TheThe SteubenSteuben NewsNews A Newspaper by German-Americans for All Americans

VOL. 88 NO. 6 DUTY • JUSTICE • CHARITY • TOLERANCE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015

The Steuben Parade in NYC draws hundreds of thousands of spectators as well as hun- dreds of groups from Germany and German-American groups around the nation. Update on the NYC Steuben Parade 50th ANNIVERSARY ISLIP UNIT CELEBRATION: Islip Unit Board of Officers (L-R) Tom Cornell, Trustee & Former Chairman; Kurt Pahlitzsch, Financial Secretary; Linda The German American Steuben Parade is fast approaching on September Pahlitzsch, Treasurer; Margo Collins, Kitchen Committee; Maryann Zakshevsky, Secretary; 19th! If you can not attend the Parade, you can watch it LIVE at www.germanpa- Pat Bergin, 1st Vice Chair; Marianne Trautmann, 2nd Vice Chair; Gerda Biskup, 3rd Vice Chair; Barbara DeOliveira, Chairwoman; Andy Felber, Trustee. (SEE PAGE 2 FOR STORY) radenyc.org at Noon EST on Parade Day. The Committee holds an Annual Fundraising Gala to support the Parade The Citi Field Oktoberfest has become the traditional end of the Parade annually the night before. This year the Gala will be held at The Lighthouse at Season in NYC. Join us as we celebrate the Oktoberfest season with the NY Mets Chelsea Piers. The formal event will take place from 7 pm-11 pm. There will be chef on Friday night, October 2nd, 2015. stations sponsored by different German Restaurants, butcher shops and caterers in There are more events being planned for Friendship Month. Details will be the metropolitan area. Each station will be offering tastings of their personal spe- announced as they become available. Stay tuned to our website for more informa- cialties. Passed hors d'oeuvre and an open bar is also included. The Gala will also tion on those activities already listed and activities yet to come. include a silent auction with items including a Gustav Klimt Print, a Junghans The German-American band "SPITZE" will be in town from Orlando, Watch, an autographed soccer ball by Pelé and many more. Florida, playing their own mix of traditional and modern German music at the The German-American Committee of Greater New York, which has been German-American Steuben-Parade Oktoberfest in Central Park. The band has been organizing the Steuben Parade and other cultural events for over half a century with featured at many of the most prominent German Festivals in the USA and Germany. an all-volunteer force, is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)3 status, and your sup- Their musical talents, energetic stage presence and the unmatched sound of their port is tax-exempt. explosive horn section are what makes this seven piece band hot and in demand 2015 Friendship Month Events by Lenny Coyne from coast to coast. Back after a two-year absence, the one and only Grammy nominee Alex As we head into the Spring and Summer Festival season, the German- Meixner will also be gracing the big stage along with his band. Alex has been head- American Steuben Parade Committee has begun planning German-American lining music festivals throughout the US and overseas for years. He has performed Friendship Month activities for the 2015 Parade season. Here are but a few activi- with the London Symphony Orchestra, in 2014 with his band in Ireland and with his ties already planned around the 58th annual Parade: own jazz and ethnic ensembles all over the US. His music features a unique mix of To kick off the month of September, we begin with a very special dinner- jazz, classical, pop, polka and many ethnic folk music genres in a very high energy lecture sponsored in part by the Steuben Society of America. The Erick Kurz setting. Memorial Award will be presented to Dr. Robert A. Selig, Professor of History at Also scheduled for this year's Oktoberfest celebration is the 7th annual "US Hope College in Michigan and Contributing Editor for German Life Magazine. He National Masskrugstemmen Championship" - the official US stein holding champi- will receive the prestigious award during a ceremony at Plattduetsche Park in onship. This event is co-sponsored by Hofbrau Munchen, S & H Importers and the Franklin Square, NY on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2015. German-American Steuben Parade. Contestants representing select locations from Back by popular demand, on Wednesday, September 9th, 2015, we are all over the U.S. will be flown to NYC to com- proud to present Yorkville/Kleindeutschland historian, Kathy Jolowicz, at the pete for the national title and a trip for two to Kolping House on East 88th Street in New York City. Kathy will be presenting her Munich, Germany. Exhibit Lecture entitled "The History of Yorkville/Kleindeutschland: An On Facebook look for: "Friedrich Exhibit/Lecture The Lost NYC Era of the 30's through the 60's." Wilhelm von Steuben" or find us at "Friends and PERMIT #12 PAID US POSTAGE One of the most popular events year after year is the "NYC German-Pub BULK RATE Fans of the German-American Steuben Parade" THIRD CLASS

Crawl" in Manhattan. This event is always a sellout and always a fun time. Two 11790 BROOK, NY STONY Note: The floats will line up on 69th double-decker buses visit various German Pubs in NY City. There are special beer Street beginning with the Steuben float off 5th promotions at every stop and there are drink specials from Parade sponsor Niche Avenue. Import Co. This event will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2015; locations soon to be announced! A Guest Bartending event will take place on Monday, September 14th,

2015 at the Hofbrau Bierhaus NYC featuring past Miss German-America The Steuben Society of America is N

Bartenders during a VERY special Happy Hour. Our former Parade Queens will be dedicated to unite men and women IO T back again this year to help us count down 5 days prior to the 58th annual Steuben of Germanic origin who share a Parade. common interest in the positive and The Gala Banquet, the night before the German American Steuben Parade continued growth of our nation as CORREC on Friday, September 18th, 2015, is a must do. Plans are being formalized for a Gala ED SS well as the preservation of our rich ST event like none other to honor the Grand Marshals of the next day's Parade. Details heritage. For more info: for this fun and exciting evening will be available shortly. www.steubensociety.org Steuben Society of America Suite 217 One South Ocean Ave. NY 11772 Patchogue, ADDRE REQUE SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 THE STEUBEN NEWS Page 2 Congratulations on the Golden Anniversary of the Robert F. Wagner Unit - Reflections on the Unitʼs Namesake Speech by Ilse Hoffmann the New York State Senate. Given the opportunity of saying a His investigations into industrial working few words on the occasion of the 50th conditions made him a leader in creating social leg- Anniversary Dinner of our Islip NY Unit No. islation. He served as Justice of the New York 165, I was moved to share some recollections Supreme Court (1919-1926) and then ran for the U. of the year 1965. This was before I had ever S. Senate and served three consecutive terms during heard of the Steuben Society of America. I which he introduced legislation to assist labor and had then just temporarily retired from a the unemployed. Some of his initiatives were not seven-year engagement at the Sloan Kettering successful until the advent of The New Deal. He Institute for Cancer Research and given birth helped draft the National Industrial Recovery Act, to our first son. