Volume 19 No 1 • Spring 2010 The Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion: A Testament to America’s Gilded Age Peter Arvedson Photo used with permission of the Pabst Mansion. used the Pabst of with permission Photo The Pabst Mansion as it appeared in its full glory on Milwaukee’s Grand Avenue.
isconsin Avenue, one a representation of the city’s Gilded of Milwaukee’s cen- Age. Within only a few decades, tral thoroughfares, however, many of the original owners Wlooks like any other street in a big had moved on. Their houses were
INSIDE American city. There is, however, an sold and demolished, giving way to eye-catching, unique building at 2000 the city’s expansion. • News Briefs West Wisconsin Avenue: the Captain In April 1933, the Milwaukee Sen- • The Bubbler and the Kohler Frederick Pabst Mansion, where the tinel published a lengthy article en- Company Friends of the Max Kade Institute titled “Back in the Days When Grand • Friedrich Hecker, Forty- will hold their annual meeting this Avenue Was a Name That Fitted the Eighter year (see page 9). Built in 1892, the Street,” which lamented the change • 2010 Annual Meeting and Pabst Mansion is the only building of a street that had seen “magnificent Dinner in Milwaukee still reminiscent of the time when homes, outstanding social occa- • A. R. Hohlfeld and Wisconsin Avenue was known as sions, and later civic development,” UW–Madison, 1906 “Grand Avenue,” a street lined with where “some of most outstanding • Die Glocke 65 of the most exquisite homes of citizens had erected houses which • Friends Profile: Kris Horner Milwaukee’s wealthiest families and Continued on page 4 DIRECTOR’S CORNER
Greetings, Friends tions co-sponsored an inspiring treasure trove. Unfortunately, more two-day conference held here in of the material is disappearing with and Readers! Madison, “Representing and Experi- each passing day: 100 years ago it e are as busy as ever, but encing Transnationalism: Germanic would have already been too late to we pause to take note Languages and Cultures in Global undertake some of this work. of the fact that spring Perspective,” with speakers from lit- Kevin is busy as always cataloging Wis beginning, the lakes are no longer erary studies, film studies, immigra- and posting news about our Library’s frozen, and warmer weather is on the tion studies, linguistics, community new acquisitions, but he has also way. With the change of seasons, we development, and more. The chief spent a good deal of time helping look back on a winter’s worth of hard organizer of this conference was MKI approximately 30 students in Mark work and successful activities—and Friend Kris Horner, and she and all Louden’s course on “The German forward to more of the same. participants are to be congratulated Language in America” (German 352). We are focused at this point on on a highly successful event. There They are using the MKI Library and fundraising for the Library Project have been other activities in the last Archives as a primary source of ma- in preparation for our big move next few months, too: MKI co-sponsored terials for their projects and term pa- year to the University Club on Li- a local symposium in February on pers. And Daniela Heinisch, Helmut brary Mall. You have responded gen- “Language as Homeland”; and our Schmahl’s student at the University erously to our capital campaign drive involvement with the “Language of Mainz in Germany, is also with us so far, and we thank you very much Matters for Wisconsin” project has to work on her thesis on nineteenth- for your support. At the same time, continued with a number of trips to century German-American women. we are far from finished, and it can- locations around the state. We enjoy having a full house—but not be stressed enough how essential Kevin has been working on the we are also looking forward to the more contributions are at this point. German-American Civil War figure much improved (larger and more We are submitting grant proposals named Friedrich Hecker; and I comfortable!) space for students and to private corporations and federally have been collecting German and researchers that will be ours some- funded organizations, requesting German-American Civil War literary time in the year 2011. financial assistance for needed reno- and journalistic commentaries for We are thinking of you and wish- vations at our new location, for fund- coming conferences and courses, as ing you all the best for a good spring ing for a secure librarian position, well as looking into the magazine season—with hard work, good suc- and for new acquisitions; and we entitled Die Glocke. Many wonder- cess, and happiness with the assign- must show substantial commitment ful things are still to be discovered, ments that come your way. Stay in from within—from the UW, from and we are convinced more than ever touch! our Friends, and from other private that we are delving into an absolute —Cora Lee individuals—if our applications are to be successful. Again: many heart- The Newsletter of the Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies is felt thanks, and please continue to published quarterly at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Submissions are invited and support us with your tax-deductible should be sent to: donations. These can be sent to the Friends or to the UW Foundation, Kevin Kurdylo Friends of the Max Kade Institute for German-American Studies always designated clearly “for the 901 University Bay Drive, Madison, WI 53705 MKI Library Project.” Phone: (608) 262-7546 Meanwhile, our other activities Fax: (608) 265-4640 continue. Just one week ago, MKI [email protected] and the University of Leeds World- mki.wisc.edu wide Universities Network Fund for maxkade.blogspot.com International Research Collabora-
2 NEWS BRIEFS
Mineral Point High School Students Present “Languages Matters” Film Project April 18, 2 pm United Methodist Church in Mineral Point
Fifteen Mineral Point High School students in Judy Bennetts’ AP English Literature and Composition class have been inspired by MKI’s “Language Matters for Wisconsin” project. After watching the film “American Tongues,” a 1988 production about language in America, the students recorded language in their own community. They will share their videos with the public as part of the Mineral Point Historical Society Lyceum on Sunday, April 18.
