The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-10

boil Weevil seriously hand1caps cot
ton production. For high quality of
nuts the soil should be limy and
loose to allow for free penetration of
tse bloom pegs, the nuts forming
in the manner of the
potato, the institute points out.
them all right. but I thought he was
dead" She based this on the fact
that she had lately bought a picture
of him and that portraits of literary
men were seldom sold until they were
dead She had no idea that Beethoven
was composer of music.
Another story now going the rounds
is about schieber who had ordered
his wife's portrait painted by a we'll
known Dresden artist. When the pic
ture was completed he asked his wife
how she liked it. She was delighted
and the schieber ostentatiously said
to the artist: You may make me a
dozen and a half, exact copies of
this"
Madame Schiebcr VS.. Madame Senator
1t was at the opera house in Ham
burg that the wife of a rich schieber
and the wife of a former senator of
the old regime sat side by side, when
Scheber asked Madame Sen
ator to explain the scene on the
stage. Madame Senator did so at the
next pause ana Madame SCnleDer was
so delighted that she asked whether
Madame Senator always sat in the
seat that she then occupied The lat
ter replied that she could not afford
to go to the theatre often and was
there only because she had free
ticket from a friend who was unable
to use it. Thereupon Madame Senator
felt hand creeping towards her, and
when the lights came on she found
: he a sriv Of
Of small denominations, chick en-feed
as the Germans call them, which Just
equaled cents. She was amused and
handed back the money with the sar-
castle remark that she was always
glad to give information gratis to
those who had not had chance to
learn things in school.
And just one more story, concern
ing practical old man whose son
was a schieber. The son was giving
a house warming and both he and his
wife were ostentatious in showing
their new dishes and aristacratic
methods of serving. The old man
grew warmer and warmer as inno-
walton after innovation appeared, un-
tile, when the finger-bowls were
brought in. he raised one to his lips
and, looking around the table, said
he supposed water was all right in
these after-war days, but as for him.
he always preferred dash of whisky
in his. The face of Madame Schieber
blushed fire, but the father drank,
nevertheless.
the Raffkes.
Another class of the new rich is
known as the "raffkes" The word
comes from "raffen," which means
to sweep together and carry off
hastily. The raffke is second cousin
al 10. 10
the stock exchange, backed by tips
and borrowed funds, and often comes
home a mark millionaire. He is of
a little higher grade than the schieb-
er, for he must know something of
stocks to be able to foresee the trend
Of events. but he is well known
character in Germany. He is of all
classes, from the big raffke who
starts with some capital to the little
raffke who climbs up from the gut
ter. The little raffke may live in a
small apartment in poor neighbour
hood and have to figure on every
cent of his household expenses when
he starts in to speculate. He rapidly
rises and within few months may
have some millions of marks. He
then gets a cook and maid for his
wife, moves into a better neighbor-
hood and climbs to higher social
circle. He buys a house or builds
one, mortgaging everything to the
limit, and paying his debts as the
mark falls lower and lower. He may
have borrowed ten million mark
when the mark was a thousand to the
dollar. an amount that was then
equal to ten thousand dollars in gold.
If he has not already paid the notes
ne can now clear off his mortgage
Tor about five hundred dollars, MAX
ing profit of ninety-five hundred
dollars merely by paying his debts.
and Worse.
1t is the schiebers and raffkes who
are the chief support of the gambling
helIs OF Berlin and the dance halls.
NJ some of which the girls wear only
little more clothing than Eve pre-
ceding the fall. The gambling goes
On IN well appointed parlors and in
every grade of society. 1t is for all
sorts of stakes, from millions of
marks down to bottles of wine, which
ire sometimes won at roulette
Some of the dance halls are palaces.
Ihere is one, within a short distance
Of the palace of President Ebert.
which accommodates 500 people. The
iancing floor is surrounded by tables
1T which men and women sit drink
ing champagne, watching the crowd
Whlrllng about in the semi-licentious
iances so popular in these modern
times. Some of the people are eating
and at all such dance halls one can
get excellent food. There are several
hundred in Berlin and until the
French came into the Ruhr and cut
Town the coal supply the dancing
vent on the greater part of the night. |
Where The ScIliebers Eat.
The schiebers and raffkes and the
foreigners Keep up the big hotels and
restaurants of Berlin. You may see
them at the Adlon, the Esplanade, the
kalserhof and other high-priced ho-
tells. and the tourists, considering
them as type of existing conditions,
cannot realize the bankruptcy of Ger
many.
And, indeed. it is hard to believe
in these stories of poverty when one
goes to the resorts of the rich. Take
the Mercedes restaurant where
Cined last night. 1t is on Inter den
two blocks from the Bran
denburg Tor. A man in uniform opens
the door. We check our coats with
the two girls in the lobby and enter
a room, the walls of which are of
brocaded satin as red as the sun at
it's setting. The windows are of
stained glass, like those of a church,
and three great electric chandeliers
of cut glass hang from the white
panelled ceiling.
From this we go into circular
room, with similar windows but with
walls of carved ebony, curtained with
velvet. and ceiling which is dream
of decoration in carving. Both rooms |
have many small tables and each has |
a crowd as well dressed as any you |
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