GERMANY DESCRIBED BY GREAT WRITERS LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO FROM AMONG THE BOOKS OF T. W. K.OEN1G GERMANY BOOKS BY MISS SINGLETON TURRETS, TOWERS, AND TEMPLES. Great Buildings of the World Described by Great Writers. GREAT PICTURES. Described by Great Writers. WONDERS OF NATURE. Described by Great Writers. ROMANTIC CASTLES AND PALACES. Described by Great Writers. FAMOUS PAINTINGS. Described by Great Writers. HISTORIC BUILDINGS. Described by Great Writers. FAMOUS WOMEN. Described by Great Writers. GREAT PORTRAITS. Described by Great Writers. HISTORIC BUILDINGS OF AMERICA. Described by Great Writers. HOLLAND. Described by Great Writers. PARIS. Described by Great Writers. LONDON. Described by Great Writers. RUSSIA. Described by Great Writers. JAPAN. Described by Great Writers. VENICE. Described by Great Writers. ROME. Described by Great Writers. A GUIDE TO THE OPERA. LOVE IN LITERATURE AND ART, THE GOLDEN ROD FAIRY BOOK. THE WILD FLOWER FAIRY BOOK. GERMANY. GERMANY As Described by Great Writers Collected and Edited by ESTHER SINGLETON WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS 1 1 I 'I I' 1 1 I M 1 11 II II II II II I I I ! 'I 1 till II' I Copyright, 7907, BY DODD, MEAD & COMPANY Published September, 1907 PREFACE THIS book is planned on the same lines as my former ones in this series Holland, Japan and Russia and with the same aim in view, that of giving the tourist and general reader a comprehensive glimpse of an important country. The task of selection has not been an easy one, for Ger- many is so rich in picturesque cities, fine architecture, well stocked museums and art-galleries, beautiful scenery, and legendary rivers, lakes, forests and mountains, that it is difficult to omit places that command admiration. The limitations of a small book, however, admit only of a bird's-eye view of so large and great a country as Ger- many ; and in my selections I have had to keep to general and avoid special descriptions, as a rule. A brief glance at the topography of the country and a historical review of its people is, therefore, followed by descriptions of the four kingdoms and their capitals. A few other cities are added, together with Heligoland, the Rhine, and the famous Harz, Black and Thuringian forests. The next groups of essays deal with social life ; and brief surveys of painting, music, politics, and the development of modern industrial Germany close what might be termed a rapid run through this most interesting country. E. S. New York) September, 1907. CONTENTS PART I The Country and Race THE COUNTRY i FlNDLAY MuiRHEAD. THE RACE . . . . . . . . 13 JAMES SIME. PART II Descriptions PRUSSIA ......... 29 FINDLAY MUIRHEAD. THE KAISER'S CAPITAL . . . . . . -35 G. W. STEEVENS. FRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN ...... 41 S. G. GREEN. COLOGNE ......... 46 R. A. HOZIER. HELIGOLAND ........ 55 G. W. STEEVENS. MECKLENBURG . . . . . . . .61 MAURICE TODHUNTER. HAMBURG ......... 66 ARTHUR SHADWELL MARTIN. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS ....... 70 HENRY BLACKBURN. CONTENTS THE ILSENSTEIN ........ 84 HEINRICH HEINE. SAXONY 9 FINDLAY MUIRHEAD. DRESDEN ......... 96 ARTHUR SHADWELL MARTIN. THURINGIA ........ 99 FLORENCE ELYE NORRIS. BAVARIA "o GERTRUDE NORMAN. MUNICH "7 GERTRUDE NORMAN. NUREMBERG 123 GERTRUDE NORMAN. OBERAMMERGAU . . . . *33 GERTRUDE NORMAN. AUGSBURG . . . . 1 3% GERTRUDE NORMAN. REGENSBURG . . J 43 GERTRUDE NORMAN. ROTHENBURG AND OTHER BAVARIAN TOWNS . . . 147 GERTRUDE NORMAN. BAYREUTH . . . . . I 5 l GERTRUDE NORMAN. WURTEMBERG . . . . *54 FINDLAY MUIRHEAD. STUTTGART . . . . . .160 DR. R. ELBEN. THE BLACK FOREST . . . .' . . .165 JOHN STOUGHTON. CONTENTS THE RHINE . . . . . . . . 179 VICTOR HUGO. THE BANKS OF THE RHINE . . . . . .186 F. WILLIAMSON. STRASBURG 194 VICTOR HUGO. PART III Manners and Customs IN THE KAISER'S COUNTRY . . . . . .201 G. W. STEEVENS. THE HIGHER NOBILITY ....... 206 S. BARING-GOULD. THE LOWER NOBILITY . . . . . . .219 S. BARING-GOULD. VILLAGE LIFE IN GERMANY ...... 228 A. F. SLACK. A GERMAN HOLIDAY ...... . 244 G. W. STEEVENS. ON THE GERMAN ARMY ...... 250 G. W. STEEVENS. AT THE KAISER MANOEUVRES ...... 256 G. W. STEEVENS. STUDENT LIFE ........ 263 A. H. BAYNES. How TO BE A GERMAN 277 G. W. STEEVENS. WHAT A GERMAN MAY NOT Do ..... 283 G. W. STEEVENS. CONTENTS PART IV Painting and Music PAINTING ......... 289 MRS. CHARLES HEATON. Music ......... 303 ESTHER SINGLETON. PART V Modern Germany GERMANY OF TO-DAY . . . . . . . 317 MRS. ALEC TWEEDIE. THE PROGRESS OF GERMANY SINCE THE FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 3 2 4 ARTHUR SHADWELL MARTIN. STATISTICS . . 332 E. S. ILLUSTRATIONS Frankfurt-on-the-Main ..... Frontispiece Bremen ....... Facing page 6 Hcrrcnhauser Alice, Hanover . . . .""13 Konigstein, The Taunus . . . " " 30 Sans Souci, Potsdam . . . . " " 34 Unter den Linden, Berlin . . . . " " 36 The Roemer Hall, Frankfurt-on-the-Main . " " 42 Cologne " " 46 Bird's-Eye View of Heligoland . . " " 56 Rugen " " 62 Hamburg " " 66 Brockenhaus, Harz . . . . " " 70 The Ilsenstein, Harz " " 84 Saxon Switzerland . . . . " " 90 Dresden " " 96 Eisenach and The Wartburg . . . . " " 100 Bodensee (Lake Constance) . . . " " no Marienplatz, Munich " " 118 The Castle, Nuremberg . . . " " 124 Augsburg . . ' " " 138 Regensburg . . . . . . " " 144 Rothenburg " " 148 Bayreuth " " 152 Wildbad " " 154 Royal Palace, Stuttgart " " 160 ILLUSTRATIONS Baden-Baden from Neue Schloss . . . Facing page 166 Brunnhilde's Bed, Feldberg . . . " " 174 Falls of the Rhine, Schaffhausen . . . " " 1 80 Heidelberg . . . . . . " " 184 Rolandseck and the Seven Mountains . . " 188 Lurlei Rock " " 192 Strasburg ......."" 194 Alexanderplatz and Konigstrasse, Berlin . " " 202 Oldenburg " " 206 The Castle, Heidelberg . . . " " 220 Schiller's House, Weimar . . . . " "228 Nordeney ......."" 244 Cavalry, German Army . . . " " 250 Infantry, German Army . . . . ** ** 256 University, Halle ......"" 264 Wurzburg tt a 2 y% Stettin tt m 283 Albrecht Durer's House, Nuremberg . " " 290 The Wartburg, Eisenach . . . " 304 The Reichstag, Berlin " " 318 Kiel 324 William II., Emperor of Germany . . " " 332 Augusta Victoria, Empress of Germany . . " "336 THE COUNTRY FINDLAT MUIRHEAD GERMANY presents two very distinct physical for- mations : i . A range of high table-land, occupy- ing the centre and southern parts of the country, interspersed with numerous ranges and groups of mountains, the most important of which are the Harz and Teuto- burgherwald in the north ; the Taunus and Thuringerwald in the middle ; and the Schwarzwald and Rauhe Alps in the south ; and containing an area, including Alsace and Lor- raine of 110,000 square miles. 2. A vast sandy plain, which extends from the centre of the Empire north to the German Ocean, and including Sleswig-Holstein, contains an area of about 98,000 square miles. This great plain stretching from the Russian frontier on the east to the Netherlands on the west, is varied by two terrace-like elevations. The one stretches from the Vistula into Meck- lenburg, at no great distance from the coast of the Baltic, and has a mean elevation of 500 to 600 feet, rising in one point near Danzig to 1,020 feet ; the other line of eleva- tions begins in Silesia and terminates in the moorlands of Luneburg, in Hanover, its course being marked by several summits from 500 to 800 feet in height. A large por- tion of the plain is occupied by sandy tracts interspersed with deposits of peat ; but other parts are moderately fertile, and admit of successful cultivation. In respect to drainage, the surface of Germany belongs to three different basins. The Danube, from its source in i 2 GERMANY the Schwarzwald to the borders of Austria belongs to Germany, and through this channel the waters of the greater part of Bavaria are poured into the Black Sea, thus opening up communication with the East. By far the greater part of the surface, however (about 185,000 square miles), has a northern slope, and belongs partly to the basin of the North Sea and partly to the basin of the Baltic. The chief German streams flowing into the North Sea are the Rhine, the Weser, and the Elbe ; into the Baltic, the Oder and the Vistula. Among the most important of the canals are the Lud- wig's canal in Bavaria, uniting the Danube with the Main ; the system connecting the Memel with the Pregel; that joining the Oder with the Elbe; the Plauen canal, con- necting the Elbe with the Havel ; the Eider canal, con- necting the Eider with Kiel; the Rhine-Rhone, and the Rhine-Marne, in Alsace-Lorraine ; the Baltic Sea, or Kaiser Wilhelm's canal, begun in 1887 and opened for traffic June 19, 1895; and several other canals in process of con- struction. There are numerous lakes in Germany, but few of them are of large size. In the low northern districts there are extensive swamps and marsh-lands. Numerous springs occur chiefly in Nassau, Wurtemburg, Baden, Bavaria, and Rhenish Prussia. Germany, from the Latin Germania is the English name of the country which the natives call Deutschland and the French L' Allemagne. The word is sometimes used to de- note the whole area of the European continent within which the Germanic race and language are dominant. In this broad sense, it includes, besides Germany proper, parts of Austria, Switzerland, and perhaps even of the Nether- lands j but in the present article the name is to be under- THE COUNTRY 3 stood as denoting the existing Germanic Empire, of which Prussia is the head. Germany is composed of an aggregation of different states (twenty-six in number) : Kingdom of Prussia ; King- dom of Bavaria; Kingdom of Wiirtemberg ; Kingdom of Saxony ; Grand-duchy of Baden ; Grand-duchy of Meck- lenberg-Schwerin ; Grand-duchy of Hesse ; Grand-duchy of Oldenburg ; Grand-duchy of Saxe- Weimar ; Grand- duchy of Mecklenberg-Strelitz ; Duchy of Brunswick ; Duchy of Saxe-Meiningen ; Duchy of Anhalt ; Duchy of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha ; Duchy of Saxe-Altenburg ; Princi- pality of Waldeck; Principality of Lippe-Detmold ; Principality of Schwartzburg-Rudolstadt ; Principality of Schwartzburg-Sondershausen ; Principality of Reuss-Schleiz; Principality of Schaumburg-Lippe ; Principality of Reuss- Greiz ; Free-town of Hamburg ; Free-town of Lubeck ; Free-town of Bremen ; and Reichsland of Alsace-Lorraine. Besides the above political divisions there are certain distinctive appellations applied to different parts of Ger- many, which have been derived either from the names and settlements of the ancient Germanic tribes, or from the circles and other great subdivisions of the old empire. Thus the name of " Swabia " is still applied in common parlance to the districts embracing the greater part of Wiirtemberg, southern Baden, south-western Bavaria, and Hohenzollern ; " Franconia " to the Maine districts of Bamberg, Schweinfurt, and Wurtzburg ; the " Palatinate," Rhenish Bavaria and the north of Baden ; " the Rhine- land," to portions of Baden, Rhenish Prussia, Bavaria, Hesse-Darmstadt, and Nassau ; " Voigtland," to the high ground between Hof and Plauen ; " Thuringia," to the districts lying between the upper Saale and the Werra, as 4 GERMANY Saxe- Weimar, etc., " Lusatia," to the eastern part of Saxony ; " East Friesland," to the country between the lower Weser and Ems ; and " Westphalia," to the district extending between lower Saxony, the Netherlands, Thurin- gia, and Hesse, to the German ocean. By far the greater part of the population of this country are of the race called, in English, Germans, in French, Allemands, but by the people themselves Deutsche. The term Deutsch, in Gothic thiudisk^ in O. H. Ger. diutisc (Latinized into tbeotiscus\ is derived from the Gothic sub- stantive tbiuda, people, and therefore meant originally the popular language, or in the mouth of the learned, the vulgar tongue. In the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries, it be- came elevated into the accepted designation both of this wide-spread tongue and of the race that speak it. The Germans admit of being divided into High and Low Ger- mans; the phraseology of the former is the cultivated language of all the German states ; that of the latter known as Platt-Deutschj is spoken in the north and north-west. The Poles are found exclusively in the east and north-east of Prussia; the Czechs, in Silesia, about Oppeln and Breslau ; the Wends, in Silesia, Brandenburg, and Prussian Lusatia; the Lithuanians and Courlanders, in east Prussia; the Danes, in Slesvig ; the Walloons, about Aix-la-Chapelle, in Rhenish Prussia; and the French, partly in the same region, and partly in the newly re-acquired provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. Although the Jews are scattered over every part of Germany, they are most numerous in the Prussian territories. Germany is rich in mineral products, among which the most important are silver, found in Saxony, Mansfeld and the Harz Mountains ; iron in various parts of the country ; THE COUNTRY 5 salt especially in Prussia, Bavaria, Wurtemberg and Lor- raine ; coal in Rhenish Prussia, Silesia, south-western Ger- many and Saxony. Cobalt, lead, arsenic, bismuth, nickel, zinc, manganese, tin, quicksilver, antimony, etc., are also found, and several of these minerals are important items in the list of German exports. The vegetable products com- prise a very large proportion of the European flora. All the ordinary cereals are extensively cultivated in the north, and largely exported, chiefly from Wurtemberg and Bavaria ; hemp and flax, madder, woad, and saffron, grow well in the central districts, where the vine, the cultivation of which extends, in suitable localities, as far north as 51, is brought to great perfection, the best wine-producing districts being the valleys of the Danube, Rhine, Main, Neckar, and Moselle, which are, moreover, generally noted for the excellence of their fruits and vegetables. Tobacco is grown, especially on the Upper Rhine, and the Neckar in Baden, the Baltic provinces and in middle Franconia. The hops of southern Germany and Posen have a high reputation. Bavaria is especially successful in the raising of this crop. The most extensive forests are found in Central Germany, and in some parts of Prussia, while the north-western parts of the great plain are deficient in wood, the place of which is in some degree supplied by the abundance of turf yielded by the marshy lands. In 1893 the area under forests was estimated at 25.8 per cent, of the entire coun- try. Germany has long been noted for the good breed of horses raised in the northern parts of the continent; while Saxony, Silesia, and Brandenburg have an equal reputation for their sheep-flocks, and the fine quality of the wool which they yield. The rich alluvial flats of Mecklenburg and Hanover are celebrated for their cattle ; the forests of 6 GERMANY Northern and Central Germany abound in swine, and in small game of various kinds; while the Bavarian Alps afford shelter to the larger animals, as the chamois, the red deer and wild goat, the fox, marten, and wolf j and in all the plains in the north, storks, wild-geese, and ducks are abundant. Among the fishes of Germany, the most gen- erally distributed are carp, salmon, trout, and eels, the rivers contain also cray-fish, pearl-bearing mussels, and leeches. The German fisheries are not especially im- portant so far as the numbers engaged in them are con- cerned. Cod and herring, however, are taken in the North Sea, and the Baltic fisheries are valuable. Germany stands next to Great Britain in regard to the care and success with which its agricultural, mining, and other natural capa- bilities have been cultivated. All the German states en- courage agriculture, and have endeavoured, by the establish- ment of agricultural colleges and exhibitions, to diffuse among the people a knowledge of recent scientific appli- ances. The countries which have become most conspicu- ous in this movement are Prussia, Bavaria, and Saxony. The preservation and cultivation of woods receive almost as much attention in Germany as agriculture, and like the latter, are elevated to the rank of a science. The larger woods and forests in most of the states belong to the gov- ernment, and are under the care of special boards of man- agement, which exercise the right of supervision and con- trol over all forest lands, whether public or private. The oldest and most important of the German industrial arts are the manufactures of linen and woollen goods. The chief localities for the cultivation and preparation of flax and the weaving of linen fabrics are the mountain-valleys of Silesia, Lusatia, Westphalia and the Harz, and Saxony THE COUNTRY 7 (for thread-laces); while cotton fabrics are principally made in Rhenish Prussia and Saxony. The same districts together with Pomerania and Bavaria, manufacture the choicest woollen fabrics, including damasks and carpets. Since the formation of the Empire, the textile industries have made remarkable progress, and the German manufac- tures now hold the home market, and export to South America, Australia, the East, and even to England. Every effort is made to advance the competing power of the Ger- man manufacturer in foreign markets. The manufacture of toys, wooden clocks, and wood-carvings, which may be regarded almost as a specialty of German industry, is car- ried on in the hilly districts of Saxony, in Bavaria, Wur- temberg and the Black Forest. Great progress has been made in the manufacture of machinery. The iron and steel manufactures of Germany are among the most im- portant in the world. The chief seats of these industries are in Prussia, Saxony, Bavaria, Alsace-Lorraine and Silesia. Silesia, Saxony and Prussia rank first in the pro- duction of glass, china and earthenware. The manufacture of paper, chemicals and leather are all important industries. In silver, gold and jewelry-work, Augsburg and Nuremberg dispute with Munich and Berlin the title to pre-eminence, and the manufacture of scientific and musical instruments is especially important in these cities ; while Leipzig and Munich are among the leading cities of Europe in respect to type-foundries, printing and lithography. Education is more generally diffused in Germany than in any other country of Europe, and is cultivated with an earnest and systematic devotion not met with to an equal extent among other nations. There are twenty-one uni- versities : Berlin, Breslau, Halle, Bonn, Greifswald, 8 GERMANY Munster, Munich, Wiirtzburg, Erlangen, Leipzig, Tubin- gen, Gottingen, Heidelberg, Freiburg, Marburg, Giessen, Jena, Rostock, Kiel, Konigsberg and Strasburg. The at- tendance of children at school for at least four or five years is made compulsory in nearly all of the German states, and hence the proportion of persons who cannot read and write is exceedingly small in Germany. There are numerous public libraries, museums, botanical gardens, art-collections, picture-galleries, schools of music and design ; and academies of arts and sciences, are to be met with in most of the capitals and in many of the coun- try towns. In no country is the book and publishing trade more universally patronized than in Germany. Numerous papers and journals are circulated throughout the empire ; of the current newspapers, a comparatively small number only exert any marked influence, but many of the German scientific and literary periodicals enjoy a world-wide reputa- tion. The censorship of the press was abolished by a decree of the diet of 1848, and freedom of the press, under certain restrictions, which were promulgated in 1854, has been introduced. By the constitution of April 16, 1871, the Prussian obli- gation to serve in the army is extended to the whole em- pire. It is provided that every German who is webrfdhig, t. e., " capable of bearing arms," is liable to service ; " no substitution is allowed." Of the six years (seven for the cavalry and field-horse artillery) two must be spent in active service (bei den Fahneri), and the remainder in the army of reserve. On quitting the army of reserve, he has to form part of the landwebr for other five years in the first class or " ban," and seven years in the second " ban." Article 63 enacts that die gesammte Landmackt des Reichs wird tin THE COUNTRY 9 einbeitlicbes Heer bilden, welches im Krieg und Frieden unter dem Befehle des Kaisers steht (" the whole land forces of the empire shall form a united army, in war and peace, under the command of the emperor "). The sovereigns of the principal states have the right to select the lower grades of officers, but even their selections require to obtain the approval of the emperor, whose authority is paramount ; article 64 expressly declaring that alle deutscben Truppen sind verpflichtet den Befehlen des Kaisers unbedingt Folge zu leisten (" all German troops are bound to obey un- conditionally the orders of the emperor "). The formation of a German navy, due to the initiative of Prussia, dates from 1848, and of late years rapid progress has been made. Since 1884, Germany has been extending her Empire beyond the bounds of Europe, owing to the policy initiated in that year by Prince Bismarck. She has, as yet, no colonies in the strict sense of the word, but she has estab- lished a number of protectorates and " spheres of influ- ence " in Africa and the Pacific. All the states of the empire recognize four distinct orders . viz., the nobility, clergy, burghers, and peasantry, and all distinguish three distinct grades of nobility. The highest of these includes the members of reigning houses, and the descendants of families who belonged at the time of the old empire to the sovereign nobility of the state, and were reichsunmittelbar, or directly connected with the empire, as holding their domains directly under the em- peror, but whose houses have subsequently been mediatized, or deprived of sovereign power in accordance with special treaties between the state and princes. There are at pres- ent fifty princely and fifty-one graftiche (countly) mediatized 10 GERMANY families, who, in accordance with the act of the diet of 1806, have equality of rank with reigning houses, and en- joy many of the special privileges which were accorded to the high nobles of the empire. The second grade of no- bility is composed of counts and barons not belonging to reigning or mediatized houses, whilst the third and lowest grade includes the knights and land-owners. Before we proceed to consider the political organization of the new Germanic empire, we will briefly describe first, the principal features of the constitution of the old Ger- manic empire, which was overthrown by the first Napoleon, in 1806; and second, that bund or federal government which lasted from 1814 to 1866, when Austria was ex- cluded from the confederation, and the hegemony of Ger- many was transferred to Prussia. The states of this empire comprised three chambers or colleges : i. The electoral college, which consisted of the archiepiscopal electors of Mainz, Treves, and Cologne ; and the secular electors, of whom there were originally only four, but whose number was subsequently increased to five, and who, at the dissolution of the empire, were repre- sented by the sovereigns of Bohemia, Bavaria, Saxony, Brandenburg, and Brunswick-Luneburg or Hanover. 2. The college of the princes of the empire, who had each a vote in the diet, and were divided into spiritual and temporal princes. 3. The free imperial cities which formed a college at the diet, divided into two benches, the Rhenish with fourteen cities, and the Swabian with thirty- seven ; each of which had a vote. These colleges, each of which voted separately, formed the diet of the empire. When their respective decisions agreed, the matter under discussion was submitted to the emperor, who could refuse THE COUNTRY 11 his ratification of the decisions of the diet, although he had no power to modify them. Ordinary meetings were usually summoned twice a year by the emperor, who specified the place at which the sittings were to be held, and which, dur- ing the latter periods of the empire, were at Regensburg (Ratisbon). The diet had the right to enact, abrogate, or modify laws, conclude peace and declare war, and impose taxes for the general expenses of the state. The Aulic chamber, and the cameral or chief tribunal of the empire, decided in cases of dispute between members of the diet. The emperors were chosen by the electors in person or by their deputies ; and after their election and coronation, both of which usually took place at Frankfort-on-the-Main, the emperor swore to the " capitulation " or constitution of the empire. After the dissolution of the empire, in 1806, its place was nominally taken by the confederation of the Rhine, which owed its existence to Napoleon, and which lasted till 1815. The late Germanic confederation was established by an act of the congress of Vienna in 1815, on the overthrow of Napoleon. It was an indissoluble union, from which no single state could at its own pleasure retire. Its central point and its executive and legislative powers were repre- sented by the federative diet, which held its meetings at Frankfort-on-the-Main, and was composed of delegates from all the confederate states chosen, not by the people, but by the various governments. The seventy-ninth article of the constitution of the North German Confederation provided for the admission of the South German states into the new bund ; and the war between France and Germany, which broke out in July, 1870, and in which all the German princes and peo- 12 GERMANY pies took part, gave an irresistible impetus to the desire for national unity. On Nov. 15, 1870, the Grand-duchies of Baden and Hesse joined the bund ; Bavaria followed on the 23d, and Wurtemberg on the 25th of the same month. Shortly after, the King of Bavaria wrote a letter to the King of Prussia, urging him to re-establish the German Empire. This brought the question under the notice of the bund ; and on December 10, 1870, it was agreed by 188 votes to 6, that the Empire should be restored, and that the King of Prussia should be acknowledged hereditary Emperor of Germany. The latter solemnly accepted the new dignity at Versailles, January 18, 1871. There are two legislative bodies in the Empire the Bundesrath, or federal council, the members of which are annually appointed by the governments of the various states ; and the Reichstag, the members of which are elected by universal suffrage and ballot for a period of three years. All imperial laws must receive the votes of an ab- solute majority of both bodies, and, to be valid, must, in addition, have the assent of the Emperor, and be counter- signed when promulgated by the Reichskanzler, or chancellor of the Empire, who is ex-officio, president of the Bundesrath. According to the eleventh article of the Constitution, the German Emperor, with the consent of the Bundesrath) can declare war, make peace, enter into treaties with foreign nations, and appoint and receive ambassadors. If, how- ever, the territory of the Empire is attacked, he does not require the consent of the Bundesrath to declare war, but can act independently. THE RACE JAMES SIME GERMANY, or Deutschland, occupies a large part of central Europe. Speaking roughly, it now reaches from the Alps to the Baltic and the North Sea, and from the valleys of the Rhine and the Meuse to the Danube as far as the March and the Mur, and to the Prosna and the Lower Niemen. The country is moun- tainous in the south, hilly in the centre, and flat in the north, where it forms part of the great plain which takes in the whole of north-eastern Europe. The western part of this plain takes in the country between the Teutoburg Wood and the North Sea. As it passes eastwards it widens till it reaches from the Erz and Riesen Mountains to the Baltic. A part of South Germany slopes towards the east, and is watered by the Danube ; but the general slope of the country is towards the north. Among the rivers flowing northwards are the Rhine, the Ems, the Weser, the Elbe, the Oder, and the Vistula. Germany has varied very much in extent at different times. This is due partly to the fact that it has no clearly- marked natural boundaries on the east and west, but chiefly to the peculiarity of its position. It is the central country of Europe. Being surrounded by most of the leading nations of the Continent, the Germans have been involved, more than any other people, in the general history of Europe. Of all their neighbours, the Scandinavians are 14 GERMANY most nearly allied to the Germans. Both are branches of the Teutonic race. But the Germans are also connected, although not so closely, with the other surrounding peo- ples. All, if we except the Magyars or Hungarians, who are Turanians, belong to the great Aryan family. The Germans call themselves Deutschen. We formerly used the word Dutch in the same wide sense, but now usually confine it to the people of Holland. Deutsch, or Dutch, is the modern form of Theotisc (Theod^ people}, which first came into use in the Ninth Century. The word German is probably of Celtic origin. It is believed to have been first applied to a particular tribe, and then to the race to which the tribe belonged. The Germans or Dutch are divided into two great groups, the High and the Low. The Low-Dutch live by the mouths of the rivers flowing into the North Sea ; the High-Dutch in the inland and mountainous parts of Ger- many. They are branches of the same people ; but they differ a good deal in character and customs, and, above all, in language. On the Continent the only Low-Dutch language which remains the organ of an important living literature is spoken in Holland. The educated classes of the country, or group of countries, which we now call Germany, speak and write High-Dutch. Our chief authority for the condition of ancient Ger- many is the Germanla of Tacitus, written in the year 98 A. D. At that time the greater part of the country was covered by forests, in which were bears, wolves, buffaloes, elks, and other wild animals. The climate was damp and foggy ; and in winter the cold seems to have been keener, and to have lasted longer than at present. The soil was in many places marshy ; but much of it was very fertile. THE RACE 15 There were many flocks and herds, generally of a small breed. The ancient Germans were divided into many different tribes. These sometimes united among themselves for purposes of attack or defence ; but they were politically independent, each being separated from the others by toler- ably well-marked boundaries. On the right bank of the Rhine, beginning with the country now called Hessen and passing northwards, there were, besides various others, the Chatti, the Tencteri and Usipetes, the Sicambri, the Marsi, and the Bructeri. The Frisians, Chauci, and Saxons oc- cupied the coasts from the Rhine to the Elbe. The terri- tory of the Cherusci, one of the bravest of German tribes, took in the Harz Mountains and the country around as far as the Aller, the Weser, the Werra, the Elbe, and the Saal. The country from the Danube and the Middle Rhine northwards to the Baltic was held by tribes con- nected closely enough to be known by the common name of the Suevi. First among the Suevi were the Semnones, stretching from the southern part of what is now Branden- burg to the Riesen Mountains. The Longobardi, or, as they were afterwards called, the Lombards, were settled on the banks of the Lower Elbe. The Marcomanni were neighbours of the Chatti, between the Rhine, the Main, and the Danube ; and further to the south-east were the Quadi. There were other Suevic tribes ; but it is these with whom history has most to do. It was long believed that the Goths were the original stock from which all Germans had sprung ; but they held to other Germans merely the relation of sister tribes, and their language is more nearly akin to the Low than to the High German. They occupied the banks of the Lower Vistula. The 16 GERMANY Vandals, Burgundians, and Rugii, all kindred tribes, were scattered to the west of the Vistula, along the shores of the Baltic. The Gothic tribes soon passed altogether out of German history, and had probably begun even in Tacitus's time to separate frdm their kinsmen. It must not be forgotten that at an early period various German tribes crossed the Rhine in search of new settlements. At the time of C. Julius Caesar a large part of the left bank was held by Germans, among whom the Ubii were distinguished. The Batavians, who are said to have sprung from the Chatti, held the island formed by the two branches of the Lower Rhine. These tribes did not call themselves by any common name ; but, according to Tacitus, three great groups were recognized the Ingaevones, the Istaevones, and the Herminones. The first took in all the tribes on the coasts of the North Sea, the second those holding the Rhine country, and the third those in the centre of Ger- many. These groups were believed to have sprung from the three sons of Mannus, the first man, the son of the god Thuisto. The division had no political importance ; but it had probably some real meaning, for it reappears in another form in later history. The Germans were generally tall and strong. They could be fierce and cruel ; but they were brave, truthful, simple in their manners, and hospitable. They celebrated in songs the great deeds of their forefathers, and were usually ready to die rather than give up freedom. Although an agricultural people, the occupations they most delighted in were war and hunting. Their chief faults were in- dolence, drunkenness, and excessive gambling. They left the tilling of the fields and all other peaceful work as much THE RACE 17 as possible to women and to men incapable of bearing arms. The ancient Germans, like other Aryan peoples, were divided into two great classes, the nobles, and the common freemen. The former were the Eorls, the latter the Ceorls of the ancient English. The nobles were usually richer than the freemen, but their position did not altogether de- pend on their wealth. What their special rights and priv- ileges were, we do not know ; but they were held in high esteem, and took a foremost place in public life. The freemen formed the great body of the people. Each was an independent member of the community, and enjoyed equal rights with his fellows. Both freemen and nobles had slaves. This class consisted for the most part of prisoners of war and their offspring, and of those con- demned to slavery on account of some crime. They were usually well treated ; but they were the absolute property of their masters, and had no redress against injustice. They were not allowed, under any circumstances, to bear arms. Between the freemen and the slaves was a peculiar class, consisting partly of freedmen, and called Liti. The Liti were in no sense any one's property, and they had certain rights which they could enforce; but they had no share in the political life of the community. They could not possess land. They could only hold it of some master, with whom they were obliged to share the produce. They were thus neither freemen nor slaves, but a class apart. If a noble, a freeman, or one of the Liti was killed, the murderer was not put to death. He had to pay a fine, which was in later times called the Wergeld. The amount of the Wergeld varied amongst different tribes ; but the Wergeld of a noble was always greater than that of a free- i8 GERMANY man, as a freeman's was greater than that of one of the Liti. The ancient Germans did not marry till their physical and mental powers were fully developed. The bridegroom did not exactly purchase the bride ; but on the day of their marriage he brought her a valuable gift, which she kept as her own property. The wife was subject to the husband ; but her position was not a degraded one. She was her husband's companion and friend, and often went with him on distant warlike expeditions. She was expected to know the use of arms, and was usually brave and virtuous. The clan was not, in the time of Tacitus, the foundation of society; but family relations were of great importance. The father had supreme authority over his children. He had even the power, in extreme cases, of putting them to death. Uncles, especially on the mother's side, were looked up to with deep respect. When a freeman died, his children were protected by their relatives, until they were able to defend themselves. A freeman's quarrels were always taken up by his relatives j and if he was killed, it was their duty to see that the Wergeld^ which was divided amongst the family, was paid. There were no cities in ancient Germany. In some parts of the country every freeman lived apart with his family on his own land ; but the great majority lived in villages. These villages were made up of a number of huts, each hut standing apart from the rest, surrounded by a piece of ground. The land around a village originally belonged to the community, and much of it remained com- mon property ; but from an early period grants of land had been made to individuals, and the number of those who held land as their private property always tended to increase. THE RACE 19 An undefined number of villages formed what was called a Hundred. Whether the Gau was a name for the entire land of a tribe, or was merely a division taking in several Hundreds, is uncertain. Perhaps the name did not arise till a later period. At all events, the Hundred was the really important division, for traces of it are to be found among all German peoples. Every village and Hundred had its own Chief, elected by the freemen. Higher than the chiefs of the Hundreds and villages was the chief of the tribe, appointed in the same way. Some tribes had Kings ; but even Kings were elected, although always from some particular noble family believed to have sprung from the gods. The chiefs of the Hundreds formed what Tacitus calls the princes of a tribe, and acted as a Council to the King or other supreme chief. By far the most important right of a chief was the power to form a Comitatus or Gefolge that is, to gather round him a body of men devoted to his service. The princes vied with each other in having large numbers of followers. The men swore to be always faithful to their lord ; and to be untrue to this oath was thought the worst possible crime. In return for their services, the chief provided his men with war-horses, armour, and food ; and if the tribe was not at war, he often gave them fresh opportunities of dis- tinguishing themselves by taking part in the wars of other tribes. Important as was the position of the chiefs in ancient Germany, their power was comparatively limited. Above all chiefs were the Meetings of the people. Even the vil- lage had its Meeting ; but the really important Meetings were those of the Hundred and of the tribe. These Meet- ings were not, like modern Parliaments, representative. 