Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, October 28, 1894, Page 16, Image 16

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    -B <
THE VALUE OF CREDIT
Is clearly defined to every housekeeper at the GREA.T CREDIT HOUSE , THE PEOPLE'S FURNITURE & CARPET CO. It is the
Establishment in the land , and the only house that is not tarnished by the dM objections to instalment concerns. We have the only Cosmopolitan
confidence of the
nnd intend to maintain it by adhering to the old people
principles which we built business
upon up our Goods at lowest prices Fair
, Dealing and Most Liberal
Terms One Price and that the Lowest. '
. Every nook and oi'this
corner vast establishment is
packed full of New Goods for the Fall and Winter Season.
Never before
have we had
such a grand
assortment of _
Never before have such low prices been asked by us , and at the
same time we gladly and
cheerfully extend credit tu all. A call is
do not buy. OUR FURNITURE will surely interest you. We the LARGEST invited , even if you
carry , FINEST AND MOST VARIED STOCK IN OMAHA. For instance :
Parlor Sef.
Wo have n superb parlor sot consisting1 of 5
Elcces. The wood Is line onk and tlio upholster- Wo have a dlninpr room sot. consisting of nn Tnsto nnd elegance horo. It is of antique
if * id in tapestry. olpgant . sideboard , large , well-made and nicely oak , nnd the bet contains one full-slznd bed ,
flntahcd. and holding a splendid bevel mirror
PRICE. 818.00. nn extension table , of onk , and elc'lit foot in ; largo dresjor , with 18x20 bevel mirror , combl-
brocnteUes. 0 ptccos , solid onk frames , upholstered in length. Than there uro six oak chaira , high nition wash-stand , two cano scut chairs , ono
bucks , with cnno seats' . rccklne chair , or small tufile if pofurrcd.
PRICE , 824.50.
" \Vo have other ntylcs at that price and up PRICE. 824.5O. PRICE 819.75.
ward. \Vo have other stylus at that prices and upward. Have another style at that price and upward.
In Carpets we lead the city our stock is finer , better and
, larger more varied than ever. In our Carpet Department you will find an assortment that will
astonish , Our Fall and Winter
you offerings are marked by the choicest colors
, most artistic designs and of the exclusive
many patterns are they cannot be
;
duplicated elsewhere. We have the costliest Velvets , the
cheapest We
Ingrains ,
are prepared to
meet every taste or purse. Now a few prices :
Seventy-five cents a yard and up iii uf g urTi 7"o a yard and upward. All the choice
FINEST ward. Lower grades at correspondingly , Standard makes. Fall designs. Strong
HELVE ! color liriost
in ! ? designs , with many of the
spondingly lower prices. patterns exclusively ours. : ST mm , and and upward. durable. Twenty-11 vo cents a yuul
TJPHOLSTRRRRS ALWAYS REXADY.TO SElW AND F > UT DOWN OARPEXTS.
This Department is well worth an inspection.
We can anounce a fresh arrival of Lovely Lace Curtains at One Dollar per pair and upward.
A superb assortment of beautiful Chenille Curtains and Table Covers , Come and see them.
NO OTHER HOUSE can in any way approach us.in this line. We have baen
always leaders and never followers. Our line of Coo'c Stoves
nama f and Oak Heaters is unsurpassed in variety , and all that , Ranges
quality
to make
goes up a first-class article in this line. Stoves are just what
you want right now and \veare glad that we can make such prices on stoves just when you need them.
EASY TERMS ,
Presents Given Away This Week. $10.00 worth of Goods.
$1 week or Stmoirth. .
With $ 10.00 worth of goods , set silver plated tea S25.00 wortli of Goods ,
spoons. $1.50 week or $0 month
With & 26. < ,0 worth of goods , beautiful bisque figure. $50.00 worth of Goods ,
With $50.00 worth of goods , a handsome picture. $2 week or $8 month.
With 375.00 worth of goods , a genuine oak ecnlro $75,00 worth of Goods ,
table. $2.50 week orSlO month.
