Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-07-06
John Beig Writes Another Letter from
Germany.
What he says Of the People and their ways-
Festivals, Beer Drinking, Saloons,
Schools Churches, Grape Culture,
8@ Fruit, Crops, RaiIfoads,
Climate, Wages.

write again, but expected to bring
the present letter myself, as have
been trying to sell out and star
about the middle of June, tsbeing
the best month in the year to cross
the ocean. But | do not expect tc
get away until August or September
nor do 1 care to. start any sooner, as
l am greatly enjoying this country
and climate at present. -s-s--ss....,
There is picnic every Sunday in
the woods after o'clock, p. m. The
people march in q procession, with a
band of music in front, and wagon
loads of beer and cider, in tho rear.
They proceed to a..beautiful beech and
pine forest, wbere they put up tables
and benches, and place for dancing.
Some amuse themselves at target
shooting, others at singing songs; for
a German, after taking a few glasses,
always feels like singing. am along
with them every time with my fami-
ly, partly to enjoy myself, partly as
spectator, to study this happy peo-
pie; for happy they are at least on
Sunday, when they throw all world
" cares aside and enjoy themselves
heart and soul. m~.. ~. s. S.
Americans, no doubt, think hard
of q people who drink and dance on
Sunday, but such is the custom here,
and it is implanted in them from
their very infancy and forms part
of thsEr existence. They think it
cannot be otherwise. They are very
industrious and do not take time du-
ring the week to enjoy themselves,
except the aristocracy, who have
leisure to enjoy themselves almost
any time. Nevertheless, they are as
religious as any people on earth and,
what is remarkable, their excursions
always pass off in quite decent
manner, without hardly everanybody
getting drunk, or if they do they are
not quarrelsome. They take the
glorious medium way-neither drink
too much, nor abstain from it entire>
ly. There is not a man in town who
does not drink and yet among TO-
900 inhabitants / cannot find one
habitual drunkard, although there
are Al saloons in the place. Not
withstanding all this, the thing is,
and always will be, social evil that
can never be suppressed nor reme-
died, but only regulated. As long as
tho world stands people will have a
taste for liquor, and are therefore
bound to have it. But still, three
fourths of the money SO spent ought
70 be applied for family use, though
saloon going is not half SO expensive
as in the United States, because
treating is entirely out of style.
By the above you will perceive
that we are better supplied with sa-
looms than with churches. there being
only two of the lattor-one Protests
ant and one Catholic. There are not
o dozon Catholics in this town, but
it lays near the borders of the State
of Bavaria, where all are Catholics;
and as they do the largest part OF
their trading on Sunday afternoon, the
business community of this place put
up Catholic church, mostly at their
own expense, to draw custom to the
place. 1t has proved itself success
full Yankee trick, as they are being
amply repaid for it now. On suns
days the streets are literally crowd
ed with people, and saloons take in
more money on that day than on the
remaining six.
There are three schools in this
place, one public aud two private.
The public school is q three story
building, with two wings two storys
high, containing eight rooms, and an
examination or lecture room. There
ere six malc teachers, each having
class of seventy>fve to eighty pu-
pills. The building is put, up of red
ish sandstone, and cost So, 600 in gold.
Of newspapers this place cannot
boast but one weekly, or rather
weakly, sheet, just big enough to
wrap up pound of cheese, contains
ing nothing but local matters, OF
the appointment Of some officers from
his Majesty the King of Prussia. ]
have but once looked in it to close il
with disgust forever. Newspapers
are not taken as q general thing
perhaps not one in fifty is keeping a
paper and in regard to political mat
ters they are completely in the dark,
that is, the lower classes, and psr>
haps it is best for them, for the less
poor man knows about politics the
healthier and happier he is.
Perhaps / could make up my mind
to stay here after oil, but this place
seems to be on q decline in regard to
business and property. As long as
the railroad terminated here the
town was always lively, but the road
has lately been extended farther, ia
connect with roads leading to the
manufacturing districts of Saxony,
and it is going to knock this town
higher than o woodpecker's nest
therefore I do not wish to invest
We have Is trains now passing the
town daily, and had the curiosity
to count one that had ~ cars and .
locomotive at each end. Still the
place is slowly improving. Two
years ago a rich merchant put up 6
splendid villa surrounded with bsau
tifuI parks, at a cost Of $500, 900, anc
q brother Of his is just starting az
other. which will surpass the Erst
These brothers ARE natives of thil
place, but live in Amsterdam in tn.
winter, where they carry ON the Tes
and Coffee business on & very extern
sive scale, for they have several ship
/ running to the East Indies. Thi
may give you some idea of the beau
ty Of the country in which we live
as they would not spend here such
vast amount of money were it other
| wise. 1t is very good thing 70
mechanics and laborers, there bein
/ about $50 men employed-mechanir
| earning about so cts. and laborers
cts. per day in gold, which is count
ed good wages, as it goes as far Q
81 so in Lancaster. evervthinp helm