20 GERMANY All freemen had a right to attend them. The Meetings of the village and of the Hundred did not concern themselves with the affairs of the tribe. These came before the Meet- ing of the whole people. It was in this general Meeting that the chiefs were elected not only the King or other chief of the tribe, but the chiefs of the various Hundreds. Here also the young freeman received from his father or some prince the arms which were the symbol that he had attained to a position of independence in the tribe. All difficult cases of justice were decided by the Meeting of the tribe ; it also declared war and concluded peace, and sanctioned the occasional distant expeditions of the chiefs with their followers. When questions of unusual difficulty were to come before the Meeting, they were discussed be- forehand by the King or other chief and the princes of the tribe ; but the ultimate decision lay with the people them- selves. The common freeman rarely took a leading part in the deliberations. The chiefs laid their proposals before the people in plain terms, stating the arguments on each side. If the freemen did not agree with their chiefs, they expressed their opinion by cries of dissent ; they signified their approval of a proposal by clashing their armour. The army was not something different from the people ; it was the people themselves. Every freeman bore arms, and might at any moment be called into active service. Spears were the weapons most commonly used. Each warrior had also a shield long enough to cover almost the whole body. The cavalry had no other armour ; but those who fought on foot had missile weapons, which they could hurl to a great distance. They sometimes used battle-axes and clubs j swords were little known. The cavalry never THE RACE 21 used saddles. The different companies were not made up of men chosen at random ; the freemen of each Hundred kept together, and the minor divisions were composed of kins- men and friends. Each prince commanded his own Hun- dred. The supreme command was undertaken by the king or chief of the tribe, or by a Herzog elected by the freemen. If several tribes united to carry on a war, the Herzog, or commander-in-chief, was elected by the princes. The line of battle was arranged in the form of a wedge, the bravest and most experienced being put in front. Cavalry and infantry were so placed that they helped to protect each other. When about to make an attack, all joined in a sort of chant, putting their shields to their mouths to make the sound more terrible. To throw away their shields on the field of battle was in the highest degree disgraceful. Those guilty of this crime often killed themselves, being unable to bear the contempt of their kinsmen. The Germans, like their Scandinavian kinsmen, inherited the common Aryan religion, and gave it forms adapted to their own modes of thought and feeling. Their chief god was Wodan. Donar, or Thor, the god of thunder, was also very powerful. The gods were not worshipped in tem- ples, but in sacred groves. Sacrifices were offered to them, sometimes even human sacrifices ; and their will was found out by means of lots, the flight of birds, and the neighing of sacred horses. The Germans believed that the gods took a direct interest in human affairs, and that in a future life they rewarded brave men and punished cowards. We hear very little, after the Third Century, of the many tribes formerly scattered over Germany. They still existed, but they were joined together in groups, or confed- erations. How these were formed, we do not know. The 22 GERMANY tie which united the members of a confederation was very loose. Still, the members of each confederation had a cer- tain sense of kinship, and this prepared the way for a closer political connection. The Alemanni, who took in a num- ber of Suevic tribes, were one of the most powerful of the confederations. In the Third Century they held the coun- try between the Danube and the Main, and from thence made many incursions into Roman territory. They grad- ually advanced southwards and westwards as far as the Upper Rhine, the Aar, and the Vosges Mountains. To the north of the Alemanni, from the Main to the mouths of the Rhine, were the Franks. The land to the east of the Franks was held by the Saxons and Frisians. The latter held the whole line of coast from the Rhine to the Elbe ; the former, the basins of the Lower Elbe, the Weser, and the Ems. The centre of what is now Germany was in the hands of the Thuringians. They held the wooded moun- tains which are still called by their name, and some part of the country to the north and south. These various con- federations may probably be identified with the groups into which the Germans, in the time of Tacitus, divided them- selves. If so, the Saxons and Frisians would represent the ancient Ingaevones ; the Franks the Istaevones, and the Alemanni and Thuringians the Herminones. Another confederation was gradually formed by the Goths who re- mained in Germany, the Marcomanni, and others. These were the Bojoarii or Bavarians, whose country took in greater part of the basin of the Inn, and who became sub- ject in turn to Odoacer and to Theodoric the Great. Of the^e groups of tribes, the Franks were by far the most important. The history of the Franks is for several centuries the history of Germany. They conquered the THE RACE 23 Gauls and their own kinsmen, and laid the foundation of the future kingdoms of Germany and France. From the Third Century the Franks on the right bank of the Middle Rhine often broke into Gaul, and attacked the Romans. They several times conquered Cologne, Mainz, and Trier, and harried the neighbouring lands. In the Fourth Cen- tury they were driven back by Constantine and Julian, and in the Fifth by the great general Aetius ; but in the latter half of the Fifth Century they were masters of the whole country between the Middle Rhine and the Meuse. They held also part of the banks of the Moselle, and had lands as far south as the northern boundaries of the Alemanni and Burgundians. At this time their chief town was Cologne ; and they were called (probably from Ripa, a bank) Riparii or Ripuarii. The Franks who held the banks of the Lower Rhine were called by the Romans Salians. The Ripuarians were more numerous than the Salians ; but it was the Salians who founded the great Frankish kingdom. They sprang for the most part from those Sicambri whom Tiberius set- tled near the mouths of the Rhine, and were probably called Salians from a tribe which wandered westwards from the Yssel or Isala, and united to form one people with the Sicambri. The Salians were nominally subject to the Romans, and served in the Roman army ; but they kept their native institutions, and always tried, when they had a chance, to become independent. At the time of Julian they held the country from the Lower Rhine to the west of the Meuse. Julian advanced against them, and defeated them ; but he allowed them to keep the land they had seized. About the beginning of the Fifth Century they still served in the Roman army, but no longer recognized 24 GERMANY Roman supremacy. They probably then held the whole country between the Lower Rhine and the Scheldt. The Salians were governed by Kings. Probably their first King at all events, the first of whom we know any- thing was Chlodio. He reigned about the middle of the Fifth Century. He was defeated by the Romans under Aetius ; but he succeeded in pushing his boundaries as far west as the Somme. He became a faithful ally of the Romans, who often afterwards especially in the great battle fought in 451 against Attila received important aid from the Salians. The famous Salic Code was probably drawn up about the time of Chlodio. The state of society which it represents is in many respects the same as that described by Tacitus. The people, like all their kinsmen who had not left Germany, are still heathens. The tribe is divided into Hundreds, and these again into villages; and the occupation of the people, when they are not engaged in war, continues mainly agricultural. But the position of the King has changed. He no longer receives his author- ity from the people ; he inherits it, and exercises it as a right. He appoints the chiefs, who are called Grafs or Counts, and decides cases of justice which the Meeting of the Hundred the largest that seems now to be held can- not settle. There is no trace of the old noble class ; what raises men above their fellows is connection with the King. Those whom he appoints to an office, and the members of his Gefolge or Comitatus, hold a very high position. The Wergeld of a Graf and of a follower of the King is three times as large as that of a common freeman. The King has thus already become the central element in the consti- tution. He exercises supreme authority, and is the fountain of honour. This great increase of the royal power was THE RACE 25 perhaps partly due to the influence of Roman ideas, for the Salians in the Roman army would naturally learn habits of strict obedience. The Prankish kingdoms were divided into Gaus or Dis- tricts, each of which was governed by a Count. A num- ber of Gaus made a Duchy, over which was a Herzog or Duke. Each of the great groups or confederations of tribes in Germany formed a separate Duchy. The Dukes and Counts in Gaul were appointed solely by the King, and were looked on as his officers. The Bavarians elected their own Dukes ; and they always chose them from one noble family, the Agilolfings. The Alemanni and Thuringians had also some share in the appointment of their Dukes. The freemen of each German Duchy met their Duke once in the year, and consulted with him on affairs of im- portance. Thus the Germans to the east of the Rhine kept more of the old freedom than their Frankish con- querors. The Merovingian Kings soon adopted the Roman cus- tom of granting lands on condition of military service. Such grants were called at first benefices, but afterwards fiefs. They were made from the royal lands, and were usually given to the King's men or vassals that is, to the Dukes, Counts, and members of the Gefolge. Thus the service required by a Merovingian King from the holder of a benefice was not, like that required for lands granted by the Roman Government, service to the State ; it was the service of a vassal to his lord. The relation between the two was wholly personal in its character. Those who did not already hold this personal relation to the King, on re- ceiving a benefice, became his men, and swore to be faith- ful to him and to give him service in war. From this com- 26 GERMANY bination of Roman and Teutonic ideas sprang the system of feudal tenures. When benefices became hereditary, the holders usually granted pieces of land to others, who en- tered into the same relation to them that they held to the King. And in times of confusion, freemen very often gave up their lands to some powerful lord, and received them back as fiefs, thus binding themselves to serve him in war while he undertook to protect them against their enemies. In the end, the Dukes and Counts came to hold their Duchies and Counties in fief, and thus looked on all fief- holders within their districts as their vassals. But this was not for some time yet. The Merovingian Kings, having become rich and great, lived in a style of which the early German Kings and chiefs had never dreamed. The duties of their household were divided among a large number of officers, among whom were the Seneschal, the Marshal, and the Chancellor. Over all officers of the court was the Major Domus, or Mayor of the Palace. An officer of less importance, at this time, was the Palsgrave, or Count of the Palace, whose duties had to do with the royal tribunal. These, and all other great officers, were taken chiefly from the members of the Gefolge. They formed a Council which aided the King in administering justice and in carrying on the affairs of the State. The holders of benefices tried from the beginning to make their lands hereditary ; and many of them soon suc- ceeded in doing so. Thus a great new aristocracy arose which took the place among the Franks of the old noble class. This aristocracy soon lessened the kingly power. Its leading members often met, and not only shared the government with the King, but sometimes forced him to THE RACE 27 confirm them in rights which they had seized. Such gather- ings took the place, to some extent, of the old national meetings. The various Kings had given away so many lands as benefices that they were soon too poor to defend themselves. They were also weakened by carrying on many cruel wars with each other. Thus it came about that by the middle of the Seventh Century the Merovin- gian Kings, who had for a time been so great, had lost nearly all their power. The Dukes, Counts, and other rich men, acted as if they were independent princes. The great German Duchies, although still nominally subject to the Franks, were practically free. During this period many German tribes became Chris- tian. So early as the Sixth and the beginning of the Seventh Century, Irish and Frankish missionaries had tried to con- vert the Germans. In the latter half of the Seventh Cen- tury the task was taken up by countrymen of our own ; and they were the first to labour with the sanction of the Pope. Wilfrith, who was accidentally driven, in 677, on the shores of Friesland, preached there with great success. His work was carried on by Willibrord, who lived among the Frisians about fifty years. Greater than either of these was Winfrith, afterwards called Saint Boniface and the Apostle of the Germans. He helped Willibrord for some time, but spent the greater part of his life in Southern and Central Germany. In 723, he was made " Episcopus Re- gionariui " of Germany that is, Bishop without any special diocese. After this he brought tribe after tribe within the Church, and founded various bishopricks and monasteries. In 732, he received the archiepiscopal pallium, and in 742, presided over the first German Synod. In 745, he was ap- pointed, as Metropolitan of Germany, to the See of Mainz, 28 GERMANY which from this time occupied in the German Church the position held by the See of Canterbury in the Church of England. Ten years afterwards he was killed in Friesland while on his way to confirm some converts. At the time of Winfrith's death, and chiefly owing to his efforts, all Ger- many, with the exception of Saxony, was nominally Chris- tian. The old pagan ideas still influenced to some extent the minds of the people ; but the good seed had been sown, and soon began to spring up and to bear fruit. PRUSSIA FINDLAT MUIRHEAD PRUSSIA, by far the largest and most important state in the German Empire, is a kingdom embracing nearly the whole of northern Germany. It is bounded north by the German Ocean, Jutland, and the Baltic; east by Russia (and Russian Poland); south by Austria, Saxony, the Thuringian states, Bavaria, Hesse- Darmstadt and Alsace-Lorraine; and west by Luxem- bourg, Belguim and the Netherlands. Prussia owns, be- sides, Hohenzollern and about thirteen other smaller ex- claves, or detached territories lying within the bounds of other German states. The greater part of Prussia, more than two-thirds of its total area, belongs to the north European plain, while less than a third, chiefly in the south-west, can be described as hilly or mountainous. The division line between the two districts is roughly indicated by an irregular series of heights beginning with the Teutoburgerwald, to the east of the upper Ems and the Weser Hills, on both sides of the upper Weser, and thence running towards the south-east in the Harz Mountains with the Brocken (3,740 feet) and in the northern outliers of the Thuringerwald (Finsterberg, 3,100 feet, and Inselsberg, 3,000 feet). Farther to the south-east this line of heights is continued by the Riesengebirge sep- arating Prussian Silesia from Bohemia and forming the north- ern ranges of the Sudetic system. None of these ranges lie above about 5,000 feet ; the Schneekoppe (5,250 feet) in 30 GERMANY the Riesengebirge is the loftiest summit on Prussian terri- tory. The western and south-western parts of the country, comprising Rhenish Prussia, Westphalia and Hesse-Nassau, thus cut off from the sandy and healthy wastes of the north, are quite distinct in their physical character from the rest of Prussia. They are divided by the Rhine into two portions. On the west side of the river, between Aix-la-Chapelle and the Moselle, is the elevated plain known as the Hohe Veen and the Eifel. South of the Moselle, and parallel with that river, stretches the Hunsruck, with an average height of 1,200 to 1,500 feet, and farther south is the Hardt, the name here given to the northern extremity of the Vosges, On the east side of the Rhine the Sauerland between the Ruhr and the Sieg, with the Rothaar or Rotlagergebrige, is succeeded farther south by the Westerwald, between the Sieg and the Lahn, and by the Taunus (Feldberg 2,885 feet), between the Lahn and the Main. To the south of the Taunus, famous for its mineral springs, lies the fertile valley of the Main, while to the east the Vogelsberg, chiefly, however, in Hesse, forms a link with the Hohe Rhon, which may be regarded as an outlier of the Thuringerswald. The great northern plain which occupies the rest of the kingdom, is varied by two terrace like elevations. The surface is diversified with numerous lakes, especially in the east, on what are known as the Pomeranian and the East Prussian Lake plateaus. On the northern slope, terminat- ing on the shores of the Baltic, there are several fertile dis- tricts, more especially along those rivers which have been carefully embanked, as the Niemen and the Vistula. The southern elevation of the Prussian plain, running be- tween the Polish mountains of Sandomir in the south-east and the Elbe between Magdeburg and Burg in the north-west, PRUSSIA 31 attains a height of about 1,000 feet near Breslau on the Oder, where it is known as the Trebnitz Heights. Its gen- eral character is more fertile than the northern elevation ; while the country between the two is, for the most part, ex- tremely sterile. It includes the sandy waste in which Berlin, the capital, is situated. South of this tract and in Silesia and Prussian Saxony, the country is fertile, including some of the most productive grain-growing districts of Prussia. Hanover has much the same character. Great marshes, or peat-moors, cover the north and north-west districts ; but the valleys that lie among the Harz Mountains in the south are often fertile and well adapted for agricul- ture. The coasts are low and require to be protected from the overflowing of the sea by embankments and dykes. Sleswig-Holstein, to the north of the Elbe, is in part sandy and healthy like the plain of Hanover, but it has also nu- merous marshes. The northern plain is watered by five large rivers the Niemen, Vistula, Oder, Elbe and Weser all of which rise beyond the borders of the Kingdom and the Pregel, Eider and Ems, which are exclusively Prussian. In the west the chief river is the Rhine, which enters Prussia at Mainz, and thence flows north through a narrow valley noted as one of the most picturesque parts of Germany. The commerce of Prussia is materially facilitated by her central European position, and the network of river and canal navigation which makes her territories the connecting medium between several of the great European States, and which, with 15,000 miles of railway, 40,500 miles of public roads (all, or nearly all, formed since the time of Frederick the Great), and a coast line of a hundred miles, gives her a free outlet to the rest of the world. The chief 32 GERMANY ports are Memel, Pillau, Konigsberg, Danzig, Colberg, Swinemiinde, Stettin, Wolgast, Stralsund, Kiel, Flensborg, Altona, Harburg, Geestemiinde, Leer and Emden. The principal commercial towns are Berlin, Konigsberg, Breslau, Barmen, Elberfeld, Danzig, Posen, Stettin, Cologne, Magde- burg, Aix-la-Chapelle and Frankfort-on-the-Main. Annual fairs are still held at Breslau, Magdeburg and Frankfort-on- the-Oder. Education is compulsory in Prussia between the ages of six and fourteen, and its management and direction are under the control of the state. In no country are better or ampler means supplied for the diffusion of knowledge among all classes of the community. Prussia has ten uni- versities, viz.: Konigsberg, Berlin, Griefswald, Breslau, Halle, Gottingen, Munster, Bonn, Kiel and Marburg. In addition to the libraries of the several universities, there is the Royal Library at Berlin with 800,000 volumes and about 15,000 manuscripts. Prussia was an absolute monarchy till the crisis of 1848, when the decided movement in favour of liberal views com- pelled the King to convoke a national assembly, and sub- mit to the establishment of a constitutional form of gov- ernment, which has been repeatedly modified. The monarchy is hereditary in the male line. The sov- ereign and royal family must profess the evangelical con- fession of faith. The King, who is not responsible for the measures of his government and whose decrees require the counter-signatures of his ministers, exercises the execu- tive power, nominates and dismisses the ministry, summons and dissolves the chambers, orders the promulgation of the laws, is commander-in-chief of the forces, has the right of proclaiming peace and war, granting reprieves, etc. He PRUSSIA 33 bears the titles of King of Prussia, Markgraf of Branden- burg, Sovereign Duke of Silesia, Prince of Orange, Grand- Duke of Pomerania and the Lower Rhine, besides a host of lesser titles. The title " German Emperor," by which he is now best known, is not, of course, a Prussian dignity. The eldest son of the king bears the title of Crown-Prince. The ordinary royal residences are the palaces at Berlin, Potsdam and Charlottenburg. About seven-eighths of the population of Prussia are Germans. Of the Slavonic tribes the most numerous are the Poles, numbering two and one-half millions. In Brandenburg and Silesia there are about 85,000 Wends ; in East Prussia, upwards of 150,000 Lithuanians; Western Prussia has rather more than 10,000 Walloons, using the French language ; intermixed in its generally German popu- lation Silesia has 55,000 Czechs or Bohemians ; and Sles- wick-Holstein, 140,000 Danes making in all about three millions who do not use the German language, or who em- ploy it only as secondary to their native tongues. Three distinct hereditary classes are recognized in Prussia, viz.: nobles, burghers and peasants. To the first belong nearly 200,000 persons, including the higher officials of the state, although that number does not comprise the various mediatized houses, of which sixteen are Prussian, and others belonging to different states, but connected with Prussia by still existing or former territorial possessions. The burgher class includes, in its higher branches, all public office bearers, professional men, artists and merchants ; while the peasantry to which all persons engaged in agri- cultural pursuits are divided into classes, depending on the number of horses employed on the land, etc. William I. (1861-1888) who became German Emperoi 34 GERMANY in 187 1, and had been regent of the Kingdom since 1858, ow- ing to the insanity of his brother, the late King William was no more a lover of constitutional, or at least of popular, liberty, than any of his predecessors ; and in his opposition to the progress of the popular movement, in so far as it aimed at interference with the regal power, he was power- fully aided by his great adviser, Bismarck, who became Prime-Minister in 1862 and Imperial Chancellor in 1871. The successful wars with Austria (1866) and France (1870- 1871), which so enhanced the prestige of Prussia, resulted in united Germany of to-day. Since the King of Prussia became German Emperor, the history of Prussia has been practically merged in the history of Germany. THE KAISER'S CAPITAL G. W. STEEPENS ""^VERLIN! The beastliest capital in Europe!" That I >T was the encouraging testimonial of a friend who M 9 spent a fortnight there five-and-twenty years ago. But when I came to Berlin I stared and rubbed my eyes in astonishment. These broad streets, streaming with life, these stately palaces, these rich shops, gorgeous hotels, luxurious houses, endless wooded parks, lavish pleasures for the allurement of every sense this the beastliest capital in Europe ? Then try me with the finest ! The other cities of Germany I do not speak of Austria are always possible to live in, and sometimes even agree- able ; but they are not brilliant. They all have their solid qualities; and such necessities of life as food, beer, tobacco, and theatrical entertainments can be bought in them at con- sistently ridiculous prices. Munich lays itself out more for art, Hanover is healthier, Frankfurt is the heart of a more romantic country, Hamburg is gemmed with lagoons, Cologne has a fairer building and a fairer river, Niirnberg offers the piquancy of trolley-cars gliding between Four- teenth-Century gables and frescoes. Berlin is a rather tasteless, rather unhealthy city, standing in the middle of a rather featureless plain, on a decidedly dull and insignificant river, and presenting no architectual or historical features of more than ordinary interest. And yet Berlin is emphatic- ally and unmistakably one of the great cities of the world. 36 GERMANY Berlin has elements of both progress and order, frugality and splendour. The progress, it is true, is very orderly, and the splendour is somewhat frugal which is to say that both are German. Progress, indeed, is confined to the ma- terial side : you would not come to the Kaiser's capital for the latest feature in social evolution. But in many of the little comforts of life Berlin is long strides ahead of London. Some French writer or other has found it more like an American than a European city ; superficially he was right. The excellence of the communications, the ingenious little electrical trifles that every hour save five seconds' unneces- sary exertion, the wealth of telephones, the development of the penny-in-the-slot automaton, the tendency to economize in every kind of business by simplifying, by reducing to one price it all suggests Broadway, just as much as the dispo- sition of foot-passengers to push the stranger off the pave- ment without apology, and the apparent determination of tram-conductors and cab-drivers to knock him down and drive over him. For the first half hour Berlin is not at all unsuggestive of New York. But beneath the surface Berlin is not like New York in the very least. A new time-saver or labour-saver will be welcomed readily enough when the police has passed it but you had better not try it before. Install a tramway down every other street, certainly but you had better not forget the exact specifications as approved by the police. Electric cars and elevated railways are very excellent things only no patentees or shareholders are allowed to disfigure the Kaiser's streets by running up overhead wires or over- head rails along them. The tramway company may want this or that ; but if the police, or the town council, or a higher authority yet, should prefer that or this that or this THE KAISER'S CAPITAL 37 it has got to be. Telephones, if you like, but you will not find the State in Germany giving its rights and duties away together to a company. A penny-farthing fare for any five stations on the elevated railway, by all means only not the simple and logical conclusion of one fare and one class for any distance, for then the officer and the private would have to travel in the same carriage. And if you are driven over in the street, a policeman will always come and make a note of it in his note-book, and probably the driver will be punished. You might prefer that the policeman should prevent your death instead of avenging it, but that is not the method of Berlin. The policeman is not there to pre- vent misconduct, he is there to write down particulars of it in a book, and see that it is made hot for somebody next morn- ing. And as for throwing people into the gutter, well, if you tend to imagine yourself in New York instead of in Berlin, try it with an officer. If a civilian stops in mid- pavement as the German has a way of doing, being ap- parently unable to walk and think at the same time the people behind do not go round him, nor ask him to get on ; they just push him on. But if you push an officer, and do not apologize, it is not merely his right but his duty to draw his sword and wound or even kill you. You have insulted the king's coat in public, and the man who does not wash out the insult in the only possible way may as well send in his papers at once, before he is asked to resign. The streets of Berlin are an epitome of the history of Prussia. Go and stand at the eastern end of Unter den Linden and you will begin to realize it. All round you is a coronet of public buildings, not surpassed for stateliness anywhere outside Paris and Vienna. But notice that as 38 GERMANY they are younger, so they become more pretentious. The old buildings are solid and sometimes large, but they are modest; they are not very high; they are all but the Kaiser's Castle made of simple stone. If they are beauti- ful, they are beautiful simply in virtue of the lines traced by the architect. They are fine, but they are not more ambitious than those you see in almost any little German town which ever sheltered a little German Court Wiirz- burg, for instance. In their day Prussia was but a German State among its equals. Then walk back along the Lin- den, and look at the new Reichstag ! It is all ablaze with gilt; the roof, and porches, and walls are as thick with florid statuary goddesses, knights, angels as a treacled tree is thick with moths at nightfall. Look at the Victory column opposite : it crawls with trophies and allegorical figures, and on the top is a gilt goddess, so enormous that you hurry past lest the column should snap under her. Look at the monument to the old Kaiser : the colossal bronze figures seem as if they must smash the marble pedestal to pieces under their prodigious weight. Every- thing of the Imperial epoch in Berlin is double life-size ; almost everything is gilt. It would require a very magnificent city indeed to carry off these tons of bronze and acres of gold-foil. And for all its progress Berlin has not yet quite grown out of the frugal, pinching, half-capital, half-provincial habit of its earlier life. Its electric accumulator tramcars are the most palatial imaginable, but its omnibuses, with people swarm- ing like bees on to their heavy knifeboards, are clumsy abortions, and seem purposely designed for the torture of the scraggy horses. There is a vast deal of German sim- plicity left amid the gorgeousness at Berlin. The Thier- THE KAISER'S CAPITAL 39 garten is a park unmatched for cool greenery in any city of the world ; you can walk under trees in it for miles and miles. But no influence can make a Corso, a Hyde Park, a Bois de Boulogne of it : you see fashionable people swell- ing with pride behind a horse, a harness, and a groom that a self-respecting farmer would be ashamed to show at mar- ket. There is a music-hall in Berlin more sumptuous than any I ever saw in any country eighteen turns, including songs, ballet, cinematograph, jugglery, acrobats, knockabouts, poses plastiques, and circus-riding, with Anna Held, Marie Lloyd, and German and Italian Marie Lloyds thrown in. Berlin divides its affections between such Croesus splen- dours as this and restaurants where you cannot pay more than a penny-farthing for anything. There are half-a- dozen such already, to say nothing of a penny- in-the-slot restaurant very popular because, as its patrons unaffectedly point out, you do not have to tip the waiter. The Kaiser's capital is a queer jumble. But the queer- est thing in it is technically outside it the Mausoleum at Charlottenberg, wherein rest the bodies of Friedrich Wil- helm, the liberator of Germany from Napoleon, of the beautiful Queen Louise, who died of a broken heart for Germany, and of the first Kaiser and his consort. The present Kaiser charges you twopence-halfpenny to view the tombs of his ancestors. But that is not all. At the por- tal stands a cheap angel, with a gilt sword of flame, as if the Mausoleum were the Garden of Eden, or as if the Kaiser could call on the heavenly hosts to act as super- numerary policemen. And on the marble effigies of his fathers, of the men who built up this great and wonderful empire of Germany the light can only fall through panes of cheap violet and yellow glass. It is said to be intended 40 GERMANY to make the figures look more like real corpses. The holi- est heroes of Prussia are haloed in the vulgar light of a penny gaff. Berlin can be dazzling, but it can also be very tawdry. The Kaiser's city is something of a parvenu among capitals after all. FRANKFURT-ON- THE-MAIN S. G. GREEN IN Frankfurt the visitor is continually reminded of the state of things that has passed away. From the old watchtowers, which show the jealously guarded limits of the ancient " Free Imperial City," it is but a little way to the handsome railway stations which now open communication to all parts of the Empire. As in Vienna, the vast ancient ramparts have been levelled, and the " Ring," here called " Anlagen," beautifully planted and adorned with sumptuous private and public buildings, gives an air of nobleness to the city. The Cathedral tower, St. Bartholomew's is fine ; but beyond this, Frankfurt has few architectural attractions. Its real interest is in its history, dating from the days of Charlemagne, who selected the " Ford of the Franks " for a great convocation of bishops and nobles. From that time the city grew in importance, until it was fixed upon as the place of the imperial election. The " Golden Bull " of the Emperor Charles V., bestow- ing this privilege, promulgated from Nuremberg, dated A. D., 1356, is still carefully preserved in the Romer, or City Hall, where also may be seen, almost in its original state, the Wahlzimmer, or Chamber of Election ; also the Kaisersaal, or Imperial Hall, in which the Emperor's election was cele- brated by a solemn banquet. Here are portraits of more than fifty emperors in succession, from Conrad I. in the Tenth Century to Francis II. in the Eighteenth, with the mottoes chosen by them at their inauguration a most curi- 42 GERMANY ous and interesting story ! One of my companions tried to read the spirit of each motto in the imperial countenance which surmounted it I cannot say with any remarkable success. The series of portraits terminates with Francis II., whose forced renunciation of the imperial Crown of Germany for that of Austria closed, in 1806, the history of a thousand years. Many vicissitudes followed. Frankfurt was eventually recognized at the Congress of Vienna as a free city, and was the seat of the German Diet, until after the war of 1866 it was absorbed in Prussia. The traditions of historic greatness, however, cling to it ; and one is re- minded at every step that Frankfurt stands alone among the cities of Germany. The Autobiography of Goethe, referring, of course, to a period when the imperial power was still at its height, shows how the associations of the city influenced the youthful poet. " Important," he says, " and fruitful for us was the Council House, named from the Romans. In its lower vault-like halls we liked but too well to lose ourselves. We obtained an entrance, too, into the large and very simple session-room of the Council. The walls as well as the arched ceiling were white, though wainscoted to a certain height ; and the whole was without a trace of painting or any kind of carved work ; only high upon the middle wall might be read this brief inscription : One man's word is no man's word, Justice needs that both be heard. " But whatever related to the election and coronation of the emperors possessed a greater charm. We managed to gain the favour of the keepers, so as to be allowed to mount FRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN 43 the new, gay, imperial staircase, which was painted in fresco, and on other occasions closed with a grating. The election chamber, with its purple hangings and admirably fringed gold borders, filled us with awe. The representa- tions of animals, on which little children or genii, clothed in the imperial ornaments and laden with the insignia of the Empire, made a curious figure, were observed by us with great attention ; and we even hoped that we might live to see, some time or other, a coronation with our own eyes. They had great difficulty to get us out of the great Kaiser- saal^ when we had been once fortunate enough to steal in ; and we reckoned him our truest friend who, while we looked at the half-lengths of all the emperors painted round at a certain height, would tell us something of their deeds. " We listened to many a legend of Charlemagne. But that which was historically interesting for us began with Rudolph of Hapsburg, who by his courage put an end to such violent commotions. Charles IV. also attracted our notice. We had already heard of the Golden Bull and of the statues for the administration of criminal justice. We knew, too, that he had not made the Frankfurters suffer for their adhesion to his noble rival, Emperor Gunther, of Swartzburg. We heard Maximilian praised, both as a friend to mankind and to the townsmen, his subjects, and were also told that it had been prophesied of him he would be the last emperor of a German house, which unhappily came to pass, as after his death the choice wavered only be- tween the King of Spain (afterwards Charles V.), and the King of France, Francis I. With some anxiety it was added that a similar prophecy, or rather, intimation, was once more in circulation ; for it was obvious that there was room left for the portrait of only one more emperor, a cir- 44 GERMANY cumstance which, though seemingly accidental, filled the patriotic with concern." Goethe's house, like Shakspere's at Stratford-upon-Avon, is carefully preserved ; and throws much pleasant side-light on the autobiography. The inscription on the front reads thus : yobann Wolfgang Goethe was born in this house 28th August 1749. I* snou ld be visited even by those who as- sign to this great poet a place distinctly below the highest, and who mourn over the inadequacy of the solution which the most consummate of literary artists has offered to the great problems of human existence. From the house of Goethe, in the Hirschgraben, it is but a little way to the Dom Platz, where a yet greater man, and one who has left beyond all others the impress of his personality on the German mind, had his residence for a time. For here, on one visit, at least, was the home of Luther. The house is now marked by his portrait, and the inscription, In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. It will be remembered that the selfsame words are taken as the motto of Keble's Christian Tear. But the words were hardly prophetic. The " Troubles at Frankfurt," connected with the rise of the evangelical community in the city, have become historical. In 1554 John Knox accepted an invitation to Frankfurt from a band of English Protestant exiles who had settled in this city. "That settlement and that ministry were pregnant with consequences to the religious life of the English nation, of which we have not seen the end. It was at Frankfurt, under the ministry of John Knox, that Puritanism took its rise." Few who visit Frankfurt omit to pay a visit to the Jew's quarter. This, as in Prague, Vienna, and other German FRANKFURT-ON-THE-MAIN 45 cities, was long maintained apart from the rest of the city, almost as a separate colony, characterized by gloom, close- ness, and squalor, not altogether from poverty as here the Rothschild family was founded, with other houses of wealth and note, but from the long proscription of the hated and outcast race. Up to the end of the last century no Jew was permitted to cross the Romerburg; and the gates of the Jew's quarter were closed every evening at an early hour, after which its inhabitants were forbidden, under heavy penalties, to appear in any other part of the city. Happily this exclusiveness is now at an end, and the Jew mingles on equal terms with his fellow-citizens. COLOGNE R. A. HOZIER THE city of the Eternal Cathedral, as a poet has called it, is accumulated so to speak on the river bank, and reflects itself in the broad mirror of the Rhine, which curves at its feet in a noble basin, incessantly furrowed with the tracks of busy keels. The imperial and shameless Agrippina, the mother and victim of Nero, was born within the walls. The city then assumed, as .a politic compliment, the name of the Roman commander's daughter; it called itself Colonia Agrippina, a name which is better preserved in the French Cologne than in the German Koln. Koln preserved for several generations the traditions of its infancy ; they were effaced neither by the fall of the empire, nor the great flood of barbarian invasion, nor the genial influences of Christianity, nor the complicated system of feudalism. For many centuries it called its nobles, pa- tricians ; its magistrates, senators ; its burgomasters, consuls ; its bursters, lictors. It had even its capital. Its inhabit- ants preserved the Roman costume as well as the Roman manners, and on its municipal banners were long inscribed, after the Roman usage, S. P. Q. C., Senatus Populusque Co- loniensis. Early in the Fourth Century Koln was captured and plundered by the Franks. Julian the Apostate (how history delights in nick-names ! ), recovered it, but they again made COLOGNE 47 themselves its masters, and took care to keep it. Here the illustrious Clovis, the son and successor of Childeric was crowned king. When at his death the empire he had laboriously built up was partitioned among his children, Koln remained one of the principal cities of Austrasia, a kingdom of which Metz was the capital. When, in their turn, the sons of Louis le Debonnaire divided the mighty realm of Charlemagne, it was comprised within Lotharingia, of the territory of Lothair, whence comes the well-known word Lorraine. Passing rapidly down the stream of Time, we find it ravaged by the Mormons in 88 1 and 882. But, escaping, without any serious injury, from all the turmoil of these early centuries, it was reannexed to the German Empire by Otho the Great, was endowed with extraordi- nary privileges, and placed under the special protection of his brother Bruno, duke of Lorraine, archbishop and elector of Koln. Thenceforth it grew rapidly in importance, and increased wonderfully in population. Its safety became the peculiar object of the German emperors, and when it was threatened by Frederick Barbarossa, its ruler, the Archbishop Philip of Heimsberg, who had already enlarged it considerably by connecting it with its suburbs, surrounded it with solid walls, and moats filled by the water of the Rhine. Its present fortifications are of a later date ; belonging to the Four- teenth, Fifteenth, Eighteenth, and even Nineteenth Cen- turies. In 1 21 2 Koln was declared a free imperial city. At this time it was one of the largest, most populous, and most opulent cities in Northern Europe and the Hanseatic League. She could put into the field, and maintain, an army of 30,000 soldiers. 