New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-17
4 THANKSGIVIAG DINNER IN GERMINK.

Correspondence Of The N Y. Tribune.
HEIDELBERG, Dec. 81, 1886.
Our first book upon Germany will probably begin
something as follows:
The Germans have no idea of sex. Like bar
barisns they yoke their cows instead OF oxen, or
verse, yoke COW and horse together, and send
into the field to work with them what nature de-
signed for pretty peasant girlS but constM. e1-
posure to sun and rain with no other hat for COW
ering than sbeaf Of grain or basket OF vegetables
turns them prematurely to weather beaten market
women.
A German plow is cross between an American
sde-hill pillow and hand cart. scythe is stralsa.
stick with short awkward blade that shuts up like
a jack. knife Their reaping machines are clumsy
imitation of the sickes grandathers used this,
however, is probably a necessity for more extern
sve machine would reach over the boundaries oil a
German grain field the ordinary width OF which "a
not over a rod and a half or two rods. The landed
estate Of a German farmer-it We may dignity
peasant with such name-is a sort OF German
nation in miniature. Ii ordinarily contains from
two 10 five acres hut it is never all IN the same
f6ld He las inherited little patch here from his
father another there from his maternal ancestors,
and bought en some occasion quarter Of TN acre
yonder and owns still smaller piece somewhere
else, which has come into his possession by some
other meals 81! the boundaries OF his farm, ike
those Of his country, get so hooei!ccssiy perpexed
and Ss,tuneed with ever! 5Ody's else, that nobody
but be can be supposed to have the slightest idea
about the matter.
We might 90 on, no doubt, 81 great length, show
ING bv many excellent illustrations that these Ger
man people are the most learned and polite IN the
world, but Vet IN some respects III a state OF the
most deplOrable darkness. But this Is not exactly
the thing we design TO write about just nov, bu'
rather to give IN account of ourselves, and more
espec ally of our Thank giving dinner.
Two or three weeks ago, in discussing the sub
cct of festival days with our hostess we mentioned
our American Thanksgiving Day with the enthu-
siasm due to such a tsSme, and gave As adequate
an idea Cf il as is capable of be conveyed 10 any
one who can form no conception of an -iacyicaa
home; emitting by 10 means the supper, but por-
trayug as far Il Was possible, "a Dntch. both It's
Internal and external, lis symbolic and literal slg
nifcance ana beauty.
Ii seems for once at least, our elOQuence was
not without its effect for hight before last the good
LADY surprised Us by taking us eOnflentislly lnro
her privy council, saving that il she RENE inferred
rightly. our great American family festival was u
come eff On the coming day, and that We were to
aid in getting up an appropriate dinner
Dickens somewhere tells story about tue Bag
mans Uncle, or some other equally we'll kuoWu
individual, who, on being asked il be could play the
fiddle. replied, he did not know he couldn't speak
with certainty for h. had never tried, bat be- pre-
suued he could. We were il something of The same
stale OF mind in regard to the Thanksgiving dinner.
The Truth is, this was a department in which We
had exercised our genius to very Hunted extern.
We bad. II is true. q few weeks before hid the
honor and satisfaction Of Introducing ~ the table
q luxury 50 vel known =. roll., q severed oE he
ralhtt -, re-, XIV tCn-.~'s. which IT q