With $100 worth of goods , an elegant oak rcckor. $100 worth of Goods ,
rcckor.FORMERLY PEOPLE'S $3 week or $12 month.
MAMMOTH IHSTAlilJHEKrT HOUSE. . $200 worth of Goods ,
HornJOOonts
lo Cover
Ciittilofftio $1 week or $15 month.
THE HIGHBINDERS AT HOME
Secret Societies of China Oontrol the Empire
end Incite Revolution.
THE ARMY IS HONEYC-MO WTH THEM
Koloii Mnl SuclctjWlilch Cnu e < l the Alls-
flouary Idols of 1801 Trlail Society
unit Its Millions The Juy
Uould of tlio Empire.
( Copyrighted , 1KH , by Frank C3. Carpenter. )
The Chinese government Is greatly alarmed
over the rebellion that Is being fomented
In nearly every Elate of the empire. The
Peking Gazette Is full of the reports of the
arrest of members of the Koloa Hul society ,
and executions are taking place In many
of the cities. It Is. now death to belong to
this society , and the heads of the members
are hung up outslda of the cities as a warn
ing to others. Notwithstanding this , the or
ganlzatlon steadily Increases , and It Is being
recruited from the dlssafTected soldiers and
others of the empire. It Is said to have
had Us origin among the soldiers of the
Hunan province , which is one of the most
rebellious of the Chinese states. The Hunan
men are noted for their bravery , and htm
drc-ds of thousands of them were employed
In putting down the Kalplng rebellion. After
Iho war waa over numbers of them were
kept on In the retinues of the different vice
roys , and notably so by the viceroy of Nan
king , A few years ago an attempt was
made to dispense with their services , and
Eoiiie of the soldiers got together and or
ganlzcd this society. Dy others It la said to
have been founded about sixty years ago ,
but It undoubtedly had Its. great Impetus
through thesa'mcn at Nanking , and today
Ita membership runs well up Into the millions
and It has Its secret meetings In every city
of China. It Is. avowedly against the Manchu
government , and Its motto Is "China for the
Chinese. " Its members swear to bo falChfu
la the society under penalty of death , am
each society has Its executioner , and anj
member Is supposed lo commit murder a
( ho commands of the order. Members are
Inlllatctl by the drinking of hot wine mlxec
with the smoking blood of a cock which ii
killed at the time , and the ticket of member
ship Is a small card of linen , or calico
stamped with a few characters , two of whlcl
arc "China , " These cards are diligent ! )
looked for by the ofHclnls , and the man wh1
has ono upon him Is immediately arrested
the society numbers among Us members a
large number of army officials , and the grea
Viceroy of NunVlng. who died not long ago
was , for a tlmo , an actlvo member. U may
nave been tlila that made his capital the con
ler of their operations , but toward the Inttc
part of hU lifehe became lax In his supper
oC the society , and , It Is said , finally
obeyed Its order v Within a weak of till
tlmo ho died very suddenly , and It Is cur
rently believed that he wa poisoned. Th
next viceroy played fast and loose with th
society , and It la said that his action w&s , t
a certain , extent , tha cauie of tlio riots ugalna
the mlislonarlcs In 1691.
A LlTTI.fi HBHELLTON.
I HAS told it Nanking that this fc cret so
ctety hail threatened the viceroy that If mor
motley was not paid to that toldlerl the
would cause him trouble by mobbing th
foreigners. Shortly ifter this the "Devil'
Picture Gallery" wws Issued. ThU was. mad
up nf vile cartoons charging the mlsilon
nrlei and foreigners with killing Chinese bit
bits , with Inveigling girl * into their hotire
ami cutting off their breasts for medicine
it 4llng tiif / cl 4tid and lly
hlnameti and using them as photographic
mUterlal. Millions olt these cartoons were
Irculatfd , and the people \vere urged to
rlvo the foreigners from the country. This
ausod the viceroy of Nanking and the censu
ral government a great deal of trouble , and
hey had to pay a heavy indemnity. This
pring an organized rebellion broke out near
anton , and the soldiers were fighting there
t the time that the Japanese came Into
! orea. The- recent troubles In the Shantung
rovlnce , where the people refused to reor
pond to the call for troops , was backed up
y the Koloa Hul , and there Is a large branch
f the organization in Manchuria , and It exw
st In great strength in north China. H Is
o organized that In case of the fall of Peking
simultaneous rebellion would be brought to
lie front In nearly every state In China , and
he government might fall at one blow.