48 GERMANY In 1259 i f obtained permission to levy a most extraordi- nary impost. Every ship entering its waters could only disembark its cargoes through the agency of boats or barges belonging to its merchants. These same crafty, wealth- amassing burghers enjoyed very great privileges in England. Its relations were scarcely less advantageous with France, Spain, Portugal, the North of Germany, and especially with Italy, which exported thither, not only its architecture and arts, but some of its characteristic customs, such as its wild gay Carnival, and its puppet theatres. Hence it acquired the distinctive name of the " Rome of the North " and " Holy Koln " ; and hence it was induced to form in its own bosom a school of painting, the first with which Germany was enriched. Koln had now attained the climax of her greatness, and thenceforth her wealth and power began to wane. The discovery of America opened up a new channel to the com- merce of the East ; but, perhaps, the chief cause of its decay was its incessant civil commotions. The Jews of Koln, who had done so much for its opulence, were cruelly mas- sacred ; the industrious and ingenious Protestants were ban- ished ; and a riot breaking out among the weavers, they were hung by the score, and 1,700 looms were burned in the public place. The survivors carried elsewhere, to more tolerant and equitable countries, the precious secrets of their industry ; and so the harbour was no longer filled with ships, nor did the hammers ring in the deserted workshops. Work- men, without employment, wandered begging through the streets, and finding the trade of mendicancy productive, never again abandoned it. It became a scourge ; one-half the city lived on the alms of the other half, and thus they preyed upon the beautiful city which Petrarch had admired, COLOGNE 49 until it became a wreck of what it was. And finally, to complete its ruin, the Dutch, in the Sixteenth Century, closed up the navigation of the Rhine, which was not again thrown open until 1837. In 1794, when Koln was captured by the French, it still held the rank of a free imperial city, but its population did not exceed 40,000 souls. At that time a third of its popu- lation still lived by mendicancy. The French government, it must be owned, took prompt measures to repress this abuse; it secularized the convents, suppressed a great num- ber of churches, and opened workshops and factories for the employment of the poor. France held Koln until 1814. For twenty years it was the chief town of one of the arrondissements of the de- partment of the Roer, of which Aix-la-Chapelle was the capital. The Russians occupied it militarily for a few months, after which the Treaty of Paris handed it over to Prussia. Let us admit that if the rule of Prussia be some- what vigorous, it is also healthy and sagacious ; and Koln, since 1815, has thriven greatly. The establishment of a steam-boat service on the Rhine, the reopening of the navi- gation of that river, and the construction of numerous im- portant lines of railway which all find a terminus at Koln, have given a new impetus to its industry and commerce. Koln is famous as the birthplace of Agrippina and St. Bruno. The electorate of Koln, formerly one of the states of the German empire, and one of the three ecclesiastical elector- ates, was included in the circle of the Lower Rhine, and comprised numerous provinces and territories now belonging to Prussia. It was suppressed in 1794. We shall borrow a general description of the city from 50 GERMANY the animated pages of M. Durand. He will not allow that it is a beautiful city, at least in its present condition. It has all the inconveniences of the Middle Ages, but none of their picturesqueness. It is muddy, irregular, dull, badly laid out, and insufficiently paved. The best view of it is obtained from the river. There, indeed, its aspect is fair and pleasant ; but both the fairness and pleasantness vanish when you plunge into its labyrinthine streets. The truth is, everybody visits it for the sake of its cathedral, that im- mortal, that priceless, relic of the loftiest art. The cathedral is built on a cruciform plan, and rises about sixty feet above the Rhine, on an eminence, which, since the days of German supremacy, has formed the north- eastern angle of the fortifications. Its total length is 511 feet, its breadth at the entrance 231 feet; the former cor- responding with the height of the tower ; the latter, with the height of the western gable. The choir consists of five aisles, is 161 feet in height, and, internally, from its size, height, and disposition of pil- lars, arches, chapels, and beautifully coloured windows, re- sembles a poet's dream. Externally, its two-fold range of massive flying buttresses and intermediate piers, bristling with airy pinnacles, strikes the spectator with awe and as- tonishment. The windows are filled with fine old stained glass of the Fourteenth Century ; the pictures on the walls are modern. Round the choir, against the columns, are planted fourteen colossal statues ; the Saviour, the Virgin, and the Apostles, coloured and gilt ; they belong, like the richly carved stalls and seats, to the early part of the Four- teenth Century. The fine painted windows in the south aisle of the nave were the gift of King Louis of Bavaria j those in the north COLOGNE 51 aisle were executed in 1508. The reredos of the altar of St. Agilolphus is a quaint old combination of wood carving and Flemish painting. The apsidal east end is surrounded by some chapels. In the chapel immediately behind the altar is placed the cele- brated shrine of the Three Kings of Cologne, or the Magi who were led by the star, loaded with Oriental gifts, to worship the infant Saviour. Their supposed bones were carried off by San Eustoryis, at Milan, by Frederick Bar- barossa in 1162, and were presented by him to his com- panion and counsellor, Rinaldo, archbishop of Koln. The skulls of the three kings, inscribed with their names, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, written in rubies, are ex- hibited to view through an opening in the shrine, crowned with diadems (a ghastly contrast), which were of gold, and studded with real jewels, but are now only silver gilt. The choir is the consummate ideal of the Christian tabernacle. Columns slender as lances spring aloft to the very roof, where their capitals expand in flowers. All the rest is a splendid mass of glasswork, whose lancets are tinted over their whole surface with a rich colouring of azure, gold and purple. There are numerous archiepiscopal tombs in the lateral naves. We follow from the cathedral into the ancient Roman- esque church of Saint Martin ; a church to be visited upon market-day, at the hour when the peasants of the neigh- bourhood abandon their fruits and vegetables to hear mass. In their temporary seclusion from worldly affairs, these rude and angular figures, with their fixed serious gaze, and almost awkward air, seem to have stepped out of some old woodwork, or ancient German engraving. $2 GERMANY Verily, Koln, metropolis, as it is of the banks of the Rhine, is still the city of the apostles and the princes of the Church, and even in these days of German Rationalism, the capital of Catholic Germany. The town-hall, which is situated between the Gurzenich (custom-houses), and the cathedral is one of those enchant- ing harlequin-like edifices built up of portions belonging to all ages, and of fragments of all styles, which we meet with in the ancient communes, the said communes being them- selves constructed, laws, manners and customs in the same manner. The mode of formation of these edifices and of their customs is a curious study. It is an agglomeration rather than a construction, a successive development, a fantastic aggrandizement, or encroachment upon things previously existing. Nothing has been laid out on a regular plan, or digested beforehand ; the whole has been produced au fur et a mesure, according to the necessity of the times. The general effect of this ancient structure is, however, very imposing. It was begun in 1250, and terminated in 1571, and is therefore a record of three centuries of archi- tectural progress. Its portico is in the Renaissance style, and the second story is embellished with triumphal arches made to serve as arcades. The large and splendid hall in the interior, where the Hanseatic League formerly held its sittings, is adorned with nine large statues of knights. Beside the town-hall stands the " Chapel of the Council," which formerly 'enshrined the Dombild, now preserved in the St. Agnes chapel of the cathedral. It contains a fine Roman mosaic, discovered when digging the foundations of the new hospital ; and, also, a small collection of ancient pictures. In its fine tower, ornamented with many statues and constructed in 1407, the municipal council was wont COLOGNE 53 to assemble ; at present it meets in the adjacent building, erected in 1850. Near the Jesuit's church, and not far from the quays of the Rhine, stands the church of St. Cunibert, commenced, and consecrated in 1248, by Archbishop Conrad. It stands on the site of an older church, built in 633 by the prelate whose name it bears. In its architectural character it is Romanesque, two portions only belong to the ogival style. Of course no visitor to Koln fails to make a pilgrimage to that legendary edifice, the church of St. Ursula. From an artistic point of view it presents very little that is interest- ing or remarkable, except in the choir, the tomb of St. Ursula (dating from 1668) and her statue in alabaster on a pedestal of black marble, with a dove at her feet. The legend runs that St. Ursula, daughter of a British king, set sail with a train of n,ooo virgins, to wed the warriors of an army that had migrated, under Maximus, to conquer Armorica from the Emperor Gratian. The ladies, however, losing their way, were captured at Koln by the barbarous Huns, who slew every one of them because they refused to break their vows of chastity. The story is told in a series of most indifferent pictures, to the right of the visitor as he enters the church. The relics of the vir- gins cover the whole interior of the building ; they are in- terred under the pavement, let into the walls, and displayed in glass cases about the choir. As in St. Ursula's, so in St. Gereon's church, the prin- cipal ornaments are bones. The nave dates from 1262; the other portions, including the choir and crypt, are as early as 1066-69. The baptistery, of the same date as the nave, contains a font of porphyry, said to be a gift of Charlemagne. 54 GERMANY In the late Gothic choir of the semi-Romanesque church of St. Andrew are preserved the relics of the great chemist and necromancer, Albertus Magnus. The Church of the Jesuits (1636) contains the crosier of St. Francis Xavier, and the rosary of St. Ignatius Loyola. One of the most ancient churches is that of Santa Maria di Capitolio. It is reputed to have been founded in 700, by Plectruda, wife of Pepin d' Heristal, and mother of Charles M artel, who erected a chanonry beside it. It is very clear that Plectruda's tomb belongs to an earlier date than the edifice which now enshrines it ; and which, judg- ing from its Romanesque style, was erected about the be- ginning of the Eleventh Century. The Church of St. Peter should be visited for the sake of the great picture by Rubens, forming its altar-piece, of the Crucifixion of the Apostle, with his head downwards. It was painted shortly before the master's death. Wilkie and Sir Joshua Reynolds both criticise it adversely ; but the visitor who contemplates it, however, without any foregone conclusion, will be powerfully impressed by it, and will pronounce it not unworthy of Rubens. The artist was baptized in this church ; and the brazen font used on this occasion is still preserved. Until he was ten years old (1587) he lived in the house, No. TO Sternengasse where Marie de' Medicis died in 1642. The church of the Minorites, that of St. Mauritus, those of St. Pantaleon and St. Andrew, are well worth visiting. The same may be said of the double iron bridge (1,352 feet long) across the Rhine ; the noble quays ; the House of the Templars, No. 8 Rheingasse; the new Rathaus, and the Wallraff-Richartz Museum of pictures, found and en- riched by the two citizens whose name it bears. HELIGOLAND G. W. STEEPENS HELIGOLAND is an absurd little triangle of red rock sticking up out of the North Sea. Its popu- lation is put down as something over 2,000 ; and an active man can walk round it, cutting off a corner here and there, in twenty minutes. Its staple industry is letting lodgings to Germans, varied by fishing in the off season. Its staple export, up to the time it became part of the Ger- man empire, was postage stamps. Why the Kaiser ever cast the eye of desire upon it, and exchanged for it the German claim upon vast territories in Eastern Africa, the Germans themselves do not profess to know. As a taxable entity Heligoland is securely con- temptible. Its fisheries have fallen off; nothing grows on it but potatoes and a few sheep ; there is said to be one horse on it, though he is not exhibited to strangers, and the cows are imported for the tourist season. Strategically it seems equally insignificant. It lies opposite the mouths of the Elbe and Weser ; but it has no harbour, hardly a road- stead, and nothing with even a remote resemblance to a dock or a wharf. It is the kind of island which the stronger Power can do without, and which is no help to the weaker. To these elements of uselessness it adds the disadvantage that it is slowly, but steadily, falling away into the sea. Why did the Kaiser desire it ? Perhaps the explanation is to be found in the historical maps of Germany, as ap- pointed to be used in schools. There you will see, each 56 GERMANY marked in a separate colour, the various territories added to the original Mark of Brandenburg by succeeding sovereigns of Prussia. P'rom Albert the Bear, down through the Great Elector and the Great Frederic, the tale of expansion goes on till it comes down to Alsace and Lorraine. And then the list of enlargers of the empire closes with the still, small inscription 1890 : WILHELM II., HELIGOLAND. And there, I fancy, you have it. He wanted something to play with, something of his very own to add to the empire, whereupon he might leave his indelible mark ; and played with it in the seven years of its Germanization he assuredly has. The first word you meet when you step ashore in Heligoland is the familiar " Forbidden." It is forbidden to make a mess on the beach on pain of punishment by the police. Under the notice stands the largest German policeman my eyes ever saw, spiked helmet on head, and in his belt, not only the uni- versal sword, but also a huge revolver. A little farther on you come to a flat stone let into the ground, with the in- scription : " Wilhelm II., August 10, 1890." That marks the spot where the Kaiser stood when he took possession of the island. Even poor little Heligoland cannot escape the German passion for memorials. Then you begin to pass through the streets of the queer little place. Heligoland is a toy place all over and all through. It looks like a toy island from the first moment the grey blotch bobs up over the steamer's bow ; but when you pass through the narrow streets, with the wooden painted houses, the suggestion of a German toy is irresist- HELIGOLAND ,57 ible. There is no carriage traffic, and so the main streets are ten feet wide and the side streets six feet. The many- coloured houses have just the pointed roofs and the regular square windows that we all remember on the lids of our boxes of bricks ; they are mostly two-storeyed, yet so low that it looks as if one good kick would send all Heligoland down flat. The names are a queer jumble of English and German. The Empress of India Hotel stands side by side by the Deutscher Reichs Adler, and Kaiser Strasse is parallel with Victoria Strasse. But, of course, the names of the streets have been translated into German letters, though, to be sure, O'Brien Strasse still remains in its glory. And in the middle of the Kaiser Strasse stands the new post-office. The Kaiser's Government, of course, suppressed the stamps which were one of Heligoland's main sources of income, and assimilated the postage to the rest of the empire. But the old post-office was plainly not imposing enough for a department of the sacred Government. So they have built a new one of glazed bricks in the style of the Victoria Station subway the most pretentious edifice on the island. And on it, in letters of gold, stands the in- scription, " Built under William II." But the first-fruits of that beneficent rule consist in the fortifications. Nothing grows in Heligoland except pota- toes did I say ? What a magnificent crop of notice-boards, long in the straw, heavy in the ear, embowers the fortifica- tions ! With what sternness is the Heligolander forbidden to approach the fortifications, referred to section so-many- hundred-and-so-many of the " Strafgesetzbuch," and threatened with the penalties of the Act dealing with the betrayal of military secrets ! " Strafgesetzbuch " means, literally, punishment-law-book that is to say, criminal 58 GERMANY law. Criminal law is a necessity of all civilized States and yet there is something about the conception of the " punishment-law-book " quite German. You picture the German buying the work in a book-shop, and reading it up to find what things it is naughty to do and how hard he will be smacked for each naughtiness respectively. The Heligo- lander would seem to be beset by few temptations ; but with the Germans came the new crime of betraying military secrets. Before, there were no military secrets to betray. Now, in the ample space devoted to official notices, you may read directions how the Heligolander is to avoid this crime. He must not sketch or photograph forts or guns ; he must not take notes of their bearings ; he must keep off the grass near them, and in general he must not look at them too often or too long. And he must remind all strangers politely no naughty rudeness ! that they must do likewise. You may some of you remember the First Recruit. He was the first baby born after the cession of the island, and when his time comes he will have to serve in the army or navy. You may see the poor little wretch's pinched face he is twelve years old now in almost every shop win- dow in Heligoland. He has been photographed in a busby and sabre, with a toy horse at his feet, from which I infer that the idea is to make a hussar of him. Possibly Heligo- land's only horse has been imported to familiarize him be- times with the fact that such a quadruped exists. Now, shortly after the First Recruit was born the Kaiser and Kaiserin visited the island in state ; and of the scandalous behaviour of the First Recruit on this occasion I speak on the testimony of an eyewitness. When the Kaiserin landed there met her six maidens of Heligoland bearing a HELIGOLAND 59 bouquet of flowers. Behind them was the First Recruit in the arms of his mother ; the Kaiserin approached him and made to pat his cheek. The First Recruit made one wild clutch at the bouquet and tore the middle out of it. Next came the Kaiser, and, undeterred, made also to pat his cheek. Then the First Recruit once more raised an im- pious hand and smote his sovereign across the face, and then turned right round and showed his back and hid his O face and refused to be comforted. From this it may be in- ferred that the First Recruit is of the old Heligoland party, which objects to German rule the new Heligoland party not being yet in existence. The Heligolanders are a square-built race, akin in dress and looks to our East Coast fishermen, with faces seared brick-red by the salt wind. They say little, but they do not like the change. They do not like the police, they do not like the regulations. They do not like the guts of their island torn out to make fortifications which they must not walk over. They do not like a lump of their island to fall into the sea when the heavy guns are fired : there is not much of the island, and all there is they want. They do not like the prospect of sending their sons away for three years to serve a sovereign whose quarrels are not theirs ; and especially they do not like the broad space of cliff papered with instructions what they are to do and what they are not to do. One, I noticed, had reference to an elec- tric launch. Somebody appeared to have said that it was not safe, and its German owner complained to the magis- trate, who issued a notice, saying that if anybody did that again, he would be punished under rule so-many-thousand- and-so-many. Of course it was wrong of the boatman to libel the electric launch, but it was probably sincerely done, 60 GERMANY and very human. Only the iron heel is down on Heligo- land, and human nature must be squeezed out. The magistrate issues his notice from some town in Schleswig-Holstein. Heligoland stands all by itself in the sea ; its people have their own little history and traditions and ways, their own German-Danish-Dutch-English speech. But they are part of the German Empire now, and in the German Empire there is only room for the one pattern. Poor little Heligoland, melting away into the German Ocean ! MECKLENBURG MAURICE TODHUNTER A MOURNFUL fascination clings to such provinces of the earth as struggle to hold their own local features and character against the levelling in- fluence of large cities and governments. Few seamen who slumber in the scorching sunshine of July and leave their nets to dry at midday on the banks of the Warnow, seem to realize the fact that they alone of all people in the whole west of Europe are exempt from the benefits and the dul- ness of constitutional rule. Nor would they be able to estimate the exact amount of Slav or Teuton blood that flows in the veins of the fellow-townsmen of the rough old commander who stands sword in hand in front of the red temple of Minerva, although rumour has accused him of a certain hostility to letters. A lordly castle on a lake, built in the style of mansions on the banks of the Loire, lodges the royal house that still makes laws for the Duchy of Mecklenburg. Like most children of the north, their princely forefathers upheld Luther in his reforming zeal, and kept up an intercourse with the sovereigns of Denmark. Many dark Wendt features look down from the walls, amidst diadems and armour, with a deep-set but genial expression. The great Dr. Schliemann, who dug up the bracelets of Helen, was the son of a pastor in the neighbourhood, and his bronze image is reflected in the peaceful water that flows beneath the houses of Schwerin. 62 GERMANY A striking contrast prevails between the refinement of Schwerin and the busy life of Rostock. No harbour in the Baltic boasts a larger fleet of black trading vessels, which pass constantly seawards along pine-clad banks and by the mole of Warnemunde. The tall church towers form a beacon for mariners, soaring above sand-hills and green intervening pasture-land. Few Baltic watering-places are more popular than Warne- munde, with its long sea frontage and prim plantations of myrtle. Various forms of music of a high order may be heard all day long. Whenever the wind is in the north the sea-breezes improve the complexion of well-dressed womanhood, but cannot quite blow off the Semitic taint from some, however much they may have forgotten the old songs of Zion beside strange waters. The peasantry of Mecklenburg suffered during the Thirty Years' War almost more than any between the Baltic and the Tyrol. Only the great Gustavas saved them from the tyranny of the Hapsburgs when they had been sold to Wallenstein and his savage band of plunderers. The town of Rostock itself remained in Swedish hands between the Peace of Westphalia and 1803. Thus Blucher himself was born a Swedish subject, and is said to have first longed for a soldier's life as he beheld the Swedish hussars on the seashore in boyhood. Stein happened to travel through the whole duchy in 1802, but records an unfavourable impression : " The ap- pearance of the whole country displeased me as much as the cloudy northern climate ; great fields, of which a con- siderable part lies in pasture and fallow, extremely few people, the whole labouring class under the pressure of serf- dom, the fields attached to single farms, seldom well-built MECKLENBURG 63 in one word, uniformity, a deadly stillness, a want of life and activity diffused over the whole which oppressed and soured me much. The abode of the Mecklenburg noble- man who keeps down his peasants instead of improving their condition, strikes me as the lair of a wild beast who desolates everything round him, and surrounds himself with the silence of the grave. Assuredly even the advantage is only apparent ; high energy of cultivation, thorough agri- culture, is only possible where there is no want of human beings and human power. Storks abound on the borderland between Mecklenburg and Pomerania. Stralsund is less lively than Rostock, but possesses an interest of its own with its quaint church tow- ers and battlements encompassed on all sides by water. In the middle of summer a festival is still held to celebrate a mighty deliverance. Wallenstein, whose favourite motto was " God up in heaven and myself down here," had sworn a blasphemous oath to take Stralsund by storm, though it were tied by chains to the firmament. But " the old God of the Protestants " (to cite a Saxon historian) remembered His faithful people and brought His enemies to confusion. Twelve thousand Catholics perished in the vain attempt, while the brave Danes and Swedes helped the inhabitants by sea. Nothing can surpass the beauty of moonlit nights on the Baltic when the waters are at rest and ships and well-wooded headlands are visible far and wide. The white silvery cliffs of the eastern coast of Rugen, looking down on old battleships at anchor, seem to have sprung straight from the canvas of Turner. A king once sat on that rocky brow (Charles XII. of Sweden) during a naval combat between his subjects and the Danes. Behind is a dusky and mys- 64 GERMANY tical lake, where human sacrifices were once offered to Hertha, until a handsome young knight came from a far country to win the heart of the priestess, and forswore her to change her trade. In spite of long periods of Swedish dominion and genial old-world memories of mirth and song, Stralsund and Rostock are both thoroughly German at present. A visit to the town of Lund on the opposite side of the water (where Esaias Tegner, the Gothic singer of Frithjof, fell madly in love with another man's wife before he became a bishop) shows the contrast between Swedish and German ways, particularly the ways of young men in their studious seed- time. Fritz Reuter is the best known writer whom Mecklen- burg has had, and sometimes bears the label of the German Dickens. If the humour of Dickens is more effective than his pathos, Reuter is usually praised for his mixture of both. The cellar where he sat, and sometimes drank to excess, is still used as a restaurant, and boasts of paintings of scenes out of his works on its walls. A quaint story is told of his exclaiming " white or red ? " instead of the usual list of cumbrous titles and compliments, to a minor German prince, who once visited him in the morning and found him shab- bily dressed and sitting in front of his table. It is not left on record which of the two beverages the prince helped him to consume. To pass from Mecklenburg to Hamburg seems almost like passing from one century into another. Even the swan that swim in the superb Alster-Bassin seem more pro- saic than those which float around the lake and castle of Schwerin, with ancient trees in the background. Perhaps imperial influences will soon make themselves felt and MECKLENBURG 65 change the old qualities of the inhabitants of the duchy. But a great modern historian was surely right in his surmise that human beings would cease to be interesting and poet- ical if they could be uprooted from their localities and be- come "a machine-made fabric, the counterpart of countless others," under military pressure or other levelling forces. HAMBURG ARTHUR SB AD WELL MARTIN N'EXT to Berlin, the greatest city of the German empire and the third largest port of the world is Hamburg. Its territory of 159 square miles forms a constituent state as well as a city, the latter covering an area of thirty square miles. It is situated at the estuary of the Elbe and has a population (1900) of 768,349. It is the seat of the upper Hanseatic court, and of the provincial courts of Bremen, Hamburg and Liibeck. It sends three mem- bers to represent it in the Reichstag. The city has long been the commercial emporium of Northern Europe and the efforts to keep it abreast of the times by providing facilities for unloading and loading mer- chandise have resulted in the finest equipment of docks and wharfs to be found anywhere in the world. The river bed is being constantly dredged and deepened so that now ves- sels drawing twenty-three feet can reach the city. The trade and population have consequently increased with great rapidity in recent years. The tonnage of its mercan- tile marine surpasses that of the whole of Holland, and its commerce extends over the whole globe. In 1876, when it already ranked third in the world's ports the number of vessels entered was 4,991 ; in 1900, the total had risen to 13,100, with a tonnage of 8,000,000. The two leading nations with which Hamburg trades are Great Britain and the United States. In 1900, the imports from Great Brit- HAMBURG 67 ain amounted to $108,052,000; and the exports to $103,530,000. In 1900, the total imports from all coun- tries by boat and rail were valued at $951,000,000; and the exports at $285,000,000. Hamburg is also one of the foremost cities in the world in the banking business, besides being pre-eminent as a coffee-mart, and an emigration bureau. Nearly half a mil- lion persons departed in the years 1890-1895, three quarters of them being destined for the United States. The prin- cipal industries of the city are cigar-making, spirit and sugar refining, brewing, meat-curing, engineering and ship- building. The most famous street, and the busiest thoroughfare of the city is the Jungfernstieg. The Alter and Neuer Jung- fernstieg are fine quays on the Alster-Bassin. Commercial life centres at the Exchange and in the neighbouring streets, the Neuerwall and Alterwall. Fine old residences of the opulent merchants of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centu- ries are to be seen in Rodings-Markt and the Katharinen- strasse. Hamburg is not rich in public monuments. St. Catharine's Church which escaped the fire is one of the most interesting buildings because of its age. St. Nicholas's, built from designs by Sir Gilbert Scott, as a memorial of the fire of 1842, has one of the tallest spires in Europe (483 feet high). St. Michael's, built in the Eight- eenth Century, has a spire 432 feet high. Among the civic buildings, the Ratbaus completed in 1894 and the picture gallery are the most important. Hamburg has a long record. It was founded by Char- lemagne in 804 ; but its importance as a centre of commerce began in the Thirteenth Century when the emperor Fred- erick I. granted it the free navigation of the Elbe from the 68 GERMANY city to the sea, with the right of levying a toll on foreign shipping. These privileges were confirmed by his son, Otho IV., who raised Hamburg to the rank of a free city. In 1241 Hamburg joined with Lvibeck in the formation of the Hanseatic league and from that time increased rapidly in wealth and commercial importance, augmenting its territory by the purchase of the township of Ritzebiittel, at the mouth of the Elbe (where the harbour of Cuxhaven in now situ- ated), and several villages and islands in the vicinity of the town. Under the protection of the German emperors, Hamburg soon became powerful enough to defend itself and its commerce both by sea and land, and carried on war for a considerable period against the Dutch and the Danes, though with varying success. It early embraced the doc- trines of the reformation, and in consequence of the vigor- ous administration of its affairs, never had an enemy within its walls during the stormy period of the Thirty Years' War. The frequently recurring disputes with Denmark ceased in 1768, when that power renounced all claim to any portion of the Hamburg territory. The prosperity of the city con- tinued to increase until 1799, when a great commercial crisis occurred, followed in 1806 by its occupation by the French, which with a few interruptions, lasted till 1814. During this period the town was strongly fortified, it being Napoleon's intention to make Hamburg the stronghold of his power in northern Germany. The sufferings of the citizens were very great, and their losses were estimated at $52,500,000. Their miseries culminated'in the siege which the French under Davout sustained from the Russians in the winter of 1813-14, when 30,000 people were driven out of the town, many of whom perished of cold and hunger. In 1815 Hamburg joined the German confederation, and HAMBURG 69 enjoyed a return of its former prosperity until the terrible fire of 1842, by which, within three days, one-third of the city was destroyed, and great loss of life and property took place. The fire was, however, not an unmixed evil, for ad- vantage was taken of the opportunity to reconstruct that por- tion of the town, which by its broad, well-lighted, and well- drained streets, and fine and lofty houses, offers a striking con- trast to the remaining part, much of which is devoted to whole- sale business, and intersected by canals communicating with each other and with the river, by which goods are conveyed in lighters to and from the warehouses. The old ramparts have been converted into gardens and walks, and the beauty of the city is greatly increased by two large sheets of water formed by the Alster, and surrounded by good hotels and private houses, many of which in the suburb of Uhlenhorst, about two miles from Hamburg, are very charming. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS HENR T BLACKS URN THE attractions of the Harz Mountains to the in- habitants of the flat countries, in the burning days of July and August, are greater than the sea- breezes of their coast. The charm of mountaineering and walking on heather-covered hillsides and wandering freely in forests of pines, is greater and more alluring than the casinos on the sea-shore. Thus it is that the capitalists of the northern towns of Germany, especially Bremen, are popularizing the principal valleys in the Harz, constructing railways and hotels and turning little villages into prosperous summer towns. The crowded inhabitants of the old streets of Bremen and Leipzig, where children live like caged birds for nine months of the year, fly with native instinct to trees and woods, to freedom and fresh air, to see in real life the little red and white houses, the stifF pine-trees, the flat- sided sheep, the spotted cows, the herdsmen in brown and green " Noah's ark " coats and the formal procession of pigs, goats and sheep that they had played with in baby- hood. The process is now made easy enough for all classes. A through ticket can be taken from Bremen to Harzburg, and the journey is accomplished in about six hours. What there is to see in the Harz Mountains and how the holiday-makers beguile their summer days, the tourist may see for himself in less than a week by following the route indicated in this narrative. THE HARZ MOUNTAINS 71 Leaving Hanover, with its dirty streets and sunburnt walls, with its old palaces covered with Prussian affiches, we take the railway to Brunswick and so on southward to Goslar in the Harz Mountains. Goslar this strange old town set on the slopes of beauti- ful hills who ever heard of it before excepting as " the head-quarters of a mining-district bleak, dull and uninter- esting " ? Have we not made a discovery here of a new world of interest ? What is its history to compass in a few words eight centuries of time ? A city rich, flourish- ing and powerful, with imperial rights and dignities, once the residence of emperors and the seat of the German Diet; the source of almost unbounded wealth in its gold and silver mines, guarded from its watch-towers by trained bands of warriors day and night, a city not only planned and forti- fied with wonderful knowledge of the science of defence, but set upon a line of hills with such admirable design, that it must have been a delightful place of residence in imperial days. A pause of five hundred years, and the old Roman- esque buildings which are still traceable here and there, such as the Dom-capelle^ a relic of the imperial Dom erected by Conrad II. in the year 916, are swept away, and a new element of life makes its mark in Goslar : a period of commercial prosperity takes the place of the more romantic and warlike ; the arms and insignia of an imperial city are thrust aside, the guilds and corporations erect town-halls, warehouses, and massive high-gabled beer breweries. The Gothic Kaiserwerth (now turned into an inn), standing in the central square, gives in itself a new character to the city, and bows and arrows give place to more peaceful weapons. A new city is built, so to speak, within the walls of the old ; new customs and new sciences are introduced, 72 GERMANY manufactures are encouraged, and the art of mining and smelting the source of wealth, the raison d? etre, it may be said of Goslar is carried to such perfection, that the world and the world's wealth flock hither from all parts of Germany. Schools of mining are established, geological experiments of great scientific importance are carried on, and the little river Gose, which once flowed a wide stream through the town, has its tributaries diverted for mining purposes and dwindles almost out of sight. Three hundred years more, and the city is asleep. Its population has dwindled away ; its mining operations are no longer the world's wonder; its halls are turned into granaries; the walls of the old beer breweries totter and fall ; the wooden gables lean ; the carved wood-work on its doorways becomes defaced ; there is silence in its streets. The Kaiserwerth in the market-place, is the principal inn a picturesque old building of the Fifteenth Century, adorned exteriorly with statues of former emperors and there are several others in the town. The streets are roughly paved and some not too clean ; but the old houses, with their carved frontages and high-pitched gables, fringed with ornament and decorated with grotesque figures, the creepers growing over the closed lattices, the solid brass door-knockers in the likeness of mermaids, satyrs, dolphins, dragons and griffins, the deep, rich colour of stained wood, and the peeps of the hills at the ends of the streets lead the visitor on and on over innumerable and weary cobble- stones. To see what are called the " show-places " in the town, the visitor will probably do best to take a human guide, and give himself up to his care for one day. He will then see in detail what we can only indicate here the relics of a THE HARZ MOUNTAINS 73 wonderful Tenth Century city. He will be shown the re- mains of the imperial Dom, and what is said to be a votive altar of the early Saxons ; and what is more interesting, be- cause more authentic, the walls of the ancient Kaiserbaus, erected by the Emperor Henry III. in 1059. Its style is Romanesque, and its proportions and situation make many similar buildings of a later date look mean and poor. But ancient Goslar has already a fashionable life of its own, and affects, to some extent, the manners of to-day. It does not attempt to compete with Harzburg or the more modern watering-places of Blankenburg or Wernigerode, but it is a watering-place, and it has its own particular promenade. Among the antiquities of Goslar we must not omit to speak of the mines. About a mile up the valley, in a south- ward direction, there is a mine that has been worked for at least eight centuries, yielding " gold and silver, copper, lead, zinc, sulphur, vitriol and alum." We repeat the catalogue of minerals as given to strangers who visit the Rammels- berg mine, but at the present time there is little activity, and the yield hardly pays the expense of working. The situation of Harzburg, the next town on our route, at the head of a little valley, closed in on either side by woods, will remind the traveller of the watering places of the Pyrenees. It is in a cul-de-sac, from which there is no easy escape, except by returning northward into the plains. As we drive up the valley, past the railway terminus, we pass a long line of scattered cottages of the peasants before reaching the new and fashionable Harzburg, the growth of the last few years. The road is wide and smooth as we leave the old village behind us ; on either side are large hotels, out-door cafes, and private, park-like villas, with 74 GERMANY prettily laid out gardens. Through the gates of one of these gardens the driver turns, and stops at the verandah of a large noisy hotel. The Juliushalle is so celebrated for its (German) comforts and its admirable cuisine, and is so popu- lar as a boarding-house and bathing establishment, that it is seldom, during the height of the season, that chance way- farers can be accommodated. It is a large, rambling booth- like building, with a strong sense of cooking and good liv- ing pervading it an odour which, combined with tobacco, clings to the valley on a summer's night and quite over- whelms the scent of the pines. It is evening when we stroll up the valley, and the peas- ants are returning from the mountains ; cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and geese line the roads, and the people all stop to stare as usual. We have only been in the mountains a few days, but these figures and the lines of fir-trees above our heads seem strangely familiar. Where have we seen these grave peasants in long coats, these wooden-faced women with baskets on their backs, these spotted cows, flat-sided pigs and uniform geese ? Where these formal-looking houses, rows of stiff-looking trees, white, staring dogs and grave, fat-faced children ? It is the child's box of German toys, suddenly opened and turned out before us ; the strange impression produced upon a child who shall say how many years ago ? reproduced in life before our eyes. Here are all the living materials for Noah's Arks and Christmas-trees. Noah, with his long brown coat in stiff wooden folds and his hat and stick as presented to us in childhood ; his wife and family in red, brown and buff standing staring vacantly in a row ; the shepherd with his horn and gigantic crook painted green ; cows and goats walking home two by two ; and pigs lying flat upon the ground, like little toys thrown THE HARZ MOUNTAINS 75 down. Under the trees, as the sun goes down, our Christ- mas-tree is lighted up, and the figures that move before us only want packing up and selling at two sous each at a child's bazaar. There are clouds at the head of the valley next morning, and behind the clouds it is raining on the Brocken ; but the sun is so hot by ten o'clock that we are glad to get out of the valley and walk up through the woods, which we enter by a wicket gate nearly opposite to the Jutiushalle to the Burgberg, or castle hill, just above the town. In about a quarter of an hour we are surprised to find ourselves at the summit. Whether it is worth while for any one to walk up to this noisy little beer-garden, where the shouts of waiters and the clink of