. Romantic Germany. declared that Prussia was bornfrom a cannon-ball, as an eagle is from an indeed it would be hard to find another Ger-man city with so few old buildings as Berlin and solittle atmosphere. A Strassburg cathedral, a mar-ket-place out of Danzig, a row of Hildesheim houses,or a Breslau Rathaus, would be as out of place hereas in an arsenal. Most of the Berlin architecture hasas much color as a squadron of battle-ships in war-paint, and the little glamour to be found here isalmost as well hidden as a pearl in a pile of oyster-shells. The city fairly bristles with weapons
. Romantic Germany. declared that Prussia was bornfrom a cannon-ball, as an eagle is from an indeed it would be hard to find another Ger-man city with so few old buildings as Berlin and solittle atmosphere. A Strassburg cathedral, a mar-ket-place out of Danzig, a row of Hildesheim houses,or a Breslau Rathaus, would be as out of place hereas in an arsenal. Most of the Berlin architecture hasas much color as a squadron of battle-ships in war-paint, and the little glamour to be found here isalmost as well hidden as a pearl in a pile of oyster-shells. The city fairly bristles with weapons andmilitancy. Its statues, when they are not of mountedwarriors with swords, or of standing warriors withspears, tend toward such subjects as Samson plyingthe jaw-bone of an ass, or hounds rending a , too, has been drafted into the service, andone sees so many military pictures in the public build-ings that even the absurd portrait by Pesne of Fred-erick the Great in the Palais is a relief. For there 42. BERLIN Frederick, aged three, is only beating a drum, al-though a lance, a club, and what looks like a pile ofcannon-balls, appear in the background. But sometimes, when surfeited with this martialover-emphasis, I think of the terrible frontiers ofPrussia and how well she has guarded them, reflect-ing that, if she had beaten her swords into plow-shares, I should not now be enjoying the gallery orthe Tiergarten, the Opera or the Krogl; and thenI grow more reconciled to Berlins eternal bristling. Despite its many repellent qualities, however,Berlin has always had for me on every return anindefinable thrill in store; indefinable because I havenever been able to account for its strange charm, itsemotional appeal, as one accounts for the lure ofother places. Reason declares it one of the leastcharming of cities, and yet we are enticed. Thetruth is that its genius loci^ like its reigning ruler,is not to be gaged by ordinary standards. Unter den Linden, the broadest stree
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectgermany, bookyear1910