It Is hard to understand much about the
resent trouble without knowing something
f the different Chinese states. The country
divided up Into eighteen provinces , and
hero may be eald to be almost eighteen
Ifferent peoples under eighteen different
liters , more or less firmly bound together
indor ' the ono Peking government. The
om'mon people of many of these states do
not understand each other. The coolie of
lunan could hardly make his way In
'eking , and the Cantonese provinces have a
[ Iff ere nt dialect from those In the western
) arts of the empire. The province of Yun-
lan U said to have twenty different dialects ,
and tha pooplp , while they care a great dealer
or their own homes'nnd ' 'for their , families ,
mvo no Interest In the government and sup-
lort It only as a necessary evil. The family
nnd the clan form the basla of Chinese so
ciety. A great number of the punishments
o ( the empire are inflicted by the- family ,
and most disputes are settled without re
course ' to the courts. Family ties are closer
'n China than anywhere else in tha world ,
If a man makes a fortune his forty-second
cousins from all parts of the empire swoop
town upon him , and he has to support and
tolp them. If a man gets a position ha is
supposed to take his own family In first In
he choosing oC the subordinates , and nepo-
tsm reigns supreme.
THE JAY GOULD OF CHINA.
I mot , while I was In Canton , the Jay Gould
of China. His name Is How Qua , and he Is
worth $30,000,000. He was keeplngUOO rcla-
Ives , and his sisters and his cousins and his
aunts to the third and fourth generation
were sucking Iho life blood out of his big
income. Ho was , I Judge , about 40 years
old , and as an Instance of how strong family
authority In , he obeys his mother today In all
matters of society obligations , nnd upon
oelng asked by Consul Seymour to dinner not
long ago he replied :
"I don't know whether I can go or not. I
must first go and ask my mamma. "
I afterward met his mamma. She was a.n
old lady , whoso eyes shone as brightly as
the diamonds which decorated her cap and
whoso feet were no bigger than the fists oi
A baby. She ruled the whole 400 of How
Qua's relatives , orjd she was probably the
head of the How Qua clan.
These clans of China are very much like
those of Scotland. Every family keeps Its
pedigree , and the reason why the Chinese
want lo be carried to their own country Is
that they will bo burled with their families.
The clan * have their feuds. Just like some of
the mountain families of Kentucky , and they
lay for i-ach other with bows and guns.
Kvory family has Its ancestral hall In the
town or village near where It lives , where
all fie different members of the family meet
and worship their.ancestors. The members
of a clan combine together to punish those
who hnvo Injured the family , anil there are
said to be families who make , a business of
blackmailing and stealing. There are in al
China about 400 clans , and the 400,000,000 or
600,000,000 which make up the Chinese pee
ple belong to these.
