A Lady's Letter from Germany.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1057, 2 June 1892, Page 5

A Lady's Letter from Germany.

TO THE EDITRESS OF THE LADIES 1 PAGE OF THE NEW ZEALAND MAIL. Anklaur, Mecklonberg, Germany, April 6. Dear Editress, —With much pleasure I have always read your pages in the New Zealand Mail, and as you always so kindly invited friends and readers of the same to write, I thought I should like to be so free and do so too. I trust that you will find space for my few word-*. I have often before meant to write to express my feelings of admiration for the many interesting and knowledge-giving items discussed in your columns. Probably I could not find a bettor time than this when I am so far away from your sunny Isles seeing other sights and customs. '■ As before said, the Ladies’ Pago of the New Zealand Mail has long been a pleasure for me, but since I am so far away in a land whore no English papers are published, it has given me still more pleasure. Not alone lave I benefited from it, but several young English ladies of iny acquaintance, who also welo.nad an English paper with c< jo eing. It is now almost a year since I U ft tny home in the North Island of N Z. to vit t Germany, and a very pleas .ot uni ■ it Inbeen. Being quite unacqu toued w !i;ti language, I, course, f..u.id it .litticuls t... understand people foe some inn -, and i seemed to mo as though everyone spoke very fast and then very often several people at ouo time. lam thankful to say that I round almost every on:, very- kind and friendly to mo when travelling, especially win n tony f u-i't 1 eon d n t. speak- iheir language. Many of the customs are different to ours, bat the fashions are the same—for instance, at present we have skirts plant and long, long sleeves, and high shoulders, and hats with low crowns and trimmed high—but l do not mean to write of fashions, for you receive them weekly from London. Something I greatly admire the German households is the linen cupboard —I could with truth say cupboards—which is always the pride of the housewife, and well it might be with its piles of snow white linen and damask in such good order and prettily marked and numbered. Washing, which takes place once in perhaps six weeks, is very interesting, and is a work whioh occupies three or four women for several days. It does not suffice that the clothes are washed as we wash them. Besides that they must all be taken to the edge of a river or lake and there be dipped in and out of the clear water. I have often read letters in the N.Z. Mail complaining about our servants. I must admit I am surprised at those here ; they are quite different, and only earn what ws should consider a small salary. A general servant who must assist with

washing, iron and do in fact everything receives from £5 to £8 per annum, and often loss. I have of course visited the capital town, with which I was greatly pleased. It has such pretty streets, which are kept in such good order, and grand buildings. Many of your readers hive no doubt heard of the principal street ‘Unter den Linden, ’ so called because down the centra is a beautiful avenue of lima trees. At the entrance from the large park into this atreet is a magnificent gateway, upon which stands the Victoria, which was taken by the French in 180b —and recovered in 1814. The way under this is dividod into several by large pillars. Through the con Ire no one is allowed to drive expect the Royal Family. Several times while in Berlin I had the pleasure of seeing the Emperor and Empress. He has a fine figure and an earnest thoughtful face with an intelligent expression. She is not at all handsome, but what one would call pleasant looking, especially whon she speaks. It w»3 principally in the opera that I saw their Royal Highnesses. c With the opera in Berlin I am quite enchanted ; it is most beautiful, and the same must be s iid of the acting in several of the theatres. Of late there has bean occasional distuibancas in the City caused bj 7 the Democratr. Much excitement lias also been caused by the proposal af a new education system, which has been fortunately put aside. Much sympathy was felt here fur our Sovereign and the betrothed of the' deceased Prince Albert Victor. No doubt the news was received with sorrow also in New Zealand. The spring is breaking fast upon us, the trees having just a shine of green and the birds, which are glad to be home again, twittering among them. The spring is far more marked and prettier here, where it seems as though everything wakes up from a long sleep, through the long winter. The latter is also very nice, but at times rather too cold for my liking. It not seldom happens that one sees horses quite white, being covered with hoar frost. On arriving home from my first sledge parly I was surprised to find my shawl quite white and my veil stiff. A party of this kind is great fun, especially if the sun is shining brightly, as it was on this occasion. The snow glistens as though it consisted of numberless diamonds. One thing that I miss very much here is the outdoor exercises that we have ; it is a rare thing to see a lady riding, and boating and tennis are unheard of pleasures, at least for ladies. The GermaD ladies are very clever with the needle and all kinds of fancy work, but I think if they adopted some of our outdoor pleasures they would not have causa to regret the time spent in this delightful way. 1 trust I have not imposed to much, my dear friend, upon your good nature and takon too much of your valuable space. I will now close with best wishes for the long continuation of the interesting ‘ Ladies’ Pago’ of the N.Z. Mail. ‘A Continental Correspondent.’