Waldsee Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Waldsee, the German-language immersion center among the Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji, Minnesota, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Former campers, parents, staff, and families are invited to festivities and a series of alumni weekends in June, July, and August. Further details can be found at
International Conference on “Investigating Immigrant Languages in America” September 16–17 UW–Madison campus
The Max Kade Institute and the University of Oslo/Norway are involved in collaborative research efforts on immigrant languages in America, in particular the Northern European Germanic languages such as Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Faroese, Icelandic, Frisian, and the Low-German dialects. Mark your calendars for the international conference on September 16–17. Details are forthcoming, and will be posted on
Board of Directors, Friends of the Max Kade Institute Peter Arvedson Treasurer, Elm Grove Hans Werner Bernet Monroe Sandra Casterline Oconomowoc Gary Gisselman Secretary, Wausau Elizabeth Greene Madison Charles James Vice President, Madison James Kleinschmidt Fitchburg Cora Lee Kluge ex officio, Madison Tom Lidtke West Bend Fran Luebke Brookfield Peter Monkmeyer Assistant to the Treasurer, Madison Antje Petty ex officio, Madison Karyl Rommelfanger President, Manitowoc
3 Continued from page 1
made [Grand Avenue] until recently one of the most beautiful residen- tial sections of the city.” The article continues: “When the homes were first built there, every house was set far back on a great lawn. The green plots were scenes of many activi- ties; croquet and archery enthusiasts could be found on almost every lawn.” The paper includes a list of residents, a veritable who’s who of late-nineteenth century Milwaukee,
including publisher George Brum- Mansion. used the Pabst of with permission Photo Captain Pabst. der, industrialists Patrick Cudahy and William Plankinton, restaura- teur Henry Wehr, and, of course, to captain of his own ship,—and George Bowman Ferry to design a brewery owner Captain Frederick for the rest of his life he was known house in the Flemish Renaissance Pabst. as Captain Pabst. Years later, Pabst Revival style on a large piece of Born in 1836 in Nikolausrieth, married Maria Best, the daughter of property that Pabst had acquired Thuringia, Germany, Frederick Milwaukee brewery owner Phillip some years earlier. The original cost Pabst came to the United States Best. Pabst became a partner in his estimate for the construction of the with his parents when he was twelve father-in-law’s business, taking over house was $75,000, but the final cost years old. At age fourteen, he began the company in 1889 and renaming it was $160,000. Records indicate that work as a cabin boy on a steamship the Pabst Brewing Company. even as the house was being built, on Lake Michigan. By the time he The same year, Captain Pabst walls were already being removed was twenty-one, he had advanced commissioned Milwaukee architect and changed. When the Pabst family moved into the house in July 1892, it had been under construction for two years, a remarkably short time for such a home, but Captain Pabst thought it should have been done in 18 months and was already com- plaining about delays early in 1892. No cost was spared in the Man- sion’s design. The house was wired
Photo used with permission of the Pabst Mansion. used the Pabst of with permission Photo for electricity, plumbed for nine full bathrooms, outfitted with a state-of- the-art heating system that regulated the heat in the Mansion with 16 thermostats, and decorated with custom-built furniture. The outside of the Mansion was just as impres- sive, with a large stable to the rear of the property that was similar in
A photograph showing the Reception Hall as it originally appeared.
