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Show BEAVTBFVL AND- WELL KEPT IS TESE GERMAN CAPITAL Love of Music a Characteristic of the Berliners Prc-"eentation Prc-"eentation of .Opera a Delight Unter den Linden One of the Most Perfect of Thoroughfares. (Special Correspondence.) The religion of Berlin Is music. In i other city docs the 'dtvlno art hold ...s votaries bo completely. Tho predominating pre-dominating talk In the homo, tho street, tho pnrliB, evorywhero pco'plo congregate, Is music. Wagner, Mo-'zart, Mo-'zart, Handel, Mendelssohn, all tho great masters, are tho idols of tho populace. Then when It comes to symphony effects they never tiro of MHDfela7Ls-i ''-jfftjf Statue Before Old Palace, discussing tho military bands of tho empire. Every- regiment has a ba'nd of CO men and thcro are Bomo D00 In tho nrmy, all of which play In tha capital before tho members aro mustered mus-tered out of service. All hands nro ' good, many excel, and soma aro wonderfully won-derfully proficient So tho rierlln ear Is attuned to tho march, quickstep, waltz, dirge and tho national anthems, an-thems, and If anything Is distressing It Is to find' discord whero harmony should ho tho only sound given out. Tho opera they fairly ravo over. To Instance how deep Is tho attachment ono need only Rtato that, If tho two sultry months aro excepted, It Is put on at tho Royal Opera IIouso every night In tho year, Sundays Included. Seven o'clock Is the hour fixed for beginning the opera In Berlin, and when It Is unusually long G:30 o clock. ono of tho most progressive of mon and Is such an (idmlrer of Amorlca that every year ho comes ovor to mcot'hls friends and to learn what Ynnkco genius has evolved slnco IiIb last visit. Ho Is pelf-made, too. Ho began without a dollar and, though only In mlddlo life, Is worth several millions. In my second visit to Uerlln tho chango most notlccahlo was In tho transformation' of Unter den Linden, lt3 most eelohrated thoroughfare. I was disappointed with It In its untidiness un-tidiness and Its unsightly accessories on first view. Tapers woro Hung nhout evorywhero: thero wero ugly looking booths nnd. advertising pillars to dlsflguro tho roadways for thcro aro two and In tho center was tho broad promenade, with dirty benches and slovenly occupants. A filthy roadway road-way for equestrians completed a picture pic-ture repugnant to thoso who prlzo cleanliness nnd good taste. And this In tho capital of tho cleanest country on tho gloho nnd In Its most attractive attrac-tive quarter. . Strangers marveled why Berlin, splendid every other way, was so wo-fully wo-fully lacking in caring for Its historical histori-cal avenuo and wondered why tho burghers wero so zealous about keeping keep-ing every other section looking pro-sentablo pro-sentablo and negloctlng that which had first claim upon their pride. Theso criticisms finally reachud tho Inner recesses of royalty at Potsdam nnd the Kaiser bestirred himself, with the result that tho eyesores which defaced tho capital so long have been removed. Now the central Vromcn-ado Vromcn-ado Is flanked on cither sldo by lawns and liower beds nnd painted benches and is a restful and pleasing retreat, with tho four rows of llnclons furnishing furnish-ing protection from tho sun. These lindens nro old nnd stunted and n'ro not to be compared with tho kind at Hamburg, where tho light yellow flowers flow-ers and licntt-shnpod leaves" of rich green make a handsome tree. Unter den Linden Is now kept clean by a corps of men nnd Is no longer a ro-ccptablo ro-ccptablo for debris. Tho dirty road reserved for equestrians has been made a smooth sand courso for thoso ML The Brandenburg Gate. Evening attlro Is tabooed, tho only persons fashionably attired being visitors. So tho spectacular and brilliant bril-liant scones in tho boxes, 'on tho floor and In tho galleries of London, New York and Paris aro wanting In Berlin. Ber-lin. Say what they may, It Ib a distinct dis-tinct loss, for tho prlvllego of vlowlng an elegantly attlrod assemblage Is relished by cultured persons. If Berlin Ber-lin Is deficient hero it excels otherwise. other-wise. Tho opera Ib magnificently stnged, tho choruses aro full and sympathetic, sym-pathetic, the solos superbly rondered, and tho orchestra of 80 evolves melody mel-ody which captivates tho senses. Tho Royal Opera IIouso Is not 'so lnrgo ns tho Metropolitan In Now York, but Is much grander. Tho Imperial Im-perial box Is In tho first gallery In tho rear facing tho stage. It Is thrco times tho slzo of tho other boxes. Surmounting It Is tho royal coat of arms wrought In gold nnd decorated In yellow. Tho general treatment of tho celling, walls and boxes Is red. Tho Kaiser reflects tho musical tastes of his subjects In being Inordinately fond of tho jpera. Every chanco ho has to attend ho Ib certain to avail himself of It. As ho Is tho busiest man In tho omplro theso opportunities opportuni-ties aro none too frequent. Tho Knlscr Ib Immensoly popular. Whorovor lie goes ho Is affectionately affectionate-ly greeted Nolther tho King of England Eng-land nor tho President 'of tho United States receives more sincere homago from tho maEscs than tho ruler who abruptly cut short tho public servlco of Bismarck. Men criticise his acts, but nro Intensely dovotcd to his person, per-son, Ho tries to meet this sentiment half way .and In so doing has como to bo regarded as tho most democratic demo-cratic rulor of tho houso of Hohen-zollorn, Hohen-zollorn, Borlln has an, Anglo-American Olub whoso purposo Ib to foster frlonnly relntlonB with tho great American republic:. re-public:. Its president Is tho proprietor proprie-tor of the leading hotel of tho city who has omphaMzcd his fondness for tho United States by making an American woman hi first wlfo and, some tlmo after her death, taking n second one from our -country, He Is fond of tho exorcise. At last Unter den Linden corresponds with Berlin In gonernl. Tho Brandenburg gate separates tho principal park from tho lower end of Unter den Linden. There aro three roadways beneath the arch, but the central ono Is reserved exclusively for tho Emperor. Tho figure of Victory Vic-tory perched on Its top originally faced tho park. When Napoleon took tho city ho had It taken down and carried to Paris. When ho surrendered surren-dered In 1815 tho Prussians regained possession nnd roturned It to Berlin. WWTTOwpf Jf I Dome of the Old Palace. When It was placed on the gato It was lnado to faco tho Unter den Linden lnstoad of tho park. |