glasses drown every other sound, we will not say. The walk through the woods gives us beautiful peeps of the valley, and we see as on a map beneath us the chalets and gardens that are rising in every direction, and covering every available plot of ground. From the top the view is much impeded by the masses of fir-trees ; but we obtain a good idea of the formation of the valley and in clear weather see the distant peaks and slopes of the upper Harz. From Harzburg there is a carriage-road to the inn at the top of the Brocken, but the pleasantest way is to drive to Ilsenberg and then walk, the distance from the latter being about seven miles. The walk is altogether beautiful through woods, by waterfalls, and under the shadow of great rocks, until the upper and more Alpine region is reached. We pass through open glades and pastures here and there, then into a thick forest of pines, then out again on to the road for a while, following the windings of the Use. On our left hand as we ascend, an almost perpendicular 76 GERMANY ridge of rock towers over the valley, and we pass a little sign-post which tells us that, by a digression of three- quarters of an hour, we can ascend the Ilsestein. From this prominence where an iron cross is shining in the sun about 350 feet above our heads there are views of scenery wilder and more grand than anything that can be imagined from below. Continuing the ascent, which changes every moment from rocks and streams to the quiet and solitude of pines and firs, now walking on a carpet of living moss or dead fir cones, now coming upon a little garden of wild flowers, red, white and blue, under our feet, with red berries, Alpine roses and blue forget-me-nots, pur- ple heath in the distance, and above our heads mosses and creepers growing round projecting boulders we come sud- denly upon a little plantation of toy fir-trees, from four to six inches high, railed off like a miniature park a nursery for forests for our great-grandchildren to walk in when the trees above our heads are turned into the eaves and gables of towns. No one touches these plantations, which are to be seen on the mountain-side in various sizes, planted out wider year by year, as they grow larger until they spread into a living forest. The path now leaves the stream and all traces of the road, and we enter upon open ground, up a steep and stony path, across heather and furze and between great blocks of granite, where there is no track visible ; then into more woods and so by an easy ascent of three hours to the top of the Brocken. The air has been crisp and keen, the sky is almost cloudless, and the aspect of the mountain during the last half-hour reminds us for the first time of Switzer- land. We are climbing on up the last steep ascent, strewn with enormous moss-grown boulders, which hide the view THE HARZ MOUNTAINS 77 above us, and are unaware until we are within a few yards of the inn that we have reached the summit of the famous Blocksberg, the spot haunted by spectres, witches and bogies from the earliest times. Here we are in the Toy Country again ; but this time it is Noah and his family that we see before us. The inn on the Brocken is the identical form of the packing-case which the religious world of all nations has vulgarized into a play- thing for children. There is the host with his three sons coming out to meet us, the people walking two and two, and the horses, sheep, pigs and goats all stowed away at the great side-doors. The resemblance is irresistible and more fascinating to our minds than the legends and mysteries with which German imagination has peopled this district. Of the bogie which haunts the Brocken, the famous op- tical illusion which, under certain conditions of the atmos- phere reflects figures of enormous size on the clouds, we can only speak by hearsay, as it is seldom seen but once or twice during the summer. The spectre is said to appear at sunset or " whenever the mists happen to ascend perpen- dicularly out of the valley, on the side opposite to the sun and leave the mountain-top itself free from vapour. The shadow of the mountain is reflected against the perpendic- ular fall of the rising vapour as it were against a gigantic wall. The inn then becomes a palace in size, and the human beings on the summit become giants." This spectre and a dance of the witches on the eve of May-day are the two " associations of the Brocken," which no trav- eller comes away without hearing of, nor without having pointed out to him the great granite blocks called the "Witches' Altar" the "Devil's Pulpit" and other monu- ments commemorative, it is said, of the conversion of the 78 GERMANY early Saxons to Christianity. The ordinary aspect of the Brocken is described in a few words by Andersen. " It gives me," he says, " an idea of a northern tumulus on a grand scale. Here stone lies piled on stone, and a strange silence rests over the whole. Not a bird twitters in the low pines; round about us are white grave-flowers growing in the high moss, and stones lie in masses on the sides of the mountain-top, but everything was in a mist ; it began to blow and the wind drove the clouds onwards over the mountain's top as if they were flocks of sheep." And thus it is in a few minutes with us. In less time than it takes to write these lines the whole aspect of the mountain has changed, the clouds have come up from the valleys and we are under a veil of mist. Here and there it has cleared for a moment, and revealed to us the only spectres of the Brocken we ever saw during our stay sad, wet and weary travellers waiting for the view. Another minute and they disappear in the clouds, and the strains of Gounod's music coming from the Brockenhaus, and the sounds of voices and the clinking of glasses make us beat a retreat. The transi- tion to the scene within is as startling as a transformation scene in a pantomime, and almost as grotesque. Here are at least sixty people crowded together, English, Americans, French, Spaniards and Germans, the latter already hard at work on the viands which the slaves of the Harz had brought up from the valleys on their backs. The accommo- dation for travellers is, of course, rough and plain, but we are all sheltered from the pitiless storm outside, and are kept alive until morning. The day breaks and the sun rises over the plains of Europe, while we sixty travellers are enveloped in mist. There is a view at sunrise here once in a summer, which THE HARZ MOUNTAINS 79 those who have not slept on the Rigi or Mount Pilatus, in Switzerland, describe as surpassingly beautiful. It is a re- lief to descend again into the region of sunshine, to walk across green pastures and in moss-covered woods, to rest by picturesque waterfalls and hear the thunder of the stream swollen by the clouds that we have left behind us. It is a beautiful romantic walk by the footpaths down to Wer- nigerode. It is a sudden change to civilization to approach Wer- nigerode from the mountains. On descending from the Brocken we are scarcely prepared for a macadamized road a mile long, lined with modern villas and pleasure-gardens and to see fine carriages and horses and people driving about in the fashions of Berlin. But changes are being made rapidly at Wernigerode : the castle and beautiful park with its woods that skirt the northern slopes of the mountains, remain, but the property is passing into Prussian hands and the old town itself, which was modernized after the fire in 1844, will soon lose its antique character. There are a few fine old timber houses left, and the Rathaus is both picturesque and curious. There is a good carriage road to Elbingerode, past which, with its hard-working and dingy population, through the valleys where the smoke hangs over us, and the fumes from the mines seem to blight the land, through dreary valleys, with strange forms of rocks on either side, we come in about three hours to the village of Rubeland, deep in the gorge through which runs the river Bode. Here, as at El- bingerode, there is no thought of natural beauty, and the valley is picturesque in spite of its inhabitants. The general aspect is of work, smoke and the grinding of machinery, and the people from their appearance, might 8o GERMANY have come from Staffordshire, in England. On a fine sum- mer's day many visitors come to see the celebrated stalactite caverns, and give Rubeland for the time a holiday aspect. These stalactite caverns, which extend for long distances under the limestone rocks at Rubeland, assume the most fantastic shapes, and when lighted up are a wonderful sight. The principal caves shown to visitors are the Baumannshohle and the Bielshohle, the former a natural cavern discovered more than two hundred years ago. It is now entered by an opening cut in the rocks, 144 feet above the village, through which visitors descend by spiral staircases and ladders. The finest stalactites have long been removed from Rubeland, and it is only here and there that we get a glimpse of those wonderful colours which have inspired German poets of all ages. Passing up the valley of the Bode, leaving the black iron foundries and ochre mines, we soon arrive at a bleak, flat tableland, where the air is keen and fresh, and, in about two hours after leaving Rubeland, turn off suddenly from the high road to a spot where a view bursts upon us as un- expected as it is beautiful. We are at the ZiegenkofF, on the heights above Blank- enburg, a promontory 1,360 feet above the plains, with an uninterrupted view looking northward and eastward, which may be fairly called one of the noblest in the Harz. Descending to the town, we find the streets of Blanken- burg as rough and ill-paved as any artist could desire. The buildings are most interesting ; there is something to study in the exterior of nearly every house, and the outline is varied in every gable. The perspective down the steep streets near the old market-place, which is almost under the walls of the castle, is full of variety and colour, and the THE HARZ MOUNTAINS 81 figures of the market women have a more picturesque as- pect than in any other town in the Harz. Thale, the next place on our list is neither a town nor a village ; it is a place which it is almost impossible to de- scribe satisfactorily, and about which no two people are agreed. There is so little to see in Thale, excepting the inn, that we may at once ascend the mountain on the op- posite side of the Bode, through a wood, to the famous rock called the Rosstrappe, an almost perpendicular ridge of granite, which stands out like a wall, and hems in the entrance to the valley. There is a path to the most pro- jecting point, which commands a view up and down the valley of the Bode, with its grey rocks and trees, overhang- ing precipices, its waterfalls and its dark recesses, and be- yond, towards Treseburg, mountains rising one behind the other, covered with trees. The Rosstrappe is scarcely 1,400 feet above the sea-level, but its shape, like a narrow wedge, and its isolated position, with sides descending almost perpendicularly beneath us, render it one of the most striking sights in the Harz. The romantic legend of a princess having leaped across this valley is learned by heart by every visitor, and the proof of the feat is shown in the marks of a gigantic horse's hoofs on the rock ! We will not attempt to describe the grandeur of the view from the Rosstrappe, because immediately opposite to us is an- other eminence projecting into the valley, from which it is even more remarkable. The valley is crossed by a pre- cipitous descent of 800 feet, and by an ascent on the other side by a staircase cut in the rock with 1,100 steps to reach the Hexen Tanzplatz. At Thale the tourist who is merely passing through the Harz district may leave the mountains, with the knowledge 82 GERMANY that it is in this neighbourhood that its beauties culminate ; unless he is going southward through Gernerode to Ballen- stedt, where there is a railway station. The pedestrian who wishes to make a complete tour can work his way from Thale westward to Clausthal on foot. At Clausthal we are in a district where the whole busi- ness and population are underground. There are bright green fields, beautiful pastures, old timbered houses in gardens full of flowers, with their red-tiled roofs, with creepers twining round them. There is sweet air from the mountains and such freshness in nature overhead that the aspect of the human population filing down the paths in a long black procession, like some accursed race, throws a gloom over the landscape this morning which it is diffi- cult to shake off. Across the bright, fresh fields again, leaving Clausthal and the great smelting-works in the valley which they deso- late a walk on springy turf across sweet pastures through park-like little forests and deep glades, between regiments of silent pines over hill and dale for six miles, brings us to the brow of a hill, from which we first see Grund. In the midst of a series of what we may call " moun- tainettes," tinted with the most delicate gradations of grey, we see sloping woods and fields, set with bright, red-tiled gables and glittering spires and little paths leading from them, with processions of goats and cattle coming down, led by toy shepherds, and hear the tinkle of innumerable bells and the distant mountain-horn. This is our first im- pression of Grund. Winding down into the irregular streets, where old men and women are seated about, and the cattle that have parted from the droves are gravely walking in at the front doors of their homes, unattended, THE HARZ MOUNTAINS 83 we stop at the principal inn, in front of a market-place, which occupies a few yards of open level ground in the middle of the town. After visiting Grund, there is no prettier or more de- lightful way of quitting this district than through the valley northward to Lautenthal, and then to Seesen, where the system of railways is reached again. THE ILSENSTEIN HEINRICH HEINE AND now the students prepared to depart. Knap- sacks were buckled, the bills, which were moder- ate beyond all expectation, were settled, the two susceptible housemaids, upon whose pretty countenances the traces of successful amours were plainly visible, brought, as is their custom, their Brocken-bouquets and helped some to adjust their caps ; for all of which they were duly rewarded with either coppers or kisses. Thus we all went " down-hill," albeit one party, among whom were the Swiss and Greifswalder, took the road towards Schierke, and the other, of about twenty men, among whom were my " land's people " and I, led by a guide, went through the so-called " Snow-Holes " down to Ilsenburg. Such a head-over-heels, break-neck piece of business ! Halle students travel quicker than the Austrian militia. Ere I knew where I was, the bald summit of the mountain, with groups of stones strewed over it, was behind us, and we went through the fir-wood which I had seen the day be- fore. The sun poured down a cheerful light on the merry Burschen^ in gaily coloured garb, as they merrily pressed onward through the wood, disappearing here, coming to light again there, running in marshy places, across on shak- ing trunks of trees, climbing over shelving steeps by grasp- ing the projecting tree-roots, while they trilled all the time in the merriest manner, and were answered in as merry echoes THE ILSENSTEIN, HARZ THE ILSENSTEIN 85 by the invisibly plashing rivulets and the resounding echo. When cheerful youth and beautiful Nature meet, they mutually rejoice. The lower we descended, the more delightfully did sub- terranean waters ripple around us ; only here and there they peeped out amid rocks and bushes, appearing to be recon- noitring if they might yet come to light, until one little spring jumped forth boldly. Then followed the usual show the bravest one makes a beginning, and then the great multitude of hesitators, suddenly inspired with courage, rush forth to join the first. A multitude of springs now leaped in haste from their ambush, united with the leader, and finally formed quite an important brook, which, with its innumerable waterfalls and beautiful windings, ripples adown the valley. This is now the Use the sweet, pleasant Use. She flows through the blest Use vale, on whose sides the mountains gradually rise higher and higher, being clad even to their base with beech-trees, oaks and the usual shrubs, the firs and other needle covered evergreens hav- ing disappeared; for that variety of trees prevails upon the Lower Harz, as the east side of the Brocken is called in contradistinction to the west side, or Upper Harz, being really much higher and better adapted to the growth of evergreens. No pen can describe the merriment, simplicity and gentle- ness with which the Use leaps or glides amid the wildly piled rocks which rise in her path, so that the water strangely whizzes or foams in one place amid rifted rocks, and in another wells through a thousand crannies, as if from a giant watering-pot, and then in collected steam trips away over the pebbles like a merry maiden. Yes, the old legend is true; the Use is a princess, who, laughing in 86 GERMANY beauty, runs adown the mountain. How her white foam garment gleams in the sunshine ! How her silvered scarf flutters in the breeze ! How her diamonds flash ! The high beech-tree gazes down on her like a grave father se- cretly smiling at the capricious self-will of a darling child ; the white birch-trees nod their heads around like delighted aunts, who are, however, frightened at such bold leaps ; the proud oak looks on like a not over-pleased uncle, as though he must pay for all the fine weather ; the birds in the air sing their share in their joy ; the flowers on the banks whisper : " Oh, take us with thee ! take us with thee, dear sister ! " but the wild maiden may not be withheld, and she leaps onward, and suddenly seizes the dreaming poet, and there streams over me a flower-rain of ringing gleams and flashing tones, and all my senses are lost in beauty and splendour, as I hear only the sweet flute-like voice : I am the Princess Use, And dwell in Ilsenstein ; Come with me to my castle, Thou shah be blest and mine ! With ever-flowing fountains I'll cool thy weary brow ; Thou'lt lose amid their rippling The cares which grieve thee now. In my white arms reposing, And on my snow-white breast, Thou'lt dream of old, old legends. And sink in joy to rest. I'll kiss thee and caress thee, As in the ancient day I kissed the Emperor Henry, Who long has passed away. THE ILSENSTEIN 87 The dead are dead and silent, Only the living love ; And I am fair and blooming, Dost feel my wild heart move ? And in my heart is beating, My crystal castle rings, Where many a knight and lady In merry measure springs. Silk trains are softly rustling, Spurs ring from night to morn, And dwarfs are gaily drumming, And blow the golden horn. As round the Emperor Henry, My arms round thee shall fall ; I held his ears he heard not The trumpet's warning call. Finally we reached the Ilsenstein. This is an enormous granite rock, which rises high and boldly from a glen. On three sides it is surrounded by woody hills, but from the fourth, the north, there is an open view, and we gaze upon the Ilsenburg and the Use lying far below, and our glances wander beyond into the lower land. On the tower-like summit of the rock stands a great iron cross, and in case of need there is also here a resting-place for four human feet. As Nature, through picturesque position and form, has adorned the Ilsenstein with strange and beautiful charms, so has also Legend poured over it her rosy light. According to Gottschalk, " the people say that there once stood here an enchanted castle, in which dwelt the fair Princess Use, who yet bathes every morning in the Use. He who is so fortunate as to hit upon the exact time and place, will be led by her into the rock where her castle lies, and receive a 88 GERMANY royal reward." Others narrate a pleasant legend of the loves of the Lady Use and of the Knight of Westenburg, which has been romantically sung by one of our most noted poets in the Evening Journal. Others again say that it was the old Saxon Emperor Henry who passed in pleasure his imperial hours with the water-nymph Use in her enchanted castle. A later author, Niemann, who has written a Harz guide, in which the heights of the hills, variations of the compass, town finances and similar matters are described with praiseworthy accuracy, asserts, however, that " what is narrated of the Princess Use belongs entirely to the realm of fable." So all men to whom a beautiful princess has never appeared assert ; but we, who have been especially favoured by fair ladies, know better. And this the Emperor Henry knew too ! It was not without cause that the old Saxon Emperors held so firmly to their native Harz. Let any one only turn over the leaves of the fair Liinenburg Chronicle, where the good old gentlemen are represented in wondrously true-hearted woodcuts as well-weaponed, high on their mailed war-steeds, the holy imperial crown on their blessed heads, sceptre and sword in firm hands; and then in their sentimental moustached and bearded faces he can plainly read how when they lingered in dis- tant lands they often longed for the familiar rustling of the Harz forests and their sweethearts the Harz princesses. Yes, even when in the orange and poison-gifted Italy whither they, with their followers were often enticed by the desire of becoming German Emperors, through that German lust for title which finally destroyed Emperor and realm. I, however, advise every one who may hereafter stand on the summit of the Ilsenburg to think neither of Emperor and crown, nor of the fair Use j but simply of his own feet. THE ILSENSTEIN 89 For as I stood there lost in thought, I suddenly heard the subterranean music of the enchanted castle and saw the mountains around begin to stand on their heads, while the red tiled roofs of Ilsenburg were dancing and green trees flew through the air, until all was green and blue before my eyes, and I, overcome by giddiness, would assuredly have fallen into the abyss, had I not, in the dire need of my soul, clung fast to the iron cross. No one who reflects on the critically ticklish situation in which I then stood can possibly find fault with me for having done this. SAXONY FINDLAT MUIRHEAD SAXONY is the name successively given in German history to a mediaeval duchy in northern Germany, to a later Electorate, which afterwards became the present kingdom of Saxony, and to a ducal province of Prussia. The last was formed directly out of part of the second in 1815, but the connection between the first and second is neither local nor ethnographical, but political. The Saxons (Lat. Saxones^ Ger. Sachseri), a tribe of the Teutonic stock, are first mentioned by Ptolemy as occupy- ing the southern part of the Cimbrian peninsula between the Elbe, Eider and Trave, the district now known as Hol- stein. The name is most commonly derived from " sahs" a short knife, though some authorities explain it as mean- ing " settled," in contrast to the Suevi or " wandering " people. By the end of the Third Century, when we hear of a "Saxon Confederation," embracing the Cherusci, Chauci and Angrivarii, and perhaps corresponding to the group of tribes called Ingaevones by Tacitus, the chief seat of the nation had been transferred south of the Elbe to the lands on both sides of the Weser now occupied by Olden- burg and Hanover. The Saxons were one of the most warlike and adventur- ous of the Teutonic peoples, and they not only steadily ex- tended the borders of their home, but made colonizing and piratical excursions by sea far and wide. SAXONY 91 The Saxons who remained in Germany (d/t-Sachsen or Old Saxons), gradually pushed their borders further and further until they approached the Rhine and touched the Elbe, the North Sea and the Harz Mountains. In 531 they joined their neighbours the Franks in a successful ex- pedition against the Thuringians, and received as their spoil the conquered territory between the Harz and the Unstrut. Their settlements here were, however, forced to acknowl- edge the supremacy of the Franks, and from this period may be dated the beginning of the long strife between these two peoples which finally resulted in the subjugation of the Saxons. During the reigns of the weak Merovingian kings who succeeded Lothair I. on the Frankish throne, the Saxons pushed into northern Thuringia, afterwards known as the Alt-Mark. Pippin the Short obtained a tem- porary advantage over them in 753 and imposed a tribute of three hundred horses, but their final conquest was reserved for Charlemagne. At this time the Saxons did not form a single state under one ruler, but were divided into the four districts of Westphalia to the west of the Weser, Eastphalia chiefly to the east of that river, Engern or Angria along both banks and Nordalbingia in Holstein. The gau$ were independent, each having an ealdorman of its own ; and they only combined in time of war or other emergency to choose a berzog^ or common leader. From the partition in 1815 to the war of 1866 the history of Saxony is mainly a narrative of the slow growth of constitutionalism and popu- lar liberty within its limits. Its influence on the general history of Europe ceased when the old German Empire was dissolved. In the new Empire it is too completely over- shadowed by Prussia to have any objective importance by itself. 92 GERMANY The kingdom of Saxony is the third constituent of the German Empire in point of population and the fifth in point of area. With the exception of the two small ex- claves of Ziegelhein in Saxe-Altenburg and Leibschwitz on the borders of Reuss, Saxe- Weimar and Saxe-Altenburg, it forms a compact whole of a triangular shape, its base ex- tending from the north-east to south-west, and its apex pointing north-west. On the south it is bounded by Bohemia, on the west by Bavaria and the Thuringian states, and on the remaining sides by Prussia. Except on the south, where the Erzgebirge forms at once the limit of the kingdom and of the Empire, the boundaries are entirely political. For administrative purposes the kingdom of Saxony is divided into the four districts of Bautzen in the south-east, Dresden in the north-east, Leipzig in the north-west and Zwickau in the south-west. Saxony belongs almost entirely to the central mountain region of Germany, only the districts along the north border and around Leipzig descending into the great north- European plain. The average elevation of the country is not, however, great ; and it is more properly described as hilly than as mountainous. The chief mountain range is the Erzgebirge, stretching for ninety miles along the south border, and reaching in the Fichtelbergs (3,979 and 3,953 feet), the highest elevation in the kingdom. The west and south-west half of Saxony is more or less occupied by the ramifications and subsidiary groups of this range, one of which is known from its position as the Central Saxon chain and another lower group still further north as the Oschatz group. The south-east angle of Saxony is occu- pied by the mountains of Upper Lusatia, which form the link between the Erzgebirge and the Riesengebirge in the SAXONY 93 great Sudetic chain. North-west from this group, and along both banks of the Elbe, which divides it from the Erzgebirge, extends the picturesque mountain region known as the " Saxon Switzerland." The action of water and ice upon the soft sand-stone of which the hills here are chiefly composed has produced remarkable formations of deep gorges and isolated fantastic peaks, which, however, though both beautiful and interesting, by no means recall the characteristics of Swiss scenery. The highest summit at- tains a height of 1,830 feet ; but the more interesting peaks, as the Lilienstein, Konigstein and the Bastei, are lower. With the trifling exception of the south-east of Bautzen, which sends its waters by the Neisse to the Oder, Saxony lies wholly in the basin of the Elbe, which has a navigable course of seventy-two miles through the kingdom. Com- paratively few of the smaller streams of Saxony flow directly to the Elbe, and the larger tributaries only join it beyond the Saxon borders. The Mulde, formed of two branches, is the second river of Saxony ; others are the Black Elster, the White Elster, the Pleisse and the Spree. There are no lakes of any size, but mineral springs are very abundant. The best known is at Bad Elster in the Voigtland. Saxony owes its unusual wealth in fruit to the care of the paternal elector Augustus (1553-1586), who is said never to have stirred abroad without fruit seeds for distribution, among the peasants and farmers. Enormous quantities of cherries, plums, and apples are annually borne by the trees round Leipzig, Dresden and Colditz. The cultivation of the vine in Saxony is respectable for its antiquity, though the yield is insignificant. The early foundation of the Leipzig fairs and the en- 94 GERMANY lightened policy of the rulers of the country have also done much to develop its commercial and industrial resources. Next to agriculture, by far the most important industry is the textile. The chief seats of the manufacture are Zwickau, Chemnitz, Glauchau, Meerane and Hohenstein in the south of Zwickau; and Camenz Pulsnitz and Bischofswerda in the north of Dresden. Lace-making, dis- covered or introduced by Barbara Uttmann in the latter half of the Sixteenth Century, and now fostered by govern- ment schools, has long been an important domestic industry among the villages of the Erz Mountains. Stoneware and earthenware are made at Chemnitz, Zwickau, Bautzen, and Meissen, porcelain ("Dresden china") at Meissen, chemicals in and near Leipzig. Machinery of all kinds is produced, from the sewing-machines of Dresden to the steam locomotives and marine-engines of Chemnitz. The very large printing-trade of Leipzig encourages the manufacture of printing-presses in that city. Leipzig, with its famous and still frequented fairs, is the focus of the trade of Saxony. The fur trade between east- ern and western Europe and the book-trade of Germany centre here. Chemnitz, Dresden, Plauen, Zwickau, Zittau and Bautzen are the other chief commercial cities. The people of Saxony are chiefly of pure Teutonic stock ; a proportion are Germanized Slavs, and in the south of Bautzen there are still about 50,000 Wends, who retain their peculiar customs and language. In some villages near Bautzen hardly a word of German is spoken. Saxony claims to be one of the most highly educated countries in Europe and its foundations of schools and uni- versities were among the earliest in Germany. Of the four universities founded by the Saxon electors in Leipzig, SAXONY 95 Jena, Wittenberg and Erfurt, only the first is included in the present Kingdom of Saxony. It is second only to Ber- lin in the number of its students. The conservatory of music at Leipzig enjoys a world-wide reputation ; not less the art-collections at Dresden. Saxony is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the German Empire, with four votes in the federal council and twenty-three in the Reichstag. The constitution rests on a law promulgated on 4th September, 1831, and subse- quently amended. The crown is hereditary in the Alber- tine Saxon line, with reversion to the Ernestine line, of which the Duke of Saxe- Weimar is now the head. For administrative purposes Saxony is divided into four Kreishauptmannschafien^ or governmental departments, sub- divided into fifteen Amtshauptmannschaften and one hundred and sixteen Aemter. The cities of Dresden and Leipzig form departments by themselves. The supreme court of law for both civil and criminal cases is in the Oberlandes- Gericht at Dresden, subordinate to which are seven other courts in the other principal towns, and one hundred and five inferior tribunals. The German imperial code was adopted by Saxony in 1879. Leipzig is the seat of the im- perial supreme court. DRESDEN ARTHUR SHAD WELL MARTIN DRESDEN, the capital of Saxony, is one of the most important cities of Germany, whether viewed from an artistic, picturesque, social, or mercantile point of view. With a population of more than 300,000 souls, it is beautifully situated on both sides of the Elbe at its confluence with its tributary the Weisseritz, about 100 miles south of Berlin. The Old Town, with its six faubourgs is on the left bank, and the New Town on the right. These are connected by four fine bridges called the Augustus, 402 metres long; the Mary, 231 metres; the Albert, 316 metres; and a new one commenced in 1892. Dresden is one of the prettiest and most delightful cities of Germany. It abounds in handsome edifices and public buildings of antiquarian lore and historical associations. The surrounding country consists of low hills and dales covered with plantations and vineyards. On almost every side the city is approached through leafy avenues of trees. On account of its delightful situation and the numerous objects of art it contains it is known to tourists as " the German Florence," an appellation first used by Herder. Dresden was hardly known to history till 1202, when Henry the Illustrious, Margrave of Meissen, made it his capital, built the first stone bridge (Augustus), and gave the city its charter. After his death, it passed successively to Wenceslas of Bohemia, and the Margrave of Brandenburg. When Saxony was divided between the Princes Ernest and DRESDEN 97 Albert in 1485, the city fell to the Albertine line, which held it thereafter. George " le Barbu " enlarged it and built the castle. The elector, Maurice, and his brother Augustus, did much to fortify and beautify it. It blossomed into splendour and prosperity under Augustus II. (1694- 1733), and its importance was maintained under the rule of his son, and grandson. The city suffered terribly during the Seven Years' War, being bombarded in 1760. Saxony had the misfortune to be always on the losing side in European politics. She was against Frederick the Great ; she sided with Napoleon j and in the Franco- Prussian war of 1870-1, she was inclined to help France. Naturally, the punishment inflicted by failure was felt in the capital. Dresden has seen many armies encamped within and around her walls. In 1806, the victorious French entered j three years later they were followed by the Austrians. In 1812, Dresden was the meeting-place of the emperors of Austria and France, the King of Prussia and the reigning princes of Germany. In 1813, Dresden played a great part in the history of nations. Napoleon made of it a vast entrenched camp. From March to Oc- tober, the allies struggled with the French with varying fortune. On the retreat of the French one of the but- tresses and two of the arches of the old bridge were des- troyed. In 1810, the French had already begun disman- tling the fortifications; this work was finished in 1817, and the ground was appropriated to gardens and boulevards. The city again suffered severely during the general period of European unrest in 1849-50, but the damage was soon repaired. Dresden is rich in artistic monuments and treasures of the arts and crafts that appeal to the tourist, the scholar and 98 GERMANY the antiquarian. Among the notable edifices and museums on the left bank of the Elbe should be mentioned the royal palace, called the George Palace, because it was commenced in 1534 by Duke George. It contains collections of gold- smith's work, precious stones, etc. In the Zwinger, the ethnographical, mineralogical, mathematical and physical collections are installed. The New Museum contains one of the most famous galleries of Europe, with nearly three thousand pictures on its walls. Another celebrated building is the Albertium, formerly the Arsenal. This is a fine ex- ample of pure Renaissance architecture, having been built 1559-1563 ; it contains archives and antiquarian collections. Among the many churches may be mentioned St. Sophia, built as a convent chapel (1351-1357). Another edifice worthy of record is the palace built in 1737 by Count Briihl, the minister of Augustus II. Near it, is the Bruhl terrace approached by a grand flight of steps, on which are Schilling's groups of Morning, Evening, Day and Night. The terrace, which forms a favourite strolling place for the citizens, commands a beautiful view of the surrounding country. THURINGIA FLORENCE ELYE NORRIS " y\ ^^ t * le k reatn ^ tn y m outh is that sharp, invig- / \ ourating wind which steels the nerves and aspira- JL JL tions of the sons and daughters of Thuringia ; makes their hearts susceptible of love, and tenacious of their poetical traditions ; which maintains their feeling for the right, their naive, true nature, and their heavenly rough- ness ! " In these words, the lamented German novelist Marlitt herself a Thuringian born bears testimony to the invigour- ating influence of her native air upon the character and idiosyncrasy of its children. We also, strangers and pil- grims in the land as we are, feel inclined to add our little paean of praise of their balsamic, tonic qualities, when, after a prolonged spell of the atmosphere of cities, we draw a new breath, physical and mental upon some bit of moorland of the wild rolling country in the midst of which lies the little red-roofed town of Eisenach. Around us, as far as the eye can see, stretches the vast, undulating Thuringian Forest, " like the green ribbon of an order upon the breast of Ger- many," and before us, rising out of a richly-wooded height, just above the town, is that jewel enshrined in every Ger- man heart, Thuringia's Fortress-Queen, the Wartburg of history and song. Between the thick masses of foliage, still in all the ex- quisite variety of their first summer tints, are bold projec- tions of conglomerate rocks, down whose rugged sides ioo GERMANY trickle the streams which go to feed the Elbe, the Weser, and the Rhine, and to water the valleys, whose red soil contrasts with the green of the meadows, in which the mowers are already at work. Green, at least, they look to us from our moor, but we know that with the waving grasses flowers of every hue brilliant poppies, gold-hearted marguerites, rich red clover, St. John's wort, great cam- panulas, the blue scabious, the delicate eye-bright are fall- ing under the hands of these Tarquins of the scythe. The scent of their dying breath is borne upwards to us, and mingles with the warm, aromatic, fruity odour of the firs, as we leave the breezy moorland, with its carpet of wild thyme and pale purple heather, and turn into one of the many sheltered paths which lead into the heart of the woods. Here, after plucking some of the almost crimson blossoms of the wild-briar rose, or a bunch of the little white sweet- scented orchis growing among the grass at our feet, we can luxuriate in idleness, listening to the myriad voices of the silence : to the soughing of the wind among the birches and firs, which rise out of their beds of pine-needles, or of " the leaves of yesteryear," thick as those in Vallombrosa, on all sides of us ; to the creaking and swaying of the more slender stems, the song of yellow-hammers and finches, the chirping of grasshoppers, the hum of the other winged in- sects. Perhaps, if we are very still, a gentle roe comes cautiously from the underwood and crosses the path just above us, or a bright-eyed red squirrel looks down at us from his aerial perch among the branches ; or a " pale- throated snake " for even this Eden has them glides quietly up to us, and less quietly, but rather more quickly, rustles off again. Sometimes the scene is diversified by human interest, as when a sturdy peasant, with his long THURINGIA 101 primitive cart, laden with freshly felled trees, and his friendly " Guten Tag" conies by j or a tourist, botanical-box and field-glass on back, spectacles on nose and hat, anywhere but on his head, beams at us with Teutonic urbanity, and " Heiterkeit" and pursues his cheerful way. To these fol- lows, perhaps a little later, a procession of weary-looking women bent nearly double under huge bundles of firewood, a sad smile crossing their thin, patient faces in laconic assent to our suggestion that the burden is a heavy one the revolt against its weight being all on our side, none on theirs. They do indeed toil terribly, these Thuringian women their lives for the most part seem little better than those of beasts of burden ; and it is pathetic to see how spiritless and worn quite young women look, and how soon they lose even the smallest pretensions to youth and comeliness. The district about Eisenach is an especially poor one, there being but little to be got out of forest and fell to supply even the very moderate wants of a German peasant popu- lation ; and thin coffee, potatoes and black bread, which are their staple articles of diet, can hardly be called food of the most nourishing description. This Thuringia must have been always a Spartan sort of mother, if one may judge from tradition and Saga. Storms and tempests, floods which washed away whole villages and destroyed countless human lives, oppression from knights and nobles, endless wars, famine, the Black Death, and more than once " a terrible comet " seem to have plagued the land in desolating succession. But the spirit of the Thuringian folk generally sustained them ; notably when, upon the Pope sending ministers of the Inquisition to root out the growing heresy from among them, they took the law into their own hands, and falling upon the Papal min- 102 GERMANY ions, made an end of them and of the Inquisition, so far as they and their country were concerned, at the same time, in which summary proceeding we perceive a touch of the " heavenly roughness " and impatience of spiritual despotism which were in later times to make of Thuringia the cradle of the Protestant Reformation. Before that period, however, was the one in which she earned her title to be called the cradle of the German peo- ple's song, to touch upon which we must go back to Eisen- ach and the Wartburg. The