4 style to the main house. A large glass public as a museum. the second and third floors with them, conservatory behind the building Since then much has been ac- but left the furnishings on the first housed tropical plants that would be complished to restore the Mansion floor for the Archbishops. As a result, taken out into the gardens during the at 2000 Wisconsin Avenue to its the first-floor interior of the Mansion summer months. At the north end of original state. This includes bringing is still in its original state today. In the property stood a servant’s duplex, back original artwork and furniture. recent years other pieces of furniture where the butler, the coachman, In the early years, Captain Pabst had and artwork have been returned to the and their families resided. Inside pictures taken of the rooms on the building by descendants of the Pabst the Mansion, colors, woodwork, first and second floors and one room family. Augmented with carefully se- furnishings, and ornaments harmo- on the third, and these pictures now lected period pieces they now give the nized from room to room to create guide the restoration. Additional in- second and third floor a near-original a unified interior design. Works by sight comes from an inventory done appearance, too. some of the best-known artists of the of the Mansion shortly before Mrs. You can learn more by reading time, such as Bougereau, Schreyer, Pabst’s death. The Captain Frederick Pabst Man- Verboeckhoven, Eckenbrecher, and The Captain and his wife lived on sion: An Illustrated History, a recent Ridgeway Knight decorated the walls. the second and third floors of the book by John Eastberg, Director of Before they moved into the Man- Mansion, which they furnished with Development and Senior Historian sion, the Pabsts had lived next to items from their previous home. at the Pabst Mansion. And do join the Brewery, ten to twelve blocks The furniture on the first floor was the Friends on May 1 for their annual northeast of the Mansion, where custom made for the Mansion by meeting and a personal tour! their five children were raised. For Matthews Brothers in Milwaukee. Af- twelve years, the Pabsts enjoyed their ter the Pabst children sold the house home at 2000 Wisconsin Avenue. in 1906, they took what had been on After Captain Pabst died in 1904 and his wife passed away in 1906, their children put the house on the market. They had their own homes by then, they had not grown up in this house, and the neighborhood was already beginning to deteriorate. In 1908 the property was pur- chased by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee, which occupied the building for 67 years and preserved its original condition. When the Mansion was sold in 1975, it was slated for demolition by its new owners to give way for a parking structure. Now, however, the people in Milwaukee had grown to appreci- ate this last remembrance of “Grand Avenue,” and in 1978, thanks to a number of community initiatives, the house was sold to Wisconsin Photo courtesy of Peter Arvedson. Peter of courtesy Photo Heritages Inc., which opened it to the The Parlor as it appears today.
5 LANGUAGE MATTERS
“We Throw Coins into Water Fountains”: TheBubbler and the Kohler Company Antje Petty
t several public events con- with a nickel-plated brass self- Australia, especially around Sydney. nected with our Language closing bubbling valve. The original The Kohler Company is named Matters for Wisconsin proj- version shot water one inch straight for an emigrant from Austria. John Aect, we have asked, “What do you call into the air, creating a bubbling tex- Michael Kohler was born in 1844 the fresh-water drinking device that ture, while the excess water ran back in the small village of Schnepfau in you find in many public places?” The down over the sides of the nozzle. the Voralberg region. As a ten-year- answers differed greatly depending Later the water came out in an arc old boy he and his family emigrated on where we were. Regional variants projection, making drinking from it to America, where they first settled of English are not only identified much easier and also more sanitary. near St. Paul, Minnesota. In 1871, by pronunciation or grammatical Kohler patented this design, trade- John Michael Kohler married Lillie structures, but also by vocabulary, marked it under the name “bubbler,” Vollrath, daughter of Jacob Johann and—as it turns out—most of the and sold it alongside the traditional Vollrath, an immigrant from the nation uses two words for the above jet-stream-valve drinking fountain. Rhineland who owned various mentioned device: “water foun- Other manufacturers soon came manufacturing businesses in the tain” (most places east of the Rocky up with similar valves, and this type Sheboygan, Wisconsin, area. In Mountains) and “drinking fountain” of drinking fountain became the 1873 he and a friend bought one (west of the Rocky Mountains and dominant design. Nevertheless, it is of his father-in-law’s businesses: a around the Great Lakes). In Wiscon- in those regions in the United States plow and farm implement company. sin, however, we encountered a third and the world where the Kohler Meanwhile, Jacob Vollrath, who had term: “bubbler.” Linguistic surveys Company originally heavily mar- learned the molder’s trade, began to have shown that “bubbler,” meaning keted its “bubbler” that the word has manufacture enamelware pots, pans, “drinking fountain,” is used in only become synonymous with “drink- plates, and