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration bill I was not yet a U.S. citizen, but and the law establishing the Civilian Conservation somewhat aware of the role of German immi- Corps all in 1933. An ally of President Roosevelt, ABOVE: The Robert F. Wagner Unit celebrated its 50th Anniversary in style on August grants in America. I was also aware of the he believed in the government's duty to take an 16, 2015 a Marconi Manor, Islip, NY. BELOW: Bud and Linda Gramer provided entertain- ment for the celebration. retirement of New York City’s Mayor Robert active role in promoting the public good. F Wagner. Jr., who had been in this office In 1935, he sponsored the Social Security since 1954. Little did I know that this Mayor Act and the National Labor Relations Act (The was the son of another important public ser- Wagner Act). In 1937, the Wagner-Steagall Act cre- vant, namely, Senator Robert Ferdinand ated the United States Housing Authority which Wagner, Sr., an initiator of and contributor to provides loans for low-income public housing. He significant legislation on state and federal also presented National Health Care and anti-lynch- levels. ing legislation which failed to gain passage. He I recommend you study the profiles of both made successful drives to expand housing and father and son at the internet at your leisure Social Security Programs. (http://www.britannica.com/biography/Rober Wagner resigned from the Senate in 1949 t-F-Wagner-United-States-senator and due to health reasons. He lived out his last years in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Wag New York City, devoting much of his time to sup- ner,_Jr.). The legacy of Robert F Wagner Sr. porting the creation of the new nation of Israel. As is reflected and preserved in the many schools stated above, his son, Robert F. Wagner Jr., served and a College that bears his name: as three term Mayor of New York City from 1954- along with many donated gifts, pointing out that it was the last of its http://wagner.nyu.edu/ and in long lasting 65. kind and so very special. federal legislation like “the Wagner Act “ Thus, the founders of your Unit here in The talented Steuben member who ran the raffle spun the story http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/aboutfdr/wa Islip felt proud about this patronage which must in such a way as to make this item the most desirable thing anyone gneract.html as well as the Graduate School have been approved by the family as rules had pre- could ever want to take home. Then, the winner of the prize in a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Wag scribed. moment of selfless benevolence, offered it to be raffled off again so ner_Graduate_School_of_Public_Service. What we celebrate today is 50 years of fra- more profit would be achieved and after a while of that, no one dared Wagner was born In Nastaetten, ternal activities, benevolence and community sup- to keep it, so it went on and on and much fun was had by all. It did in Hesse-Nassau, Germany, on June 8, 1877; he port on a local, regional, state and national level. fact come back to me and I said I would take it home as I had brought died May 4, 1953 in New York City, NY. He Your affiliation with and support of our statewide it, not realizing its magic and I would try it elsewhere. had arrived in the United States at age of and national organization reflects so much commit- Since 1996, it stood in my small wine collection making occa- eight and lived with his parents in a New York ment on the part of the membership. For this, your sional appearances in Unit raffles, always going back home with me tenement neighborhood. Upon graduating National and State Councils are profoundly grate- after working its wondrous spell. Tonight, I wanted to turn it over to the from the City College of New York (CCNY) ful. You have been there by way of personal time Wagner Unit at this anniversary with the stipulation that it may be in 1898, he obtained a law degree from New and financial support - whether public affairs, edu- looked at, held in hand, but never consumed. Whoever wins it, must be York Law School in 1900. cational, social, cultural, or community activities persuaded to give it back to the Unit in exchange for a younger vintage Later that year, admitted to the bar, called for your help. This is so much you can be with another label. he soon abandoned a practice he had opened proud of. Raise your glasses and toast to the past For the immediate next raffle, I also provided that. I wish the in favor of Democratic Party politics. Starting and current officers and delegates to higher coun- Unit happy times ahead and all the best for success; with sincere thanks as ward heeler for Tammany Hall, he moved cils. Honor the commitments and service of those from all of us to the many officers, delegates and members who have up the ranks and won a seat in the New York before you by re-dedication to the aims and purpos- over half a century given of themselves to sustain and promote the Assembly. Four years later, he was elected to es they held dear and spread their legacy for the Senator Wagner Unit and the Steuben Society of America. Senator Robert F. Wagner Sr. was a social benefit of those who will follow. justice activist and helped usher in the THE SPELL OF THE MAGICAL Social Security Act during the Depression RAFFLE WINE Below: Robert F. Wagner Jr., son of Senator Wagner, was Mayor of New among other important legislation. I wish to emphasize how much I have York City from the mid 1950ʼs to mid 1960ʼs. received and derived in return as part of working within our fraternal organization. As a delegate to national conventions, I have met Steuben Sisters and Brothers in many parts of the country. One Sister in particular treated me like a daughter. That was Sister Erika Schumacher in Philadelphia, a very special lady and dedicated Steubenite. She spoiled me as only a mother would do at every turn. At one point, she presented to me and my husband a bottle of wine. It was called Steuben Blush and was distributed by the Chaddsford Winery in New Hope, Pennsylvania in the 1990s. It ceased being bottled thereafter. I decided to take this gift with Erika’s per- mission to a convention that was hosted by our Wernher von Braun Unit No 220 in Norfolk VA. (Steuben News 69 (3), Sept. 1996). We offered it to be raffled off on the night of the reception party SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 THE STEUBEN NEWS Page 3 GERMAN-AMERICAN PAINTER Albert Bierstadt

Albert Bierstadt (January 7, 1830 - February 18, 1902) was an American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping land- scapes of the American West. To paint the scenes, Bierstadt joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion. Though not the first artist to record these sites, Bierstadt was the fore- most painter of these scenes for the remainder of the 19th cen- tury. Born in Germany, Bierstadt was brought to the United States at the age of one by his parents. He later returned to study painting for several years in Düsseldorf. He became part of the Hudson River School in New York, an informal group of like-minded painters who start- ed painting along this scenic river. Their style was based on carefully detailed paintings with romantic, almost glowing lighting, sometimes called luminism. An important inter- preter of the western landscape, Bierstadt, along with Thomas Moran, is also grouped with the Rocky Mountain School. Bierstadt was born in Solingen, Germany. The follow- ing year, in 1831, his family moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts. At an early age Bierstadt developed a taste for art and made clever crayon sketches in his youth. In 1851, he began to paint in oils. Above: Yosemite Valley, Yosemite Park Albert Bierstadt He returned to Germany in 1853 and studied painting for several years in geysers and picturesque topography. These Bierstadt's choice of grandiloquent subjects Düsseldorf with members of its informal school of painting. After returning to New works were instrumental in convincing the was matched by his entrepreneurial flair. Bedford in 1857, he taught drawing and painting briefly, before devoting himself full- United States Congress to pass the His exhibitions of individual works were time to painting. Yellowstone Park Bill in 1872, thus estab- accompanied by promotion, ticket sales, In 1858, he exhibited a large painting of a Swiss landscape at the National lishing the first national park in the world. and, in the words of one critic, a "vast Academy of