history of the two is so interwoven that it is difficult to think of them separately ; but, as a matter of fact, the town is of much earlier origin than the fortress, and dates from remote heathen times, receiving its ancient name of Isennaha from a stalwart smith (Eisenschmied], who pursued his calling on the banks of the never frozen Nesse; or from the tool (Eisenhammer) which he wielded. So at least says tradition, according to which also Etzel or Attila, " the Scourge of God," lived for some years in the neighbour- hood, ruling the fair-haired, blue-eyed " Germanen " with the same iron grasp which already held all the territory lying between the gates of Byzantium and the " amber is- lands of the Midnight Sea." After his time fresh hordes of Huns fell upon Thuringia, and though the people, helped by the Franks, made a brave stand against them, their united efforts were powerless to prevent the entire destruction in 1602 of the little town of Eisenach by these barbarians, to be rebuilt later by aFrank- ish prince, Ludwig, surnamed the Bearded, for which he was rewarded by the Kaiser with the title of Count of Thuringia. It was his son Ludwig the Salier, or, as the people called THURINGIA 103 him, the Springer, who conceived the idea of building a strong fortress upon one of the hills commanding the town. " Wart Berg) du soils t mir eine Burg Sein" he said ; hence the Wartburg. Ludwig's son, also Ludwig for princes of that name were as numerous in Thuringia as in France was the first Landgrave ; and it was under their successor, Hermann I. that the celebrated Singer-Contest was held on the Wartburg, the hospitality of which this art and splendour-loving ruler threw open to the Minnesingers of his time, making Eisenach the home of the early German Romantic, the Weimar of the Middle Ages. The period of Minnesang, beginning with the Austrian Kuremberger, by many believed to have composed, or at least adapted from the still more ancient Edda, the Niebelungen Lied^ reached its zenith with Walther von der Vogelweide and his distinguished contemporaries ; after which time a slow and gradual decadence is to be observed. He was one of the six singers who met at the great Wart- burg contest, to compete in praise of Hermann and of his son-in-law Leopold of Austria, then also a guest there. How the struggle ultimately became one for life and death, and how Heinrich von Ofterdingen (the Tannhauser of romance), being vanquished by Wolfram von Eschenbach, the noble-minded author of Parsifal^ threw himself at the feet of Sophie of Austria, Hermann's spouse, beseeching her to allow the decision to be referred to the great Hunga- rian poet and magician Klingsor, is all depicted in fresco by Moritz Schwind upon the wall of the room in which it took place. From the beautiful mullioned window of this same Sanger-Saal, with its arched dais at the end, upon which the 104 GERMANY singers sat, is a good view of the Horselberg or Venusberg. as the Minnesingers called it, in which, according to the legend, the noble Knight Tannhauser was held in durance vile by the goddess, the old Germanic Holda, who, banished from the Walhalla on the triumph of Christianity, found refuge here, and developed into the Venus of a latter period. As in duty bound, we made a pilgrimage to the Venus-or Horselberg ; but our sense of the romantic received a slight shock when we found that this whilom mysterious haunt of Frau Venus, or Frau Holle as the country-folk called her, was only an ordinary bare breezy hill ; that the little tower on the summit was no mediaeval ruin, but a brand-new restaurant ; and worst bathos of all ! the dreaded hole which the superstitious for centuries believed to be the entrance to purgatory, a mere cleft in the rock, utilized at that particu- lar moment for the cooling of sundry bottles of German beer ! Then at least we realized, if never before, that great Pan was indeed dead, and that even a Richard Wagner could only galvanize him into a semblance of vitality. On the same day on which the Singer-Contest was held, was born the patron saint of Thuringia, the holy Elizabeth of Hungary ; and it was at the suggestion of the Klingsor of whom we have made mention, that the little four years' old maiden was brought from "far Hungarian land " to be the bride of Hermann's son Ludwig, seven years her senior. Their marriage took place in 1221, and the attendant festivities in the Wartburg plunged the royal exchequer into difficulties, which Elizabeth's 1,000 marks did not go far to relieve. But what was money compared with the count- less blessings which this angel of goodness brought down into the land of her adoption ? When envious evil-wishers accused her to her husband of THURINGIA 105 extravagance, Ludwig's answer was : " Let my Elizabeth do what she will ; so long as Eisenach and the Wartburg remain to me, I have enough." At last, however, when her unbounded charity had begun seriously to cripple his finances, he was obliged to modify the carte-blanche he had granted her ; and the legend is well known, describing her carrying a basket of bread for some hungry ones in the Marientbal the spot is called Armenruhe, or Rest of the Poor, to this day and being met by her husband, who, with unusual abruptness, asked : " What hast thou under thy cloak ? " Tremblingly she answered : " I am taking roses into the town." And the pious deception was justified by a miracle, for as Ludwig lifted her cloak, instead of loaves a mass of the sweet flowers was disclosed to his enchanted gaze ; whereupon he, thinking he discerned a golden cruci- fix upon the head of his wife, clasped her rapturously in his arms. The wedded happiness of this ideal pair was not of long duration : in seven years from their marriage, Lud- wig obeyed the summons which was then calling all pious princes to the Holy Land, and soon fell a victim to one of the fevers which in the Crusades counted a greater number of victims than the sword of the infidel itself. The conclusion is a sad one. Hunted from the Wart- burg by her brother-in-law, who usurped the Landgravate to the exclusion of her little sons, Elizabeth passed through much suffering and privation, taking refuge finally in a little cell at Marpurg, where she earned a scanty livelihood by spinning, and died, prematurely worn out by hardships and austerities, at the early age of twenty-four, to be canonized with great ceremony a year after her decease. It is a long step from her time to that in which a boy of fifteen years of age, Martin Luther by name, might have io6 GERMANY been seen daily wending his way to the school in Eisenach, in which under the learned rector, Johannes Trebonnius, he built up the groundwork of the strong, enlightened in- tellect which was suddenly to flash upon an awakened Europe, kindling a steady flame for generations to come. Not one of the least picturesque bits of the town is the old wattled house, very much out of the perpendicular, with its bulging walls and overhanging quaintly buttressed upper story, from one of the windows of which, rather less than four hundred years ago, Frau Ursula Cotta saw this same Martin Luther stand, wallet on back, in the course of his daily wandering quest of the cast-off food grudgingly be- stowed upon him by the more well-to-do burghers ; and, attracted by the beauty of his singing voice and by some- thing more than commonly interesting in himself, adopted him into her home, and smoothed the early steps of life for him. Of still greater interest is the Luther Room in the Wartburg, at the back of the Ritterhaus, upon which, after going through the Armoury with its tattered banners of the Thirty Years' War, and weapons and suits of mail of many a dead and gone Thuringian prince, we come, as upon a quiet andante after a restless, turbulent presto. After his bold declaration at Worms had placed his life in jeopardy, the Reformer was brought by order of his staunch friend and protector Frederick the Wise, a nominal prisoner to this little room, his " Patmos," as he calls it, " his hermitage, his windy manor, on the hill above Eisenach, among the birds who sweetly praise God day and night." Portraits of himself, his parents and princely patron hang from the mouldering plaster upon the worm-eaten time-bleached panels, with specimens of his handwriting and the cuirass THURINGIA 107 he wore as Junker Gorg, and from the little round windows he must often have looked out upon the Thuringian Forest with the birds, longing for which found expression in one of his letters, in which he said he " would rather be burned upon glowing coals, than half-alive and half-dead in idle loneliness there." As we look at the old red-roofed towerless church of St. George in the Eisenach Market-place, with its tiers of gal- leries, and quaint paintings of the Augsburg Confession and of the first Protestant celebration of the Eucharist, we won- der whether in the peregrinations allowed to him during the latter part of his friendly imprisonment Luther often bent his steps in its direction, and whether the odd little gilded statue of the hero-saint, his foot upon the dragon's head, over the fountain hard by, suggested an analogy with his own sharp combat and cheered him as to its outcome. The space between it and the little so-called Schloss, with its solitary sentinel, and the Ratbaus at right angles, is on market-days filled with a lively crowd of buyers and sellers from the country round. Goods of all kinds, perishable and otherwise, are here displayed ; stalls with bright-col- oured handkerchiefs and stuffs, gaudy bead-necklaces, combs, braces, and what not, in delightful confusion, with hay sold by the bundle ; vegetables, butter, eggs, and the unappetizing-looking little brownish-yellow cheeses, so much appreciated by the educated or uneducated taste. But the pleasantest, coolest "bit" is that just under the church and round the fountain, the Unter den Linden of Eisenach, especially charming now in these July days, when the limes are in blossom, and exhaling their (one of the sweetest of all) sweet odours. Here the Thuringian peasant women sit in their turban-like head-gear, the one io8 GERMANY relic of their former picturesque costume ; and here is the best fruit to be had, notably the little wood-strawberries, whose exquisite flavour is thought by some epicures to far surpass that of their garden relative. Cherries, white, crimson and black, are everywhere in evidence, enough to supply a thirsty army corps, and after observing the Thuringian penchant for and consumption of them, we can no longer wonder that the only remark which Schubert was able to evolve in his exceeding nervousness upon being admitted to the presence of the great Goethe was a propos of the number of cherry trees on the road to Weimar. Behind the church is a space devoted to the display of native pottery of various hues, glazed and unglazed, some- times quaint, but seldom artistic ; and near it a row of old fashioned covered carts, emporiums for potatoes and the loaves of shining black bread. Here the housekeepers skirt about, filling up the lower strata of the pyramid- shaped baskets made of willow withes, which they carry strapped on their shoulders, and which ultimately contain a melange of articles, which only the skill born of long prac- tice could bring into any kind of harmonious arrangement. To whom come those " matres conscripti " of Eisenach, whose purchases have been made betimes, for a little cheer- ful gossip, wrapped in the wide-filled, bright cotton mantles, which we have seen nowhere out of Thuringia, with a kind of sling in front for the more easy carrying of their off- spring ; and one of which, when worn by a young and comely woman, with her fair, plait-crowned head bending Madonna-wise over her infant, has a rather picturesque effect. Looking down at the scene under a solitary, wide- branched linden by the eastern side of the church, is the THURINGIA 109 bronze statue of the greatest of all the tone-poets, Sebastian Bach, here in Eisenach born, and whose little unpretending house is to be seen, not far from Frau Cotta's, in a steep " murderously-fanged " street yclept the Frauenplan. BAVARIA GERTRUDE NORM4N THE most dominant characteristic which impresses itself on the traveller in Bavaria, is the intense spirit of devotion which immediately manifests it- self as one leaves Prussia, Baden and Wurtemberg and draws within her borders. A perceptible change becomes apparent in the atmosphere. Out of the landscape, the first thing which rises up to greet one, as one approaches village or town, is the spire of some church or cathedral. The houses always nestle round the protecting walls of some ancient, monastic retreat. In the fields, as one speeds past them, rise up white stone crosses, slender ones of wood, and little shrines for prayer. Stations of the Cross climb up the hills to church or chapel. The spirit of re- ligion seems the very breath of life, not merely an adjunct for certain days. At sunset or sunrise in the verdant, quiet and sweetly smelling fields, the labourer stops to rest and pray in the miniature chapel. The Saints' Days are full of processions, and all the houses are adorned with niches over the door lintels to hold some figure of Saint or Madonna. In the eating-rooms of country inns and taverns hang large crucifixes or religious pictures. Day and night, over the old town gates, lamps before the Virgin are ever burning. The churches are munificently kept up, and in the smallest towns we find a magnificent old pile, rising up above the little brown-roofed cottages. The swallows fly in and out, building their nests in the heads of some little rococo angel, BAVARIA 111 or in the mitre of some Bishop or Saint. On All Soul's Day the cemeteries are crowded, in villages, towns and cities, with the families of the departed, who spend all day by the graves, decorating them with wreaths and flowers, and at night illuminating them with lanterns and candles. In the small villages the early morning air is filled with a monotonous chant of mingled voices ; old men and maidens, young men and women, walking two by two, with bent head and clasped hands, in lengthy procession, a robed priest leading, with little lace-and-scarlet-clad choir boys, the Cross held aloft, bent on some mission of prayer to a distant shrine, for the succour of some soul, or some martyred Saint. The initiation services of young priests are fraught with many ancient customs and symbolical rights, such as the marrying of a little maiden to the young priest, at his hold- ing of the First Communion and departure from the world. For eternity she is to be his spiritual bride, he her protector, by prayer and seclusion, for life. The Bavarians are very conservative, clinging to old ways, customs and dress. In some districts, the costumes are intensely picturesque ; the broad brimmed hat, high leather boots and silver buttons everywhere to be seen, or the charming grey and green cos- tume of the mountain districts. That simplicity is inherent in the Bavarian folk is very evident in their unsophisticated acceptance of old myths and legends to this day as truisms. For instance, on Walpurgis Night, there is still to be observed in certain parts of the more remote districts, the custom of driving out witches or evil spirits. The young fellows of the village assemble after sunset on some height, especially at a crossroad, and crack whips with all their strength for a while in unison. This, so they firmly 112 GERMANY believe, drives away the witches ; for so far as the sound of the whip is heard, these maleficent beings can do no harm. In some places, while the young fellows are cracking their whips, the herdsmen wind their horns, and these long drawn notes, heard far off, vibrating through the silence of the night, are believed to be very effectual for banish- ing the evil spirits. In temperament, the Bavarians re- semble more the Austrians, being more open hearted and buoyant of nature than their more Northern brothers. They are spontaneous, cheerful, effervescent, and intensely artistic loving, yet inclined to be credulous and superstitious, and the lower classes are comparatively ruled in both ec- clesiastical and political views by their superiors. Of course, to this there are exceptions, and all over the country, social- ists and independent thinkers are to be met with. Among the cultivated classes, a very marked independence of both thought and action has latterly manifested itself. The low German or Bavarian has a very noticeable dialect, which in mediaeval days, was called Platt Deutsch (that is, flat Dutch), the Highland German being called Hoch Deutsch (or High Dutch). The inhabitants of Holland are called Dutch, but they belong to the Low-German races, and have no exclusive right to the title. Luther, being born in upper Germany, and having translated the Bible into High Ger- man, is probably the reason why " Hoch Deutsch " is alone recognized as the literary and aristocratic language of the country. " The present form of government is founded partly on long established usage and partly on a constitutional act passed May, 1818, and modified by subsequent acts, espe- cially one passed in 1848 after abdication of Ludwig I. BAVARIA 113 The monarchy is hereditary and the executive power vested in the King, whose person is considered inviolable. The responsibility resting, as it does in England, with the ministers. The Upper Parliament, the Chamber of the Reichsrath, comprises the Princes of the Royal blood, two Archbishops, the Barons or heads of certain noble families and a Protestant and Catholic clergyman." The history of the mysterious cities of Southern Ger- many hangs around them with a melancholy severity, oc- casionally serene, always earnest, but seldom with that colourful radiance of hope, which one so promptly feels on crossing the borderland into the warmth of Italy. It is typically the land of Durer, of Cornelius, Hans Sachs and Wagner. And yet it is immensely progressive and full of an enthralling magnetic charm. In Munich, however, all the above is changed. The air there glistens and shimmers as nowhere else in Bavaria. It has little of that staid formalism, that rigid mediaevalism of the other cities. It were impossible to follow individually the history of the many Free Imperial cities which are now joined to Bavaria, or the stories of all her towns, castles, palaces, monasteries, lakes and villages. The civilization of these cities and their art, reaches back to a very distant period, as we have seen. The Thirty Years' War and the discovery of the passage around the Cape being the two chief causes for their downfall. But the monasteries mostly managed to maintain their princely wealth and celebrity up to the Nine- teenth Century. Although the Carolingian period saw the beginning of Ratisbon's importance, little that is of other import from that time has descended to Bavaria, excepting some fine specimens of the goldsmith's art and miniature painting. About the Tenth Century an unbroken chain of ii 4 GERMANY activity began to manifest itself in a number of important towns. From the Tenth to the Thirteenth Centuries the art style most prevalent was the Romanesque, revealing itself in innumerable ecclesiastical buildings. It had been sug- gested by the Roman Basilica and attained its artistic height in Bavaria in the Twelfth Century. Ratisbon is aglow with buildings of this style, the most remarkable being the cathedral, the Ober Munster, the Schottenkirche and St. Emmeraus. But the most perfect example of the Romanesque architecture is to be found in one of the most ancient cities of Germany, Bamberg ! This cathedral was founded by Henry II. in the year 1004 who also built the Bishopric of Bamberg. He and his wife St. Kunigunde, are buried in the former. The Romanesque period of architecture was followed victoriously in Bavaria by the Gothic. The Frauenkirche in Munich, the church at Landshut and the churches of Nuremberg, being very perfect examples. During this Gothic period sculpture and painting began in Bavarian cities to achieve their world- wide distinction. Tombstones in stone, altars in carved wood, fonts in metal, were the most followed branches of art. Wood carving was religiously carried on everywhere, in all the mountain districts, as well as in the towns and cities, the chief works being altars, choir-stalls and cruci- fixes. The carvings on the altars were usually painted, and most perfect specimens of the latter can be seen in the Museums at Munich and Nuremberg. Later the towns became transformed under another influ- ence, that of the German " Renaissance." It breathed its influence into every branch of art. St. Michael's Kirche in Munich, and the Castle and New Palace of Landshut showing very clearly the new tendency. As the riches and BAVARIA 115 power of the Bavarian Dukes increased, their palaces grad- ually became transformed into homes of splendid magnifi- cence. In almost every town and parish can be seen the vast sweep of this new influence, but Nuremburg and Rothenburg unquestionably stand at the head of all Ger- man Renaissance towns. The former, despite its wide fame, perhaps less than the latter, for the invasions of mod- ern thought and a devastating practicality have laid their disturbing touch on the ancient atmosphere. Rothenburg is probably the purest existing type of unadulterated Ger- man Renaissance beauty, revealing the consistent aim at inner harmony with exterior beauty. The goldsmith's work, the wood carving inlaid with ivory, the metal panel- ling, brass utensils, coarse pottery, finely coloured, and much plastic ornament, leading one outwardly as it were to the shell, the complete architecture of the enclosing form. In the Seventeenth Century the Italian style crept in to in- fluence all the arts and we can see its mark in the facades of the Nuremburg Rathaus, and in the " Goldene Saal " of the Augsburg Rathaus. Italian ideas were very dominant in the latter city, as she was in such vital and continuous intercourse with that country. The next art influence to manifest itself was the Baroque. Bavaria is very rich in beautiful lakes, the most important being Starnberg Lake, Lake Constance, forty miles in length, and curious, apart from its immense beauty, in that its banks belong to five different states, Bavaria, Wurtemberg, Baden, Switzerland, and Austria. Lindau, the little island on the waters of the lake, belongs to Bavaria. Tegernsee, Her- renchiemsee, which has three islands (the Herren-Insel on which formerly stood a monastery, and on whose site Lud- wig II. erected his castle, the Kraut-Insel which used to be u6 GERMANY a vegetable garden for the monks and nuns, and the Frauen- Insel on which still stands a convent). The most beautiful lake in Germany is the Bavarian Konigsee, a small emerald lake through whose delicate green waters shine the rarest tints of sapphire-blue. The brittle- looking mighty mountains pierce upwards from the very water's edge to a distance of 6,500 feet, in a perpendicular glory, leaping heavenwards like ardent, aspiring prayers. In this soul exalting spot we will take leave of this marvellous and beautiful little country, for which one lifetime is all too short wherein to comprehend fully its charms, influence, in- estimable treasures, and the picture of a wonderful mental, spiritual and artistic progression. To know her, nevertheless how imperfectly, is to lose her. Through all her evolutions, wars, battles of belief and unbelief, times so terrible that we swiftly endeavour to wrap a heavy veil of unprejudiced leniency over the eyes, we have seen that at bottom a great Justice ruled her, a beautiful Destiny awaited her. And if we have seen that the path of her noblest and most artistic souls has been one of martyrdom, they individually seldom seeing the fruit or result of their profound endeavours, let us remember that " to take from art its martyrdom is to take from it its glory. It might still reflect the passing modes of mankind, but it would cease to reflect the face of God." MUNICH GERTRUDE NORMAN THE city which is of the greatest import to Bavaria now undoubtedly is Munich. Since the splendid energies of Ludwig I. and the enormous art in- spiration spread through Cornelius, Kaulbach and their fol- lowers, she has ranked among the foremost of European art centres. Not before the reign of Henry the Lion does she come into prominence. We first read of her as " Dorf Munchen," where some storehouses stood, built by monks for the reception of salt which was brought from the mines of Reichenhalle and Salzburg. These monks belong to the Schaftlarn or Teg- ernsee monastery, where they possessed a small farm or produce dairy which was called " Munchen." The word comes from the Latin Forum " ad monachos " or Muniha, and the present title of Munich, or Munchen, comes from these same monkish pioneers. Henry the Lion built a wooden bridge over the Isar, founded a customs house and mint and started also a market, but it did not become the residence of the Bavarian Dukes until 1255, when Otto the Illustrious transferred his residence there, and his son Lud- wig the Severe built the Old Palace or Alte Veste. The latter it was who started the first brewery, drawing up him- self the regulations for the brewers. Under these Wittlesbach princes the town began to pros- ii8 GERMANY per. After a terrible fire in 1327 Ludwig the Bavarian, who was born in the Alte Veste, almost entirely rebuilt the city. He was deeply attached to his Bavarian capital and the people worshipped him. His tomb is in the Frauen- kirche. Between 1550 and 1573 Duke Albrecht V. founded the library, the Kunst Kammer and the first col- lection for the National Museum. Elector Maximilian I. erected the Arsenal, the Alte Res- idenz and the Marien-Saule. Munich suffered a severe re- tardation in 1631 when Gustavus Adolphus made it his head-quarters on his devastating journey through Bavaria. But like all other cities she slowly resuscitated herself after the Thirty Years' War, and under the rule of Ferdinand Maria began the building of the Rococo works of architec- ture, in churches, palaces and houses. Munich contains two distinct atmospheres; the older part of the city still possessing an aroma of ancient days. The city was orig- inally surrounded by a wall and ditch (but these were filled up in 1 791) and one entered her precincts by castellated gates, many of which are still standing. The beautiful old Sendlinger-Thor dates from the Fourteenth Century. The Isar-Thor and the Carls-Thor were built about 1315. The oldest parish church in Munich is St. Peter's; orig- inally it was a small Romanesque building, but was en- larged in the Gothic style 1327. The Marien-Platz, al- though even there numerous new buildings have sprung up, is still suggestive of the mediaeval life of the city; the houses being built in the same quaint, attractive way, which appeals so to one in Nuremberg and Augsberg. Still can we see buildings, irregular both in size and form, oriel win- dows high up on some corner, high sloping roofs, punctured with scores of little windows in tiers. The fronts of these MUNICH 119 houses are often covered with frescoes, scroll-work or stucco patterns. The great market-place with its Column of the Virgin, erected by Elector Maximilian in commem- oration of his victory over Frederic of Austria and the end of the Plague, the old clock tower and Rathaus, first built in 1315, all fill the eye with a picture of ancient beauty. In 1715 Max Josef III. founded the Academy, but it was Maximilian I., who began to add most to the improvement of modern Munich. He dissolved a number of superfluous religious houses and erected new buildings. But all its modern magnificence dates from the accession of Lud- wig I. Munich, like any other city, can only be absorbed by a visit with some reliable guide book. One notices on the pavements, as signs over inns, or as advertisement or crest, the Munchener Kindel. It immediately attracts one's curi- osity. The legend has passed through innumerable phases and changes. One story runs that our Saviour came down to bless the town and the furtherance of the good works of the monks, in the guise of a little child, robed in a monk's garment and hood. It probably was originally the seal of the monks, and through the centuries, under the hands of various artists, who carved, painted and chiselled the little figure, endeavouring to beautify it, it gradually became transformed to its present childlike aspect. The greatest contributors to the splendours of modern Munich in carry- ing out the ambitions of Ludwig I. were Schwanthaler, Klenze and Gartner. They are all buried in the Southern cemetery which is considered the finest and most artistic in Germany. Frauenhofer, the astronomer, Senefelder, the inventor of lithography, Neumann, the historian, and Franz von Hess the painter were also buried here. 120 GERMANY For the artist, the student, the seeker for rest, Munich will make a very definite appeal. Her broad streets, foun- tains, statues, deep wooded park, quaint customs, picture galleries (containing almost the finest collection of old masters in the world), her galleries of sculpture, academies for the study of every branch of literature, science, or art, her beautiful little Residenz-Theatre and magnificent Opera House, her concert halls, the great artists who flock to her centre every year, her standard in productions and plays, all seem to round out a life of complete artistic enjoyment. It is a city both to absorb, study and create in. Here Kaulbach the elder lived and worked ; here now in his artistic home lives and works his famous son. Lenbach's exquisite home, so alive still with that great and suggestive personality, the classical, remarkable home of Stuck, and on the hill above the river, the inspiringly poised Peace Monument, the wonderful Prinz-Regenten theatre for the production of Wagner's operas and classical dramas alone, all greet us with inspiring hopes. Next to some of the galleries in Italy, the old and new Pinakotheks contain some of the finest pictures in the world. Next to Vienna and Antwerp the former possesses the most exceptional collection of Rubens. Durer (the greatest painter Germany has ever given birth to), Rem- brandt, Van Dyck, Ruysdael, Van der Meer, Schongauer, Holbein and many master-pieces of the Flemish, early Cologne and Italian masters, all being excellently represented. In the new Pinakothek is an entrancing array of the works of Overbeck, Hess, Markart, Max, Piloty, Kaulbach, (father and son), Defregger, Stuck, Lenbach, Bocklin, Rott- mann, Piglheim, etc. Two very noticeable pictures of the later modern school MUNICH 121 are Stuck's " War," and " Die Sunde." But the gems almost of all picture collections in Munich is that contained in the little Schack Gallery. One leaves Munich rich with memories, but perhaps the most treasured remembrance of all is that of the New National Museum on the Prinz- Regenten Strasse. No better evocative lesson for the resuscitating and ab- sorbing of the arresting changes, through which this one small kingdom has passed, can be obtained than by a visit to this most wonderful of all European Museums. Each room is built so as to harmonize with the period of its con- tents. This alone was a labour of infinite art and all-em- bracing knowledge. The exterior is of the German Re- naissance style; within, all the objects are arranged in chronological order (as in the Glyptothek) from far prehis- toric times, down through all the passing centuries, and bearing all through a special reference to Bavaria. To dwell in each room for a while is to be impregnated with the past atmosphere and personality of barbaric, pagan, and mediaeval times. A very aroma seems to cling to the furniture and to emanate from the walls, hangings, relics and pictures; wordless oracles from the graceful mystic urns, which hide what secret of death or fragrance of life ? The silent standing armoured figures are stern and ominous with blood and wars; the Roman floors are polished with the passing of countless sandalled feet, now long ages at rest ; the ancient altar receives no more ardent pagan prayer, no more ceremony in praise of Beauty ; the antique forge and tools lie impotent, and the Hun's Column rises up in impenetrable mystery and eternal secrecy. The arduously, delicately illuminated miniatures and illustrations of full deep coloured missals, reflect innumer- 122 GERMANY able, concentrated, earnest faces, bent long years in devo- tion and labour of passionate love. All these ancient ob- jects, these rooms, empty of the life which wrought them, which have witnessed so many births, deaths, scenes of love, lawlessness, and cruelty, the hatching of revolutions, the first appeals of new religions, the quiet inevitable prog- ress of the arts, changes of costumes, habits and manners, and heard the gradual evolution of speech and language, seem to be mourning with a burden of the past, hung with enwrapping folds of ancient gloom and grandeur, and of their own present impotency. Nevertheless, they mark a luminous road. They may be musty with an old and ter- ror abiding memory of an unwieldy civilization, but as we pass downward through the centuries, we are more struck by the chastening, direct and potent influence of that " handmaid to Religion," art. We can see man reaching upward and outward in steady throbs as if impelled by some gigantic cosmic machine. We see the progression of the abstract and eternal ideas sweeping aside the external and the temporal ; crude forms and expressions crumbling away before the mounting, powerful, penetrating, persistent, deli- cate thoughts of the artistic soul ; and as art heightened and rarified, nothing able to bar its onward sweeping power, the aspect of the cities, towns, villages, and life in the home, becomes distinctly different, moulded by the same in- ward beautifying power; all becoming as it were purified by flame and thought ; simplified, the unnecessary rejected, the necessary applied. And so we leave behind with traversed room after room, the horrors of the past, wars, rapine, crimes of political and ecclesiastical corruption, hold- ing only to those necessary, beautiful and illuminating things which must, from very virtue of their own necessity, exist. NUREMBERG GERTRUDE NORMAN THERE is a subtle charm about Nuremberg which can be found nowhere else in Germany. Its great age carries one back to those shadows of tradition where only silence greets us. We learn that it sprang up gradually from the midst of woods and marshes and that during the Migrations was sacked by the Huns, their king Attila probably passing through the little town, murdering and plundering. There is little proof, as in the more southern towns, of a Roman colonization, but later it was taken by Charlemagne and came under the rule of the Frankish kings. The first authentic mention of Nurem- berg occurs in a document about 1050, which was called into existence by the founding of the castle. About this time a mint, custom house and market were established. After the first persecution of the Jews, the entire town was burned down by them, but rebuilt in 1120. In 1127 it en- dured a long siege : the emperor Lothair took it from the Duke of Swabia and gave it to Henry the Proud of Bavaria about 1130, but in 1138 it was re- united by Conrad III. to the German Empire and for the next three or four centuries belonged to the Hohenstaufens and was much favoured by the Emperors. Gradually around the castle grew up the little winding streets and houses, and a strange mixture of races, Germans, Franks and Sclavs, converged to its centre. Not only a special dialect was the result and the art of the future ages stamped propitiously by this influx of various 124 GERMANY nationalities, but an enormous business energy became prominent, the city soon becoming the centre of the vast trading procession between the Levant and Western Europe, and with Augsburg, the chief medium for the valu- able products of Italy. Barbarossa often came to Nurem- berg, adding to the castle and making it an Imperial strong- hold. The progress of the city was greatly promoted by the privileges granted to it by this Emperor and in 1219 it received from Frederick II. the charter making it a free imperial city, independent of allegiance to all but the Em- peror. The years, from 1225 and onward, were a period of much lawlessness all over Germany, murder and violence being matters of every day occurrence. The power of the Princes was almost anarchic : the strength of the robber Barons a source of menace to everybody's safety. In 1259 all the towns had to band together to protect themselves and their travelling merchants against these robber knights who swooped down on them from their castles. The government of Nuremberg was originally vested in the patrician families, but in 1344 they were expelled by the civic guild, only later to return and reap a greater control than ever. The office of Burggraf (originally a deputy- governor in the name of the Emperor) was first held by Frederick I. (1218) of the Zollern family, under Henry IV. But these governors soon acquired independent power and in 1363 became Furstens or Princes. In 1226 Conradin, nephew of the ruling Duke of Bavaria, became Burgrave of Nuremberg, but he had to pledge his possessions in order to pay back a loan, and in 1269 Duke Ludwig and Henry of Bavaria took equal rights in Nuremberg. Nevertheless, it still continued to retain its independent rights as a free city. There were constant discussions and fights between NUREMBERG 125 the Margraves and the citizens, but it did not materially interfere with the rapid growth and progress of the city. The Emperors constantly came and made it their head- quarters on account of the good hunting in the surrounding forests, and it also attracted thousands of pilgrims, owing to the miracle-working relics of St. Sebald, which it possessed. As early as 1020-1080 pilgrims began to flock to Nurem- berg and this alone was enough to attract commerce and success. The story of this remarkable monk, St. Sebald, the son, in all probability, of some Danish, Irish, or British Christian king, his early brilliant theological career in Paris and his subsequent relinquishment of all worldly goods, hap- piness, fame and comfort for the service of Christ, is fraught with much tender interest. He settled in the great forests outside of Nuremberg, performing miracles, healing the sick, fasting and praying. He was buried on the spot where St. Sebald's Church now stands, and his relics, of which in- numerable miracles are still recorded, lie in the beautiful shrine made by Vischer in 1507. In 1298 took place another awful massacre of the Jews all over Franconia. In 1340 Nuremberg entered into a treaty with Wurzburg and Rothenburg for the mutual pro- tection of the Bavarian Dukes. In the wars of succession, at the time of Ludwig the Bavarian, the latter had taken his side. Under Maximilian of Bavaria in 1447-1491 Nuremberg reached her greatest height of prosperity, where she comparatively remained for the next two centuries. She possessed at this time an independent domain and fur- nished 6,000 righting men to Maximilian's army. Her artisans worked in all sorts of metals ; there were smiths, cutlers, armourers, casters in bronze, and gold and silver- smiths. Also sculptors, painters, engravers, mathematicians, 126 GERMANY etc. In 1414 John Huss passed through Nuremberg on his daring reforming journey. Although given up to trade and merchandise, the Nurembergers were full of a deep re- ligious enthusiasm, and in 1453 eleven burghers went on a crusade on hearing that Constantinople had been taken by the Turks. In 1494 there was another antagonistic movement against the unfortunate Jews, who had chiefly carried on the pro- fession of medicine (the business of money-lending was car- ried on by the monasteries !), they were expelled and on pain of death forbidden to sleep even within the walls. At a later period the gates were even closed upon the Protestant weavers exiled from France and Flanders, who, however, found an asylum in other German cities and by their skill and talent soon rendered themselves successful competitors to the prejudiced Nurembergers. The citizens of Nurem- berg early adopted, with their neighbouring city Augsburg, the Reformed Faith, and clung to it for several years, no Romanist being allowed to hold property in the town. In 1518 Luther came to Nuremberg and we read that both Diirer and Hans Sachs were devoted admirers and ardent upholders of his. In the famous conflict between Wallen- stein and Gustavus Adolphus, Nuremberg took the part of the latter. This -awful siege drained the city of all its wealth and plunged it into debt, exhausting it in every way, and this period of the Thirty Years' War inflicted a calamitous and seriously permanent blow to the city. Down to the peace of Pressburg, Nuremberg possessed a constitution of its own, but in 1805 it was taken possession of by the French, and to this period belongs the cruel execution by order of Napoleon, of John Palm, the Bookseller. In 1806 Nurem- berg ceased to be an independent city, and was given over NUREMBERG 127 to the newly established Bavarian Monarchy by the French Emperor. The oldest chronicler of Nuremberg was Ulman Stromerj he was also the first man to set up a paper mill (1390 1407). A little later the great names of Wohlgemuth and his noble pupil Durer began to adorn the pages of her history (1435-1519). And now also began that lavish expenditure for the adornment of her person ; such incidents for in- stance crop up to establish the proof of the Nurembergers' great love for their city, as in 1447 the voting of five hun- dred florins for the gilding of the beautiful fountain in the Hauptmarktplatz. Diirer's personality, works and life, have occupied many students and the career of this gentle, devoted, ardent and painstaking genius is well known. He was both painter, sculptor, engraver, mathematician and veritable northern Leonardo. 