shall return
it clean. The washed and ironed articles neatly piled and folded
bespoke both gratitude and faithfulness on the part of beneficiaries.
Water-beds and other appliances for the use and comfort of the sick
were stored in another place, and in still another were garments kept
for gifts to the convalescent and particularly needy. As the nurse
kneeled to replace a water-bed she had been showing us, the Lady
Director lifted an ornament which she wore about her neck on a silver
chain. Her color deepened prettily, as we saw that it was the monogram
of the Crown Princess in silver, bestowed only for brave and specially
meritorious service in nursing.
If Germany is too slow, as we believe, in according to women the
opportunity for higher education, surely this institution sets a noble
example in that which to the world in general is of vast and
incalculable importance.
A mission to the cabmen of Berlin is conducted by a benevolent lady
with great modesty but with most eminent success. The Berlin cabman
is a picturesque object In summer he wears a dark blue suit with
silvered buttons, a vest and collar of scarlet, and a black hat with a
cockade and a white or yellow band. In winter, a great Astrakhan cap
with tassels surmounts his bronzed features, he is enveloped in a long
blue great-coat with a cape, and his feet are encased in immense boots
with soles often from one to two inches thick. The covered carriage
known as a drosky is a rather lumbering vehicle on four wheels.
Formerly every one rode in these droskies, the fares being very low.
But within a few years the tram-car, which is increasingly popular,
has diverted patronage from the cabs, and the times are hard for the
cabman. He must pay a certain sum to the company which controls the
cabs, for the use and keeping of the horse and vehicle; must purchase
his uniform at his own expense; and if his receipts bring him anything
over and above these outlays, he has the surplus for the support of
himself and family. How the average cabman in Berlin manages in this
way to live, is a mystery. His family must dwell in a cellar or attic,
or eke out their subsistence by taking lodgers, washing, or by any
other means which they can find. All must live on insufficient food;
and this, with constant exposure to the weather and enforced idleness
much of the time, is a constant temptation to drinking-habits.
Beer-shops are numerous near the cab-stands; and the small change i
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