other kitchenware, which two locations in the United States: 1) ing fountain.” Thus, in addition to he created by coating cast iron with in the eastern two-thirds of Wiscon- Wisconsin and Rhode Island, the ceramic glaze, a procedure that was sin and northern Illinois, and 2) in term “bubbler” is also widespread in Continued on page 15 Rhode Island. There are many reasons for dif- ferent regional words. One reason is the influence of an immigrant language on regional English, as, for example, in the widespread Wiscon- sin use of “brat” (from the German “Bratwurst”) for a particular type of sausage. “Bubbler,” however, has a different history. Early in the twenti- eth century, the Kohler Company— located in Kohler, Wisconsin, and Front and back views of a T-shirt sold by the already well known for its plumbing Wisconsin Historical Society as part of its “Real Wisconsin” apparel. fixtures and faucets—introduced a new product: a drinking fountain
6 GERMANS IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker, 1811–1881 Part I Kevin Kurdylo
ost Germans in America Speaking at a 1906 memorial service into a war to end slavery and pre- in the mid-1800s were for Carl Schurz, Edmund J. James, a serve the Union with the same ardor not refugees from the former president of the University of that had driven them to struggle for Mfailed Revolution of 1848 in Europe, Illinois, elaborated upon this idea: freedom in Germany more than a but many of those who were—so- We who love to compromise, that decade earlier, was the fiery Friedrich called Forty-Eighters—felt strongly characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon, Hecker. Born on September 28, 1811, about the issues of slavery and pre- might have tried to worry on un- into an affluent family in Eichters- serving the Union and were drawn der some kind of system by which heim, Baden, Hecker studied law to participate in the American Civil slavery should have increased and was elected a liberal member of War, almost exclusively in support in power and strength without the Chamber of Baden in 1842. He of the North. Idealistic, passionate, weakening the vigor and might became popular as an ardent cham- often highly educated, and hurting of the free states,—of course, an pion of human rights and a strong because of their shattered dreams absolutely hopeless proposition. opponent of religious influence in and disappointments in Europe, Or we might have consented to a the state, known for his cavalier these individuals were offended by possible dissolution of the Union, and dramatic public persona and America’s failure to adhere to its which would have been a great his eloquent, sometimes violently founding principles of liberty and de- misfortune. . . . But the men of ’48 passionate speeches. A man of ac- mocracy, and believed that national . . . were men not bound down by tion rather than mediation, Hecker unity was a cause worth fighting for, any of those traditions which held assumed a leadership role in the with words and actions. In fact, it us in chains. They knew nothing 1848 revolutionary uprising against has been claimed that if not for the of the Missouri compromise or the autocratic political structure in Forty-Eighters’ crusading spirit and the Nebraska bill or any other of Baden, and although the small force dedication to human freedom, “the the numerous devices by which he led was crushed by government outcome [of the struggle] might have we tried to break the force of the forces at Kandern in late April, he been different from what it was.” oncoming storm. They . . . had became a figure of near-mythic pro- suffered in behalf of liberty; they portions among Germans in Europe . . . had staked their entire ca- and America. Songs and poems were reers on the side of freedom in the written about him, iconic pictures great struggle between privilege of him were proudly displayed in and democracy; they were proph- homes, and like-minded men wore ets; they were seers; they were the distinctive, wide-brimmed hat, idealists; they saw or thought they sometimes adorned with a long saw what was right, and they feather, which came to be known as a planted themselves firmly and “Hecker hat.” distinctly on that side with no After the defeat at Kandern, Hecker hesitation and no wavering. They fled to Switzerland, where he agitated rallied to a man to the standard for further revolt, but with little re- of the Union and of freedom.1 sult. Embittered, he left for America in September of 1848, and was re- Among these men who could not Hecker as a revolutionary icon. ceived in New York—with great cel- compromise, who threw themselves
7 ebration—as a revolutionary hero. By this time a “Hecker cult” had already arisen among German Americans, and Hecker toured America, giv- ing well-received speeches to raise support for a second revolution in Europe.2 Along the way he also urged the founding of America’s first Turn- er Society in Cincinnati.3 Although Hecker claimed he had come to America to study the work- ings of a republican government as he prepared for a second revolution in Germany, he also purchased an already-cultivated farm near Leba- non, Illinois, some thirteen miles from the “Latin farmer” community of Belleville, home to many academ- ically-trained German immigrants who shared Hecker’s political convic- tions. In the spring of 1849, reports of a new uprising in Baden prompted Hecker to rush back to Germany, but the revolutionary troops had already