1529 saw the name of Adam Krafft, the sculptor, ap- pearing on the scroll. Between 1440 and 1503 Veit Stoss lived, the best wood carver of his time and also a beautiful carver in stone, painter, engraver and mechanical architect. His most famous piece of wood carving is the beautiful Nuremberg Madonna. A remarkable altarpiece and other exquisite works of his are to be seen in the Lorenz-Kirche. Nuremberg at this time was the incentive for many reveal- ing practical necessities and remarkable inventions as well as for her artistic beauties. In 1380 cards were manufac- tured ; in 1390 the first paper mill was built; in 1356 the first cannon balls were cast. Watches were made in oval form, called the Nuremberg egg, by Peter Heebe, in the year 1500. In 1517 the first gunlock was invented. In 128 GERMANY 1550 Erasmus Ebner discovered that particular alloy of metals, composing brass. Nuremberg also gave birth to Veit Hirschvogel and his three sons, famous as potters and glass painters, and also promulgators of the art of enamel- ling. In 1560 Hans Lobeinger invented the air gun, and in 1690 Christopher Denner invented the clarionet. A few weeks after the birth of Diirer, in 1471, Johann Muller came to Nuremberg. He was a great mathematical genius, and looked upon that city as the centre of Europe, the meeting place of art and industry. Durer's book on Geometry was due to his influence, and also the beautiful chart he made of the heavens. Muller also introduced popular scientific lectures and organized the manufacturing of nautical and astronomical instruments. Martin Behaim, that adventurous navigator and constructor of the globe, was also his pupil. Nuremberg is very mediaeval in both atmosphere and appearance. It is surrounded by feudal walls and turrets, strengthened in more recent times by ramparts and bastions resembling the early Italian fortifications, these being en- closed by a wide ditch. Four principal arched gates, flanked by massive towers are not only intensely interesting, but serve to complete a picture as of a coronet of antique towers encircling the city. One is immediately carried back to a remote age as one threads one's way through the irregular streets and examines the quaint, gable-faced houses, the churches and other monuments of religion, charity and art. All is singularly perfect having miraculously escaped the ravages and storms of wars, sieges and even the Ref- ormation. The patrician citizens have homes like palaces. Many are still inhabited by families who trace their descent back to the city's earliest days. A number of the houses, NUREMBERG 129 though built in the fashion of the Fifteenth Century, with narrow, highly ornamented fronts and acutely pointed gables, are very large, telling one poignantly of the luxury in which they lived at that period. The part in which the family lived was richly decorated with stucco and carving, and there is little wonder that Nuremberg acquired the name of the Gothic Athens. The Italian Cardinal Eneas Silvio, who visited Germany in 1459, m writing of the glories of the then resplendent German Empire, said, that " the Kings of Scotland would be glad if they were housed as well as the moderately well-to-do burghers of Nuremberg, and that Augsburg is not surpassed in riches by any city in the world." All the cities at this time, but especially Nurem- berg, cultivated music, each town having its " master- singers " and musical guilds and on a Sunday afternoon the members would meet and give performances in the Town Hall or in churches. Prizes of philigree-wire, wreaths of silver and gold, were given for the best compositions. The first prize was a representation of David playing the harp, stamped on a golden slate. The last performance given in Nuremberg was in 1770. Nuremberg, at present may be said to be the second larg- est town in Bavaria, and the first in commercial importance. The best point of surveyance of the old town is from the burg or castle, picturesquely situated on the top of a rock on the north side of the town. This castle, dating back, in its present form, to the year 1151 is a store-house of inter- esting relics and shuddering moments for the imaginative and sensitive sight-seer. The collection of all those tortu- ous instruments, especially that of the " Iron Virgin," that climax-reaching of all degenerate horrors, gives one unpala- table glimpses into what the minds of the majority were like, 130 GERMANY in those mediaeval times, except when they were exalted by a devotion to art or the gentleness bred by a true religious sentiment. We are infinitely thankful for their great heri- tage of artistic genius, but more than grateful that their times are remote, and to be resuscitated only by the divine gift of memory. That gift which can bring us, in an almost vivid nearness, to the purest and most soul entrancing days of Greece, Rome, Egypt and of mediaeval glory ; which enables us through the intervening mists to see the lumi- nous countenances of Homer, Plato, Dante, Leonardo, Angelo and Diirer; and again are we initiated into the eternal secret whisperings, which bespeak, that in Beauty lies the greatest and only permanent strength, the solitary power which alone is lasting, which never dies, but ever repeats itself in all times and climes. " The Beautiful is higher than the Good. The Beautiful includes in it the Good." In all the beautiful Gothic churches of Nuremberg are to be seen innumerable examples of the noble artists of her great art-cycle. In the awesome and mighty edifice of St. Lawrence are miracles of carving by Adam Krafft ; the most noticeable perhaps being a receptacle in the form of a Gothic spire, sixty-five feet in height. There is also a beautiful piece by Veit Stoss representing the Salutation. One of the most precious art treasures in the entire rich land of Germany is in the equally magnificent church of St. Sebald's. It is an enormous bronze sarcophagus and canopy, adorned with many statues and reliefs, the master piece of Peter Vischer. This glorious monument took the incomparable artist fifteen years to accomplish, from 1506 to 1521. Everywhere are works of art, from the artistic decorations NUREMBERG 131 over doors and windows to the masterpieces of Durer, Van Dyck, Wohlgemuth, etc. Most of Durer' s works are sadly scattered from his native town, adorning the galleries of Munich, Vienna and Berlin. But his undying fame haloes the city, as the fame of the past glorious days of Greece halo her very name with a transcendental lustre. His statue, copied from the portrait by himself, stands in the Albrecht-Diirer-Platz. In his house are copies of his masterpieces, and a fascinating col- lection of antique and very typical German furniture. The exquisite art of staining glass is the curiously fitting occu- pation of the warder who guides the traveller over the ancient home of Durer. Wood-carving, glass-staining, medal and medallion en- graving, copying of the antique furniture and old cabinets and the world famous toy-making, are only a few, but the most attractive of the occupations of the Nuremberger. Exquisite linen, superbly embroidered, and decorated with drawn work is to be found in abundance. In fact, this work is a specialty of Bavaria's. In the spring, summer and also at Christmas time, peasant women come in from the moun- tain districts, with baskets full of dainty doilies, tablecloths, sheets and gowns, in the purest hand-woven linen, both coarse and fine, the former being the most beautiful. All is edged with heavy hand-made lace. The atmosphere of this fascinating city is hard to leave, the more one feeds on its rare and delicate charm. The narrow streets are lined with houses which lean towards each other in intimate and confiding manner. The windows are picturesque and prominent, and high up on the corners, balconies jut out in harmonious con- trariness, and as one steps through the doorway into the 132 GERMANY mystic sanctuary of some ancient house one finds oneself suddenly in an old world atmosphere of rich and legendary tapestries, deft and suggestive wood-carving, and absorbing old prints. Doors, panelling, floors and ceilings, inlaid, carved and chiselled, and everywhere brass, copper, iron and pewter utensils, to awaken envious longings in the heart of the collector. After a long day, when the brain and heart are full of new and lasting treasures and visions, one must wend one's way to the quaint little Bratwurst-Glocklein, and step over its high doorsill, to enter the minute room so dimly lit with many small windows, seat oneself at one of the little tables on one of the wooden benches, look into the burning char- coal furnace curling up over the bricks, watch the rosy- cheeked maids cooking the " wurstlein " and dream of the day behind one which has brought and taught one so much. OBERAMMERGAU GERTRUDE NORMAN AS one draws upward towards the little station of Oberammergau one is conscious of a peace descend- ing, of an atmosphere as unusual as it is strange and elusive. The very air seems impregnated with a tender benediction ; the atmosphere poignant with some great, om- nipotent thought possessed and held throughout the cen- turies. It is indeed a peaceful village into which one glides, leaving behind great ranges of mountains, enclosing one in a God-made circle of blue haze and distance ; an infinitely gentle picture which meets one's gaze. Not one of primitive grandeur or ecstatic loveliness, but one of simple, reflective and introspective beauty ; one to inspire the thoughts to climb, to enable them to remain at ease at a certain elevation with a quiet joy and not to awe one into moods of tragic gloom, impossible speculation, or an almost uncontemplative passion, which the overpowering majesty of certain vistas is apt to do. On every side are verdant fields which stretch away lovingly to wooded hills, and guarding all are stately mountains, shedding tender shadows, rolling away to greater and ever greater peaks. The first thing to attract one's gaze, even before one catches a glimpse of the village, attracting the eyes upward, is a thing of mighty symbolical import. One of the peaks, detached as it were and isolated from the rest, rises up, nar- rowing at the summit to receive as its crown, a lofty simple 134 GERMANY cross. The elusive grandeur of this moment is a prayer, a song, a comforting caress. So high is it, that the pine trees cease to grow, and the summit is rocky with only low shrubs and bushes clinging to the ground, leaving all stencil-clear for the reception of the delicate spire. It points upward, year after year, like the eternal flame of the indomitable spirit, in sunshine, storm, snow and gloom. Even in na- ture's blackest moods, though it become invisible, still is it there, the everlasting symbol of spirituality, aspiration and eternity. The cross of the Kofel, as the Oberammergauers call it, is faced with some shining metal which catches the sun, the wall of rock below changing colour with every mood of the day ; now blue and green, now brown and purple, now dark and awesome with the reflection of some great inrolling cloud, now white and luminous, like the holy guardian of the Grail, in the moonlight ! Wheresoever one may wander in this consecrated little spot one cannot, nor would not, escape this silent voice of uplifting sorrow. The little village is winding and of exceeding picturesqueness, the intrusion of several modern buildings unable to effect its sweetness of atmosphere. The houses are of delicately coloured plaster, or sunburned to a deep velvety brown. Through the village, bordered at first on either side by cot- tages and later running out to fragrant flower-laden fields, is a clear, limpid, opalescent-hued stream, reflective also of the life of its hamlet and the clarity of its mission. It is a stream in which to look long and deeply ; a stream to breed dreams of purity, of steadfast faith and musical art ; a stream to cleanse and make innocent, to draw one into a mesh of endless visions of eternal wonder. By its waters one feels new-born, re-awakened. The whole place is an enchantment, wherein everything is a OBERAMMERGAU 135 symbol, from the lives of the inhabitants to the great theatre which greets one on first drawing into the village. The theatre, which was built, in its present form in 1830, and improved in 1890, is a severely simple, solid and earnest looking structure. High over its entrance a clear white cross appears, to face the Calvary Group, marble-white on the green hill, and the great cross of the Kofel. All here work in unison; art, religion, the labourer of the fields, wood-carvers, builders, and potters; all these sturdy, aesthetic peasants with their remarkable culture, re- finement, unusual personal beauty, dramatic ideal and re- moteness of position. Originally Oberammergau was a Celtic settlement and later in the time of the Romans a station on their military road from Verona to Augsburg. It was named by them " Ad Coveliacas " meaning the station at the Kofel. From the Ninth to the Twelfth Century it was in pos- session of the Welfs and one of their Dukes, Ethiko, built a castle and also founded a monastery there. It was in the year 1167 that the village of Oberammergau was trans- ferred to the Hohenstaufens, and exactly one hundred years later, to the House of Wittelsbach. It has always enjoyed a great amount of freedom, being granted more rights and privileges than any other of the near lying villages. Under the rule of Ludwig the Bavarian (1330) it was allowed even more freedom, and immunity from serfdom. It was at this time that the above named Duke founded the famous old monastery of Ettal, near Oberammergau. From that time on, for a long period of years, the prosperity of the little town was assured. Not only did the Emperors, on their hunting expeditions pass through, but continuous caravans of both German and Italian merchants ; introducing the vil- 136 GERMANY lagers not only to the progression and culture of the outside world, but also giving them the impetus and encourage- ment for the carrying on of their wood-carving (combined with the possibility of selling it, and having carried to other towns and countries). It was probably about this time that the Passion Play was first given, for in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries the various monasteries, especially in southern Germany and the Tyrol, were in the habit of giv- ing both Miracle and Religious plays. It was in England originally, as far as can be gathered, that the first Mystery plays were given and from thence they swiftly spread all over Christianized Europe. In Augsburg " Moralities " were constantly performed from the year 1200 down to the time of Holbein. Commercially and artistically Oberammergau continued to have a glorious prosperity until the breaking out of the terrible wars in the Sixteenth Century. Violent, wild and reckless armies of soldiers, passed ceaselessly through the heretofore peaceful hamlet, leaving behind poverty, famine and worst of all, the hopeless ravages of the plague. It was then the vow was made, that if only the plague might be taken from amongst them, they would, in thank- fulness, give the Passion Play every ten years. Oberam- mergau never again attained the commercial importance which had been hers, but she nevertheless enjoyed a long period of happiness and peace until war again broke out at the beginning of the Eighteenth Century, when hordes of Austrians and Hungarians besieged the valley, devastating all within their fierce breath of destructiveness. Then came the Austrian wars of Succession, and later the disastrous period of the French invasions. Famine again and innum- erable losses were endured by the plucky little town, but at OBERAMMERGAU 137 last peace has settled once more within her borders by the soldering together of the German Empire in Peace and Unity. Wood-carving, apart from the enormous influx of thou- sands of strangers from all over the world to witness the Passion Play every ten years and the " David Play " every five (formerly the latter was given only every thirty years), is still the chief work of the peasant-artists. Their talent in this direction is full of a rare and most delicate perfection. Oberammergau, as early as the year 1 1 1 1 introduced the art of wood-carving into Berchtesgarten, which points to the fact that she was the founder, or at least the original home of this art in Bavaria. Her salesmen used to travel out into the distant towns with their packs on their backs, achieving for their treasures a wide and enviable fame, and they now possess branches for the disposal of their beautiful art works at Liverpool, Bremen, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Gron- ingen, Drontheim, Copenhagen, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Lima and Cadiz. AUGSBURG GER TR UDE NORMAN THE very name brings up vivid dreams of ancient splendour, and the picture of that vast, endless sea of evolution, on artistic and progressive lines, which is comparable only to that of Italy's. Wiirzburg, Regensburg, Bamberg, Landshut, Ingolstadt, Bayreuth, Oberammergau ; is it possible that all are con- tained in that one enchanting word, Bavaria? And the sapphire lakes, enclosed by, or revealing, over wooded hills, the glistening snow peaks and chaste, wide glaciers, and those vast, deep forests written of by both Tacitus and Caesar, so impressive in their grandeur, only the soul of the observer and not the pen of the writer, can do justice to their mystic loveliness. From Munich it is an easy run to Augsburg, which is virtually the capital of the circle of Swabia and Neuburg and the principal seat of South German commerce. The latter word brings a mundane clang with it, but one need have no fear that one is about to see something similar to the unattractive toils of an English or American commercial town ; for Augsburg, sheds with the richest of Bavarian towns, an atmosphere of mediaeval charm, if not of such complete artistic beauty. Its name is derived from the Roman Emperor Augustus, who on the conquest of Rhaetia by Drusus, established a AUGSBURG 139 Roman colony here and called it Augusta Vindelicorum. This was about the year 14 B. C. About the Fifth Century we read that the town was sacked by the Huns and later, came, with the rest of Bojuvarii, under the rule of the Prankish Kings. In the war of Charlemagne against Duke Thassilo it was almost entirely destroyed. Later, after the division and dissolution of the Empire, it fell into the hands of the Dukes of Swabia. It gradually rose as a prosperous manufacturing town, becoming so noted for its wealth and beauty that it was one of the chief points desired by the constantly attack- ing and avaricious Hungarians (936-954). In 1276 it was raised to the rank of a Free Imperial city, which position it retained, despite many internal changes in its constitution, until 1806, when it was annexed to Bavaria by Napoleon. Augsburg reached its greatest height, both for prosperity and beauty, during the Fifteenth and Six- teenth Centuries. Its merchants were literally citizen- princes, enjoying the most enormous individual wealth and power. Three daughters of Augsburg merchants married princes. The unfortunate Agnes Bernauer (who was secretly mar- ried to Albrecht III.) and who was drowned in the Danube near Straubing by his father, Duke Ernest of Bavaria in 1435, the latter being so enraged at his son's supposed mesalliance. Then there was Clara von Detten who was married to Elector Frederick the Victorious of the Palati- nate, and Philippina Welser to Arch-Duke Ferdinand of Austria. The famous Fugger family, the richest people of their century, were originally but poor weavers. Their house on the Maximilianstrasse, with its beautifully painted and frescoed front, is, to this day one of the most interest- 140 GERMANY ing houses to be seen in Augsburg. Curiously interesting too is the Fuggerei, a small quarter of Augsburg, founded by Jacob Fugger, " the Rich" in 1514. It consists of 106 charming little houses, like some ideal Morrisonian village, for the benefit of very poor Roman Catholic fami- lies. The miniature town with its spotless asphalt streets, two storied cottages, gaily coloured little doors and flower- potted window sills, and pumps of clear running water, is enclosed within its own gates. The Maximilianstrasse is exceptionally handsome, broad and long. In the centre of the street, at harmonious distances, are three magnificent bronze fountains ; one of Augustus, the founder of the city, and the other two of Hercules and Mercury. An- other very beautiful statue is the " War Monument " in the Frohnhof, near the Cathedral. The latter is a remark- ably beautiful Gothic edifice begun in 995 but altered con- siderably in 1321-1431. The most mediaeval looking street is the Jacobstrasse, which leads down from the Barfusserkirche to the Fuggerei. Near the latter stands the house where the elder Holbein lived and the younger Holbein was born. The Rathaus is one of the most re- markable of Renaissance buildings in Bavaria. The " Goldener Saal," said to be the finest of the numerous halls in Germany, is brilliantly decorated in Italian rococo style, the exquisitely carved ceiling being hung from above by twenty-four chains. All the rooms in this especial Rathaus impress one by their extravagant wealth of decora- tion, splendid ancient stoves and treasures of every sort. St. Annakirche, the Fuggerhaus and St. Ulrics are all full of both beauty and historical interest. The Royal Picture Gallery which is situated in the old monastery of St. Catherines, contains some very fine works, but is chiefly AUGSBURG 141 notable for its collection of the works of two Augsburg artists, Holbein and Burkmair. During the Sixteenth Cen- tury Augsburg was the seat of many Diets held by Charles V. In 1530 the Protestant princes handed him, in the above mentioned Rathaus, the famous " Confession " (drawn up by Melanchthon of Nuremberg). The article consisted of a reformed creed containing twenty-one articles in the name of the Evangelical states of Germany, which lucidly explained the doctrinal position of the Lutheran church; a religious peace, of the greatest import to the re- ligious welfare of Germany, was also concluded here in 1530. In 1632 the city was besieged and captured by Gustavus Adolphus on his slaughtering journey through Bavaria, but after he was vanquished it returned again to its old inheritance. But the enormous trade and prosperity of Augsburg was for the time being completely ruined by the civil and religious strifes and the long, bloody wars which so racked Germany in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Cen- turies. In 1703 it was bombarded by the Electoral princes of Bavaria and forced to pay a heavy contribution, later as we have seen, becoming absolutely Bavarian. In 1518 the first fire-engine ever used was invented in Augsburg. Between the years 1500 and 1800 the gold and silversmiths guilds were everywhere noted, even more so than those of Munich, or Nuremberg. For the seeker after these rare old pieces, or for antique brass, copper or pewter, Augsburg is a veritable treasure house. A beautiful portion of the old wall is still standing and some fine old gates. Along the canal, the houses are in- tensely picturesque, and down the winding, narrow and sloping roads from St. Annaskirche one comes across en- trancing bits of mediaevalism. In 1703 the ancient fortifi- 142 GERMANY cations were dismantled and laid out in public promenades. Many, many years ago the famous Montaigne wrote, de- claring, that to him the wonderful old city of Augsburg was more beautiful even than Paris. KEGENSBURG GERTRUDE NORMAN THE interesting city of Regensburg, which was ceded to Bavaria only in 1810, derives its name from the river Regen on which it stands. The Celts, in the days when it was one of their settlements, used to call it Ratisbon, the Romans later naming it Castra Regina. It is in reality on the Danube, but the Regen flows into that mighty river just opposite to where the city was founded. It used to be the capital of the Romans in those parts, holding as it did such an advantageous position on the Danube. The narrow stone bridge, which connects the town with its suburb, was thrown over in 1136. Later, after the Roman power had waned, it became the seat of the Bavarian Dukes and the chief point of East Frankish monarchy. It was one of the most important centres for the promulgation of Christianity, for in the Seventh Century St. Emmeran founded the Abbey here and in the Eighth St. Boniface the Bishopric. In the Thir- teenth Century it became a Free Imperial city, one of the most flourishing of all German towns and a favourite re- sort, like Nuremberg, of the Emperors. Of enormous im- port was the short, but vital hold, the spirit of the Refor- mation held here, and later of the counter-reformation in- spired by the Jesuits. From Regensburg cargo boats used to go down the Danube to the Black Sea, with merchandise from the 144 GERMANY Western and Southern countries, bringing back in turn, treasures from the East as far off as China. Even in the remote days of the Crusades the Regensburg boatmen were famous, conveying down the broad waters of the river holy pilgrims and warriors on their way to the Holy Land. No less than seventeen sieges are recorded as having been en- dured by this city during the Thirty Years' War, that fearful time from which we can nowhere escape in the his- tory of Bavaria, almost completely ruining both the pros- perity and beauty of the town. From 1663 to 1806 it was the seat of the Imperial Diets, sixty-two of which were held within its walls. 1806 saw the assignment of the town and bishopric to the Prince Primate Dalberg, by the Peace of Luneville. In 1809 it was stormed by Napoleon, the Austrians experiencing a fearful defeat beneath its walls, when the city itself was almost reduced to ashes. Nevertheless many of the old buildings remained mercifully untouched, some of which are much older even than those in Nuremberg. A curious and essentially characteristic feature of Regensberg are the towers attached to the houses, all loop-holed, witnesses to a day when battle, danger and internal strife were of daily occurrence, The Golden Tower, attached to the Inn of the Golden Cross and the one adorned with paintings of David and Goliath, being the most notable. The Street of the Ambassadors (where all the Ambassadors of the Ger- man Diet used to reside), bears still over the doors many of their Coats of Arms. Of the purest Gothic style is the beautiful old Cathedral founded in 1273. ^ was not com ~ pleted till 1634 and the towers are of a still later period; one of the little interior chapels dates back to the Eighth Century. REGENSBURG 145 An ancient Benedictine monastery of Irish monks, named " Scoti " used to stand on the spot where now rises the Schottenkirche, a Roman basilica of the Twelfth Cen- tury. The Golden Cross Inn is famous for being the meet- ing place of Barbara Blumenberger and Charles V. She was the mother of Don Juan of Austria. Regensburg is full of magnificent pieces of architecture of every period. Not far from Regensburg, above Keilheim, on the heights of the Michaelsberg, the Befreiungshalle, or Hall of Liberation, was erected in 1842 by Ludwig I. It re- sembled a Roman temple and contains, ranged within a cir- cular-domed hall, statues in Carrara marble by Schwan- thaler, and bronze shields made out of French cannon, on which are engraved the different victories gained by the Germans and the names of their leaders. The walls are lined with marble, the roof being supported by granite pillars. In his interesting little book of his trip down the Danube the noted American historian, Mr. Bigelow writes, " The slabs bear the names of such as the King of Bavaria recog- nized as the liberators of the Fatherland. But we are struck by the names of many Austrian and South German mediocrities, and the absence of those who really did make their country free. Wellington is conspicuous by his ab- sence, so the noble Boyen and Liitzow. The man whose far-sighted legislation lifted Prussia from out the result of Jena, is not to be found here we mean Stern, nor his able successor, Hardenberg. The poets, thinkers, the patriotic spirits that stirred the people to heroic actions, these were the ones who fought Katzbach and Leipzig, but they are not noticed on these slabs : Schiller and Korner, whose songs of liberty fired every German heart and who sent 146 GERMANY every schoolboy into the army ; Arndt and Jahn, Uhland and Fichte names that in 1813 did more for the German success than a fresh army corps of these this Bavarian Mausoleum says nothing." An easy trip from Regensburg is to that magnificent and masterly construction of Klenze's, the Graeco-Doric Temple of Walhalla, a national monument built by Lud- wig I., also a temple of fame to German's greatest men. The temple architecturally is the exact copy of the Par- thenon. Walhalla means " Walhall or Hall of the Chosen." The glorious view from the platform extends over the level plain of Bavaria to the glistening snow peaks of the Alps in the South and to Straubing and up the majestic Danube to Regensburg in the East. Within are innumerable busts and statues of Germany's most famous men, heroes, musicians, statesmen, artists, poets, sages, etc. ROTHENBURG AND OTHER BAVARIAN TOWNS GERTRUDE NORMAN THIS gem-like appendage, as it were, of Nurem- berg, is one gleaming mass of rich artistic treas- ures and innumerable historical detail. It is per- haps the least altered and purest existing example of all mediaeval towns, and being more miniature and concen- trated than Nuremberg is easier to fully absorb. It rises before one's vision beautifully encircled by walls, moats and towers, rich in harmonious colouring and warmth of tone. The well preserved gabled houses are red-tiled and glow in the sun. As far back as 942 Rothenburg's name appears in the ancient documents, and for 529 years it was a free city of the Empire like most of the Bavarian, Fran- conian and Swabian cities. During the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries it radiated the highest artistic standards in every branch of art and architecture and its industries were similarly progressive. During the Reformation its sympathies were entirely with Luther. In 1525 it ex- perienced the disturbances of the uprisings of the peasants, taking part with them, and also suffered the inevitable re- lapse and degeneration consequent on the Thirty Years' War. During this period it was several times besieged and taken by opposing parties. To the sojourner within its enthralling crown of walls, it offers such a bewildering wealth of architectural beauty, 148 GERMANY that one scarce can recall another city which can vie with it in this direction. Its absolutely mediaeval streets, nar- row, and winding, are more exquisite in an harmonious suggestiveness than even those of Nuremburg. Gothic churches, Renaissance buildings (mostly of an ecclesias- tical character), Rathaus, arches, gates, fountains, castle, all are in the most perfect state of preservation. The most fascinating piece of ancient beauty, where even on the rainiest days can be seen artists sketching and painting its perfect outlines, is the old gate of the Altes Rathaus, with its overhanging lantern ; and the quaintest vista, that is to be seen on looking down towards the Plonlein. In the church of St. James are some very exquisite specimens of altar-carving by Tilman Riemenschneider, and in the church of the little village of Dettwang is also another fine example of this same artist's work. We cannot pretend to go satisfactorily into all the ven- erable towns which add to the interest and glory of Batavia ; each one possessing both a significant historical and artistic interest, which must be sought in a more complete and in- dividual form. Wurzburg and Bamberg could alone fill a book with the vicissitudes of their development, height attained, and wealth of ecclesiastical buildings. The latter is built on a chain of hills, innumerable churches rising up to crown their summits in majestic outline ; the former is situated in a vine-clad, verdant valley of the Main. From 741 down to 1803 Wurzburg was governed by an unbroken chain of Bishops. The first was Burkardus, who was con- secrated by St. Boniface. As history has already told us, these Bishops attained enormous power, and in 1120 the Emperor Frederick created them Dukes of Franconia. The sceptre of these same princes often including the ROTHENBURG 149 See of Bamberg. In 1803 it was incorporated with Bavaria. Then there are the towns of Ingolstadt (now a mighty fortress, famous as having been the first home of the uni- versity founded by Ludwig the Rich in 1472 and besieged by Gustavus Adolphus in 1632, when Tilly lay mortally wounded within the city, and also of having the first estab- lished Jesuit's college in Germany). Wunsiedel (the birthplace of Jean Paul Richter, and where on certain dates, every few years, is given an in- tensely interesting festival drama, in the beautiful forest of the Luisenberg, in honour of the visit paid to the lovely little town by the much beloved Queen Luise). Furth, meaning a fort (the rival manufacturing town of Nuremberg, and the haven which sheltered the Jews when they were driven out of Nuremberg). The great progres- sion of the town is due to their wonderful industry and talents. They possess a Hebrew printing establishment, a college, separate court of justice, many schools and a syna- gogue. At the time of the epoch making battle between Gustavus and Wallenstein, the latter made this town his headquarters, putting up at the Gruner Baum, in the street which takes its name from this noted Swedish Emperor. Carlstadt (founded by Charlemagne, and the birthplace of the reformer Rodenstein, the instigator of puritanical iconoclasm, 1543). Hanau (the home of the Flemish and Walloon peasants banished from the Netherlands, 1597, tne birthplace of the world-known and loved brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm 1785-1863 and 1786-1859. Near here Napoleon with 80,000 men defeated the Bavarians and Austrians under Marshal Wrede with 40,000 men in 1813). Aschaffenburg (belonging from 982 to the bishops 150 GERMANY of Mayence, and ceded to Bavaria in 1814. In the old castle, erected in 1605, is a most remarkable collection of missals, engravings, prayer-books, miniatures, etc., and also an extremely valuable collection of paintings, including good examples of Ruysdael, Rembrandt, Rubens, Teniers, Angelica Kaufmann, Giordano, Cuyp, and Cranach. Be- yond the castle gardens stands the Pompeianum erected by the indefatigable Ludwigl. in 1824 in imitation of the Cas- tor and Pollux at Pompeii, decorated with mosaic and mural paintings). Aichach (the cradle of the Wittelsbach house), Kissingen, which is the most frequented water cure place in Bavaria, was in 1866 the scene of a fierce combat between the Prussians and the Bavarians, the latter under Prince Karl being defeated. In 1874 Goben also attempted to assassinate Bismarck here). Freising, Donauworth, Lauingen (the birthplace of the most famous man of his century, Albertus Magnus). Voburg, Fiissen, etc., all towns of quaint custom, interest and value to the kingdom to which so many of them only latterly have definitely be- longed. Then the many lovely country districts, such as Berchtesgaden which Ibsen so loved, Yarmisch, Parten- kirchen, etc. BAYREUTH GERTRUDE NORMAN " "1" ITTLE city of my habitation, to which I belong on this side of the grave at the foot of the fir- ^ capped mountains," wrote that transcendental and sweet spirit, Jean Paul Richter, of Bayreuth, where he spent so many years of his arduous and fruitful life. This " Festival Grail," which is a modern place of pil- grimage, is situated in " a fascinating circle of enchanting environment." Long stretches of tender green and un- dulating meadows surround the town; then in the fore- ground loom the deep shadowed pine forests, their delicate spires pricking the blue of the heavens, and encircling all are the picturesque fir-capped mountains. It is a spot of infinite peace, of calm undistracting joy, a place in which to concentrate the dream, and draw the scattered fancies into a glorious artistic bondage ! " The word Baireuth means a piece of ground reclaimed or dug up by the Bavarians. Reut or Reuth being still made use of by the peasants to designate a spade or shovel, which is always to be seen hanging from the plough. Baireuth is the ancient mode of spelling and Bayreuth the modern." It was not until 1881 that English or Americans heard much of Bayreuth, nevertheless it is fraught with a sig- nificant historical interest. It possesses the home of the present ruling house of Germany, Hohenzollern-Branden- 152 GERMANY burg; also the principalities of Culmbach-Baireuth, to- gether with the upper portion of the Burggraf of Nurem- berg, which in reality includes Nuremberg itself and Rothenburg. Originally it was a principality or a duchy like Salzburg ; appearing in the old deeds as a Margravate, or small duchy, its ruler styled only Margrave, which led to much ill-feeling, discussion and bitter jealousy. Wagner had visited Bayreuth early in his youth, and had then been much impressed by its peaceful beauty, which had also so appealed to the gentle soul of Richter. Wagner revisited Bayreuth in 1871 and was so enthusias- tically received by both, municipality and administration, that he felt assured his hopes had at last found a resting place and that his great idea would meet with encourage- ment. Wahnfried, that " home of peaceful fancies," was built, but his first years there were nevertheless beset with infinite difficulties, hardships and struggles. Bayreuth now is a sun-centre, radiating over the entire civilized globe, the inspired music of this luminous genius. In choosing Bayreuth for the spot on which to found his great Festival playhouse, Wagner fully realized that concentration on the one idea was the surest and absolutely necessary foundation for success. People go to Bayreuth for the Wagner Fes- tival, not to be charmed with the attractions of some mediaeval town. The foundation stone for the theatre was laid on May 22, 1872, Wagner's fifty-ninth birthday. Among other notabilities, both Haeckel and Nietzsche were present. The building is on the top of a hill, com- manding a wide and sweeping view. It was made from plans drawn solely by Wagner, and not by Semper, who de- signed the plans for the Munich house. Architecturally it resembles a Grecian Amphitheatre, and holds 1,450 people. BAYREUTH 153 The interior is severely plain, with few decorations, no gilding or draperies, and no disturbing, glaring chandelier. The lights, which are all placed on the tops of pillars, are extinguished immediately the performance begins. The orchestra is invisible, buried in a " mystic abyss." Pil- grims journey to Bayreuth, concentrated on the one idea of becoming absorbed in the elemental genius of a solitary man. It is probable that without the constant enthusiasm, and the aid of Ludwig II., Wagner's dream might have been still longer delayed ; as it was, he called the latter " the fellow creator of Bayreuth." At the great pro- duction of Parsifal in 1881 Ludwig was not present. The darkness was beginning to enwrap him, but when he heard of Wagner's death, he was sorely stricken, ex- periencing probably the greatest loss and sincerest affection of his life. WVRTEMBERG flNDLAY MUIRHEAD WtTRTEMBERG is bounded on the east by Bavaria, and on the other three sides by Baden, with the exception of a short distance on the south, where it touches Hohenzollern and the Lake of Constance. For administrative purposes the country is divided into the four circles (kreise) of the Neckar in the north-west, the Jagst in the north-east, the Black Forest in the south-west, and the Danube in the south-east. Wurtemberg forms part of the South German tableland, and is hilly rather than mountainous. In fact the undulat- ing fertile terraces of Upper and Lower Swabia may be taken as the characteristic parts of this agricultural coun- try. The usual estimates return one-fourth of the entire surface as " plain," less than one-third as " mountainous," and nearly one half as " hilly." The average elevation above the sea-level is 1,640 feet ; the lowest point is Bot- tingen (410 feet), where the Neckar quits the country ; the highest is the Katzenkopf (3,775 feet), on the Hornisgrinde, on the western border. The chief mountains are the Black Forest on the west, the Swabian Jura or Rauhe Alb, stretching across the middle of the country from south-west to north-east, and the Adelegg Mountains in the extreme south-east, adjoin- ing the Algau Alps in Bavaria. The Rauhe Alb, or Alp, slopes gradually down into the plateau on its south side, but WtfRTEMBERG 155 on the north it is sometimes rugged and steep, and has its line broken by isolated projecting hills. The highest sum- mits are in the southwest, viz., the Lemberg (3,326 feet), Ober-Hohenberg (3,312 feet), and Plettenberg (3,293 feet). In a narrower sense the name Rauhe Alb is reserved for the eastern portion only of the Swabian Jura, lying between Hohenzollern and Bavaria in the narrowest sense of it all it is applied to a single group near Reutlingen. Most of the isolated summits above referred to (none of which are over 2,630 feet) project from this eastern section ; among them are the hills of Hohenstaufen, Teck, Mossingen, and Hohenzollern. The Black Forest (Schwarzwald\ a mountain group, or system, deriving its name from the dark foliage of its pine forests, lies partly in Wurtemberg and partly in Baden. Its general shape is that of a triangle, its base resting on the Rhine between the Lake of Constance and Basel, and its apex pointing north. The climate of the Schwarzwald is severe, but healthy. The forests cease at 