Lady Macbeth
comes in, in the sleep walking scene.
rubbing her hands and saying.
What. will these hands ns'er he
clean" the ,actress taking this part
In Berlin gave n very distinct and
loud snore between every three or
four words, thus most effectively re-
mInding the audience that she was
asleep.
4 Taste for Traglcal Plays.
As the war continued the taste OF
the Germans turned to somber,
tragical plays. Only a death on the
stage seemed to bring ray of ami
nation TO the stolid bovine faces OF
the audience. In my last winter In
Berlin the hit of the season was
'Erdgeist." play by Wedekind.
which as Springs Awakening" was
given In New York In the spring OF
1917, and mortified and disgusted
the most hardened Broadway thea
tergoers. The principal female role
was played by B1Tbian actress.
Maria Orska--very much on the
type OF Nazimoya In this play, pre-
sented TO crowded audiences. only
one Of the four acts was without a
death.
Another favorlte during wartime.
played at Reinharots theater. was
MARIA MaRdalena The charac-
ters were the father. mother. son
and daughter OF a German family
In a small town and two young men
in love with the daughter. In mo
first act the police arrest the son
for theft giving the mother such n
shock that she dies OF apoplexy on
the stage. In the second 7Rct. the
two lovers have a duel and one Is
killed. In the third act. the sur