THE KOLOA HUL
The becret societies are run , however , In
dependent of the clans , and the Koloa Hul li
only one of a large- number of them. Thi
oldest toclety In China Is the Triad society
known as the Sam Hop Wul. This Is aji
ro have been the cause of the Talplug re
bellton , Which lasted for years , and cos
China 10.000,000 lives. It cprang up In th
south and spread all over the empire , and had
It not been for Chtneie Gordon and Li Hung
Chang the Tartar dynasty would certain ) :
hive been overthrown. The head of thlc re
belllon was a. Chinaman who gave- out tha
ho wa the younger brother of J u ChrUt
and had been sent to this world to reforn
Ctilca , The Triad coclety ha * It lodges
nd there are flags , banners and umbrellas
onnected with It. It holds Its regular in'eet-
ngs , and it forces members to join Its or
ganization If they are net amenable to per-
uaslon. It has the power of life and death
ver Its members , and the members mix
heir own blood with \vlno and swear to up-
he old the order to the death. Among the
lunlshmcnts for treason to the order Is the
laving the ears chopped oft or the head cut
of , and the dlvulgence ol the secrets of the
rder Is death. The. members have their own
Igns and passwords. You can tell. It Is said ,
vhether a man belongs to the order by the
way , he enters the house , and \ am told that
hey stop a moment nt the door and put the
eft foot first. In sitting down they point
heir toes together and keep the heels apart ,
nd they have a way of raising their trousers'
egs which is known , only to the brethren.
They are bound to help any of the order
vho get Into trouble , nnd they have secret
tl Igns by which they can mark their houses
so that their families will escape In case of
evolution. At dinner the arrangement ofc
ho cups on the table allows their callers
who belong to the order to know that they
are members , and there are a. thousand little
.hlngs which no one clso would notice which
liable them to recognize each other.
The Triad society and Koloa Hul are very
much like the highbinders of San Francisco.
They swear to defend each other against the
police , to lildo each others crimes , and they
are ready to kill for the sake of the order
at the command of its leaders. Their main
grievance Is against the government , and they
tavo published manifestos against It , and are
doing so now , Some of the chiefs of the ordr
are said to be traveling around the country
as doctors , and they are carrying the news
of the Chinese defeats , and are gathering In
members wherever they go. Their motto Is
"Drive out the Tartar , " and It Is said that
one branch of the Triad society dates back
to 1664 A. D. , or twenty years after the con
quest. They have been working to overthrow
the government ever since , and they have a
jreat hatred of anything which Is not purely
Chinese. H Is safe to say of the hundreds of
millions In China that otilslde of the govern
ment officials there are not 100,000 Chinese
who would fight for the emperor. They keep
tilm because they must have a. ruler of some
kind , but they know he Is a Tartar , and
they hate him. In every Chinese state capi
tal there Is a Manchu army as well as a
Chinese army , and the Tartars are neither ad
mired nor IpvoJ. The emperor. In fact , IB
like Humpty Dumpty. lie sits on the wall ,
and if he should fall , all of his horses and
all of his men could never put Humpty
Uumpty up again.
A LOW TAX RATE.
It will be surprising to many Americans to
know how cheaply the government of Clflna
Is run. Taxes are lowej perhaps than In any
other Beml-clvlllzed cduntry1 on the globe.
Tha principal source of revenue Is the land
tax , anil this varies from 10 to 66 cents on
acre , The emperor nominally owns all the
land , but In reality the people have as much
of a right to their farms as wo have , and they
buy and Bell their real estate , giving ? deeds
for the same. I took a photograph of e
Chinese deed , by which a missionary had
bought bomo land at Nanking , and which hp
wan carrying to Shanghai to be recorded at
the American consulate , during my trip with
him down the Yangtse-Klang. It vrai as
big as four pages of this newspaper , and was
covered with stamps. China pays no tax on
liquors , and it Is said that the taxes do nbt
amount to 7B cent * per head of the popula.
tlon. A largo part of the revenue Is col
lected from the taxingof salt , and there are
Import and export taxes collected on goods
passing up and down the river * . 1 saw cus
toms boats everywhere , and the river police
Is quite extensive. The people understand
very well Juat how much taxes they oughi
to pay. They are thoroughly organized , ant
any radical Increase , such aa must come-
from the present war with Japan , which Is
probably costing them 11,000,000 , a day. Is al
most certain to create a revolution. I have
seen different estimate * of the revenues got
ten by the empire of China , pud. In no cao
have the amounts turned Into the genera
government been greater than $150,000,000 a
year. ThU would baa small amount in com
parlson with the- Indemnity that Japan wll -
probably demand If she Is victorious In thli
war , and the Chlneie emperor has , Indeed , a
thorny road before him.