been defeated by the time he arrived in Strasbourg. Deeply disappointed, Hecker the Grand Old Man: Fighter for Unity and Freedom; against Slavery and without setting foot on German and Hypocrites. Illustration presumably first appeared inPuck . soil, Hecker decided to return to his farm near Belleville. At the port in Le . . . countenance sunken and . . . He has become exceedingly Havre, Hecker met an acquaintance, peaked, eyes languid, voice weak, nervous and permanently ir- the poet and fellow revolutionary skin yellow—parchment-like. I ritable. The violent, thoroughly Caspar Butz, who would remain a was affrighted to look upon him foolish bodily exertions . . . have lifelong friend. From this point on, and still more to hear him. For broken down his resistance, and Hecker would devote his energies to four weeks he had not slept and the present distressing solitariness life in America.4 was perpetually tossing back and has confirmed him in the darkest For many years Hecker experienced forth with restlessness, though possible views of life. When he deep depression over the failure of hardly master of his limbs. His complains, he accuses; when he the German revolution; in an attempt illness is the so-called “conges- censures, he damns outright. He to exorcise his demons, he exerted tive fever,” which manifests itself feels old; believes it is no longer himself in tremendous labors on in a sudden rush of blood to worth the trouble to live, and of- his farm to the extent that his body breast and head. . . . In addition ten wishes for death merely to be as well as his mind suffered. The he suffers from abdominal ail- at rest.5 young Carl Schurz, after meeting the ments. . . . His sanguine-choleric If Hecker’s life had ended then, 43-year-old Hecker for the first time temperament throws him from his death would have been a tragi- in 1854, described him with these one extreme to the other, often in words: the most contradictory manner. Continued on page 14
8 Friends of the Max Kade Institute—2010 Annual Meeting Saturday, May 1, 2010 Captain Frederick Pabst Mansion 2000 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53233, 414-931-0808 You are invited to join the Friends for their 2010 annual meeting at the historic Pabst Mansion in Milwaukee, where a fascinating view into the past awaits.
DIRECTIONS TO THE PABST MANSION Coming from the west to Milwaukee on I-94: Take exit 309B (26th Street and St. Paul Avenue); be sure to go straight after you exit—you will be heading north on 26th Street. After three blocks, turn right (east) onto West Wisconsin Avenue. The Pabst Mansion is on your left. Coming from the North on I-43: Take exit 72E to I-94 (sign says Marquette University and Public Museum). Take exit 309B to Clybourn and St. Paul. Turn right onto 25th Street. Go two blocks to West Wisconsin Avenue, then turn right. PARKING is available at the Mansion or across West Wiscon- sin Avenue in the Brett Funeral Home parking lot.
2:30–4:00 pm: Gather at the Pabst Mansion for a guided tour 4:00–5:00 pm: Annual Meeting in the Master Suite of the Pabst Mansion 5:00–5:30 pm: Reflections on Writing a History of the Pabst Mansion, presentation by John Eastberg, Director of Development and Historian, Pabst Mansion 5:30–6:00 pm: Drive to Mader’s Restaurant (414-271-3377), 1037 North Old World Third Street, Milwaukee; parking is available behind the restaurant 6:00–7:00 pm: Dinner at Mader’s Restaurant (menu choices below)
Bring a friend — Make a Friend! Dinner purchase includes 2010 Friends of MKI membership for new Friends. If you have questions, please call MKI at 608-262-7546 or e-mail Antje Petty at [email protected]
------cut here and return ------
RESERVATION (Return form with payment by April 23 to Friends of MKI, 901 University Bay Dr., Madison, WI 53705)
1. Pabst Mansion tour ($9/person) Number of guests (x $9): ____ 2. Dinner at Mader’s Restaurant ($30/person) Number of guests (x $30): ____ (all dinners include salad, dessert, and a glass of wine) _____ Bavarian Platter (sausage and Kassler platter with sauerkraut and potato dumplings) _____ Sauerbraten (with Spätzle, Sauerkraut and red cabbage) _____ Portabella Napoleon (Portabella mushrooms with baby spinach, grilled onions, asparagus, and Provolone cheese; served with Späztle and roasted red pepper Coulis)
Total amount enclosed: $______
9 PAGES FROM THE PAST
A. R. Hohlfeld’s Report Concerning German and German-American Influence at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, 1906 Cora Lee Kluge
able. . . . it seems to be advancing in America with vigor, and with its emigrating to the United States rich and attractive contents it should in 1889; and after twelve years as not be missing in reading circles in professor of Germanic languages and Germany.”1 For further information dean of the academic department at about Die Glocke, see page 12 of this Vanderbilt University, he had come newsletter issue. to the Department of German at the One article that appeared in Die UW–Madison in 1901. He served as Glocke provides intriguing informa- department chair from 1904 until his tion and a new perspective on the retirement in 1936, after which he history of the University of Wiscon- remained in Madison until his death sin in Madison.2 Written by A. R. in 1956. He was known and respect- Hohlfeld as the second of a group of ed as an authority on Goethe and as three articles about American univer- one of the early scholars of German- A. R. Hohlfeld. Date unknown. sities