4,250 feet, and are succeeded by scanty grass and herbs. On many of the summits snow lies for ten months in the year, yet in some of the valleys vines, almonds and chestnuts ripen. Wild boars, deer, hares, foxes and various kinds of game are found. The carriage- roads follow the valleys ; but innumerable foot-paths lead in all directions through the magnificent woods. The Black Forest Railway, opened in 1873, ascends the pictur- esque valleys of the Kinzig and Gutach by means of bridges, viaducts and tunnels, often of the boldest construc- tion. To the south of the Rauhe Alb the plateau of Upper Swabia stretches to the Lake of Constance and eastwards 156 GERMANY across the Iller into Bavaria. Between the Alb and the Black Forest in the north-west are the fertile terraces of Lower Swabia, continued on the north-east by those of Franconia. About seventy per cent, of Wiirtemberg belongs to the basin of the Rhine and about thirty per cent, to that of the Danube. The principal river is the Neckar, which flows northward for 186 miles through the country to join the Rhine, and with its tributaries drains fifty-seven per cent, of the kingdom. On the west it receives the Enz, swelled by the Nagold, and on the east are the Fils, Rems, Murr, Kocher and Jagst. The Danube flows from east to west across the south half of Wiirtemberg, a distance of sixty- five miles, a small section of which is in Hohenzollern. Just above Ulm it is joined by the Iller, which forms the boundary between Bavaria and Wiirtemberg for about thirty-five miles. The Tauber in the north-east joins the Main j the Argen and Schussen in the south enter the Lake of Constance. The lakes of Wiirtemberg, with the excep- tion of those in the Black Forest, all lie south of the Danube. About one fifth of the Lake of Constance is reckoned to belong to Wiirtemberg. Mineral springs are abundant ; the most famous spa is Wildbad, in the Black Forest. Until the close of the Napoleonic wars, Wiirtemberg was almost exclusively an agricultural and bucolic coun- try ; but since that period it has turned its attention to trade and manufactures, and perhaps now stands second only to Saxony among the German states in commercial and indus- trial activity. The want of coal is naturally a serious draw- back, but it is to a certain extent compensated by the abun- dant water-power. The textile industry is carried on in WtfRTEMBERG 157 most of its branches. Wool, from both domestic and foreign sources, is woven at Esslingen, Goppingen and other towns in Lower Swabia; cotton is manufactured in Gop- pingen and Esslingen and linen in Upper Swabia. Lace- making also flourishes in the last-named district as a rural house-industry. The silk industry of Wurtemberg, which employs about 1,100 hands, though not very extensive in itself, is the most important silk industry in Germany. Ravensburg claims to have possessed the earliest paper-mill in Germany ; paper-making is still important in that town and at Heidenheim, Heilbronn, Goppingen and other places in Lower Swabia. Wurtemberg is one of the best educated countries of Europe. School attendance is compulsory on children from seven to fourteen years of age, and young people from fourteen to eighteen must either attend the schools on Sunday or some other educational establishment. Every community of at least thirty families must have a school. The different churches attend to the schools of their own confession. There is a university at Tubingen and a poly- technic school at Stuttgart. Technical schools of various kinds are established in many of the towns, in addition to a thorough equipment of gymnasia, commercial schools, sem- inaries, etc. The conservatory of music at Stuttgart enjoys a high reputation. Wurtemberg is a constitutional monarchy and a member of the German Empire with four votes in the federal council and seventeen in the imperial Diet. The consti- tution rests on a law of 1819, amended in 1868 and 1874. The crown is hereditary, and conveys the simple title of King of Wurtemburg. The highest executive is in the hands of a ministry of state 158 GERMANY (Staatsministerium), consisting of six ministers and the privy council, the members of which are nominated by the king. There are ministers of justice, war, finance, home affairs, religion and education and foreign affairs, railways and the royal household. The legal system is framed in imitation of that of the German Empire. The judges of the supreme court for impeachment of ministers, etc., named the Staatsgerichtshofy are partly elected by the chambers and partly appointed by the king. The country is divided into four administrative " circles," subdivided into sixty-four Oberamter^ each of which is under an Oberamtmann, assisted by an Amtsversammlung or local council. At the head of each of the four large divisions is a Reg- ierung. The earliest known inhabitants of the country now called Wiirtemberg seem to have been Suevi. The Romans, who appeared first about 15 B. C., added the south part of the land to the province of Gaul in 84 A. D., and defended their positions there by a wall or rampart. About the beginning of the Third Century, the Alemanni drove the Romans beyond the Rhine and the Danube ; but they in their turn were conquered by the Franks under Clovis (496) and the land was divided between Rhenish Franconia and the Duchy of Alemannia. The latter, however, disappears about 760, and its territories were administered for the Frankish monarchs by grafs^ or counts, until they were finally absorbed in the Duchy of Swabia. The last Duke of Swabia died in 1268, and a large share of his power and possessions fell into the hands of the grafs of Wiirtemberg, whose ancestral castle crowned a hill between Esslingen and Cannstatt. In 1870 this kingdom shared in the national enthusiasm which swept over Germany when France de- WCRTEMBERG 159 clared war; and its troops had a creditable share in the memorable campaign of 1870-71. Since the foundation of the present German Empire, the separate history of Wur- temberg has been of almost exclusively local interest. STUTTGART DR. R. ELBEN THE situation of Stuttgart is one of the most beauti- ful in Germany. The capital of Wiirtemberg is encircled by pleasant towns and villages, fertile fields, vine-clad hills, skirted by shady forests in harmonious display. The city itself belongs to the fairest in the German Empire. Though it may lack the romantic adornment of ruined castles crowning its hilltops, yet the city with its environs has few equals for charming landscape scenery, luxurious vegetation and diversity of views, as it lies embedded in a recess of the romantic valley, through which the Neckar, winds its silvery band. The gently ascending slopes are cultivated with grape-vines and fruit-trees and dotted over with villas ; the verge of the hills and mountains is crowned by woods in nicely undulating lines. The hill-slopes ex- tend on several sides even to the city borders, their rich verdure affording pleasing resting-place to the eye and form- ing a charming background. The commanding points of view, so largely taken advan- tage of and beautified by the Verschbnerungs herein (a Society for enhancing the natural beauties of the city and its en- virons) present a surprising variety, especially where they afford an outlook into the picturesque valley of the Neckar, a perspective into the fertile Unterland (the lower or north- ern part of Wiirtemberg), and on the blue summits of the Alb rising in the distance. STUTTGART 161 As far back as 1519, Ulrich von Hutten wrote: "Ger- many possesses hardly any finer country than this one. The fields are excellent, the atmosphere is wonderfully pure and healthy j mountains, meadows, rivers, springs, forests, everything delightful j the wine as delicious as may be expected from such a land." About two hundred years later, Mr. Burk remarked in his Directory : " The goodly city of Stuttgart is but a gem set in a precious ring " ; and quite recently J. Klaiber writes : " When in spring the evening sun deepens the reddish hue of our hills into a purple glow, when the pure, and yet so softly undulating outlines of our hilltops are blended with the mellow vapour; or again, when autumn spreads its inexhaustible profusion of luxurious blessings over this valley, over these heights, and all Nature seems to smile in the blissful en- joyment of an easy abundance, one may hear now and then the bold expression : l Well may this land remind you of the landscapes of Italy ! ' : The city is regularly built, and, being divided by King Street and its extensions into an eastern and western part, the stranger has a ready means of orientation. With the exception of its oldest parts, it is laid out into symmetrical blocks, bordered by broad streets with conven- ient sidewalks, hardly matched by other cities in Ger- many. It abounds in magnificent and stately edifices, erected by the State, the City, or by private citizens; the building material, a red and a greenish sandstone, is found in the neighbouring quarries. The freestone masses and elegant facades, displayed even in smaller private residences, impart to the modern section of the city an aspect of an imposing nobility. Stuttgart, capital and royal residence of the kingdom of i62 GERMANY Wurtemberg, forms, according to the political division of the kingdom, with the suburbs of Berg, Heslach and Gablenberg under the name of Stadtdirectionsbezirk Stutt- gart (City Police District) one of the four Oberamter (counties) of the kingdom, and one of the seventeen counties of the Neckarkreis (circle). A considerable num- ber of neighbouring villages form a separate district, called Amtsoberamt Stuttgart. The city lies in the approximate centre of the kingdom, and is the converging point of all railroads and stage and carriage roads. As one of the Sieben Guten Stadte (Seven privileged towns) Stuttgart has her own representative in the Legislative Assembly. In elections for the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) the city, together with the country, forms the first Electoral District. In ancient documents the name of Stutgarden occurs for the first time in 1229 (Studgarden, foaling-farm ; hence the coat-of-arms of the city is a mare in rearing posture). It was at that time in the possession of the Counts of Wurtemberg. The unsuccessful siege of the city by King Rodolph of Habsburg in 1286, during which he destroyed seven Burgs (strongholds) around it, proves it to have been strongly fortified by walls. Count Eberhard der Erlauchte (the Illustrious) in 1321, transferred hither his residence from the Castle of Wirten- berg (the present Rothenberg), as well as the Prebendary of Beutelsbach in the Rems valley, as this site offered better protection, a healthy wine-growing location. It became, however, the permanent residence of the Sovereigns only under Count Ulrich the Beloved (1419-80), who enlarged and beautified the city considerably. During the reign of the Dukes and in the early years of the king- dom, the city had many hardships to endure : from 1519-34, STUTTGART 163 after Duke Ulrich's expulsion, it was in the hands of the Swabian League and of Austria ; in the Thirty Years' War and that of Schmalkalden, it was occupied successively by the troops of the Emperor and those of General Alva; by the French during the predatory excursions under Louis XIV. in 1707 ; the Court held its residence at Lud- wigsburg from 1724-33; and from 1764-75, it was tem- porarily abandoned to the enemies during the French Revo- lutionary wars of 1796, 1800 and 1801. It rose to its present importance only in the reigns of Kings Frederick (1797-1816), William (1816-64) and Charles (since 1864). In the way of agriculture, the production of wine and gardening occupy the foremost place. The vineyards around Stuttgart produce about 7,000 barrels of wine. Good and cheap wines, splendid fruits and vegetables attest the excellence of the soil and climate, as well as the indus- trious habits of the people. Flora's and Pomona's chil- dren are most lovingly cared for, and a glance over the broad girdle of gardens, skirting the borders of the city, suggests the idea that Stuttgart may be called with equal propriety Garden city and Vine city. Kings William and Charles have established beautiful and effective models for the flourishing art of professional and ornamental gardening in the villas of Rosenstein, Wilhelma and Berg, also in the flower-beds of the Schlossplatz and the Botanical Garden. The Stadtgarten Society and the Verscbmtrungs Verein exert also a suggestive and elevating influence on this pleasing branch of agricultural economy. The most attractive place in the city is the Schlossplatz, which rivals the most beautiful city squares of any capital or residence in Europe. The new Residenzschloss, or Royal Palace, was begun in 1746 and completed in 1807. 164 GERMANY It is in Renaissance style, consists of a main building sur- mounted by a huge gilded crown and two wings at right angles and contains 365 rooms. The splendid Schlossplatz (Palace Square) is decorated with avenues, fancy flower- beds, two gorgeous fountains, showing at their bases four genii of Wiirtemberg rivers, and a large Music Kiosk. In the centre of this square the Jubilaums S'dule (Jubilee column) thirty yards high, was erected in 1841, in com- memoration of the Twenty-fifth anniversary of King William's glorious reign j on its top stands the statue of Concordia. The steep mountain-slope, east of the Palace, with its play of reddish hues from the sandstone hills clad with vineyards and dotted with villas, greatly enhances the beauty of the Schlossplatz. On the other side of the Planie (an avenue of chestnut trees skirting the southern side of the Schlossplatz), rises like a citadel, the Old Castle with round towers on three corners. It is built on the site of the ancient castle, which was the residence of the Counts of Wiirtemberg from the Fourteenth Century. At present it contains lodgings and offices of the court functionaries and the royal household. THE BLACK FOREST JOHN STOUGHTON EVEN in the great forest age, the Hercynia Sylva was renowned. It reached from Swabia to Saxony, touched the Rhine, and ran along the banks of the Danube as far as Transylvania. Caesar spent nine days in crossing a part of it, and it took more than eight weeks to traverse it from end to end in its longest direction. The warrior and historian gives an account of its character, and of its wild beasts, in the sixth book of his Gallic Wars. In the Hercynia Sylva were included, on the north, a re- gion called the Marciana Sylva, and, on the south, the Mons Abnoba ; the former ran up near the countries now known as Thuringia and the Harz the latter enfolded in the sources of the River Danube. Of the vast sweep of these rather indefinite boundaries some idea may be formed by a glance at the modern map of Europe ; roughly they may be said to correspond with the present Grand Duchy of Baden and that district or cycle of the Kingdom of Wur- temberg which bears the name of the Black Forest. The old Marciana Sylva and the Mons Abnoba are not identical with the German Schwarzwald ; but they included this large region of wooded hills, bounded by the Rhine on the west and south, and by the Neckar and Swabia to the north and east. The Schwarzwald^ according to the " Imperial Gazetteer," is 150 miles long, and, in some part, forty-five miles broad. Towards the north the mountain chain rapidly 166 GERMANY subsides, and some geographers mark it as terminating near Neuenburg and Pforzheim. The north division is called the Lower Sckwarzwald, the south portion the Higher. The culminating point is the Feldberg, 4,800 feet high. The whole of the Schivarzwald is now encompassed, and the south is penetrated by a railway. At the remote period just noticed the age of forests it was scarcely accessible, and only a few daring spirits at- tempted to explore its dark depths. The sombre hue of its wide-spreading woods has given it its modern name, and it seems to have suggested images of terror, and inspired emotions of fear, in the minds of the roving tribes who peopled the north and eastern sides. They looked upon it, however, as a natural defence against the aggressions of the Roman Empire, which made inroads upon Germany, and they rejoiced in the difficulties presented by the black chain of hills to the march of conquering legions. For a long period the forests had few or no inhabitants, but peo- ple wandered or settled on its skirts, and then gradually cleared their way into the interior, seeking in the valleys pasturage for their cattle, cutting down from the hills ma- terials for their habitations. Ethnologists think that they can discover in the present inhabitants indications of phys- ical and mental differences which they ascribe to varieties of race ; and hence they hazard a theory of distinct tribes having here come together, some of Celtic, others of Teu- tonic origin. Be that as it may, there can be no doubt that at an early date, however the Germans might look on the Schwarzwald as a bulwark of protection, the Romans made their way into the neighbourhood, laying down roads and erecting forts in the Hercynian Forest, according to their established policy. The remains of a Roman settlement, THE BLACK FOREST 167 it is said, are to be seen near Hufingen, a station on the Black Forest Railway, not far from Donaueschingen, where, in an interesting museum, some Roman antiquities are preserved. Up in the Forest, about Unter Kirnach, on the same line, near Villingen, an ancient roadway has been traced, marked by wheel-ruts, pronounced to be a Roman road connecting Adarh Flavii (Rottweil) and other places with the Rhine Valley. At Haslach, also on the Black Forest Railway, we are told there are Roman remains. The best known of such relics are at Baden-Baden. The vaults of the masonry enclosing the Ursprung, the prin- cipal of the hottest mineral springs, is of Roman construc- tion j and fragments of Roman sculpture, dug up in the vi- cinity, have been placed in the building over the fountain ; among them are votive tables and altars to Neptune, Mercury, and Juno. Roman vapour baths seem to have existed where the Neue Schtoss now stands, for remains are shown in the subterranean parts of that interesting edifice, which plainly point to Roman times. The district watered by the Oos, which gives a name to the branch line from the Rhine Valley to Baden, was partially subju- gated by Drusus Germanicus, and then more fully con- quered by the Emperor Trajan. A Roman colony, named Civitas Aquemh, occupied the site of the fashionable modern watering-place. The hot springs were then celebrated; and Caracalla gave Roman freedom to the town, whence it became known as Civitas Aurelia Aquensis. Baden-Baden is the chief centre for excursions in the Lower Schwarz- wald) and is to be regarded as the principal town in that part ; and it would appear that this pre-eminence pertained to it of old, and clung to it during the ages of confusion 168 GERMANY which followed the fall of the Roman Empire. For when the Alemanni, who were the original inhabitants of the neighbourhood, and were subjected by the Romans, fell under the dominion of the Franks, the new masters of Gaul, Baden-Baden having accepted the Christian re- ligion, made, under its Duke Gottfried, repeated attempts to establish independence, but in vain, and the dukedom was abolished in the Eighth Century by Pepin the Little. But, in the Eleventh Century, a Duke Berthold, a reputed descendant of the Alemannian Gottfried, built a castle in the Breisgau, and founded the line of the Zahringen princes, one of whom, in the Twelfth Century, took the title of Margrave of Baden, and was the ancestor of the illustrious house which still reigns over the Grand Duchy. The history of the country is dim and indistinct during the mediaeval period. The Germans have a saying, when a number of particulars touching a subject perplex the mind, that " you cannot see the wood for the trees." Certainly it is not on that account that we are unable to discern the historical line which runs through the Schwarzwald of the Dark Ages. There are scarcely any trees to be seen. The wood is lost in dense clouds, such as, to the disappointment and mortification of the Baden visitor, sometimes envelop and conceal the scenery all around the castle. Legends, it is true, float before the imagination. Like the images seen on the face of the Brocken mists shadows of forms cast by spectators stories are told in prose and verse of ancient heroes, and supernatural beings who lived mysterious lives. In the very indifferent frescoes painted on the walls of the Baden Trinkhalle, under the long and stately colonnade, some of these legends are embodied in form and colour. THE BLACK FOREST 169 There is the Kellerbild, which commemorates a phantom maid who haunted the spot so named two hours' dis- tance from Baden and fascinated a wanderer, who, after thrice meeting her, in an ecstasy of love, threw himself into her arms, only to perish in her embrace. There, too, is painted the Mummehee, a rocky basin on the road from Achern to Allerheiligen, where the Undines, or Lake Maidens, dwelt in crystal palaces, amidst gardens of coral, and, ascending at night, danced to sweet music in the forest dells, and then vanished at cock-crow. There also may be seen a picture of the Teufeh Kanzel, a place six miles from Baden, not far from Gernsbach, where the devil is reported to have preached j while, near at hand, stood the Engels Kanzel^ where an angel of light proclaimed the truth, and destroyed the work of the evil one. In the room of history, such dreams gather round some of the woods and waters of the Schwarzwald ; and but little can be discerned in the shape of solid fact by the student who strives to penetrate into the condition of the region ten centuries ago. Some faint rays of actual truth shoot athwart the dark vista as we travel up and down this romantic realm, for the ruins of abbeys meet us here and there ; and castles, or the remains of them, adorn some of the most pic- turesque landscapes. The missionary labours of Boniface form an interest- ing chapter in German ecclesiastical annals, but the scenes amidst which those labours were carried on lay . to the north of the territory now under consideration ; through the influence of other like-minded evangelists, however, Christianity, as it was then understood, made its way into the Black Forest. It was preached to the 170 GERMANY scattered inhabitants ; and at a time when monastic hab- its were in the ascendancy, brethren of the cowl erected convents in several nooks and corners of the Schwarzwald^ and by their industry brought surrounding lands into culti- vation, while they instructed the peasantry in some of the elements of the Christian faith. Two miles from Baden-Baden, at the end of a charm- ing avenue of trees, lies Lichtenthal, a bright green valley, famous for a monastery built by the Margraves of Baden to shelter one of the religious brotherhoods. On the way thence to Wildbad, through Gernsbach, one may pass through Herrenalb, a village grouped around buildings which belonged to a celebrated abbey, and tombstones of the wicked chiefs who presided over the establishment are found in the churchyard. Hirshau is another in the same portion of the Lower Scbwarzwald^ which can boast of the ruins of a convent dedicated to St. Peter. But of all the ecclesiastical ruins which we have seen in the Black Forest, there are none so remarkable as those of Allerheiligen, within a pleasant drive from Achern or the Baden Railway. We might also notice the church at Peterzell, built by the monks of Reichenau, and the great Benedictine Abbey at St. Georgen, both which places border the line which runs from Offenburg to Singen. St. Blasen, on the road from Freiburg to Albruck, is another example. Such buildings, at different dates of the middle ages, denote the advance, step by step, of relig- ion and civilization in regions once inhospitable, and scarcely ever trodden before by the feet of men. These buildings became centres of population, and villages sprang up around the abbey walls. The age of abbeys was also an age of cast\es ; they are THE BLACK FOREST 171 found, in preservation or in ruins, in several parts of the Baden and Wiirtemberg dominions, within the Forest circles. The visitor at Baden-Baden is almost sure to take a drive to Scbloss Eberstein, which crowns a rocky hill commanding a most delightful view of the pic- turesque valley of the Murg. The figure of a wild boar, from which the castle takes its name, is conspicuous on the gateway; and entering the outer courtyard, you can go round to an inner one, which recently restored, gives a good idea of the baronial homes and haunts of the wild days, images of which history seeks to recover from oblivion. There are not far off the ruins of another castle, that of Alt Eberstein^ originally a Roman watch- tower. In connection with it is told a story to the effect that Otto I., wishing to reduce it to his sway, invited the count who possessed it to a tournament at Spires, with a view to seize it during his absence. But the emperor's daughter fell in love with the count, and dis- closed the plot, whereupon he hastened home and saved his domain, and the matter ended, of course, in the mar- riage of the lovers. The Alte Schloss is one of the chief resorts of Baden visitors, and there one sees the earliest residence of the reigning family. Its situation, perched on a rock over- looking the valleys of the Oos and the Rhine, reminds us how the chieftains of the Middle Ages sought security by climbing up difficult heights. Not to gaze on beautiful prospects, but to bar their gates and arm their walls against intruding foes, did these old warriors choose the place of their abode. And as the tourist ascends to the top of the remaining towers, and beholds with delight villages, spires, and water-mills, he is reminded by the force of contrast 172 GERMANY how different was the aspect of the country when in the Middle Ages the ladies of the family in hours of peace leaned over those battlements. The Neue Schloss was not erected until the latter part of the Fifteenth Century when less savage times released noble families from the necessity of building their nests among the rocks. A few large towns arose on the edges of the Black Forest in mediaeval times. Freiburg is the principal, founded by the Duke of Zahringen in 1118, then handed over to the Counts of Urach, and next transferred to the House of Hapsburg. In 1386 it became a free town hence its present name. In 1490 it was constituted an imperial city, and here a celebrated Diet was held in 1499, after which the Treaty of Basle was signed, recognizing the independ- ence of Switzerland. Its ancient cathedral is a magnificent structure, and its archbishop is the ecclesiastical superior of the Hohenzollern principality together with the Grand Duchy of Baden. No other place of equal importance belongs to the Black Forest district. Heilbronn lies too O far north to come within its confines. Baden-Baden is not to be compared with it in extent and architecture ; and Donaueschingen, first heard of in the Thirteenth Century, though an interesting, is but a small and unimportant town. The fact is that in the Black Forest town life in the Middle Ages gained but little upon country life. Whilst great old cities were flourishing elsewhere and ambitious towns were springing up round about them, the Scbwarz- wald remained with a scattered population of villages, dotted over the verdant valleys, in some cases growing up into small towns, as in Gernsbach, on the River Murg, where a handsome old building of the Sixteenth Century, THE BLACK FOREST 173 used as a town house, indicates the growth there of municipal aspirations at that period. Beyond to the south, ten miles from Gernsbach is For- bach, a flourishing village where cattle are bred and wood is collected one of the finest points in the Murgthal ; and still farther on are almost interminable forests of virgin fir, and mountain streams are dammed up that they may float down the hewn timber to the Murg as it flows northward to the Rhine. The Schloss Eberstein overlooks Gernsbach and the Murg valley, and the eye following the winding stream catches here and there glimpses of cosy villages dotting the banks, whilst to the south the waters are seen flowing on to an immense distance, inspiring a wish to ex- plore what lies beyond. All this part of the Black Forest abounds in pine wood. The pine is the pinus pinacea, very different from the Scotch fir. It grows to an enormous height, often 200 feet, has a silvery stem, round, broad, straight, and robust, like " the mast of some tall ammiral," and does not put forth branches until near the top, where it spreads out in a dark-green crown, decked with numerous cones. To stand at the foot of one of these lofty pines and to look upwards, has a strange effect on the sight and the imagination, especially if at the moment the ear is filled with the murmurings of an adjoining brook and the music of the wind through the boughs overhead. The whole is calculated to affect the mind with " a sense of sublimity," and it recalls the language of Sir Walter Scott : " All nature seems united in offering that solemn praise, in which trembling is mixed with joy, as she addresses her Maker." Leaving Baden-Baden and its vicinity, we now proceed by rail to Freiburg, in the Breisgau. It has a history run- 174 GERMANY ning back into the Middle Ages, relating to the Dukes of Zahringen, Counts of Urach, and the Emperor Max ; the War of the Peasants and the Thirty Years' War; and it has a cathedral commenced in 1122, under whose noble Gothic roof it is no small privilege to stand and gaze on nave and choir columns and arches, stained glass and sculp- tured monuments. The interior and exterior are worthy of each other. The octagonal tower is four hundred feet high, supporting an open-work spire of ingenious work- manship, and the numerous chapels and baptistry add im- mensely to the interest and grandeur of the edifice. The city contains churches and other public buildings as well as fountains and domestic houses of a picturesque character; and these objects with charming walks in the environs, may well detain the tourist two or three days. But we now notice Freiburg, because it lies in the western out- skirts of the Black Forest, and affords a good opening into a line of road which takes us through some of its best southern districts. Many years ago we drove out of the city one sunny morning on a journey down to Albruck on the Rhine, comprising some of the most famous views in that direction. In this journey we missed the Feldburg. The Feldburg is the highest mountain in the Black Forest, being 5,000 feet high. When the weather is clear the view of the Alps, the Jura and the Vosges in the distance, and the mountains of the Black Forest all around, is very magnificent. On the summit of the mountain is a tower twenty-eight feet high, called the Friedrich Louisen Thurm, erected in honour of the betrothal of the Grand Duke Frederick of Baden to the Princess Louisa of Prussia. The Seebach (4,760 feet) is a place with seats, half an THE BLACK FOREST 175 hour's walk from the summit. The view hence is very picturesque. The Feldbergsee, encircled by mountain and forest, is seen below ; beyond that Barenthal, the Seebach River, and part of the Titi See, with the mountains of Swabia and the Hohgau in the distance. The Feldbergsee is a wierd-looking lake in the very heart of the Feldberg, and, like the mountain itself, the scene of strange legends. We did not ascend the Hochenschwand, which is said to command a view unsurpassed in the whole of the Black Forest. It comprises an unbroken view of the Alps from the Bavarian Tyrol to Mont Blanc. We have now to describe another route, the easiest and least expensive of all, whilst it surpasses the rest in variety, novelty and grandeur. We allude to the Black Forest Railway, which can be reached from Schaffhausen by a branch running to Singen. From Singen you go north- wards to Immendingen, the junction of the Black Forest Railway with the Tuttlingen-Rottweil Stuttgart line, by which you can travel along the Upper Danube valley and visit Sigmaringen, a most interesting place, with a pictur- esque castle, full of works of art and other curiosities. Here you are within the Black Forest circle of the king- dom of Wurtemburg, and can diverge right and left ex- ploring valleys and climbing hills, and watching the activi- ties of the industrial population. From Immendingen junction the rail runs in a western direction across a verdant village to Donaueschingen, where we must pause for a moment. It is a quiet little town of no architectural pre- tensions, but has a palace belonging to the Princes of Furstenberg, situated on the edge of a fine park and exten- sive gardens. Here is a spring of crystal water, bubbling 176 GERMANY up within a stone basin, adorned with statuary ; and this spring is pointed out as the source of the mighty River Danube in German Donau whence the town takes its name. It is, however, but one of the sources ; and it almost immediately falls into the Brigach, which, united with the Brege, rolls on till the stream swells into a mighty flood. Taking to the rail again, we reach Villingen, a walled town with a double-towered church and a curious Rath- haus. Thence to St. Georgen the road ascends, and at Sommerau attains its greatest altitude 2,800 feet, being the summit of the watershed between the Danube and the Rhine. It is hereabouts that the glorious scenery begins as the tourist moves north-west. Hence the Black Forest mountains extend in a continued chain, north by west, till they are lost on the plain round Carlsruhe and the neighbouring hills of the Neckar. They belong to a geological system the same as the Vosges, the other side of the Rhine. Granite and gneiss form the substratum, over which rise porphyry beds and red sand- stone formations. There is work for the scientific travel- ler amidst these wonders of nature ; and to the unscientific, rounded heights, everlasting breadths of forests, sublime gorges, dislocated rocks, and winding valleys, present a charming succession of objects, bewildering from their variety and rapid succession, as he is whirled along this stupendous work of engineering skill. The line goes zig- zag, up and down, now shooting through a tunnel, and then dashing along the side of a precipice. The direction is mysterious, and puzzles one even after repeated journeys. It advances, returns, doubles, one minute winding round, and the next climbing over the picturesque hills. On one THE BLACK FOREST 177 side you look up a pine-crowned stony wall ; on the other look down into green valleys and bright streams, meadows and mills, villages and scattered cottages. Triberg is a most tempting spot, a few miles distant from Sommerau. From Triberg the line enters the valley of the Nieder- wasser, of a similar character to the rest as regards the main features. The charming scenery continues on to Hornberg, whence excursions can be made to the Berneck- thal. Hornberg is situated much lower down, and there the valley of Gutach is entered, where, in addition to ro- mantic views of nature, you have curious costumes to look at : rose-trimmed straw hats, a cap of black tulle, a blue or scarlet kerchief, a red-lined jacket, a blue bodice, black pet- ticoat and blue stockings. The men's black coats often have red linings. Hausach, in the valley of Kinzig, is the next station, in the midst of orchards, woodlands, and meadows, and from this point a road leads to the famous cluster of baths, known as the Knebis Baths, from the pass of that name, which leads from Allerherleigen down to the south point of the Schwarzwald. The baths are four in number and are much frequented, but that at Rippoldsau, two hours' drive from Hausach, carries the palm. The rapid survey to which we are limited by no means exhausts the resources of the Schwarzwald. We have kept to routes visited by ourselves. But there are others with which we are personally unacquainted. Wildbad is a bath- ing-place of much resort; it is situated in the bosom of dense woods, and the mineral springs have been much ex- tolled by physicians of authority. From Wildbad, the pil- grim in search of the picturesque may find abundant grati- fication by ascending the Enz valley to Enzklosterle, amongst the mountains, and by that means reach the 178 GERMANY Murgthal; and then descending to Forbach he can make his way to Herrenwiese, and onwards to Buhl on the Baden-Baden railway. Herrenwiese is in the midst of a grouse-shooting district, and stands on a plain encircled by high mountains. Badenweiier, a short distance from Mulheim on the Baden and Basle line, is a picturesque little watering-place with about 500 permanent inhabitants, and attracting about 3,000 bathers annually. It is situated on one of the spurs of the Black Forest, running down to the valley of the Rhine, 1,400 feet above the sea level, and nearly 750 feet above the Rhine. The waters of Badenweiier are used externally and internally j and the goat's milk and whey cures are largely used as adjuncts. Hotels and pensions for the accommodation of visitors are plentiful. In the Cursaal is a fine Trinkhalle, besides a ball-room, concert- room, reading-room, etc. The well was dug in 1685. The present building was erected in 1853, a ^ ter designs by Eisenlohr. THE RHINE VICTOR HUGO Born where blooms the Alpine rose, Cradled in the Boden See Forth the infant river flows, Leaping on in childish glee. Coming to a riper age, He crowns his rocky cup with wine, And makes a gallant pilgrimage To many a ruined tower and shrine. YES, the Rhine is a noble river feudal, republican, imperial worthy, at the same time, of France and of Germany. The whole history of Europe is combined within its two great aspects in this flood of the warrior and of the philosopher in this proud stream which causes France to bound with joy and by whose pro- found murmurings Germany is bewildered in dreams. The Rhine is unique : it combines the qualities of every river. Like the Rhone, it is rapid ; broad, like the Loire ; encased, like the Meuse ; serpentine, like the Seine ; limpid and green, like the Somme; historical, like the Tiber; royal, like the Danube; mysterious, like the Nile; spangled with gold, like an American river ; and like a river of Asia, abounding with phantoms and fables. After an historical period the Rhine became linked with the marvellous. Where the noise of man is hushed, Nature lends a tongue to the nests of birds, causes the caves to whisper and a thousand voices of solitude to murmur: i8o GERMANY where historical facts cease, imagination gives life to shad- ows and realities to dreams. Fables took root, grew, and blossomed in the voids of History, like weeds and brambles in the crevices of a ruined palace. Civilization, like the sun, has its nights and its days, its plenitudes and its eclipses; now it disappears, but soon returns. As soon as civilization again dawned upon Taunus, there were upon the borders of the Rhine a whole host of legends and fabulous stories. Populations of mysterious beings, who inhabited the now dismantled castles, had held com- munion with the belles files and beaux chevaliers of the place. Spirits of the rocks; black hunters, crossing the thickets upon stags with six horns ; the maid of the black fen ; the six maidens of the red marshes ; Wodan, the god with ten hands ; the twelve black men ; the raven that croaked its song ; the devil who placed his stone at Teufel- stein and his ladder at Teufelsleiter, and who had the effrontery to preach publicly at Gernsbach, near the Black Forest, but, happily, the Word of God was heard at the other side of the stream ; the demon Urian, who crossed the Rhine at Diisseldorf, having upon his back the banks that he had taken from the sea-shore, with which he in- tended to destroy Aix-la-Chapelle, but being fatigued with his burden, and deceived by an old woman, he stupidly dropped his load at the imperial city. At that epoch, which for us was plunged into a penumbra, when magic lights were sparkling here and there, when the rocks, the woods, the valleys, were tenanted by apparitions ; mysterious en- counters, infernal castles, melodious songs sung by invisible songstresses; and frightful bursts of laughter emanating from mysterious beings, these, with a host of other adven- THE RHINE 181 tures, shrouded in impossibility, and holding on by the heel of reality, are detailed in the legends. At last these phantoms disappeared as dawn burst in upon them. Civilization again resumed its sway, and fiction gave place to fact. The Rhine assumed another aspect : abbeys and convents increased; churches were built along the banks of the river. The ecclesiastical princes multiplied the edifices in the Rhinegau, as the prefects of Rome had done before them. The Sixteenth Century approached : in the Fourteenth, the Rhine witnessed the invention of artillery ; and on its bank, at Strasburg, a printing-office was first estab- lished. In 1400, the famous cannon, fourteen feet in length, was cast at Cologne; and in 1472, Vindelin de Spire printed his Bible. A new world was coming into being; and, strange to say, it was upon the banks of the Rhine that those two mysterious tools with which God unceasingly works out the civilization of man the catapult and the book war and thought, took a new form. The Rhine has had a sort of providential signification in the destinies of Europe. It is the great moat which divides the north from the south. The Rhine for thirty ages has seen the forms and reflected the shadows of almost all the warriors who tilled the old continent with that share which they called sword. Caesar crossed the Rhine in going to the south ; Attila crossed it when going to the north. It was here that Clovis gained the battle of Tolbiac ; and here that Charlemagne and Napoleon fig- ured. Frederick Barbarossa, Rodolph of Hapsburg and Frederick the Great were victorious and formidable when here. For the thinker who is conversant with History, 182 GERMANY two great eagles are perpetually hovering over the Rhine that of the Roman legions and the eagle of the French regiments. The Rhine that noble flood named by the Romans Rbenus superbus at one time bore upon its surface bridges of boats, over which the armies of Italy, Spain and France poured into Germany, and which, at a later date, were made use of by the hordes of barbarians when rushing into the ancient Roman world : at another, on its surface it floated peaceably the fir-trees of Murg and of Saint Gall, the por- phyry and the marble of Basle, the salt of Karlshall, the leather of Stromberg, the quicksilver of Lansberg, the wine of Johannisberg, the slates of Coab, the cloth and earthen- ware of Wallendar, and the silks and linens of Cologne. It majestically performs its double function of flood of war and flood of peace, having, without interruption, upon the ranges of hills which embank the most notable portion of its course, oak-trees on one side and vineyards on the other signifying strength and joy. For Homer, the Rhine existed not ; for Virgil, it was only a frozen stream Frigora Rheni ; for Shakespeare, it was the " beautiful Rhine " ; for us, it is and will be to the day when it shall become the grand question of Europe, a picturesque river, the resort of the unemployed of Ems, of Baden and of Spa. Petrarch visited Aix-la-Chapelle, but I do not think he has spoken of the Rhine. The left bank belongs naturally to France : Providence, at three different periods, gave both banks to France under Pepin-le-Bref, Charlemagne and Napoleon. The Empire of Pepin-le-Bref comprised France with the ex- ception of Aquitaine and Gascony, and Germany as far as THE RHINE 183 Bavaria. The Empire of Charlemagne was twice as large as that of Napoleon. The Rhine providential flood seems to be a symbolical stream. In its windings, in its course, in the midst of all that it traverses, it is, so to speak, the image of civilization to which it has been and still is so useful. It flows from Constance to Rotterdam ; from the country of eagles to the town of herrings ; from the city of popes, of councils and of emperors to the counter of the merchant and of the citizen ; from the great Alps themselves to the immense ocean. The most celebrated and admired part of the Rhine, the most interesting for the historian and the loveliest for the poet, is that which traverses, from Bingen to Krenigs- winter, that dark chaos of volcanic mounds which the Romans termed the Alpes des Cattes. From Mayence to Bingen, as from Koenigswinter to Cologne, there are seven leagues of rich smiling plains, with handsome villages, on the river's brink ; but the great encaissement of the Rhine begins at Bingen by the Ruperts- berg and Niederwald and terminates at Koenigswinter at the base of the Seven Mountains. From Cologne to Mayence there are forty-nine islands, covered with thick verdure which hide the smoking roofs and shade the barks in their charming havens each bearing some association. Graupenwerth, where the Dutch con- structed a fort called the Priest's Cap ; PfafFenmuth, a fort which the Spaniards took and named Isabella; Graswerth, the island of grass, where Jean Philippe de Reichenberg wrote his Antiquitates Saynenses ; Niederwerth, formerly so rich with the gifts of the Margrave Archbishop John II. ; Urmitzer Insel, well known to Caesar; and Nonnenswerth, the spot frequented by Roland. 