Design, which gained him positive critical reception and honorary member- Soon thereafter Congress purchased a large machinery of advertisement and puffery." ship in the Academy. At this time, Bierstadt began painting scenes in New England and painting from Bierstadt for $10,000. As a His wife was diagnosed with con- upstate New York, including in the Hudson River valley. A group of artists known as the result of the publicity generated by his sumption in 1876, and from then until her Hudson River School portrayed its majestic landscapes and craggy areas, as well as the Yellowstone paintings, Bierstadt's presence death in 1893, Bierstadt spent time with her light affected by the changing waters. was requested by every explorer considering in the warmer climate of Nassau in the Among the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California (1868), Smithsonian American a westward expedition, and he was commis- Bahamas. He also continued to travel to the Art Museum, Washington, DC. In 1859, Bierstadt traveled westward in the company of sioned by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa West and Canada. In later life, Bierstadt's Frederick W. Lander, a land surveyor for the U.S. government, to see those landscapes. Fe Railroad to visit the Grand Canyon for work fell increasingly out of critical favor. It He returned to a studio he had taken at the Tenth Street Studio Building in New York with further subject matter. was attacked for its theatrical tone. sketches that would result in numerous finished paintings. In 1863 he traveled west again, Bierstadt's technical proficiency, In 1882 Bierstadt's studio at this time in the company of the author Fitz Hugh Ludlow, whose wife he would later earned through his study of European land- Irvington, New York, was destroyed by fire, marry. Throughout the 1860s, Bierstadt used studies from this trip as the source for large- scape, was crucial to his success as a painter resulting in the loss of many of his paint- scale paintings for exhibition. He continued to visit the American West throughout his of the American West. It accounted for his ings. By the time of his death on February career. popularity in disseminating views of the 18, 1902, the taste for epic landscape paint- During the American Civil War, Bierstadt paid for a substitute to serve in his Rockies to those who had not seen them. ing had long since subsided. Bierstadt was place when he was drafted in 1863. He completed one Civil War painting “Guerrilla The immense canvases he produced after his then largely forgotten. He was buried at the Warfare, Civil War in 1862,” based on his brief experiences with soldiers stationed at trips with Lander and Ludlow, established Rural Cemetery in New Bedford, Camp Cameron in 1861. Bierstadt's painting was based on a stereoscopic photograph him as the preeminent painter of the western Massachusetts. taken by his brother Edward Bierstadt, who operated a photography studio at Langley's American landscape. Financial recognition Interest in his work was renewed Tavern in Virginia. Bierstadt's painting received a positive review when it was exhibited confirmed his status: The Rocky Mountains, in the 1960s, with the exhibition of his at the Brooklyn Art Association at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in December 1861. Lander's Peak, completed in 1863, was pur- small oil studies. Bierstadt was a prolific Curator Eleanor Jones Harvey observes that Bierstadt's painting, created from photo- chased for $25,000 in 1865. artist, having completed over 500 paintings graphs, "is quintessentially that of a voyeur, privy to the stories and unblemished by the Despite his popular success, during his lifetime. violence and brutality of first-hand combat experience." Bierstadt was criticized by some contempo- excerpted from wikipedia.com In 1860, he was elected a member of the National Academy; he received medals raries for the romanticism evident in his in Austria, Bavaria, Belgium, and Germany. In 1867, he traveled to London, where he choices of subject and his use of light was See also Rudolf Cronau as a contempo- exhibited two landscape paintings in a private reception with Queen Victoria. He traveled felt to be excessive. His exhibition pieces rary painter and sketcher of the American through Europe for two years, cultivating social and business contacts to sustain the mar- were brilliantly crafted images that glorified West. ket for his work overseas. the American West as a land of promise. A trip to the Yellowstone region in 1871 yielded numerous drawings of the area's Staubbach Falls Near Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland by Albert Bierstadt Bierstadtʼs travels in America 1859 and 1863 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 THE STEUBEN NEWS Page 4 Collecting German y, also used the deutschemark and even Rare Coins called it that for a period, but these ost- marks, as they were known, never enjoyed the stability of their western cousins. Excerpted from With the US dollar losing its value www.Collectorsweekly.com. every day, due in part, to the central banks For more information on investing in this nation printing endless money out of in German coins, email premiumcoin- thin air, investment advisors are suggesting [email protected] or call 1-877-455-1012. that you keep 20-40% of your investment in the form of precious metals. This *************** includes gold, silver and platinum bullion The History of Hummel Figurines and gold and silver coins containing 90% precious metal. However, coins hold extra Hummel figurines (also known as value above the spot price of bullion; the M.I. Hummel figurines or simply numismatic value of coins that are no Hummels) are a series of porcelain figurines longer minted not only hold added invest- based on the drawings of Sister Maria ment value, but they can grow in significant Innocentia Hummel, O.S.F. value over time. The sketch art of Sister Maria Rare coins in particular can pro- Innocentia Hummel began to appear in the duce very rewarding profits for the collec- 1930s in Germany and Switzerland, mostly Investing in rare German coins is one way to watch your money grow pastoral drawings of children. The Swiss art tor depending on the demand for a particu- Author Eric Ehrmann also visited the Rosemont to be displayed in a museum. publisher Ars Sacra was involved in the lar coin, date, grade, mintage number and Kloster Siessen where Sister Hummel lived The Donald E. Stephens Museum of early popularization of the art on postcards. other factors (historical/political) making and sketched in Saulgau and interviewed Hummels opened in its current location in Hummel's "art cards" became popular the coin unique and significant among Sister Radegundis Wespel, the director of Rosemont on March 13, 2011. The muse- throughout Germany, catching the eye of other coins. Investment coins should be the convent. He also conducted extensive um purports to be the largest collection of Franz Goebel, porcelain maker and head of graded by a reputable grading company research at the archives of W. Goebel Hummel figurines in the world. W. Goebel Porzellanfabrik. like NGC or PCGS to authenticate their Porzellanfabrik at Roedental, Bavaria, West Goebel acquired rights to turn grade and to rule out counterfeits. Germany and interviewed workers as well The Life of Sister Maria Hummel's drawing into figurines, producing Collectors can also consider sub- as executives of the company including Sister Maria Innocentia Hummel, the first line in 1935. Goebel was one of mitting their coins for grading or regrading Wilhelm Goebel himself. The large art book O.S.F., (21 May 1909 - 6 November 1946) many mid-size porcelain firms competing in to see if it qualifies for the next grade up format featuring life-size color photography was a famous German Franciscan Sister the US market and Franz Goebel´s knack which could mean the difference in value of the figurines was an overnight success in and artist. She is noted for the artwork for novelty marketing caused the figurines anywhere between several hundred dollars the summer of 1976 when it was published which became the popular Hummel fig- to become popular in the US during the to several thousand dollars! There are no by the Portfolio Press of Huntington, New urines. 