and their German departments, American studies, and among the 64 this document is a well-considered students whose doctoral dissertations mong the library treasures he supervised were many who be- at the University of Wiscon- contribution to the history of the UW. It is unfortunate that it has came leading American Germanists sin is a complete run of the of the twentieth century. AGerman-American journal entitled received virtually no attention. Hohlfeld himself is scarcely re- When Hohlfeld wrote about the Die Glocke. First published in March University of Wisconsin for Die of 1906 in Chicago, it attracted membered today, although his place as one of the patriarchs of American Glocke, he was still rather new to interest and support from a broad Madison and especially to his posi- spectrum of the intellectual elite German studies is beyond dispute. He had finished his doctorate at the tion as departmental chair; in addi- of the times: its collaborators were tion, he had not been associated with members of the literary, artistic, and University of Leipzig in 1888 before scientific world, German Americans above all, but also others. Expense was not spared: it is a beautiful art nouveau journal rich in literary contributions, essays, translations, illustrations, and reproductions, all elegantly printed on 8½ by 11½-inch glossy paper. And it did not fail to at- tract attention: just a couple of years after it first appeared,Allgemeine Zei- . tung in Munich noted: “TheGlocke Die Glocke is a German-American journal of From From grand style, which we in Germany Dedicated in 1900 as the Library of the UW–Madison, the building now houses should greet with lively enthusiasm the Wisconsin Historical Society. and encourage as much as we are
10 . Die Glocke for long periods of time at German From From universities, some completing their doctorates there. Hohlfeld points also to grow- ing numbers of contacts between the UW and scholars in Germany; honorary UW doctorates that have been given to German scientists and government officials; and appear- ances in Madison by German guest lecturers, including the historian Karl Lamprecht, the German Consul “University Hall,” now known as Bascom Hall. in Chicago Walter Wever, the poet Ludwig Fulda, the literary historian any public university in America very well as 8,000 volumes in the German Eugen Kühnemann, and others. He long. Essentially, he was still gather- Department’s own seminar library mentions regular theater perfor- ing information and assessing the and over 50 subscriptions to journals, mances in Madison by the German- situation. However, the beginning of a collection growing by about 500 language Pabst Theater of Milwaukee his term as chair coincided with fif- items per year. under the direction of its manager tieth-anniversary celebrations of the Furthermore, in the early years of Leon Wachsner, activities of the Ger- UW, which were held at the end of the UW there was not even one indi- man Society of the UW, connections the spring semester of 1904 together vidual with a German name—among to the Teachers Seminary in Mil- with the inauguration of Charles R. members of the administration, the waukee, the growth of the German Van Hise as president; and he learned faculty, or the student body—except Department (with fully 18 teachers and used details for his report from for three teachers of modern lan- employed to teach German courses), Van Hise’s inaugural address.3 guages (J. P. Fuchs, A. Kursteiner, and the six doctorates in German that What is unique about Hohlfeld’s J. B. Feuling). Carl Schurz, to be sure, had been completed, and more. report is his focus on the role of Ger- served on the Board of Regents from Hohlfeld also refers to the strong man, the Department of German, 1859 to 1863, but because of his po- relationship that had developed be- and also the state’s German-Ameri- litical obligations he did not play an tween the German Department and can friends at the UW. He notes with active role; and later another German its German supporters around the surprise that in 1850 the UW library, American, the poet Konrad Krez, state. The Department’s seminar li- which possessed some 300 volumes, also served as a member of the Board brary of 8,000 volumes was the result had not one that was in the Ger- of Regents. By the time of Hohlfeld’s of a contribution of $3,000 made in man original, though one could find report, however, there were many 1899 by German-American citizens English translations of some poems UW students and also faculty mem- of Milwaukee; scholarships were by Goethe and Schiller, Eckermann’s bers with German names: Hohlfeld made available by private citizens in conversations with Goethe, Schlegel’s estimates about one-fourth of the Madison and La Crosse; and a Carl lectures (on dramatic art and litera- younger members of the faculty Schurz Memorial Professorship had ture), Menzel’s literary history, La- were of German heritage. They held just been established to bring an out- vater’s physiognomy, and Zollikofer’s positions not only in the German standing scholar from Germany to sermons. But he reports changes: by Department, but also in pharmacy, Wisconsin for one semester, with the 1906 thousands of German-language chemistry, psychology, economics, hope of converting the arrangement volumes and hundreds of German- political science, geology, engineer- later into a two-way exchange. language journals were among the ing, and other fields. In addition, holdings of the University Library, as many faculty members had studied Continued on page 15
