The New York herald., 1921-08-14
VIENNA RECOVERING
FROM DEPRESSION
Outward Appearance In
proved and Inhabitants
Able to Dress Better.
HOTELS USUALLY FULL
American Visitors Advised
to Make Sure of Room
Beforehand.
ARTISTIC LIFE RESUMED
Door to Near East, City Will
Always Be Important Busi-
ness Centre.

place. Or two articles In American
papers, one writer came to the con-
clusion that every American who
wants to have a good time for 50 a
\ day ought to spend some weeks in
Vienna, and the other that American
visitors will run the risk of being sys-
I 'matically f1eeced by cabmen and the
like and insulted by the population.
An American traveller coming to
Vienna ought not to overlook the pre-
caution of making sure OF a room be-
forehand. or IL this is not possible, to
take a train which arrives here in the
morning and leaves sufficient time to
look out for accommodation before
nieht. The first class hotels are gen.
orally full, and In many cases unable
to reserve rooms in advance. But II
a traveller has arrived already. and
does not shrink from going or driving
to the chief hotels, which are all stu
ated in the Kaerntnerstrasse quarter,
and quite close to one another, he can
be almost sure to find what he wants.
If he does not he can take a room in
one of the second class hotels near the
western station for night or two.
Apart from that a visitor to Vienna
must never forget that he finds himself
In town which is only Just recovering
from severe illness which had threat
ened its very life and that he cannot
expect to find everything in exactly the
1 same order as in London or Paris.
Life Again Normal.
| Life has become again norma. in COM
parison to the dreary months OF winter
j I.x,I ~. --s.xa mi
appe arance of the buildings leaves still
much to desire. but 1t has improve ed and
people in the street are again decently
and sometimes even elegantly dressed
Last year old uniforms worn by civilians
predominated, showing that the wearers
lacked the money for buying proper
clothes. This year these Uniforms have
become rare. The average men women
and children are no longer pale and
haggard. but have regained a healthy
color. The street car service Is not bad
and the number of horse carriages and
motor cars is on the increase.
Artistic life is as intense as II used to
be and IL person is happy enough not
to be worried by the exchange rate and
diminished buying capacity of the un-
fortunate Austrian crown there is no
reason why he or she should not thor
oughly enjoy the many attractions which
4 the place has to offer In fact the
hotels seem to be swarming win Amer
leans. English Is the predo-ninating
language in the hall of the Imperial
Hotel and in the Bristol and Astoria on
tho Kaerntnerring.
But the Viennese problem Is not so
much a tourist as a political and eco
nomical problem. The town Is In
state OF Transformation. which will
make something entirely new OF it
without regard to the personal wishes Of
the native population or Of the foreign
guests. Vienna Is simply obeying an
economic law which has already proved
stronger than politics. and the future
will depend entirely upon this law.
whether IL may lead TO a later union
with Germany. which Is not impossible
although improbable, or to a perna-
nently independent Austrian State or to
some sore of Danubian federation. This
law is the expression of the fact that
big economic centre always exercises a
strong attraction on its surroundings by
the mere fact of it's existence and that
this attraction cannot be removed by
artificial means.
The Gate TO the East.
Vienna forms the entrance door to
the Near East, to European Asia, as II
Is sometimes called. Where the last
promontory of the Alps. the Leopolds-
berg descends to the Danube. and the
Bisamberg. the first hill of the eastern
range of the Carpathians. rises on the
lcft bank. leaving a narrow outlet for
the big river, there is the frontier line
between western Europe and It's culture
and Eastern Europe with IT'S Asiatic
afflnities. And IL Is at the foot OF the
Leopoldsberg that Vienna Is situated.
This fact alone-if there were no others
would predestine 1t as mediator be-
tween west and east. But there Is the
Danube besides. with one of the best
and biggest river harbors in this part
of the world, and big junction of trans
continental railway lines converging
| from north south, west and east. The
shortest railway route from Trieste on
the Adriatic to the Baltic Sea leads via
| Vienna. and the shortest route from
London and Paris TO Bucharest and
Constantinople too. All these reasons
make Vienna one of the most important
transit places In Europe.
With her 10000 souls the city Is
1 too big 10 be only the capital of the
small country which has inherited the
once proud name Of Austria 1t must
| either become more or die. II is to-
day one OF the most international OF
1 CltlcSs WneTe UitTtndnl- anu IDUrlsIs
| from the Balkans and other states meet
The Viennese want 10 make Of their
city huge commercial and transit cen
tire They arrange musical festivals and
international fairs and spare no cost 10
keep their big theatres and concert or
cnestras going. This year the state
will have 70 pay subvention Of about
1 0.000, 600 crowns 20 the two big State
theatres. and whether this course may
be right or wrong from the financial
point of view. II has certainly proved
the right way OF saving Vienna from
desolation and decay nv developing IN
to an international centre Vienna gainn
new right OF existence, since its role
az residence OF the Hapsbures IS AZ IN
end.
Austrian state finances are too deli
cate and for the moment too hopeless
TO be dealt with In a superficial ard
general way but Il would seem that
public money ought to be handled more
carefully and that the present expendi-