SUNDAY IN BERLIN

Evening Star, Issue 22228, 4 January 1936, Page 14

SUNDAY IN BERLIN

REMINDERS OF THE KAISER Sunday not being the most propitious -day to call on official Berlin, I decided to follow the example of the immortal Pepys and go forth and see how they (the people) did on their off ■day in Germany, and whether the art of galleries, museums, and the ancient palaces were their choice of entertainment, writes E. Cora Hind, in the ‘ Winnipeg Free Press.’, The day was fine, though it threatened rain, and fairly cold, too cold to make an open ear comfortable, so with a closed car and a Cook’s I fared forth, and a very entertaining day it proved. “Where did I want to go?” Oh, anywhere where people were likely to be going, but anyway one picture gallery ; it turned out that great_ Berlin has only one that is of real importance; that is the guide’s judgment, not mine. “ All right, leave it _ to me,” was his response. He prided himself on his English: had he not been for a time in New York ? It was pretty good, as a matter of fact, and the bits of American slang spoken with a strong German accent and often in the wrong setting were fun. Before me as I write I have a list of the places and buildings, we visited, and' palaces, especially those which linked Germany with British Royalty, rather seem to predominate. Everywhere 'there were people, lots of people, quiet, thoughtful, and interested, often with some' one indivichial, not official guide, to give help and instruction on works of “ bigotry and virtue,” as it were. Certainly they were doing their share in the shuffling felt slippers to keep the floors of the palaces polished.' There was, however, ah air of quiet enjoyment about them quite good to see. They were comfortably dressed and well shod, and impressed me as the solid citizens of what, in England, would be the middle class, upper and lower stratas. A slight sprinkling of uniforms of various sorts, few of them actually military, and not a brown shirt among them. • The Pergamon Altar and the Corridor of Lions to Nebuchadnezzar’s palace seemed of special fascination “for the crowds. There were many low whispered remarks, which beings in German I could not understand, but there was no difficulty in reading the sort of inspired look of the faces. j THE FIRST TIME.) ,Considering the character of the exhibits and the fact that the gallery has been open j\ its present'form for the past four years, I wondered that so many people, evidently mainly citizens of Berlin, seemed to be seeing it for the first time. _ The guide told me that until the coming of Herr Hitler the prices of admission had been prohibitive to the great mass of the people. Now they were so low, at the order of Herr Hitler, everyone could afford to comfe. Incidentally my guide was a Hitler man first, last, and all the time. 1 \ It was in the library of his rooms in the Berlin Palace that I realised there was anything human about exEmperor William. It was a well-read edition of Mark Twain over which he is supposed to have been frequently convulsed with laughter. It seemed strange to stand in the room in -which the Emperor had received Cecil Rhodes. That great man had stopped, over for a couple of hours, taxied to the Palace, a'nd sent in his card. The attendants were aghast? He had no uniform, neither did he wear a frock coat and ’carry a silk hat. It was impossible, quite, quite impossible. However, it appears Rhodes persisted and finally the card was carried to the “ All Highest.” Even at this date the awe in the guide’s voice was quite in evidence as he v ßaid “and he ordered Mr Rhodes to be shown in at once and apologised that he should have been kept waiting. >lt never happened before or afterwards, a man without a uniform and not in a frock coat with a silk hat.” Once again in the world’s history the “ impossible " had become the actual and the world’s greatest egotist had recognised the greatness of someone else. What was the political significance of that meeting? Who knows? THE FAVOURITE. It was amusing to have the picture of his grandfather’s favourite dancer pointed out as not having been allowed to hang in the place where that gay lad had placed it because Emperor William did not approve of such doings, not in public anyway. After an absence of 80 years the lady is back in place in the public eye. gay and smiling, and the great William lives in retirement. We wept for lunch to the famous restaurant formerly the cellars of an old monastry, and kept very much as the monks left it so far as walls, etc., are concerned. I was very hungry and the service was criminally slow. The guide went to demand attention, and • came back with the news that the very noisy party in the next room was four of the Kaiser’s sons entertaining some friends and they needed much waiting on, and quite evidently got it at our expense, I was terribly amused at the guide: when we finally got the lunch and wci c on our way he said, “ Humph, all that fuss about those princes and Kaiser, William now orders his champagne a dozen at a time n Potsdam where he used to order 500 dozen and think notning of it.” , ' _ . , - Wo drove to the Sans Souci palace with its lovely grounds, where old Frederic the Great used to retire with his dogs, not to mention other com-: pany. No wonder he loved his circular library with the bookshelves' in the door, so that when it was shut there appeared no entrance or exit except possibly the windows. What a view from them when he raised his_ eyes from a book, lovely flowers, beautiful statuary, stately trees, and glimpses of water. It was a Sans Souci that the great Voltaire lived as the intimate friend and companion of Frederic the Great for 10 long years. His room was, and is, one of the loveliest in the little palace. The' guide told the story or •Voltaire being ill and Frederic making anxious inquiries of the doctor as to the ailment of his friend, to be told that all he needed was a bath and he would be all right. When you looked at Voltaire’s travelling case and noted the size of the wash basin you appreciated the point of the joke more fully. DOGS’ GRAVEYARD. From the palace to the dogs’ graveyard is but a step. Here between the' graves of his dogs, “ the only friends who never betrayed him,” and the statue of the favourite dancer, he desired to be buried. However, apparently even an emperor cannot ensure his dying request being carried out, and the old boy was carried forth and buried in a church. !■ Our last palace was the favourite one of the Princess Royal of England who, as a bride of 18 had learned quickly and painfully what it was to be married to a Hohenzollefon. This replica of Windsor Castle was her favourite home, where she spent most of every summer and where her mother and father visited her. and many other notables both in Britain and the world in general.

The visitors’ hook lies on a little table and there you can read' the names of Victoria and Albert, of Salisbury, Disraeli; and many others. The 'guide drew my attention to the number of times BismaUk’s name, appeared as if it were something for her to be proud of the attention of .the great 1 man. I could not forbear a smile remembering how he hated and badgered her and what very excellent reason she had for preferring his room to his company. This palace has never been used sine* her death. None»of the great palaces are now used for any purpose. Sans Souci has not been occupied since 1845, nearly 100 years. The upkeep furnishes work for a small army, but must take, a mint of money.. All the clocks are ticking away gaily In the silent rooms. Everywhere there was the air of waiting. For what. I wonder? The crowds had been large everywhere, .but the next day 50 times as many lined the streets of Berlin to the congestion of traffic, on the chance of getting a bottle or Rhine wine, of which thousands of bottles, were to be given away as an advertising • scheme. Which crowds represented the rea! Germany?