The greatest danger arises In the character
of the Chinese u regards coclal and labor
tfK
combinations. The Rovirnmcnt Is perhaps
the only disorganized part oC the country ,
very city , every state and almost every
province Is packed full of different unions ,
and all branches of Industry are banded to
gether. Our labor unions are nothing In
comparison with those of China , and the
government has to bow down to them. The
larbers united some years ago and made the
emperor come to terms In regard to the
lubllc examinations for their children. They
lad before this belonged to a rather despised
class. They stand now as high as any other
people in the empire. One of the features
if barbering In China Is ear-cleaning. Bach
barber has tweezers with which he pulls
Ittle hairs out of your ears , or trims Hum
to suit. The Chinese like to have the backs
of their shoulders and necks kneaded after
.hey are shaved. This takes a good deal of
: lme , nnd the barbers concluded that it kept
them too busy during the holidays. The
union called Its members together all over
.ho empire. They passed a law which makes
t Impossible for you to get your cars cleaned
during six certain days of the year. LI
Hung Chang Is great enough to slap the
cheeks of the Chinese cfllclala who call upon
liim. Ho makes his generals-get down on
their knees , and If the emperor does not
take away hid big cloth boots he will con
tinue to kick them out of the room. He
would not dare , however , to do anything
against the union of the wheelbarrow coolies ,
and he has stopped some of his greatest Im
provement ) : after they have cost him hun
dreds of thousands of dollars because certain
of the trades unions objected. These wheel
barrow men arc. In fact , one of the strong
organizations of China and they are ono of
the great obstacles In the way of railroad
building.
BANKERS GUILD.
The bankers of China have a guild , nnd It
depends very much upon them whether the
government is supplied with money for the
war. There are nearly 1,000 hanks In the
Uvo cities of Shanghai and Tlen-Tsln , and
their members all work together. They have
their connections with other banks of the
empire , and they fix the rates of Interest and
regulate exchange. The tea merchants have
a guild , and there are silk gul.ds and all corti
of manufacturers unions.
These unions are very rigid as to their own
men and they have waged war against
modern machinery. In some Instances they
have killed employers who have acted con
trary to their wishes , and a horrible case
occurred at Shanghai B few years ago , where
an employer tried to1 < lefy the' union. He
yi warned , but ho-relused to accede to tha
clerrnmla of the m n. and they concluded to
make an example ofjJilm. Ho had mote
tlian 100 men In thlfeishop. These were
pment when he enlordd one morning , and
at a concerted signal Itley sprang upon him
and commenced bUlnjr him. They had a
leader and this lodtrfnvould not let one of
the men go away cfrtan the place without
showing his tee.th. lllflhla teeth and gums
were bloody he wasjipormltted to go out ,
otherwise he was seiltiiack nod told to take
a blto. The plot nisiBOtten up on the basis
that there Is no capltalipunlshment In China
for biting. The employer was bitten to
death , and the in it tor1 finally came to the
ears of the government. It made a great
fuss on paper and fiibiltheil memorials con
cerning It , but onhXHhe man who took the
first bite was punlsb4iuind the union gained
Its end.
Wlmlnw Clr mil HIT.
The butlnesH of window cleaning in Mew
York has Increased no much that there are
now employed in the work men who do noth
ing else , making of window cleaning a
regular trade. The concerns engaged in this
business make- contracts for a year or for
longer periods , The windows cleaned are
mostly those of banks , stores and offices ,
but there are some householders \\lio have
tlielr house window i cleaned by regular
cleaners. One window cleaning establish
ment ban upon 111 lists eleven private houses ;
It takes none for less than H& a month , and
the prices range from that up ( o J26 a month
-Prices , of course , depend upon the number ol
windows and the amount of woik to bo
done. For example , for onu bank with a
considerablenumbJr at window * the charge
U 535 a month ; for one Broadway corner
ttore } 25 a month.