184 GERMANY When the traveller has passed Coblenz and left behind him the lovely island of Oberwerth, the mouth of the Lahn strikes his attention. The scene here is wonderful. The two crumbling towers of Johanniskirch, which slightly re- semble Jumieges, rise from the water's edge. To the right stands the magnificent fortress of Stolzenfels upon the brow of a huge rock ; and to the left on the horizon mingling with clouds and the setting sun the sombre ruins of Lahneck abounding with enigmas for the historian. On each side of the Lahn the pretty town of Niederlahn- stein and Oberlahnstein smile at each other. A stone's throw from Oberlahnstein hidden by trees is a chapel of the Fourteenth Century, where the deposition of Wencelas took place. Facing this chapel, on the opposite bank is ancient Koeningsstuhl, which half a century ago was the seat of royalty and where the Emperors were elected by the seven electors of Germany. At present, four stones mark the spot. After leaving this point, the traveller, proceeding to Braubach, passes Boppart, Welmich, Saint Goar and Ober- wesel, and then suddenly comes to an immense rock, sur- mounted by an enormous tower on the right bank of the river. At the base of the rock is a pretty little town with a Roman church in the centre ; and opposite in the middle of the Rhine is a strange oblong edifice, whose back and front resemble the prow and poop of a vessel and whose large low windows are like hatches and port-holes. The tower is Gutenfels ; the town is Caub ; and the stone ship eternally at anchor on the Rhine is the Palace, or Pfalz. To enter this symbolic resi- dence, which is built upon "the Rock of the Palatine Counts," we must ascend a ladder that rests upon a drawbridge. From the Taunus to the Seven Mountains there are fourteen castles on the right bank of the river and fifteen THE RHINE 185 on the left, making in all twenty-nine which bear traces of devastations of war and of time. Four of these castles were built in the Eleventh Century Ehrenfels, by the Archbishop of Siegfried ; Stahleck, by the Counts Palatine ; Sayn, by Frederick, first Count of Sayn and vanquisher of the Moors of Spain ; and the others at a later period. This long and double row of venerable edifices at once romantic and military, each with its legends and history, begins at Bingen with Ehrenfels on the right and the Rat Tower on the left and ends at Koenigswinter, with Roland- seek on the left and Drachenfels on the right. The number I have given includes only those castles on the banks, which every traveller can see in passing; but should he explore the valleys and climb the hills, he will meet a. ruin at every step; and if he ascend the Seven Mountains, he will find an abbey, Schomburg, and six castles, the Drachenfels,Wolkenberg,Lowenberg,Nonne- stromberg and the CElberg, the last of which was built by Valentinian in the year 368. In the plain near Mayence is Frauenstein, built in the Twelfth Century, Scarfenstein and Greifenklau ; and on the Cologne side is the admirable castle of Godesberg. These ancient castles of the Rhine, built in feudal times, give a feeling of romance to the scenery. All the great events which from time to time shook and frightened Europe, have, like flashes of lightning, lighted up these old piles. At present, the sun and moon alone shed their light upon these old buildings famed in story and gnawed by time, whose walls are falling stone by stone into the Rhine and whose history is fast fading into oblivion. O noble tower ! O poor paralyzed giants ! A steam- boat filled with travellers now hurls its smoke in your faces. THE BANKS OF THE RHINE F. WILLIAMSON IN a quaint little handbook giving an account of a Con- tinental ramble, the passage up the Rhine from Co- logne to Mayence is delightfully compressed into the following : " After leaving Bonn there is a constant succession of ob- jects of interest, old castles, quaint towns, curious churches, terraced vine-clad hills, the whole region saturated with legend, and an excellent dinner on board the steamer for three marks." This, perhaps, fairly well epitomizes the general idea that the steamboat traveller gets of the varied scenery through which he passes, perhaps too quickly, and with but an occasional chance of stopping and quietly en- joying any particular spot if he should desire so to do. To the pedestrian, however, carrying the smallest pos- sible impedimenta, a ramble along the river banks and country roads, following the river's many windings, and wandering at will through the curious old towns and vil- lages studding its banks, offers a most delightful way of spending a week or two. The distances from town to town are for the most part but easy walks, and there is al- ways the pleasurable certainty of a dinner and a "zimmer" at any place one may happen to reach. Perhaps the greatest charm of the Rhine is in the notable variety and changes of the scenery along its banks. To start with, there are the grand architectural subjects THE BANKS OF THE RHINE 187 given by the finely grouped buildings and skilfully designed towers of such cities as Cologne, Coblenz, and Mayence ; the river spanned by the curious, but very useful, boat bridges, and the varied character of the boats continually passing up and down from the broad, heavy built and elaborately decorated Dutch barges, with their great red or white sails and slow movements, harmonizing beautifully with the mediaeval buildings ; and the mellow air of antiquity which seems to pervade some of the old towns and villages, and pleasantly contrasting with the hurry and bustle of the numerous steam-tugs and passenger steamers, which seem now to consider the river their own. A little less in interest thai} the large cities are the smaller towns that stud the banks at intervals, on both sides of the river ; for the most part very ancient and, in many instances, still partially enclosed by their mediaeval walls and towers, sur- rounded by vine-clad hills, and generally with a ruined castle perched on the highest point in the neighbourhood. In some districts these castles form the most conspicuous features in the landscape, nearly every prominent hill seeming to have one upon it ; they appear almost to be dotted about a little too liberally, for perchance you feel that you would like to take a closer interest in one of the old ruins, and you climb the hill to investigate, when, on nearly reaching the object of your ambition, you see per- haps two or even three more coming into view in the dis- tance, and the spell is broken, and desire for investigation fails, and you go back once more to the fields and roads. These country roads are far from being uninteresting, for, besides the continually changing character of the landscape, every now and then you come across interesting little old shrines by the roadside, some containing perhaps the figure i88 GERMANY of a saint and a few faded flowers, others of a more pretentious character, with interiors painted like little chapels and with an altar and candles, and more rarely, one desecrated by dust and cobwebs. Now and then you may find, set up by the side of the road, a fine sculptured stone cross, and in at least one of the villages is a crucifix, life size, and painted most realistically. On leaving Cologne on our ramble up the river, the first stopping place is Keen igs winter, a little town lying at the foot of the Drachenfels, perhaps more noted for its com- fortable hotels, than for its antiquity or picturesqueness. Crossing the ferry and taking the footpath along the river bank, several very fine views are obtained of the castled Drachenfels, and of the long range of what are called the Seven Mountains, but of which the peaks number at least thirty, stretching one after another for some eight or nine miles, nearly parallel with the Rhine. In about half an hour, we come to the beautifully wooded island of Nonnen- werth, with the turret and roof of the Twelfth Century nunnery showing above the trees ; and on our right are the steep wooded heights of Rolandseck. A pleasant walk of a few miles along the bank and we reach the small town of Remagen, lying low in a bend of the river, its picturesque church-tower rising con- spicuously above the town. In the distance, on the other side of the river, lies the town of Linz, partly surrounded by walls and towers, with beautifully wooded hills forming a background to the scene. For several miles beyond Remagen the ground near the river is rather flat. After crossing the bridge over the little stream of the Ahr, we are soon clattering through the streets of the little old town of Sinsig, which leaves on the memory a recollection chiefly THE BANKS OF THE RHINE 189 of narrow streets, paved with large, uncomfortable peb- bles ; it has, however, a beautiful late Romanesque church. A long straight road, fringed with apple trees, leads through the fields, and passing the old wayside cross, we reach the village of Niederbreisig, and beyond this, on a finely wooded hill, stands the castle of Rheineck. After a long walk through the fields, lying low, between the hills and the river, and getting a passing glimpse of the grey ruins of Hammerstein, we reach Andernach, one of the most an- cient of the smaller towns. The mediaeval walls and towers remaining nearly complete in places, the narrow streets and old houses, the late Romanesque church with its four towers, and the fine old watch-tower near the river, make the town one of considerable interest. Beyond Andernach, the ground near the river is fairly flat and with not a great deal of interest until Coblenz is reached, and this, for beauty of surroundings, can vie with any other town on the Rhine; lying at the junction of the Moselle and the Rhine, the fortress of Ehrenbreitstein crowns the heights on the opposite side of the Rhine, which is crossed by the bridge of boats. The place has many old houses and churches ; of the latter, the basilican church of St. Castor, lying on the point of land at the junction of the two rivers, with its two rather flat western towers, is perhaps the most interesting. The grandly simple lines of its interior are finely enhanced with frescoes on the walls. The older parts of the town lie along the Moselle, spanned by a Fourteenth Century bridge of four- teen arches. Near this bridge is the ancient Burg, a delightful building of yellowish stone, steep grey-slated roof, with rows of dormers, formerly the Archiepiscopal Palace, but now 190 GERMANY turned to more prosaic uses. Crossing the Rhine by the boat bridge, we continue our journey up the river by a footpath along the left bank. A little way after passing the second railway bridge, which crosses the river at a high level, the view becomes very romantic. The grassy path wanders under a row of tall poplars, growing by the side of the water, and we soon come to a very curious bat- tering wall, with huge buttresses at intervals, very ancient looking and grey, seeming like the enclosing wall of the grounds of some old monastery. The scene, shut in by steep wooded hills on the opposite side of the river, gives quite an old-world impression ; there are no sounds to be heard but the rippling of the stream and the quivering of the aspens, and no signs of human labour but this grey old wall, looking centuries old. But the scene quickly changes as we approach the mouth of the little river Lahn, passing the Romanesque church with tall square tower and grey- pointed roof, standing quite alone among the trees at the bend of the river, a short distance from the quaint old- fashioned village of Niederlahnstein. Looking across the river we obtain a view of the royal castle of Stolzenfels, on the beautifully wooded heights above Capellan. Crossing the Lahn, we soon pass through Oberlahnstein, some of its old walls and towers still standing, but rather ruthlessly cut through by the railway. Still following the path at the river's edge, a short walk brings us to the fine old castle of Marksburg, perched on a hill nearly five hun- dred feet above the river. At its base, nestling amidst trees and gardens, lies the little town of Braubach, of which the church has a quaintly designed tower. Beyond Marksburg, the road for several miles follows the many windings of the river, hemmed in on both sides by long THE BANKS OF THE RHINE 191 ranges of undulating hills forming perhaps some of the wildest scenery on the Rhine. After crossing the river by the ferry at Boppard, our road follows the right bank un- til St. Goar is reached. A little way, however, before reaching St. Goar, there is quite a Turneresque view, across the river, of a small town lying at the foot of a ravine between high hills, the church, with its typical Rhenish tower, and a few tall poplars by the water-side ; a ruined castle crowns one of the hills above the town. St. Goar itself is a curious little place, lying low on the river's bank and surrounded by hills, and on one stand the extensive ruins of Rheinfels. Across the river on the opposite hill is another castle, and at its foot the village of St. Goarhausen, consisting mainly of hotels and board- ing-houses. There are several fine views from the neigh- bouring heights, but perhaps the most impressive scene is from the railway bank, a short distance below the town. On the wild rocky heights to the right are the Rheinfels ruins, and low down in the hollow lies the little town, its church and tower standing well above the houses. Beyond is a fine series of receding hills, the river winding in serpentine curves between, St. Goarhausen and the Katz Castle forming a distant echo to St. Goar and the Rheinfels, for the foreground the winding road leading into the town, and a glorious group of poplars between it and the river. A short distance above St. Goar, on the opposite side of the river, rises the legendary Lurlei rocks, and a couple of miles farther we reach Oberwesel, one of the loveliest spots on the Rhine. Looking down upon it from the vineyards on the hill slopes in the bright early morning, it seems almost like a dream. The old town, delightful in the varied colours of 192 GERMANY its mellow walls and quaintly-shaped towers, its stately Frauenkirche, and the little chapel on the walls next the river, lies in one of the pleasantest spots imaginable, shut in and surrounded by beautiful hills covered with vine- yards. On a wooded hill beyond the town rises the castle of Schonburg, its circular keep standing well above every- thing, and the broad-bosomed Rhine seeming almost to sleep as it glides along, so silent is it. An hour's walk along the road, which is parallel with the river, brings us opposite Caub, another village with mediaeval walls and towers. On a vine-clad hill at the back of the town rises the castle of Gutenfels, surrounded by battlemented walls and turrets, picturesquely following the rise and fall of the hill on which it stands. On a reef of rocks, rising out of the middle of the river, nearly opposite Caub, stands the Pfalz, a mediaeval river toll-house, with its curious grey-turreted roofs. Still fol- lowing the river banks for about a couple of miles, Bach- arach is reached, a place full of interesting old work; the black-timbered houses, the Templar's church, with its round choir next the street, the beautiful ruins of the church of St. Werner on a hill above the town, the tall pointed windows and arches looking, as seen from below, like a wonderful piece of lacework these, with the old walls and towers, complete a scene which requires but a little imagination to realize the Fifteenth Century. Leaving Bacharach it is a long afternoon's walk along the road by the river to Bingen. The scenery becomes less interesting; the lower hills are still covered with vineyards ; one or two castles and the little Clemens- Kapelle on the river-bank give variety to the scene. Just before reaching Bingen, however, the scenery gets THE BANKS OF THE RHINE 193 wilder and more picturesque, and the river narrower and more rapid. Crossing the bridge over the river Nahe, which here joins the Rhine, nearly opposite being the ruins of Ehrenfels, we enter the little Hessian town of Bingen. The view from the quay at Bingen, looking across the river to Rudesheim, late in the afternoon, is very fine ; its old towers and bright modern buildings of varied colours, with its background of low hills, lying bathed in the light of the setting sun, and being reflected in the shimmering waters of the river, form a lovely gem-like picture. Between Bingen and Mayence the river wanders through a wide and fertile valley, the long low hills on the left bank being mainly devoted to the wine industry, the success of which evidently accounts for the general air of prosperity and comfort of the several little towns, and the many well-groomed mansions and villas which are passed ere the city of Mayence is reached. STRASBURG VICTOR HUGO I ARRIVED in Nancy Sunday evening at seven o'clock; at eight the diligence started again. Was I more fatigued ? Was the road better ? The fact is I propped myself on the braces of the conveyance and slept. Thus I arrived in Phalsbourg. I woke up about four in the morning. A cool breeze blew upon my face and the carriage was going down the incline at a gallop, for we were descending the famous Saverne. It was one of the most beautiful impressions I ever experienced. The rain had ceased, the mists had been blown to the four winds and the crescent moon slipped rapidly through the clouds and sailed freely through the azure space like a barque on a little lake. A breeze which came from the Rhine made the trees, which bor- dered the road, tremble. From time to time they waved aside and permitted me to see an indistinct and frightful abyss : in the foreground, a forest beneath which the mountain disappeared ; below, immense plains, meandering streams glittering like streaks of lightning; and in the background a dark, indistinct, and heavy line the Black Forest a magical panorama beheld by moonlight. Such incomplete visions have, perhaps, more distinction than any others. They are dreams which one can look upon and feel. I knew that my eyes rested on France, Ger- STRASBURG 195 many and Switzerland, Strasburg with its spire, the Black Forest with its mountains and the Rhine with its wind- ings ; I looked at everything and I saw nothing. I have never experienced a more extraordinary sensation. Add to that the hour, the journey, the horses dashing down the precipice, the violent noise of the wheels, the rattling of the windows, the frequent passage through dark woods, the breath of the morning upon the mountains, a gentle murmur heard through the valleys, and the beauty of the sky, and you will understand what I felt. Day is amaz- ing in this valley ; night is fascinating. The descent took a quarter of an hour. Half an hour later came the twilight of morning ; at my left the dawn quickened the lower sky, a group of white houses with black roofs became visible on the summit of a hill, the blue of day began to overflow the horizon, several peasants passed by going to their vines, a clear, cold and violet light struggled with the ashy glimmer of the moon, the constellations paled, two of the Pleiades were lost to sight, the three horses in our chariot descended rapidly towards their stable with its blue doors ; it was cold, and I was frozen, for it had become necessary to open the windows. A moment afterwards the sun rose, and the first thing it showed to me was the village notary shaving at a broken mirror under a red calico curtain. A league further on the peasants became more picturesque and the waggons magnificent. I counted in one thirteen mules harnessed far apart by long chains. You felt you were approaching Strasburg, the old German city. Galloping furiously, we traversed Wasselonne, a long, narrow trench of houses strangled in the last gorge of the Vosges by the side of Strasburg. There I caught a 196 GERMANY glimpse of one facade of the Cathedral, surmounted by three round and pointed towers in juxtaposition, which the movement of the diligence brought before my vision brusquely and then took it away, jolting it about as if it were a scene in the theatre. Suddenly, at a turn in the road, the mist lifted and I saw the Miinster. It was six o'clock in the morning. The enormous Cathedral, which is the highest building that the hand of man has made since the great Pyramid, was clearly defined against a background of dark mountains whose forms were magnificent and whose valleys were flooded with sunshine. The work of God made for man and the work of man made for God, the mountain and the Cathe- dral contesting for grandeur. I have never seen anything more imposing. Yesterday I visited the Cathedral. The Miinster is truly a marvel. The doors of the church are beautiful, particu- larly the Roman porch, the facade contains some superb figures on horseback, the rose-window is beautifully cut, and the entire face of the Cathedral is a poem, ably com- posed. But the real triumph of the Cathedral is the spire. It is a true tiara of stone with its crown and its cross. It is a prodigy of grandeur and delicacy. I have seen Chartres, and I have seen Antwerp ; but Strasburg pleases me best. The church has never been finished. The apse, miser- ably mutilated, has been restored according to that imbecile, the Cardinal de Rohan, of the necklace fame. It is hideous. The window they have selected is like a modern carpet. It is ignoble. The other windows, with the exception of some added panes, are beautiful ; notably the great rose- window. All the church is shamefully whitewashed ; some STRASBURG 197 of the sculptures have been restored with some little taste. This Cathedral has been affected by all styles. The pulpit is a little construction of the Fifteenth Century, of florid Gothic of ravishing design and style. Unfortunately, they have gilded it in the most stupid manner. The baptismal font is of the same period and is restored in a superior man- ner. It is a vase surrounded by foliage in sculpture, the most marvellous in the world. In a dark chapel at the side, there are two tombs. One, of a bishop of the time of Louis V., is of that formidable character which Gothic architecture always expresses. The sepulchre is in two floors. The bishop, in pontifical robes and with his mitre on his head, is lying in his bed under a canopy j he is sleep- ing. Above and on the foot of the bed in the shadow, you perceive an enormous stone in which two enormous iron rings are imbedded ; that is the lid of the tomb. You see nothing more. The architects of the Sixteenth Century showed you the corpse (you remember the tombs of Brou ?) j those of the Fourteenth concealed it : this is even more terrifying. Nothing could be more sinister than these two rings. The tomb of which I have spoken is in the left arm of the cross. In the right arm, there is a chapel, which scaf- folding prevented me from seeing. At the side of this chapel runs a balustrade of the Fifteenth Century, against the wall. A sculptured and painted figure leans against this balustrade and seems to be admiring a pillar surrounded by statues placed one over the other, which is directly oppo- site, and which has a marvellous effect. Tradition says that this figure represents the first architect of the Miin- ster Erwyn von Steinbach. I did not see the famous astronomical clock, which is in 198 GERMANY the nave ; and which is a charming little production of the Sixteenth Century. It was being repaired, and was covered with a scaffolding of boards. After having seen the church, I made the ascent of the steeple. You know my taste for perpendicular trips. I was very careful not to miss the highest spire in the world. The Munster of Strasburg is nearly five hundred feet high. It belongs to the family of spires that are open-worked stairways. It is delightful to wind about in that monstrous mass of stone, filled with air and light, hollowed out like a joujou de Dieppe, a lantern as well as a pyramid, which vibrates and palpitates with every breath of the wind. I mounted as far as the vertical stairs. As I went up, I met a visitor who was descending, pale and trembling, and half carried by the guide. There is, however, no danger. The danger begins where I stopped, where the spire, properly so-called, begins. Four open-worked spiral stairways, corresponding to the four vertical towers, unroll in an entanglement of delicate, slender and beautifully-worked stone, supported by the spire, every angle of which it follows, winding until it reaches the crown at about thirty feet from the lantern surmounted by a cross which forms the summit of the bell- tower. The steps of these stairways are very steep and very narrow, and become narrower and narrower as you ascend, until there is barely ledge enough on which to place your foot. In this way you have to climb a hundred feet which brings you four hundred feet above the street. There are no hand-rails, or such slight ones that they are not worth speaking about. The entrance to this stairway is closed by an iron grille. They will not open this grille without STRASBURG 199 a special permission from the mayor of Strasburg ; and no- body is allowed to ascend it unless accompanied by two workmen of the roof, who tie a rope around your body, the end of which they fasten as you ascend to the various iron bars which bind the mullions. Only a week ago three German women, a mother and her two daughters, made this ascent. Nobody but the workmen of the roof, who repair the bell-tower, are allowed to go beyond the lantern. Here there is not even a stairway, but only a simple iron ladder. From where I stopped, the view was wonderful. Stras- burg lies at your feet the old town with its dentelated gables, and its large roofs encumbered with chimneys and its towers and churches as picturesque as any town of Flanders. The 111 and the Rhine, two lovely rivers, en- liven this dark mass with their plashing waters, so clear and green. Beyond the walls, as far as the eye can reach, stretches an immense country richly wooded and dotted with villages. The Rhine, which flows within a league of the town, winds through the landscape. In walking around this bell-tower you see three chains of mountains the ridges of the Black Forest on the north, the Vosges on the west, and the Alps in the centre. The sun willingly makes a festival for those who are upon great heights. At the moment I reached the top of the Munster, it suddenly scattered the clouds with which the sky had been covered all day, and turned the smoke of the city and all the mists of the valley to rosy flames, while it showered a golden rain on Saverne, whose magnificent slope I saw twelve leagues towards the horizon, through the most resplendent haze. Behind me a large cloud dropped rain upon the Rhine ; the gentle hum of the town 200 GERMANY was brought to me by some puffs of wind ; the bells echoed from a hundred villages; some little red and white fleas, which were really a herd of cattle, grazed in the meadow to the right ; other little blue and red fleas, which were really gunners, performed field-exercise in the polygon to the left ; a black beetle, which was the diligence, crawled along the road to Metz ; and to the north, on the brow of the hill, the castle of the Grand Duke of Baden sparkled in a flash of light like a precious stone. I went from one tower to another, looking by turns upon France, Switzer- land and Germany, all illuminated by the same ray of sun- light. Each tower looks upon a different country. Descending I stopped for a few moments at one of the high doors of the tower stairway. On either side of this door are the stone effigies of the two architects of the Miinster. These two great poets are represented as kneeling and looking be- hind them upward as if they were lost in astonishment at the height of the work. I put myself in the same posture and remained thus for several minutes. At the platform they made me write my name in a book ; after this, I went away. IN THE KAISER'S COUNTRY G. W. STEEPENS IT needs no customs-house to tell you that you have come into Germany. You are in a new atmosphere an atmosphere of order, of discipline, of system, rigidly applied to the smallest detail. The officials carry themselves stiffly, and seem to live with their heels together at attention. I must own at once that they have been far more civil than I seem to remember them in the past: whether it is that the newer generation of Prussian non- commissioned officer has improved his manners, or that I have improved mine, must be left for other criticism to de- cide. But, civil or not, they know exactly what it is their duty to do, and they do it exactly. The railway stations are almost exactly alike roomy, airy, spotlessly clean, but painfully naked brick and glass. No advertisements are allowed in German stations : they belong to the Govern- ment, and anything smacking of enterprise in the individual must be kept far from them. Even the name of the station is usually wanting, or else inscribed somewhere high up, and on the side of the wall where only the engine- driver can see it. The passenger is not expected to know for himself when he gets to his destination. He is in charge of the guard, and must so leave himself, like a corpse in the hands to his superior. Hanging in the railway carriage, as like as not, you will find a little blue-paper-covered book with directions for 202 GERMANY railway travelling. The directions cover several closely printed pages, and deal with every branch of the subject, from the time you must arrive at the station to the precise circumstances in which the window may be let down. If you have not got your baggage ready to be booked a quarter of an hour before your train is due to start, then you must wait for the next. No bundling in at the last moment for methodical Germany. You must not get in or out until the guard tells you. It is not, I fancy, punishable to open the door of your carriage yourself, but there is a bolt at the very bottom of the door, and if you try to lean out and open it yourself, you stand a fair chance of taking a header on to the platform. The very vocabulary of the guard seems contrived to impress on you that you are not a person but only a part of a system. " Everything get in," "Every- thing get out," is the literal translation of his commands. Arrived at Berlin, you find a porter who takes your luggage-ticket and goes off to get your luggage at the proper counter : no picking up your bags off the platform for orderly Germany. " Go to the right," says one notice; " Have tickets ready," says another. These notices use an infinite imperative, as being the most impersonal grammat- ical form known; you are not a person so much as the object of a direction. A policeman gives you a metal ticket with the number of the cab you are to take : no picking a likely-looking horse in Germany. In the cab are the rules and regulations for taking a cab. So they are in ours, no doubt; but what a lesson in precision is the Berlin notice, with the tariff for day and night, the tariff for so much baggage over so many kilogrammes' weight, the tariff for every circumstance that may occur. Disputes with your driver are not encouraged in seemly Germany. IN THE KAISER'S COUNTRY 203 There are three kinds of cab in Berlin. The station cab is intended for much baggage ; besides this there are the first- class and the second-class cabs. Each has its own tariff, and though the drivers of each must wear the blue coat and red waistcoat of the regulation livery, the first-class man must wear a white hat and the second-class man a black. The police sees to that. It also lays down how many and what kind of blankets the cab-horse is to wear in summer and winter respectively. But Berlin's latest triumph in cabs is the taxameter. There is a little bracket with the word " Free " which the cabman hangs out when he is dis- engaged. When you get in you find yourself opposite a little dial. As the driver takes in his " Free," the dial starts off. It takes note of every revolution of the wheels, and as these alter the fare, the addition is shown on the dial. When you get out you read off the amount of the fare ; there is nothing to prevent you giving the driver more if you like, but there can be no possibility of a dispute. Installed in your hotel, you go out for a walk. As you walk you notice a number of kiosks up and down the street; you say to yourself that they exist for advertise- ments. So they do, but look at the advertisements. They tell you what is going on at the theatres, or where there is music and dancing. But round the post you will find even more characteristic announcements. They tell you the nearest ambulance, the nearest hospital, the nearest fire- alarm, the nearest police-station. And on every other one is a clock, with the correct official time. No not know- ing where, no not knowing when, in well-ordered Germany. You want perhaps to send a packet of manuscript to England. You do it up in brown paper and string, with the ends open, and take it to the post-office. There is one 204 GERMANY way in and another way out, and a policeman stands by to see that you take the right one. In the vestibule there is a plan of the post-office : it is a prodigiously big building. In Cologne, for example, or Frankfurt-on-the-Main, the post-office shames St. Martin's-le-Grand. In every tiniest hamlet the post-office is as big as the rest of the place put together, till you wonder where the Government gets all the officials to fill it, and what it finds for them to do. You must study the plan of the post-office till you find the right door and counter for what you want. You find it, and take up your packet. " Can this go by letter-post ? " " No ; it is too big." " Can it go by book-post ? " " No ; it is not printed matter." " Can it go by parcel-post ? " u No ; it is not well enough fastened up." " Then how can it go ? " The uniformed official contemplates the covering packet and then looks in the book of regulations. " It must be wrapped up in oil-skin, sealed, and provided with a blue wrapper." " But, in England " The official relaxes to a smile : " Yes, in England ; but here we are more precise. Oil-skinned, sealed, and blue-wrappered must it unconditionally be." You slink dejectedly out to look for an oil-skin shop, a sealing-wax shop, and a blue-label shop. Perhaps after all, though, it will be cheaper in the long-run to give it to the hotel porter to look after. A life of constant storm and stress has accustomed the hotel porter to grapple with regulations. But what the German does in such cases I would rather not imagine. Happily, he is blessed with a good head for details, and takes an unending pleasure in learning them. He will dispute for hours over a figure in a time-table or a phrase in a police regulation with never- flagging enjoyment ; so that I suppose a German who wants IN THE KAISER'S COUNTRY 205 to send a parcel to England first buys a book of rules, then gives the matter a week of looking up and thinking out and talking over, then reconnoitres the post-office, then solemnly buys oil-skin and sealing-wax and blue-label, calls his wife and children to bear a hand in the preparation of the sacred packet, and finally leads them in triumphant procession, with a note of the weight in his pocket and the exact fee wrapped up in paper, to the right door, the right counter, and the right pigeon-hole, and then triumphantly posts it. Then he goes out to meet his friends over a glass of beer, and fights his post-parcel o'er again. Yet with all exceptions granted, you have to own there is no perplexity, no confusion, no disorder. Everything fixed, definite, regu- lated for the most part practically and common-sensibly regulated. In Germany somebody has always arranged things for you. " All right," is the national cry of the Englishman all the world over ; the German for it is " Alles in Ordnung " " Everything in order." But " All right " usually means that things will do as they are ; " Alles in Ordnung" means that they are as somebody up above has ordained that they shall be. THE HIGHER NOBILITY S. BARING-GOULD IN the period of Napoleon's greatness, the main object of the German princes was the salvation of their own sovereignties, at whose expense mattered little. It is difficult to conceive an attitude more humiliating than that assumed by the princes at this time. Instead of rallying around Austria in heroic opposition to Napoleon, they cringed at his feet. On March 28, 1806, in defiance of the Constitution, von Dalberg, the Chancellor, named Napo- leon's uncle, Cardinal Fesch, as his coadjutor and suc- cessor in the see of Mainz, which was to become a secular principality in the family of Napoleon. Thereupon sixteen German princes formally decreed the separation from the Empire. By the Peace of Presburg, the year before, the Electors of Bavaria and Wurtemberg had been accorded the title of king. In gratitude for this favour they led the servile troop, and were followed by the Landgrave of Hesse- Darmstadt and the princes of Nassau, Hohenzollern, Salm, Isenburg, etc. On August i, 1806, the French ambassador, Bacher, declared that his Emperor no longer recognized Germany as an empire ; and on August 6th, Francis II. laid down the crown of Charlemagne. Thereupon Napoleon re- warded Dalberg by creating him Prince-Premier. Of old, at the coronation of a German Emperor, the herald had proclaimed, " Where is a Dalberg ? " and with the sword .A*/ THE HIGHER NOBILITY 207 Joyeuse the newly-crowned Emperor had knighted one of that family. It had for centuries been an hereditary prerogative of the family of Dalberg to be the first to receive honour of the sovereign. In 1806, the first to lift his heel against his Emperor was a Dalberg. The Elector of Baden, the Landgrave of Hesse, for their subserviency, and Joachim Murat, Duke of Berg, were raised to grand dukes, with royal rights and privileges. The Prince of Nassau-Usingen became a duke, and the Count von der Leyen was made a prince. The French Emperor pro- claimed himself patron of the Bund. By decision of the Rhenish Confederacy, Nuremberg lost its independence and fell to Bavaria ; Heitersheim, which had belonged to the German knights, was annexed to Baden ; Friedberg fell to Hesse-Darmstadt. But at the same time a number of princes and counts who had been made, or had made themselves, independent, or u immediate," were "mediatized," /'.