Sunday in Berlin

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 8, 10 January 1936, Page 10

Sunday in Berlin

. REMINDERS Or THE KAISEB. 'Hnnday-mot'being-the-most propitious day*to CKIf 1 on' official Berlin, I decided tO‘"‘fdllow*'the"dxdmplq of the immortal Peffys anß"go "fdrtlr ail'd See how they Germany, and whether art of galleries,museums, and the ancient palaces wore their choice of entertainment, writes E. Cora Hind, in the Winnipeg free Press. The day was line, though, it threatened rain, and fairly cold, too cold to make an open car comfortable, so with a closed car and a Cook's guide I fared forth, and a very entertaining day it proved. “Where did I want to go?” Oh, anywhere where people wero likely to be going, but anyway ono picture gallery; it turned out that great Berlin has only ono that is of real importance; that is the guide's judgment, not mine. "All Tight, leave it to me,” was his response. He prided himself on his English; had ho not been for a timo 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. Every where there were people, lots of people, quiet, thoughtful, and interested, often with some one individual, 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, an 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 being in German I could not understand, but there was no difficulty in reading the sort of inspired look of the faces. The first Time.

Considering the character of the exhibits and the fact that the gallery has been open in its present form for the past four years, I wondered that so many people, evidently mainly citizens of Berlin, seemed to bo 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 come. Incidentally my guide was a Hitler man first, last, and all the jime.

It was in the library of his rooms in the Berlin Palace that I realised there was anything human about ex-Emperor 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, and 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 iu evidence as he said "and he ordered Mr Rhodes to be shown in at once and apologised that he should have been kept waiting. It 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 tko world’s greatest egotist had recognised the greatness of someone else. What was the political significance of that meeting? Wh° 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 30 years the lady is back in place in the public eye, gay and smiling, and the great William lives in retirement.

We went for lunch to the famous restaurant, formerly the cellars of an old monastery, 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. Tho guide went to demand attention, and came back with the news that the verynoisy 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 were on our way, he said, “Humph, all that fuss about those princes and Kaiser William now orders his champagne a dozen at a time in Potsdam where he used to order 500 dozen and think nothing of it.” We drove to the Sang Souci palace with its lovely grounds, where old Frederic the Great used to retire with his dogs, not to mention other company. 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 at 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 of Voltaire being ill and Frederic making anxious inquiries of the doctor as to the ailment of his friend, to bo told that all he needed was a bath and he would be all right.' When you looked at Voltaire’s travelling case and notea the” size of tlie wash basin you appre-

ciated 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.

Oui last palace was the favourite one of the Princess Royal of England who, as a bride of 18 had learned quickly andpaiufully what it was to be married to a Hohenzollern. 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’ book 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 Bisinark’s name appeared as if it were something for her to be proud of the attention of tho great man. 1 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 since her death. None of the great palaces are now used for any purpose. Sans Souci has hot. 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?

Tho crowds had been large everywhere,. but the next day 50 times as many lined the streets of Berlin to the congestion of traffic, on tho chance of getting a bottle of Rhine wine, of which thousands of bottles were to be given, away as an advertising scheme. Which crowds represented the Teal Germany? ,