11 RESEARCH
A Noteworthy German-American Journal: Die Glocke Cora Lee Kluge
For German-American studies, illustrative art, modern art in Ger- Madison is the center of the world— many, modern technology, American because of our conferences, our piano factories, American cuisine, scholars, our energy, and not least exchange professorships, Esperanto; because of the publications that can and much more. Following the death be found here. The specialized col- of Carl Schurz in May 1906, an entire lections of the Max Kade Institute, as issue was devoted to reminiscences well as the enormous holdings of the and articles about him. University of Wisconsin’s Memo- A full-scale study of Die Glocke— rial Library and the library of the its contents, collaborators, business Wisconsin Historical Society have practices, and fate—is long overdue. attracted visitors from all over the Such a study will lead to a reassess- world. ment of both the broad interests and Among other treasures is the com- impressive achievements of German- Front cover of the first issue, March 1906. plete run of Die Glocke, an ambitious speaking Americans, and also the and beautiful magazine that was high level of intercultural under- published in Chicago from March standing between Americans and the appearance of the second issue 1906 to April 1908, whose subtitle Germans during the first decade of of its third year. In fact, there were indicates that it was an “illustrated the twentieth century. The journal’s many indications of plans for coming monthly journal for literature, art, pages, in one article after another, issues. The first installment of Lotta and science, and for the promotion of reveal a strong influence of German L. Leser’s prize-winning short story German endeavors in America” (my traditions on the intellectual growth entitled “Peter Meffert,” for example translation). Inspired by commemo- of the American nation during this (which can be found in the MKI pub- rations of the hundredth anniversary period, as well as a vigorous transna- lication entitled Other Witnesses: An of Friedrich Schiller’s death, the jour- tional cooperation between Germany Anthology of Literature of the German nal was founded by G. F. Hummel, and the United States. It can be seen, Americans, 1850–1914), appeared in who assembled a number of promi- for example, in A. R. Hohlfeld’s con- the last issue of Die Glocke, with the nent contributors and collaborators. tribution concerning the University remark that the conclusion would It featured original literary pieces by of Wisconsin (see this issue, page 10), follow. And in the same final issue well-known German and German- in the energy with which translations another literary competition was American writers, including Edna were undertaken, in efforts to inform announced, this time for a German- Fern (Fernande Richter), Emerenz readers in Europe about activities in American novel, with first prize to Meier, Konrad Nies, Peter Roseg- America, and more. Our views about be $250, as well as publication in the ger, and Georg Sylvester Viereck; German-American cooperation journal. We are attempting to find translations of American writers during this period may have been out what happened, and we promise such as James Russell Lowell, Edgar clouded by our concentration on the an update. Allan Poe, Bayard Taylor, and John complete turnaround that came just Greenleaf Whittier; biographical, a few years later with the onset of the commemorative, and other articles First World War. on important literary figures; essays Die Glocke ceased publication very on American universities, American suddenly and without warning after
12 FRIENDS PROFILE
Kristine Horner Antje Petty
ne of the wonderful things about the MKI Friends is the fact that so many Omembers are engaged with the Institute in so many different ways. Kristine Horner is a great example. She was the principal organizer of this month’s “Germanic Languages and Cultures in Global Perspec- tive” conference in Madison and is the person behind the collaboration between MKI and the University of Leeds/World Universities Network collaboration,—and she is also a life developed proficiency in Luxem- nized by the MKI of particular inter- member of the Friends. bourgish, the national language, est and inspiration. She considers Kris connected with the MKI and and now considers Luxembourg her MKI materials online highly valuable the Friends through her research home. After eight years as a lecturer/ for diverse groups of users, including which focuses on the interrelation- assistant professor in Luxembourg, students in Leeds who enrolled in ship between language, society and Kris now teaches at the University of her “German language and migra- politics and stems from having grown Leeds, where Luxembourgish Studies tion in North America” seminar last up in a bilingual family environment remains at the heart of her research semester. Kris hopes to work with in the United States. Inspired by and teaching in the area of sociolin- MKI and other colleagues to expand her German-speaking mother and guistics and language politics. this resource. grandmother, she concentrated on In 2006, Kris spent several months She explains: “I think it is crucial Germanic Studies as an undergradu- at the MKI to conduct archival and for academics to reflect on the ways ate student. Later she spent a year ethnographic