Show charm of berlin society special the doctor Is at dinner but he will wish to see you said tee ser vant who answered the doorbell at a handsome berlin dwelling where with a compatriot I 1 called one evening we were shown into the reception room and in a moment our friend appeared his name would be recognized the world over as one very eminent in science come right out into the dining room he said cordially we are nearly through dinner but why did you not come earlier 7 places were made for us at the ta me and we were welcomed by the doctorin with a heartiness as common on german tables the euro oyster has a coppery taste aad Is extremely repugnant to the average american the most distinctive teat ure Is the german luncheon which usually consists of cold dishes in the cold buffet as it is called the ger man cooks are hardly equaled else where these cold dishes are re tor variety delicacy and fla vor there are to be sure certain shingi that a foreigner often finds it hardly possible to arrive at familiar eating terms with such as some of the many kinds of sausages cut into thin sl ces and arranged so nicely on van koen g s platz berlin genuine as that 0 her husband aa any rate you must join us in a cur of coffee she said but first do try a bit of this sweet and she handed us a saucer of something that looked very tempting indeed it was de licious chestnuts boiled and grated mixed with whipped cream we attempted to apologize tor the intrusion upon their dinner hour but were at once checked there Is no occasion for apology you would be supremely sagacious it you were able to keep run of the dinner hours of all your berlin friends and regulate your calls accordingly we never attempt it ourselves we are likely to find our friends dining at any hour from 2 in the afternoon to 9 in the evening there is no such thing as a conven dional dinner hour in berlin society that was really the case few peo pie are more unconventional than the germans they simply consult family or individual convenience in their so cial arrangements they do not allow mrs grundy to lay down arbitrary rules to which everybody must con form or fall from grace business at fairs may make an early dinner hour tor instance convenient tor one fam lly and a late one convenient for another public entertainments begin very early as a rule usually at 7 clock and sometimes at 6 30 among the lets irely classes the dinner hour Is 1 kelv to be arranged with reference to that circumstance in some families the hour tor dining is elastic according to the program for the day today it may be at 4 on ac bount of for the even ing to morrow dinner may be served at 7 clock there is of course much social elegance in a great capital like berlin not only in the court circles but among the wealthy and intellectual classes there is far less formality however than in england or france or in any of the eastern cities in the united states full dress is the rule tor all ceremonial occasions even if it takes place in the morning and it is expected at formal dinners but it Is rarely in evidence at public entertain As to the proprieties of dress for concerts the opera and the theater the german idea is that people go for the sake of enjoying the music or the play and not tor the sake of display ing their to lettes and looking each other over hence full dress is held to be out of keeping with the spirit ous plates some sorts ot cheese may also prove too lecul ar though the highly offensive varieties like alm ilm birger are really no more common than are equally pungent grades upon english french and italian tables delicious salads are almost annum erable m their variety in some ot these salads various sorts of pickled fish like herring and anchovies give the distinctive character wine Is the drink that consorts on most favored terms with these cold dishes the fish is customarily served in boiled form trout are ed curled up aith tall in mouth po are small as a rule rarely larg er than walnuts large potatoes are re gared as too coarse in flavor these little german potatoes are delicately baked a slight squeeze between the fingers transfers the mealy contents to the plate the best potatoes in the american markets are said to come from germany and large quantities are annually imported ices are far less abundant at a ger man dinner than with us in the au dumn a feature of the dessert Is the fresh walnuts they are esteemed a great delicacy and are eaten with salt after carefully removing the skin from the kernels with the edges of the nut pick this skin when fresh Is astringent and very bitter the pro ces takes time and correspondingly prolongs the stay at table with its op for conversation one ap predates the meaning of the saying lingering over the walnuts and wine As elsewhere on the continent the german breakfast is light simply a cup of coffee and a roll or two the coffee is almost invariably good par ticul arly at the cafes where it Is ed with whipped cream in a fashion derived from vienna A beverage in favor at the cafes Is chocolate cafe a mixture of chocolate and coffee that blends the qualities of the two in berlin as in most large cities the favorite residence section is at the west end here known as the fried eichstadt rich stadt in the neighborhood of the beautiful great park the thiergarten Thier garten are many handsome villas As a rule however people live in flats even in the upper classes but it Is not a cramped sort of dwelling the area Is so great that upon a single floor there Is usually as much room as is a capa dous city house in new york boston or philadelphia statue of frederick the great of the occasion at the royal opera one evening we attended a part cular ly attractive the house was crowded with a brilliant audience that represented the flower of berlin society but I 1 did not see as many as sax gentlemen in full dress quite likely even they had not dressed es pec lally for the occasion but had come from some more formal gathering among the upper classes in berlin the food and the style of table service are so much like what we are accas tomed to at home in corresponding circles that in ilot things one notes but little difference ousters ire not f ato atoa a the house entrances are usually in the center of the block the halls are spacious and dignified with columns and arches and broad easy stairs so with the first glimpse of the interior the impression is agreeable the ex tenors of these first class berlin dael lings are usually very handsome the proportions are excellent and they are frequently enriched with elaborate carvings and sculpture some houses may have an elaborate frieze in rich relief illustrating some event in ger man history and others mav have ejr face decorations jn or in col ored mosa |