The New York herald., 1921-09-18
BATHERS CROWD
BERLIN'S BEACHES
Lakes Near City Thronged
With Families in Monde
script Costumes.

Special Correspondence 70 THE New Yons
HERALD.
BERLIN, Sept. 7.-Berlin on Sun
day morning pours out its millions OF
school children, shop girls. ONCE clerks
storekeepers and workers on the sandy
lakes about the city. Bands Of Ber-
liners on foot. on bicycles and in wagons
crowd all the roads as though fleeing
before hostile army. The enemy In
this case Is the heavy heat. the hot
sticky pavements. the binding dust
and the shoddy plaster buildings
There are ten so-callcd free" bath
ing beaches about the city. called free
despite the fact that there Is nominal
admission fee, and at each from ten
to thirty thousand bathers crowd on
hot summer days.
In addition are miles OF improvised
bathing beaches along every lake,
stream and pond within fifty miles of
Berlin, where Herr and Frau Schmidt
and the ten little Schmidts can splash,
gambol about in the sand. and loll In
the sun to their hearts content.
Before the revolution people could
only so into the restricted enclosures
called the free baths and the beaches
separated according to sex. Any one
who dared to trespass beyond these was
subject to terrible punishment for COM
mittin an offence against Kaiserliche
DEGREES. But the revolution brought in
at least one reform for which the people
Of Berlin are grateful. Although the
old ordinances are still on the books
people now go In swimming whereve.'
they jolly well please. The policeman
who ventures to rebuke them brings
down the wrath Of two-and-a half mil
lion other Berlin trcspassers, who are
grimly determined to defend this newly
won freedom.
Going by boat along the Spree and
Wannsee to Potsdam on a hot Sunday
is like pilgrimage along the sacred
banks OF the Ganges on a day when the
faithful arc washing away their sins
Some have bathing suits. others have
garments. others have nothing.
Timid policemen dare not remon-
strate. Recently a high Official in the
Hohenzollern atmosphere OF Potsdan,
decided that the entire coast should not
be invaded by bathers. He ordered out
the mounted police, the green cavalry,
to reestablish order. The troops grimly
charged ono forbidden beach after an
other, rounded up bathers and marched
them to tho nearest police station to
explain.
The popular German press for days
after shook with indignation more vio-
lent than that ever demonstrated toward
French and Poles combined against the
o6icial who dared to interfere with their
rights. This Is perhaps the one freedom
which the Berlin Gavroches are ready
to 60 to the barricades to defend. They
have discovered for the first time that
II Is pleasant to bathe where verboten
signs are conspicuous. Tho beaches
therefore remain theirs.
Taking train on a Sunday to any
Of these lakes is an act OF courage be-
cause the coaches are packed to the
doors. Local fares are still surprisingly
low about Berlin. You can 60 out to the
lakes and back for fare which. trans
lated into American, represents the
equivalent Of a two-cent stamp.
A German "Freibad" Is a wonderful
institution. One OF the largest I visit
occasionally is on the wannsee half an
family beach In the middle with one
for women and children on one side. and
for men on the other. No practical dis
tinction, however, Is made. The few
hundred yards Of beach on q hot Sunday
Is alive with romping, wriggling, rolling
BerIiners. Thirty to fifty thousand OF
them pack themselves In tight with all
the gregarious Joy Germans feel In q
crowd and which they lack singly.
The beach has no charm, other than
that there Is water along It. Tho back
ground Is OF candy cliffs. The install
lation consists OF crude barracks de-
signed as dressing rooms. Most OF tho
crowd undress on the sand, and spend
the day basking In the sun on top OF
their pile Of clothes. Some OF the
bathers. however. go into the water.
paid my so pfennigs admission and
became one OF the crowd. Everything
was free and easy. "Gemuetlichkeit"
and boisterous jolliness rather than dis
regard OF public decency. however. were
the rule.
The domestic sense Is so stTpng in
these families that they Immediately
set TO work TO make their square yard
OF beach homelilse. they build little bar
rfers OF sand about themselves. q petit
coat on a couple of sticks serves as 4
tent their coats and gowns neatly
rollod up. as pillows. For a moment
the stranger is Disconnected by these
miles OF r. v. D.s, or the Berlin equiv
alcnt therefor. The ravagee OF war on
tho Gernan linen chest are most con-
spicuous here.
bathing coctumes are much more d.
verse. AT the free beach no phantasies
are discouraged. Some have gaudy
lavender and roee-colored costumes,
others wear next to nothing, others no
more than a good coating OF sunburn.
Bathing suits are now moro than many
can AFFORD TO buy. They therefore feel
perfectly at ease in homemade substi-
tutes. Sometimes II Is an old red table,
cloth. a sheet. or remnants OF gown.
The impression of several thousand of
these original creations Is startling, II
not exactly harmonious.
Herr Schmidt, Frau Schmidt and three
children can all come out 20 the beach
bringing their meagre luncheon with
them. buying a the beach pink lemonade
and piece OF candy each, have a swim
and return home. happy at night. for a
number OF paper marks equivalent to
eighteen cents.