Compares three compatriots' accounts of 19th-century Baltimore to provide insight for more objective evaluation of critiques of America. One of three well-known German writers who came to America in the 19th century was Prince Bernhard of Weimar, a practical and unusually well-trained observer who eloquently expressed his liking for America. Another German writer, physician Robert Wesselhoeft, writing under the pseudonym "Kahldorf," was an impressionist in his reactions, while poet Nikolaus Lenau recorded entirely different responses. Failing to make associative connections between his homeland and America, Lenau was in turn bewildered, frightened, and hostile - resorting to the standard derogatory clichés of Europeans. The careful, realistic observer proves most reliable; the associationist has most difficulty in adjusting; and the genuine, rare impressionist quickly enjoys new experiences perceptively. Undocumented, illus.