1930s. The base for the popularity was guarantees however that NGC or PCGS York. Born in Massing in Bavaria, among German immigrants on the East will regrade the coin to the next level up. Donald Stephens, longtime mayor Germany, as Berta Hummel, one of the six Coast. While coin companies selling of Rosemont, Illinois, was a prolific collec- children of Adolf and Victoria Hummel, After the end of World War II, the your their coin may tell you they have their tor of Hummel figurines. In 1984, Stephens she was raised in a warm, loving and popularity of Hummel figurines grew as own in-house graders, insist on NGC or donated his collection to the Village of Continued on page 5 PCGS graded coins which will allow you to American soldiers stationed in West command top dollar for your coin when Germany began sending the fig- you are ready to sell it. urines home as gifts. Nostalgia Coin grading is largely a subjec- associated with the figurines and tive method even though a coin goes the U.S. soldiers buying them led through a rigorous process of being exam- to Hummel figurines becoming a ined by 3-5 different graders all of whom popular collector's item. must come to the same conclusions about Popularity increased even more the coin before it receives an official grade. when the figurines were sold by German coins of the modern era the Army PX system. A vibrant can be divided into three categories: those speculator market in Hummel minted by the German states prior to and figurines developed and in the immediately following the unification of 1970s, Hummel figurines sky- those states into an empire in 1871; coins rocketed in price, though today circulated between World Wars I and II; most sell for less than $50. M.I. and the separate monetary systems that Hummel collector plates made  were established after 1949, when by Goebel and sold by the Germany was divided into eastern and Goebel Collectors Club, were a    western nations. The two countries reuni- prominent item in the Bradford fied in 1990 and have used the Euro since Exchange, a supplier of col-        2002. The coin of the realm for the German lectible plates. Production of states was the Vereinsthaler, which was Hummel figurines by Goebel     worth 360 Pfennig (the root word for the ended in 2008. On-going produc- British penny), although this value varied tion is by a new organization THE HISTORY OF THE LOST ERA OF from state to state. With unification came “Hummel Manufaktur GmbH”. decimal coinage based on the mark (100 Many books and price YORKVILLE/KLEINDEUTSCHLAND pfennig to the mark). This new coin, struck guides have been published in silver or gold depending on its value, about Hummel figurines. SEPTEMBER 9. 6PM NO ACCESS AFTER 7 Some of these works replaced the Vereinsthaler, which was KOLPINGHAUS 165 E 88TH ST. worth three Marks—well into the 1930s supported the secondary market three-Mark coins were known as Thalers. interest of collector speculators; AN EXHIBIT/LECTURE BY YORKVILLE HISTORIAN, KATHY Though not especially valuable, The No. 1 Price Guide to M.I. JOLOWICZ. DISPLAYS OF 36 PHOTO PANELS AND ARTIFATS, notable coins minted between the wars Hummel, written by Robert L. DEPICTING THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THIS ONCE include those made out of aluminum, zinc, Miller, is generally regarded as INTERNATIONALLY FAMOUS LANDMARK IN NEW YORK CITY the definitive price guide. The and iron, which was how the pre-Weimar CALLED “GERMANTOWN”, FROM THE 17C THROUGH THE 60S. Republic government coped with inflation. best selling quarto-size art book about Hummel figurines was Marks became known as Reichsmarks in RECEPITON FOLLOWS. NO PHOTOGRAPHY 1924, and in the 1930s, German coins authored by author Eric reflected the ascendancy of the Nazi state. Ehrmann, who conducted exten- PERMITTED! After the war, West Germany sive interviews with members of $10.00 DONATION TO BENEFIT THE PARADE COMMITTEE the family of Maria Innocentia adopted the Deutschmark as the foundation RSVP A MUST AS SPACE IS LIMITED. [email protected] of its monetary system. The German Hummel and visited her ancestral Democratic Republic, or East German home in Massing, Bavaria. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 THE STEUBEN NEWS Page 5

Chairman’s Message: The purpose of the Steuben Society of America is to educate the public about matters of interest to Dear Steuben Brothers and Sisters, and dear Steuben American citizens of German descent and their families, to encourage their participation in civic Friends: affairs and to perpetuate and enhance the understanding of the contributions made by such As we enter September/October we are ready to report that citizens to the development of the United States State and National Council of our Society have again co-spon- sored the lead float for the NY Steuben Parade. The Steuben News As always, the float depicts General von Steuben and VOL. 88 NO. 6 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2105 EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING OFFICES: General George Washington in Valley Forge, PA, where One South Ocean Avenue, Suite 217, Patchogue, NY 11772 PHONE: 631-730-5111 EDITOR & ART DIRECTOR: Christine Lynn Harvey Steuben's American history began. Brother Larry Rugen and STEUBEN NEWS COMMITTEE: Ilse Hoffmann, Peter Hoffmann, Marilyn Harvey, Elyse Land, Robert Land E.O., Barbara DeOliveira Brother Pete Stubben will portray the Generals this year. We STEUBEN NEWS CONTRIBUTORS: Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann, Siegfried Bette, George L. Glotzbach, will not march as one Unit for the first time but encourage all Richie Odorfer, Mary Helen Jones, Charlotte & Hans Arndt, Dr. Ann Marie Fuhrig Subscriptions are $25 per year and are fulfilled by third class mail. The Steuben News is the official publication of The Steuben of you to attend as many of the German-American Friendship Week events as you Society of America. The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Steuben News or the Steuben Society of can. See the calendar of events for NY and Philadelphia at http://germanpa- America.We reserve the right to refuse, edit or excerpt submissions; we do not guarantee the return of manuscripts or photos unless provided a SASE. radenyc.org/ and http://phila.steubenparade.com/ Parade dates are Sept 19th (NY) and October 4th (PA). If at all possible, visit the church services before the parades. Attention Steuben News Readers On Saturday, September 19th at noon the NY parade will step off on Fifth & Unit Members: Avenue. If you have not obtained grandstand tickets, you may wish to view from Please be advised that our office can be reached by emailing: under shady trees on Fifth Avenue, or sit on the stairs at the Metropolitan Museum [email protected] near the end of the parade. Tickets for the Oktoberfest are no longer available. Many Or mail us at: beer gardens in Manhattan and hospitable church congregations will be happy to sup- Steuben Society of America ply libations for a nominal fee. 1 S Ocean Avenue, Patchogue, NY 11772 As all celebrations lead right into German Unity Day (October 3rd) and Tel 631-730-5111 German American Day (October 6th), I trust our Units have their local observances in place. Please report back to the Steuben News. Units, please remember also to at the Intercollegiate Orienteering World After presenting the award, appoint your nominating committees at your October meeting, and follow the elec- Championships in 2014. Cadet O’Keefe Hans Arndt reminded the assembled tion process through to the December to the elections. Please let us know if you combined his passion for military histo- graduates and families of the signifi- would like us to install the officers in January. Also look for a mailing of the ry and German with his senior thesis, cance