TYPICAL GERMAN HOME LIFE
Beautifully Described by Count A. Born-
stoff of the Eoyal Household.
THE FAMItY IN TriE FATHERLAND
The German Ix > vo nf I ID me Sphere ami
Work uf Women MicruJiiess of tlio
rnuilly Tie boclul Clieer nucl Mcr-
rluirnt u Characteristic.
Tha love of home la found In almost
every nation , but perhaps It Is nowhere so
strong as wltli the Germans. The longing
for the old home follows them everywhere ,
While the Englishman taken hla home with
him Into the most distant lands his house
being everywhere an English home the
German easily loses hla national customs.
He la more Inclined to adapt himself to the
new surroundings , but the love for the old
home remains , the recollection of the father-
house , be It ever so small , keeps alive In his
heart. Foreign nations have recognized this
In using the ivord "fatherland" especially for
the German's country. Truly the Swiss will
not miss his glaciers , more than the native
of the March of Brandenburg his sandy
heath with the dark lining of flnvood In
the horizon. Already the old Germans iiung
with tenacity to the Inherited piece of land
which they defended to the utmost against
their enemies. In this homo the woman ,
even before she was raised and ennobled by
Christianity , held a prominent place. We
now read with pride the testimony given by
the Iloman historian Tacitus to the strict
morality of the old Germans. Also today
the happiness of the home is chiefly depend
ent , upon the woman. The letters recently
published of Moltke and Bismarck show how
much the development of these two great
Germans Is due to the Influence of their
mothers , Whoever Is acquainted with the
life of the great poet , Goethe , knows how
Important was the influence exorcised by
"Frau Huth. " Queen Lou I BO of Prussia , the
mother ' of our great Emperor William I ,
still 'lives In the hearts of the people as a
model wife- and mother , helping her husband
to bear In submission to Ooil and In un
daunted fortitude , his great trials when Na
poleon I. tried to eras ? Prussia from the
map I of Europe , and training- her children
In ' great simplicity for their future high
calling , And It at present we throw a
glance Into the Imperial castle , we nnd the
first ' woman of Germany surrounded by a
happy group of children , who move about
In the- most simple and childlike manner ,
the joy of the nation ; and their educatlor
rests , though not entirely , yet to a great
extent , In the hands of their mother , Em
press Augusta Victoria , It Is. knoun that
every nlglit before retiring to red she passes
through the nurseries , and to far as her
other duties allow her to be present at a.
fixed hour , leads herself the evening prayers
of her children ,
Hut also In humbler spheres the woman
reigns as queen In her little kingdom. When
the vile of a landed proprietor , her Interesl
in the welfare of the workingmen and
of the servants , to whom she proves a
faithful friend In good and bail days. When
the ulfe cf A professor or an official with a
largo number of children , she must often
use much diligence and inventive genius to
maVe the moderate Income of the father
suffice. We find her therefore In the
kitchen , or occupied vsllh needle and thimble
dedicating her best strength to the material
wants of her family , ami therefore some
times without sympathy for the higher In
terests of her husband , quiet and modest In
society.
THE HOME AND FAMILY.
Work U the leading element In the Hie of
the man In Germany. Men without profe *
tlon are a rare exception. Their vocation
a > officials , offlcen , protestors , etc. , natur
ally takes up the greater part of the r life.
The firtt question one pu's about a man In
Germany Is "What U he ? " Even men ol
means , who would perhaps in other coun
rles bo satisfied with the position their
wealth " grants them and consider the spend-
"ng of their money as a sufficient occupa-
Ion , seek an employment of some kind In
he service of the country In order to secure
a position , because a man who U "nothing"
s not sufficiently honored. Therefore not
only the management of the household , but
also the education of the children faJIs to
lie lot of the woman. It has been said
'While the English woman Is above "all
.hlngs wife and helpmate of her husband. ,
he i German woman Is the first of ul'l
mother. " Nevertheless unhappy marriages
are fortunately rare- , and divorce , though
rendered very easy by our laws , which bear
the . lax character of the last century , Is not
particularly frequent. Hits Is. due to the
circumstance that marriages are chiefly con-
itn racted by mutual affection. Of course a
number of marriages are settled In Ger-
nany as elsewhere for the sake of money ,
jut It would then not be openly avowed.
