The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1867-11-15
SMistelaneons Seleetions.
LIFE In GERMANY.
BY. BISHOP KINGSLEY.

-I.
SMALL FARMs.-It looks strange TO al
American to see thousands Of farm:
varying in size from a tenth of an acre
to ten acres.o As you travel along
you will see alittle patch of wheat, per
haps.twenty feet wide, and two hundred
feet long By the side of this, a field
of potatoes, of the same size; then g
patch of Indian corn; another Of rye,
followed by one of red clover; ther
one of cabbage; then one Of poppies.
used for oil; another of beans |; another
of oats; then a different kind of clio
yer; and SO on, repeating this process
for miles and miles in extent. As you
travel through the Valley of the Rhine,
at this season of the year, and look up
the sloping sides, and see these patch
es with the varying colors-white, red,
yellow, with a, variety. of green-you
will be reminded of the old fashioned
pieccd bed-quilts, which our mothers
used to make, before sewing machines
were used, and they had more leisure,
Now, these patches are so many diff
ferent farms, owned by different men.
These are not separated by fences as
with us, Indeed, there are no fences
in this country; another peculiarly
which looks singular to an American
traveller. You may travel all day and
not find a single fence or hedge, or any
thing else to mark the different farms
but the different crops of grain grow
ing in each. In all this country the
women work in, the fields as much as
the men, and are as much bronzed as
the men by exposure to the weather.
This remark applies to the peasant, or
poor women, who compose much the
larger class. The compilations of the
peasant women differ wonderfully from
those of the wealthy class, so much so
that they would be taken, judging from
this alone, as different race. -
OUTLAND1sH TEAMS The COWS as
well as the women in this country have
to work on the farm. | saw many
more cows than oxen at work but they
were in good condition, and when a
team is needed only occasionally, and
the work not very hard, this arrange
ment is an economical one, as the cows
are much needed. by the poor for their
milk. But to see a cow and an ass, a
horse and bull, a woman and dog
yoked or harnessed together, is too bad.
The first thing of this kind which l
noticed was in Zurich. A load of
wood containing two cords was hauled
through the town by a team consist
ing of a horse and a huge bull. The
horse, like myself, and with still great
er reason, was evidently greatly dis
gusted, but he could not help himself.
Similar violations of the law of Moses
are common occurrences in Switzerland
and Germany. -''e .a5f ~ g..
FLowERs.4The fondness for flowers
in all these regions amounts to a pas
sion. However poor family may be,
or however wanting in taste, as should
regard taste, in other respects, it will
not fail to. have some rare and beauti-
full specimens of flowers to cheer the
habitation. 1t is as rare thing to find
a German house without flowers, as to
find one without plentiful supply Of
children. The cemeteries, some of them,
are most beautiful fower-gardens. The
roses, of which there are a great vari-
ETY., are grated on wild trunk, which
grows tall and straight. Thus graft
ed, they present symmetrical, round
top, thickly covered with fragrant and
beautiful roses. Rose blossoms are seen
in all windows in towns and cities.
DwELL1NGs.-In all Central and
Southern Germany the people live ex-
clusively in cities and towns, so that
there are no houses seen in the country.
When man lives in the town and has
twenty of these little farms in differ
ent directions, no little time is lost in
going from one place to the other. The
cattle, horses, swine, chickens, ETC., as
well as the people, in these parts OF
Germany, inhabit the cities, and live
under the same roof If-as is some
times the case-the preaching-place is
in an "upper room" over one Of these
mixed residences, the minister is re
minded that he is preaching the Gospel
to every creature in sense not con-
templated in the original commission.
If the horse should be asking for his
oats, and the pigs demand to know
why their breakfast delays, and the OK
affirming that he is thirsty, and the
pullet making a lively report of hel
morning exploit, and the whole accom-
panied by other more suitable, but not
less appreciable influences, the preacher
will find it to his advantage to have
thoroughly mastered Mr.. Wesley's ser
mon on "Wandering Thoughts"
Foop.-In all Germany, Switzerland