of von Steuben’s contribution to Constitution and Statutes in the next month. “Indispensable Allies: The Romanian the Revolutionary War. Without his We would like each Unit to submit proposed changes to be discussed in Army in the Conquest of the Crimea, training of Washington’s army at Valley Committee and voted on in 2016 in a one-day-conference. We have not yet commit- 1941-1942,” which explores Axis coali- Forge, the war might well have been ted to a date for the Founders' Day celebration. Shall we go to August instead of tion warfare in the Second World War. lost, and this country would have May? Please get a consensus and let us know now! I can always be reached by e-mail. James O’Keefe accepted a commission remained a British colony indefinitely. We wish you all an autumn season with good health and happiness as a Second Lieutenant this May and We would have continued to Fraternally yours, looks forward to serving as an Armor send our taxes to London, and singing Bob Land officer with the 173rd Airborne Brigade the British national anthem on holidays. in Grafenwoehr, Germany. On the Fourth of July, we not only cele- ***************************** brate the independence of this country WEST POINT STEUBEN AWARD WINNER WEST POINT AWARD REPORT but also von Steuben’s contribution Dear Steuben Society of America, by Hands Arndt which made it possible. Thank you kindly for the von Steuben award I At the West Point Military received in May! It is quite flattering to receive Academy, the Foreign Language recognition from a society such as yours. I cer- Department held its Award Ceremony SISTER MARIA: tainly did not expect such accolades when I began on May 21, 2015. At this ceremony, Hummel Artist learning German nine years ago almost on a awards were presented to outstanding Cont’d from page 4 whim. graduates who majored in foreign lan- strongly devout family, living above her My interest in German started as a parallel ven- guages. Among the recipients were not father's dry goods store. As a child, ture to my interest in history. Germany is a large only German majors, but also graduates Berta showed creative talent, and devel- part of Europe’s history and the second most pub- with majors in Arabic, Chinese, French, oped a reputation in the village as the lished language in the world, so I felt learning Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. It is local artist. She was a cheerful, active German as a second language would be most encouraging that the Academy is girl, who loved the outdoors and winter advantageous. upgrading the language capabilities of sports. Her father encouraged her artis- And advantageous it was, as I learned while its graduates for the many theatres in tic talents and, at age 12, enrolled her in writing my senior thesis and other works. My which they may be asked to serve. a boarding school of the Sisters of proficiency in German allowed me to incorporate primary source documents and The Steuben Award consists of Loreto in Simbach am Inn, about 30 literature that remained mostly inaccessible to my peers. a 3 ft. ornamental sword, manufactured kilometres away. Hummel continued to But I ended up getting a lot more than just another skill as a historian in Toledo, Spain, mounted in a wooden grow in her abilities, and after gradua- for I found the German language, country, and people to be intensely fascinat- carrying case. It was presented by Hans tion in 1927 she enrolled in the presti- ing themselves. I do not have much German heritage personally. O’Keefe does- Arndt of the Muehlenberg Unit to Cadet, gious Academy of Applied Arts in n’t sound very German, does it? However, our society as a whole has certainly now Second Lieutenant, James Munich, where her talent and skills inherited a rich cultural heritage from the Germans. So much that we can often O’Keefe. Lt. O’Keefe is a superbly tal- developed take it for granted. In that sense, your organization has a very important mission ented and diversified graduate who Hummel was a devout Catholic indeed. My first duty post will be in Northern Bavaria, so I look forward to con- majored in German as well as history, and instead of the standard student tinuing my study of the all things German, particularly the professionalization and richly deserves the award. housing, she chose to live in a Catholic of German armies during the early modern period (roughly 1600-1750). Thank James O’Keefe graduated from residence run by religious sisters. While you once again for the award. High School in Phoenix, Arizona, and living there, she made friends with two Sincerely, thereafter entered the US Military members of the Congregation of the James O’Keefe Academy for four years of military and Franciscan Sisters of Siessen (Sießen) in academic training. His deep interest in Bad Saulgau who were also studying at JAMES O’KEEFE BIO German as well as history led him to the Academy. The religious congrega- James O’Keefe graduated from North Canyon High School, Phoenix, in attend the Helmut Schmidt University in tion focuses on teaching, and gives great 2011, whereupon he was accepted into the United States Military Academy at Hamburg for a trimester, as well as the emphasis to the role of art in education. West Point. There he became heavily involved in the German and Military Offizierschule des Heeres in Dresden. After Berta graduated in 1931 History departments. In 2013, he attended the Helmut-Schmidt University in Added to this were a variety of training with top honors, she chose to follow a Hamburg for a trimester and completed an internship at the Offizierschule des exercises and a senior thesis on WWI. religious calling that she had felt for Heeres in Dresden and an internship with Fallschirmjaeger-Bataillon 261 in Lt. O.Keefe has been assigned to the some time and applied to enter that con- Lebach. 173rd Airborne Brigade as Armor gregation, and was admitted in April That same year, he also took part in a staff ride to Normandy, which Officer in Grafenwoehr, Germany. We 1931 as a postulant. Berta made one studied the 1944 beach landings and ensuing campaign. Additionally, Cadet congratulate him on his graduation, and final visit to her family home in late O’Keefe competed as a member of the UMSA Orienteering Club during all four his commitment to the defense of this Contʼd next page years of his cadet training, representing the United States as part of the US team country. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 THE STEUBEN NEWS Page 6 The Life of Sister Maria: gave rise to the most personal work of three monarchs, who had watched the Hummel Artist her convent years: The Stations of the progress of the battle, they knelt on the Cross, a series of work deeply expres- open field and returned thanks to God. Contʼd from page 5 sive of her artistic individuality. Napoleon was then forced into a May, spending two weeks with them. On Hummel was diagnosed with full retreat back to France. Each day he 22 August, she was admitted as a novice tuberculosis in 1944 and was sent twice lost another German ally. By the next and received the religious habit of the to a sanatarium in Isny im Allgäu. She month, Germany as far as the Rhine had congregation and the religious name of returned to the convent after five been liberated from France. The Sister Maria Innocentia. months, just before the region was lib- Confederation of the Rhine was dis- Life in the convent and as an artist erated by the Free French Forces. She solved, and those princes who had After completing her novitiate did not recover, and died on 6 sinned the most heavily against year, Hummel was assigned to teach art November 1946, aged 37. She was Germany were imprisoned. in a nearby school run by the convent. buried in the convent cemetery. After three more months of Though her days were busy teaching, Goebel, his team of artists, and fighting, Paris fell to the coalition Hummel spent her spare time painting a board of Sisters from the convent car- forces. Emperor Franz of Austria was pictures of children. The Sisters were ried on her