While , for Instance , In France It la more
generally , recognized that parents choose
suitable husbands and wives for their chil
dren , the principle In Germany Is that the
young people eeok each other after the In-
illnatlon of thiir hearts. Already the en
gagement Is considered serious and binding
The relations between unmarried young
men and women are somewhat restricted
' In liberty and bound to certain forms. The
young woman Is considered to find her chief
duties In the house as help to her mother ,
as sympathizing friend to her brothers home
for the holidays , and ao her father's bright
and Intelligent companion , sweetening hla
leisure hours.
But wo now live In a time of transition ,
and now Ideas are. making way which open a
larger activity to tlio fair sex. Deaconesses
Institutions , which exercise their beneficial
Influences all over Germany and be
yond her frontiers for now fifty years , give
unmarried women a noble calling to nurse
the slcl < , to visit the poor and to bring to
both the glad tidings of the gospel. Wo
find all classes of society represented In
these Institutions. Higher schools for girls
and seminaries for female- teachers also pre
pare women for a larger activity , and quite
recently a number or Influential men have
started a "gymnasium , " us no here term the
upper schools , where Latin and Greek Is
taught preparatory to the unlvers ty for
young women The admlsdon of the latter to
our universities Is only a question of time.
Yet according to German ideas all these
things are only meant for the number or
unmarred women who have no home and
are obliged to earn their bread. The home
is always considered the woman's chief place.
Wa have now , thank God , a number of
ladles who da voluntary mission work , but
this should never Interfere with the home
duties. The Influence which the woman ex *
erodes on the nation by the training of Its
future members as mother Is considered to be
not only her chief duty , but one so grand
and Important that It la well worth dedicating
a life to it. One of our great German
writers says"I am glad that I had a
mother who was not one of the modern
ladles who srck their activity In a number
of associations out of the house , but who
belonged to me and watched anxiously over
my childhood. " There may be just n little
narrowness in this view of a woman's duty ,
but It would be shortsighted not to recog
nize Its lofty side , and we hope that the
progress of time will not quite do away with
the good old tradition ,
MUSIC IN THE : HOME.
Music has a great place In the German
home. There U hardly a home where not
one member at least Ii endowed with this
gift. The grtateit musters of music were
Germans. How attractive l tlio simple
German song , how deeply moving the Ger
man hymn ( "choral" ) . The gift of singing
Is widely spread In our noUon , and excel
lent conservatories , which are alio an at
traction for foreigners , cultivate this art for
church nnd home , A favorite recreation
of the German la lo ill with his family In
the open air at teen at the summer weather
permits It. In the large towns every email
bit of garden IK carefully cultivated one
often sees families lifting together on the
balcony ; and when lime allows the father
likes to take hli whole family with him on U
an excursion , ami to ill with them In
publ.'a gardim Ililenlng to music.
On the whole , society Is tlmple. In old
times a very good example was given In Uili of
respect by our lorrrolgii * . How simple were
the parties given by the Klngi Frederick
William III. and IV , of Prussia ; hardly a c
much WAS given si would now be placed
on the table ol a nobleman , not to sptalt of
a rich man of business. Our klnga liked to-
draw eminent men , poets , writers , artists ,
to ihelr table , and the Intellectual part cf
society MOB the prominent ono. This Is also.
hanging now under the Influence of tho-
: lrnc. < . We tee In many houses a society
uhich Is more an unpleasunt duty than a ,
recreation. Large dinners nnd suppers.
often exceed the means of thosa who giv *
hem , but nobody likes to remain behind
frla friends and colleagues , and so many
people rather renounce part of the domestic
comfort than forego these Invltntlo-is , which
they consider as a social duty springing-
Irom their position In life. Hut even If
jnaterlallsm has Increased In tills respect ,
literature and science and Intellectual con
versation still hold a large pait of German.
society. Many wish to shine by knowledge )
and wit , and the tendency to defend one's
own opinion Is perhaps one of the aides of the *
German character which docs not always
make It popular to strangers.
