Evening star., 1921-07-25
BY MARIAN TEICHNIER.

BY MARIAN TEICHNIER.
BERLIN. July .2.-It may be democ
| racy-but there is, to a visitor in
Berlin, something inherently repug-
nant in the reflection that one can
not have hot bath without the
! combined vote of the tenants coun-
Gil OF ones apartment house.
| This statement applies. of course,
! only to that humble part of Berlin's
F., population which does not inhabit
| hotels. At big hotels there is hot
water to be had at any time. and a
| bath may be taken with the same
froid with which an American Is
accustomed to revel in his white
porcelain at home. When one leaves
| the plutocratic precincts OF the Hotel
Adlon or the Bristol. however and
! takes on ones self the onus OF be-
coming a dweller In a private home.
| the matter is quite otherwise ar
, ranged.
| bonnairly. at the first apartment
call her woman in Germany-with
whom you may or may not decide TO
! cast your fortunes gazes at you with
sad and disillusioned eyes.
"Once in two weeks she RESPONDS:
I
! to the lips of every would-be land
| lady when she sees her prospective
tenant curl up like sensitive water
bug and prepare to roll away.
! You gasp. "Once in two weeks!
you repeat frantically. and the un-
believable fact is reiterated. with tne
| comforting assurance that the puoilc
! bathhouse is just around the. corner.
| You fee. and you search in other
1apartments whose addresses nave
hv Interested
| all of whom have acquaintance VINO
!sre genteel widows and anxious 10
| rent a room to an American, and you
find at last one apartment where not
baths may be indulged IN IRON Err
Iday evening until Sunday night
every week, This Is boon and a
solace to a disposition that has al
ready begun to wear thin Tor a week
and you enter into fuZther negotia-
tions for the place at once.
Tenants Council Rules.
Later YOU find that the matter OF
baths is decided by the tenants coun-
Gil There was a time during the war
when all OF this was government reg
Irlated There was so little coal that
it had to be. Now government reSu
llationS as to coal are abrogateo. pul
the fact that fuel is Just twenty times
IS expensive as it was before the war
operates as an automatic check on It's
!too prodigal use. Every apartment
house may have as much hot water as
lit pleases-but the tenants council
and this has been established by law
in every apartment house just as the
lworkman's council has been estab-
ilished in every trade-must decide
how much money 1t can anord 10
spend for fuel. In some apartment
houses. the members of the council.
elected by vote of all the tenants. are
thirty souls. and Spartan. and they
Ipelslit hot water only once in TWO
weeks Others permit ii one day
twice a week. and others over the
week end, when a full bath tub may
be considered to take the place OF a
week end trip to a watering place
AS for the rest of the week. you are
Icold-tub Spartan--or an absent treat
ment bather-as you like.
Difficulty to Get In.
After a home in a suitable apart
Iment is once found. there is the difh-
lculty breaking into it. Once es-
itablisAed the new tenant is presented
'by the gentcel widow with a ring of
keys weighing at a &C nselvative esti-
mate about three pounds. There is
}! key to the lower lock OF the down
stairs front door. and key to the
upper lock of the downstairs front
door. and ditto to each lock of the
upstairs door. and an intricately cut
little thing which is the key TO the
ieNtra safety device. With the excep-
ton of the safety device key. all OF
ing affairs. any of which could be
NIGEL. used as substitute for black
Jack. If occasion required.
After being endowed with the pleas
ing gift of these keys. you take les
sons in opening the doors with them:
And you think you have it all
straight. and the first dark night.
none of them will work and the very
efficient automatic light in the hall
Igoes out at the psychological wrong
moment. and you tumble and clatter
and at last ring the doorbell. and make
youwrself thoroughly detested.
And the next morning. you find that
when you want to get out-if you
happen to be the first member of the
household WHO does--you must un-
lock yourself with the same series of
keys. The newspapers Of Berlin are
full of advertisements of safety de-
vices against thieves. and most of
Rerlin's genteel widows use all of
} yourself. it makes you feel as val
uaDle as a diamond tiara. Personally.
I have not felt so precious since the
first time a man told me he loved me.
More Trouble.
After you have broken into it and
out of it. you are just beginning. You
still have the wohnung amt, housing
|
widow tells you sorrowfully, after
you are duly ensconced in your two
rooms, that you have not the remotest
right to two rooms. The Wohnungs
amt only allows one. and, moreover.
. letting you into the house without an
order from the wohnungs amt was
not quite according to rule. and she
only hopes there won't be any trouble.
You hope so, too, but having moved
in and established yourself, you don't
quite see what they are going to do
about it.
The genteel widow demands that
you fill out three official slips OF
paper. which ask with embarrassing
lack of reserve the exact date of your
} birth, and other apparently irrelevant
questions. Then the genteel widow
puts on her hat and sallies forth to
battle.
She returns later in the day wan
. and worn and weary-eyed. The woh-
|