legacy through the fig- the last sovereign to enter the French impressed with her art and sent copies to urines, all of which were based on her capitol, out of respect for his daughter. Emil Fink Verlag, a publishing house in artwork. Goebel Germany discontinued Napoleon was deposed by the Stuttgart which specialized in religious the figures in October 2008. coalition, but granted the art, to which Hummel reluctantly Sister Innocentia's sister, Centa Mediterranean island of Elba to rule as agreed. The company decided to release Hummel, established the Berta an autonomous state with a lavish pen- copies of the works in postcard form, Hummel figurines have become a Hummel Museum in the family home sion and servants. The French despot, which were popular in the early 20th much loved collectible around the in Massing. Centa died September however, at age 45, could never be con- century. In 1934, it also published a col- world. ABOVE: Life-size reproduction 2011, just before her 100th birthday, tented living such a life. He escaped of a Hummel figurine, "Merry lection of her drawings, titled Das and the management of the museum from Elba on March 1, 1815. Hummel-Buch, with poetic text by Wanderer," at the entrance of the Goebel company in Rödental, passed to her son. Nineteen days later he was in Margarete Seemann. Germany. One of the children depicted in Paris, and overthrew King Louis XVIII, Soon afterward, Franz Goebel, her work, Sieglinde Schoen, estab- who had been placed on the throne by the owner of a porcelain company, was There is no place in the ranks of German artists for the likes of her. lished The Hummel Museum in New the war victors. Napoleon immediately looking for a new line of artwork, and Braunfels, Texas, in the United States, raised a 100,000 man army, as the happened to see some of these postcards No, the 'beloved Fatherland' cannot remain calm when Germany's youth which displayed about 280 of French once again rallied around their in a shop in Munich. Hummel agreed, Hummel's original pieces. These pieces beloved emperor. When the coalition mostly for its saving the employment of are portrayed as brainless sissies. Significantly, had been stored in Switzerland by a began massing armies along the French many workers, and the convent granted private collector during the War. The frontier, Napoleon went on the offen- him sole rights to make figurines based Hummel also drew sketches that con- tained the Star of David, a dangerous museum discontinued as a venue of sive. on her art. Interest in the figurines Hummel's work in 2001. On June 18, 1815, he engaged increased after they were displayed in theme in those times. She portrayed angels in gowns covered with slightly From wikipedia.com the British at Waterloo, a town near 1935 at the Leipzig Trade Fair, a major Brussels. The Duke of Wellington was international trade show. A decade later, skewed six-pointed stars. She also designed a series of Old and New The Soul of Germany his adversary in this savage battle, the figurines would gain popularity in which Napoleon fought brilliantly. Just the United States when returning Testament symbols for the convent Chapter XII chapel in 1938-39. She symbolized the when victory was in sight for the American soldiers brought them home. (Continued) French, Field Marshal Bluecher arrived In 1937, two events in juncture of the two Testaments by designing a cross with a menorah The Iron Cross at the head of a 45,000 Prussian army Hummel's life were to mark her future. saving Wellington. The Prussians On 30 August, she made her final pro- before it. By Richie Odorfer Wartime Suffering and Death The Prussian king had com- crushed the French army at Waterloo; it fession as a permanent member of the was Napoleon’s last battle. Bluecher Congregation. Also, she had released a When World War II broke out, missioned a special medal for bravery the Sisters were not spared persecu- in the 1813 war against Napoleon. It was awarded a special Iron Cross for painting titled "The Volunteers," which his historic victory. drew the enduring hatred of Adolf tion. In 1940, the Nazi government was commemorated to his departed closed all religious schools, including wife, the brave and beloved Queen Napoleon surrendered to the Hitler, who attacked the art, denouncing British, who exiled him to a remote the depiction of German children with those of Siessen. Later that year, it Luise, and was called the Iron Cross. seized the convent itself, forcing most General Bluecher was its first recipi- island in the south Atlantic called St. “hydrocephalic heads.” Although the Helena, where he was poisoned in Nazi authorities allowed Hummel to of the community to leave. Out of a ent, winning the award at the 1813 community of some 250 Sisters, the Battle of Katzbach. Queen Luise’s Iron 1821. His wife, Maria-Louise left him work, they banned the distribution of her to govern the duchy of Parma. art in Germany. One Nazi magazine, the remaining 40 Sisters who were Cross would one day become the allowed to remain were confined to world’s most famous military decora- Napoleon II died in Vienna of tubercu- SA Man (issue of 23 March 1937), wrote losis at age 21. of her work: one small section of the convent, liv- tion. ing there without heat and without any Both sides agreed to an It was at this time that Prussia’s Self-Portrait of Hummel 1929. Sister means to support themselves. armistice in June 1813, and during the brilliant military strategists had brought Maria was hated by the Nazis for her por- Hummel returned to her fami- lull, Austria tried to mediate with the German army back to its roots, trayal of innocent and peaceful children replacing mercenaries as the main fight- which juxtaposed against the chest- ly at this time, but within three months Napoleon, but the French emperor hes- thumping war cries of the Nazi Youth so missed community life that she itated too long in deciding whether to ing force with the ancient Reich’s asked to be allowed to return. The accept the coalition’s peace offer. “those of the one-hundred band.” Since Superior, Mother Hummel was given a Austria reacted by declaring war on the 16th century Peasant’s Revolt, small cell which served as both as her August 12, 1813. Prince von German princes had not fully trusted sleeping quarters and her studio. The Schwarzenberg of Austria took com- their own subjects to go into battle with Nazis took half of the money generat- mand over all the allied armies, num- them, hiring mercenaries instead. But ed by her work, but the remaining bering 500,000 men. The war was that all changed around 1808, and funds were the main source of income decided at the Battle of Leipzig, on thereafter, a complete army corps of the Sisters there. October 19, 1813. Furious combat last- (infantry, cavalry, and artillery) would Nevertheless, food was scarce ed for several days, resulting in a total again be recruited from and stationed in and the cold was intense. Mother of 80,000 dead, mostly French. Germany’s cities and villages. Augustine later wrote of that period, Napoleon’s troops had been Meanwhile, all across Germany "What we suffered was indescribable". greatly outnumbered: 320,000 to following news of Napoleon’s defeat The conflict caused by these circum- 185,000 - his army was torn to threads. and their deliverance from French stances affected Hummel's constitu- On the certainty of victory being servitude, the German people celebrat- tion. Her suffering during this period announced by Schwarzenberg to the Contʼd Next page SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 THE STEUBEN NEWS Page 7 Contʼd from previous page holdings in Italy. their membership only those coming by all the citizens possessed more power Prussia was awarded parts of from the same state or province. This than the sovereign. ed by lighting up thousands of hilltops Saxony and the Rhineland. However, changed in the years of the The most significant celebration and heights with bonfires. When King Germany as a whole, was treated Napoleonic wars when German uni- ever held