THE FAMILY TIB 13 SACRGD.
The family tie Is sacred In Germany , on *
extends also to the larger family. Members.
of the same name ,
especially
among tho-
nobility , meet from tlmo to times for confer
ences ( Famllcntag ) , and have generally
friends to assist the poorer members of tlio-
family. The German Is sure to find an open
hand and hoiiso wherever he
meets
even a.
dlstnnt relative.
The re'atlon of children to their parents
though It has lost much of the old rigidity. .
la still one of respect , and this la certalnfw
a good foundation for '
the state , as I-iith'cfi
In hla admirable Bnmll cateclilam explain *
the flflh commandment to refer also lo teach
ers , employes , and all In authority. AlsX >
grown up children respect parental authority ! .
As long as father or mother HVM the lioulft
remains the center of the family , also for
the married children.
13 ut the household docs not only comprise *
the family , the servants arc- part of the Gcr *
man home. Though also In this respect
much of the good old habit Is done away with.
In the present rfge , especially In thelarger -
towns , where the
family does not occupy ,
like In the United States and England
, a
house of Its own , but only ti flat , with som t
times \ery Insufficient accommodation for th
servants , yet wo find many who look ba.cU
on a servlco of forty or fifty > cnrs In the.
same family.
The great day for the German homo 1&
Christmas eve , when all the liDiiKclioliI gath >
era round the fir tree with Its shining light ? . .
The German Christmas tree , nhlch linn nocy *
found Its way Into many other countries , lit
a very old Institution with us , and dceplji
rooted In the hearts of thepeople. . Eyeti
the poor man would spare Ills last cent tobuli
a tree , Whorsvor Germans are together 6 i
Christmas the tree muni not bo wanting
The writer of these Hues remembcru a Christ
mas Kpent on the Atlantic on ono of th
North German Lloyd steamers. The wenth4tt
was very rough , tut tlio Christinas tree wa
nevertheless lighted , People wl I remembe ?
to their old st ages the Joyful cxrlternjinl
of their childhood , nhea the bell of til
father called them Inlo the room wliero th
presents wcro laid out for thnin under til
lighted tree. Also the servant * nru called I
and receive their gifts. R\en In home
where there arc no chllttrcn thn Chrislmaai ?
tree la lit , and wealthy people often InvltS
the children of one or more poor fainlllefev
lo give them presents on tlio ilay which com
memorates that God ro lovnl the world that
he gave hi * only begotten Son , everybody ;
wishes to show love to hla nclghbsr. What a
beautiful type that only the religion of Chrlit
brings true light Into Dm homo !
flu ! a truly Christian home nnly ejclitb
whcro the household gathers for family wor-
ifilp and dons not elt down to table- without
asking for God's blcsFlng. This In Germany
like elKowhero , U only to be found amonir *
pcoplo who truly seek the Lord , Dili wo are
happy that we have an Incrraneil number
of such Christian homes In Germany.
_
Derlln , Germany.
llcunty More Tlinu Miln Uetip.
Bclence sayi now that beauty ( not * kln
deep. Klie can tell you that half the charm
of n pretty tacs at lean the expression
a matter of lltllo mutclea and a complex
labyrinth of ntrvet , and that iho curves of
the llp > , the glance of the oyex , Iho droop ol
tholr lids , are a mutter of tlio prevalent u u
certain imall mufclei In obedience to a
prevalent ipect of the mini ) . Moreover
that the UJB of thoio crgnns of .t | > rei lon haa ,
me down along ancestral llnoi , and that
the mold of the feature ! themselves li *
question of beredll/ ,