Vagabonding Through Changing GermanyFranck, Harry Alverson
History
Vagabonding Through Changing Germany
Franck, Harry Alverson
Germany -- Description and travel; Germany -- Social life and customs
You can learn much of a country by reading its “Want Ads.” Thus the
discovery that the most respectable newspaper of Rio de Janeiro runs
scores of notices of “Female Companion Wanted,” or “Young Lady Desires
Protector,” quickly orientates the moral viewpoint in Brazil. In Berlin
under the armistice the last pages of the daily journals gave a more
exact cross-section of local conditions than the more intentional news
columns. There were, of course, countless pleas for labor of any
description, the majority by ex-soldiers. Then came offers to sell or
exchange all manner of wearing apparel, “A REAL SILK HAT, still in good
condition”; “A black suit of real peace-time cloth”; “A second-hand pair
of boots or shoes, such a size, of REAL LEATHER!” “Four dress shirts, NO
WAR WARES, will be exchanged for a working-man’s blouse and jumper,” was
followed by the enticement (here, no doubt, was the trail of the war
profiteer), “A pair of COWHIDE boots will be swapped for a Dachshund of
established pedigree.” Farther down were extraordinary opportunities to
buy _Leberwurst_, _Blutwurst_, _Jagdwurst_, _Brühwürstchen_, and a host
of other appetizing garbage, without meat-tickets. But the most
persistent advertisers were those bent on recouping their fortunes by
marrying money. It is strange if any new war millionaire in Germany has
not had his opportunity to link his family with that of some
impoverished one of noble lineage. In a single page of the _Berliner
Tageblatt_, which carries about one-tenth the type of the same space in
our own metropolitan dailies, there were eighty-seven offers of
marriage, some of them double or more, bringing the total up to at least
one hundred. Many of them were efforts, often more pathetic than
amusing, by small merchants or tradesmen, just returned from five years
in uniform, to find mates who would be of real assistance in
re-establishing their business. But a considerable number aroused
amazement that the wares offered had not been snapped up long ago. I
translate a few taken at random:
MERCHANT, 38 years, Christian, bachelor, idealist, lover of nature
and sports, fortune of 300,000 marks, wishes to meet a like-minded,
agreeable young lady with corresponding wealth which is safely
invested. Purpose: MARRIAGE.
FACTORY OWNER, Ph.D., Evangelical, 31, 1 meter 75, fine appearance,
reserve officer, sound, lover of sports, humorous and musical,
400,000 marks property, seeks a LIFE COMPANION of like gifts and
property in _safe_ investments.
Intelligent GENTLEMAN, handsome, splendid appearance, blond,
diligent and successful merchant, winning personality, Jewish,
etc....
Will a BEAUTIFUL, prominent, artistic, musical, and property-loving
woman in her best years make happy an old man (Mosaic) of wealth?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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