to demand German unity and Friedrich Wilhelm III returned home shamefully in Vienna, instead of being versity students founded a society freedom was the 1832 Hambach Castle from the war, he rode triumphantly justly rewarded for the torrents of called the Burschenshaft: its purpose Festival. About 30,000 people attended – through the Brandenburg Gate, then on blood she had spilled fighting French to work for an ideal common father- an extraordinarily high number for that to an outdoor altar “around which the militarism for more than twenty years.” land – glowing patriotism was the period. They carried Black-Red-Gold clergy belonging to every sect were England and the characteristic of the new organiza- flags with the inscription: “Germany’s assembled. It was here public thanks Germanophobes at the congress tion. Rebirth.” The colors of the ancient Reich was given God, and the whole of the cit- ensured that Germany remained a pow- “On October 18, 1817, sever- held a new significance for modern izens present fell on their knees.” erless alliance. It refused to allow the al hundred representatives from six- German patriots. Besides honoring the re-establishment of a German emperor, teen university Burschenshaft chap- Reich’s first three united tribes: Saxony, The 1815 Continental Congress thus thwarting unity and a strong cen- ters met at the Wartburg Castle for a Franconia and Swabia Europe’s monarchs, statesmen tral government. It ruled that Holland, patriotic celebration. The date chosen (modernWuerttemberg), in the 1830s, and field marshals met in Vienna after Switzerland and Luxemburg shall no solemnized the Battle of Leipzig and the tricolor also meant: black = the end the fall of Napoleon. The purpose of the longer be regarded as a part of Luther’s posting of his Theses. Their of foreign domination; red = to honor the congress was to restore order to a Germany, moreover, the foreigners festival was religious as well as patri- blood spilled by German heroes; gold = Europe that had been torn apart by the denied German pleas that France hand otic. signifying the sunlight of liberty and shameless vanity and aggression of back the German provinces of Alsace They partook of the Lord’s freedom. The attendees heard more than France. The Coalition had kindly and Lorraine, which had been illegally Supper together and listened to twenty speeches, all calling for a union allowed France representation at the annexed before 1790. impassioned speeches commemorat- of free German states, and a republican assembly, and she sent her foreign min- What kind of nation finally ing great moments in German history. European Confederation. Their sover- ister, Tallyrand, the most brilliant emerged for Germans was called the In the evening they built a bonfire eigns were denounced as traitors of the among politicians of that time. By clev- German Confederation, made up of 39 and threw into it various symbols of people and the whole human race. It erly stirring up discord among the vic- sovereign states, and charged to hold hated reaction and an illiberal pam- ended when the authorities arrested all tors, Tallyrand won a generous peace its diet in Frankfurt/Main, with Austria phlet of which the King of Prussia the speakers and many of the demonsta- treaty for Paris. honored to chair the assembly – which had expressed his approval. They tors. Besides having to pay a war was the limit of her power, for no then dispersed, but their deed lived The German Confederation then indemnity, the French had only to sur- German state possessed a leadership after them.” banned the tricolor flag for public dis- render lands she had stolen after the role. Its constitution was heavily influ- Austria’s chief minister, play throughout the Reich. year 1790. The Poles were not so fortu- enced by the foreigners, who arrogant- Klemens Metternich, used this harm- In 1834, Prussia moved closer nate. They paid dearly for allying with ly forbade the Germans to otherwise less behavior of the students, and sev- into becoming the leader of the smaller Napoleon, and had to mourn a Polish model or change the constitution them- eral isolated criminal acts committed German states when she organized the state once again being wiped off the selves at a later date. Field Marshal by radicals shortly after the festival Zollverein, a German customs union or map. The Duchy off Warsaw was dis- Bluecher, the hero of Waterloo “grimly ,to dissuade the other German states free trade zone, that removed unneces- solved, thus sanctioning the three 18th compared this congress to the annual from implementing democratic sary restrictions between the Germanies. century partitions of Poland. cattle fair….No disgrace was spared reforms. Fearing a threat to the Austria was excluded because of its The Continental Congress the people of Germany.” monarchy, Metternich and Emperor multi-national empire. returned the Papal States to the pope; Charlemagne’s Franconia, that had Franz II had made Austria into a Germany’s last Holy Roman gave Norway to Sweden and Finland to been eliminated as a state during the police state since 1815, by instituting Emperor, Franz II died in 1835 at age 67. Russia. England acquired several valu- Napoleonic Era, and her counties allot- a strict censorship, sealing the bor- His son, Ferdinand, age 47, inherited the able colonial possessions formerly ted to Bavaria and Wuerttemberg, ders and placing the universities Austrian throne, but he was feeble-mind- owned by Holland; and the Austrian sadly, was not reinstated. under a close watch. ed. Chancellor Metternich then took full Habsburgs regained their old dynastic The victory over Napoleon had Metternich’s plan was to control of the government, and dominat- impose Austria’s autocreatic princi- ed European history to such an extent Austrian Emperor Franz II clearly demonstrated how important German unity ples on the rest of Germany, which between 1815 to 1848 that period is could be, so, when the sol- was done. Henceforth, through the called the “Age of Metternich.” Five diers returned home from 1820s and 1830s, up until 1848, most years later Friedrich Wilhelm III died, the wars, they were filled Germans were forced to endure a sup- and was succeeded by the oldest son of pression of their human rights, and with enthusiasm over the Contʼd next page prospect for a united father- the reforms men such as Stein had land. won for the German people were cur- Field Marshal Bluecher However, in the years fol- tailed. lowing 1815, little progress Silencing the universirty stu- was made in the direction of dents and their professors in addition unification and democracy to the censorship and spies, however, that had been promised by did not muffle Germany’s outcry for the German princes once liberty. Political reformers were rife France was defeated. within the ranks of the military, the Disappointed over the hal- professions, and the nobility. The low promises, and the German intelligentsia then continued restrictions of the Congress the fight for unity and justice by of Vienna, the Germans forming civic associations which lamented in a song popular secretly published newsletters then: “Oh God of Justice, for encouraging their cause. what good have we poured These groups became the forth such streams of building blocks of the future German blood.” political parties. Those on the right were satisfied with the absolute The Burschenshaft monarchy; moderates believed a sov- Societies were noth- ereign must share power with an ing new in German universi- elected parliament; left wingers were ties, however these Corps, radical democrats who detested the prior to 18th century French monarchy, but would recognize a aggressions had included in king as long as a parliament elected Page 8 THE STEUBEN NEWS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 Soul of Germany up across Germany. In Vienna, the Berlin didn’t implement immedi- calendar of events students took to the streets immedi- ate reforms in Prussia’s Please email your calendar items to: Contʼd from previous page [email protected] 