research for a proj- that our research can have impact abroad in the bilingual French/Ger- ect on the ethnic Luxembourgish on real world issues and also, to man town of Fribourg, Switzerland. community in Ozaukee County, welcome opportunities to work with Having developed a keen interest in WI. Here Kris met many people in a wide range of individuals beyond countries that officially promote mul- her field and at the University of academic circles. The Friends of tilingualism, Kris focused her PhD Wisconsin–Madison. These contacts MKI organization serves as a bridge dissertation on language policies and led to a multi-year collaboration on between groups and facilitates coop- debates in contemporary Luxem- Germanic Languages and Migration eration of all kinds. As a Friend, I see bourg. While working as a Fulbright (GLaM), which is currently funded my role as a participant in various Teaching Assistant at the Centre Uni- by a Worldwide Universities Network forms of cooperation, with the aim of versitaire de Luxembourg (now the (WUN) grant and includes many linking research to real world experi- University of Luxembourg), she was other events and projects, in addition ences and in this way also bring case in regular contact with students and to the Madison conference. studies to life in the classroom via colleagues, which enabled her to gain Perceiving a gap between layper- a deeper understanding of multiple a deep understanding of Luxembour- sons and academics, Kris found the perspectives.” gish culture. Moreover, Kris quickly community outreach activities orga-
13 Continued from page 8 NOTES SOURCES 1Quoted by Hildegard Binder Johnson, “Ad- Freitag, Sabine. Friedrich Hecker: Two Lives cally romantic one, but he lived on, justment to the United States,” in Zucker, A. for Liberty. Translated and edited by Steven Rowan. St. Louis, Mo.: St. Louis Mercantile Li- and his energies were rekindled in E., ed., The Forty-Eighters: Political Refugees of the German Revolution of 1848 (New York: brary, University of Missouri–St. Louis, 2006. 1856 when he was called upon to aid Columbia University Press, 1950) 67–68. This noteworthy book makes use of the Fried- the still-young Republican Party in 2A slightly humorous example of the inter- rich Hecker Papers, 1825–1981, now held at promoting its campaign against the est taken by German Americans in the events the Western Historical Manuscript Collec- expansion of slavery. Understanding unfolding in Europe is reported by Hildegard tion of the University of Missouri–St. Louis. this assignment as a continuation Binder Johnson: “Somewhat feebly the spirit See:
14 MEMBERSHIP/RENEWAL
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Continued from page 6 Continued from page 11 strengthen his department and its offerings and to connect the widespread in his native Germany German and German-American young University of Wisconsin with but not yet common in America. influence at the UW–Madison, for first-class German universities and In 1880, the Kohler Company, too, all intents non-existent in the early German scholars, thus expanding added an enameling facility, and years, had grown over the institu- opportunities for all. three years later it manufactured its tion’s first 50 years. Now there were first plumbing fixture: an enameled UW faculty members in many fields NOTES cast-iron hog water trough, which who had been trained in Germany; 1Quoted inside the back cover of Die Glocke was sold as a bathtub. From there the members of both the university com- 3.1 (March, 1908). My translation. company’s product line expanded munity and the general public were 2Die Glocke 1.10 (December, 1906): 365–371. rapidly to include many more plumb- enjoying German cultural offerings; 3See Charles R. Van Hise, “Inaugural Address of President Charles Richard Van Hise,” ing products, generators, motors, — and German Americans of the state Science 20 (1904): 193–205. and the “bubbler.” were supporting the UW in general, Today in Wisconsin, “bubbler” as well as the Department of Ger- is more than just another word for man. Hohlfeld rose to the challenge drinking fountain. It has become a of sustaining and building on these marker of regional speech, identity, beginnings, contributing vision, and pride. Saying “bubbler” says leadership, and energy to make the “I am from Wisconsin” as much as University of Wisconsin the wearing a cheesehead hat or eating center of American German studies. “brats.” It is regrettable that events and at- titudes of the World War I era were soon to thwart his efforts to
15 Friends of the Max Kade Institute Non-Profit Organization for German-American Studies US Postage University of Wisconsin PAID Madison, WI 901 University Bay Drive Permit No. 2704 Madison, WI 53705 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
The MKI Library Project Capital Campaign
Are you . . . passionate about history? . . . interested in America as an immigrant country? . . . intrigued by the experiences of your German ancestors? . . . concerned about the preservation of American print culture?
If so, please support the MKI’s Library Project for • a state-of-the-art facility in our new quarters on UW–Madison’s central campus; • new acquisitions; • an endowment to support library staff.
This is a three-year fundraising campaign. Tax-deductible contributions can be made to the MKI Library Capital Cam- paign Fund at the UW Foundation. For more information, contact Antje Petty at (608) 262-7546 or