1-2 months prior to your event. ately, demanding an end to Rhineland, that the Rhineland his marriage to the beloved Metternich’s harsh rule. could not be preserved for the 9/9 6:00 pm German-American Parade Committee History of Queen Louise. Friedrich Wilhelm It didn’t take long for work- crown. On the next day, March the Lost Era of Yorkville/Kleindeutshland, Kolpinghaus, IV was descibed as a romanticist 165 E. 88th Street, NYC, [email protected] men and then even ladies to join the 18, 1848, the Berlin city fathers harboring vague medieval students marching to the national implored the king to stop the 9/20 2:00 pm Br. Hans Arndt, Chairman of the Peter schemes, but the famous poet hall where the Austrian Diet was sit- bloodshed, pleading that he dis- Muehlenberg Unit 398, will present von Steuben History at Goethe said of him, “That so the invitation of Barbara La Mort, President, Union ting. “Down with Metternich” they miss his reactionary ministers great a talent must awaken new Township Historical Society; Caldwell Chapel, 909 chanted as they surged through the and remove the militia from the talent in others.” Caldwell Avenue, Union, NJ 0708; For info, please call Br hall. city. Arm the citizens, the king Arndt 973-366-3342 Revolutions of 1848 Barricades were quickly was told, and they will bring Large numbers of angry 9/14 Miss German-America Guest Bartenders at Hofbrau erected in the streets as hand to hand peace to Berlin. unemployed men roamed about Bierhaus, NYC www.germanparadenyc.org fighting broke out between soldiers The confused king the overcrowded European cities and citizens. When the army lost wished to grant concessions, but 9/19 Noon German-American Steuben Parade, 5th Ave 68th- in 1848, creating a powder keg. 86th Street, NYC control, and began firing into the was persuaded by his intolerant Miracles of modern medicine, crowd, reports of the shooting advisors to act otherwise, having 10/1 7:00 pm German Genealogy Group Meeting VFW Hall better sanitation practices and a spread throughout Vienna. The peo- convinced him that the rioters Rte 107 HIcksville www.germangenealogygroup.com long period of peace since 1815 ple were further outraged upon hear- were only the dregs of the popu- combined to produce a serious ing that heavily armed cavalry units lation. Actually, the people’s bar- European population explosion. brutally trampled the demonstrators. ricades were manned by the armed the Berlin citizenry, saying to them ‘I place Fueling the unemploy- As a result, revolution broke out noblest men of every rank, and peace, order and myself under the protection of my ment problem was the Industrial accompanied by cries of: even ladies fought like heroines people,” and having said those words, he received Revolution. Smart machines had “Citizens to the arsenal.” in the battle for freedom. Berlin’s boundless applause and a kind welcome as he min- been invented that performed Then amid the ringing of bells from streets swam in blood. gled with his subjects. tasks formerly done by hand, thus the steeples of Vienna’s great cathe- After the militia won a As his father had done four decades earlier, replacing millions of factory drals, signaling a time of distress, barricade, its soldiers would run the king replaced Prussia’s ministry with liberal men workers. The rich got richer, the huge numbers of protestors angrily into the buildings and cut down who were popular with the people. Then in a historic poor got poorer. When it was stormed government buildings. all those who had weapons in document, he summoned the framing of a constitution thought things couldn’t get Metternich quickly resigned, and their hands. But following a week for the realm, guarenteeing the political and civil lib- worse, several crop failures fled in disguise to exile in England. of fighting their own country- erties that had been demanded for years. He also occurred from Ireland to Russia. The dim-witted emperor, Ferdinand, men, a minister reporting of the promised to lead in the attempt to achieve unity for A great famine struck the conti- abdicated in favor of his nephew, emotionally exhausted army the Germanies. nent, causing hunger riots to flare Franz Josef, age 18. came before the king to declare On March 22, 1848 in Berlin, a great funer- up in the cities. When word of Metternich’s with pale terror, “The people are al was held for the hundreds who had fallen during the In February 1848, the fall reached Berlin, rejoicing crowds victorious; we are beaten.” revolution. Nearly 20,000 mourners marched behind French revolted again against filled the city squares. Democrats Friedrich Wilhelm IV a long trail of coffins, and tens of thousands lined the their monarchy, forcing King took advantage of this joyous occa- immediately made peace with his streets right and left to mourn with those marching. Louis Philippe to abdicate. Upon sion by organizing freedom rallies, people, ordering the army out of Bells tolled from the towers of all the churches in the news of the rebellion in France, which caused consternation among Berlin. While the king watched city – Berlin had never seen such a sight. freedom demonstrations popped the authorities. his troops withdraw into the Alexander von Humboldt, one of the greatest Alexander von Humboldt Berlin’s militia was neighboring villages from a bal- scientists of world led the procession. The German mobilized to disperse cony of the palace, “a long train imperial standard was carried in front, and behind it the crowds, and at one of men appeared bearing, with were bands of music marching between divisions of of the locations, the funeral songs, the bodies of the the clergy, university professors in their official dress, troops moved the citi- slain, partly on biers or open students, tradesmen, women and girls. zens with drawn wagons. At an altar on the heights of Friedrichshain swords. Berliners had The brows of the dead Cemetery, Bishop Neander blessed the coffins. In his grown to hate the arro- had been decked by female hands eulogy, the bishop lauded the sacrifices of the heroes gance of the militia with flowers, green wreaths and with the words: “That the fallen had conquered by units as it was, but chaplets of laurels. The wounds sealing with their blood what their fathers had begun being threatened with were displayed.” Two hundred in 1813.” weapons became too people had been killed during the After such examples of courage, the diet much to tolerate. revolt. Then in solemn silence, meeting in Frankfurt the next month recognized the Violence quickly one corpse after the other was Black-Red-Gold colors as the flag of all Germany. erupted between the lifted up so the king could see the Soul of Germany Contʼd next issue two sides, and from gaping wounds. Standing next to that disturbance, the Friedrich Wilhelm on the balcony Berlin Revolution was the queen holding his arm commenced, and and in deep mourning. Voices GERMAN GENEALOGY COLUMN spread to the Rhine. cried aloud identifying the bod- WILL RESUME NEXT MONTH After four days of ies: bloody street fighting, “Fifteen years old, shot the Mayor of Cologne down by my side, my only In anticipation of our Centennial Anniversary Celebration, we have established the Centennial Club warned the Prussian son!...A father of a family with inviting donations of $100. Donors will be acknowl- king in person that if five young children!...A widow, edged in Steuben News. mother of seven orphans!… Please make check payable to Steuben Society of At the cry “Hat Off!” the America (Note: “Centennial Club”) and mail to: One FOR INFO ON BECOMING A MEMBER: Steuben Society of king bared his head before the South Ocean Ave. Suite 217, Patchogue, NY 11772 America, One South Ocean Avenue, Suite 217, Patchogue, dead, and at this moment thou- sands began to sing a hymn com- Your Name:______NY 11772 email: [email protected] or call posed by the wife of the Great Address:______631-730-5111 Elector, “Jesus my Trust.” On that same day, the Prussian king Village:______State_____Zip:______All donations are tax deductible