Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-01-05
Foreign Correspondence.
LETTER FROM GERMANY.

brief residence in this town, and NOR
recently graduate of the Wesleyan Uni
versity at Middletown, Conn, and also o
the Sheffield scientific department of Ysl
College, and who Is now engaged in pur
suing the sciences and general observa
tions in Europe. The letter was not in
tended for publication, but we gladl.
take the liberty given us to insert the fol
lowing extract, which will be interesting
to our readers, and shall hope to receiv
more from the same source:
BERLIN, PRUSSIA, Nov. 49, 1870.
DEAR Folks AT HoME.-As L wrote
in my last, the Swiss trip was glorious
sent you some photographs by Johr
Wor ester, with brief descriptions of thu
same and my experience in the places
they represent. should like to writ,
more about what / see, but you know thu
more write home the less time hav,
to write for the papers.
On the journey to Munich from Vevey
! stopped at Zurich, and visited the
famous Polytechnic school there, of which
l propose to write description soon fol
Hearth and Home. also stopped a.
Berne awhile. 1t is one of the funniest
old towns in Switzerland. Along thu
sides of the principal streets are long
arohed walks, or rather the houses are
built over the sidewalks, so as to make
the latter seem like tunnels. The peas
ants come in from the country in theil
funny costumes, and bring fruits, wooden
shoes, articles of clothing, knick knacks o.
all sorts, of their own raising and making
and sell them on the squares, or market
places as they are called. It happened te
be marker day when l was there and the
streets were full of buyers and sellers
One funny old woman made the most
persistent endesvors to induce me to buy
some of the queer metal chains that the
peasant women wear over their shoulders
like suRpenders, assuring me, when pro-
tested that had no use for them myself,
that they were most lovely article, and
that if would induce some of my lady
friends to try them they would be found
to go fret rate. Another was ready to
furnish me with most excellent COW bellt
at low prices. A third was almost resent
full when would not allow myself to BE-
ooujured into purchasing lot of bees.
wax, horn buttons and similar trash,
which she was sure even Herr, az well
as a poor peasant would find use for.
On the way to Munich I fell in with
the editor of a prominent South German
paper, the Augsburg Allgemeine lei
tupg,' and had. quite talk with him
about the war. He thinks, as indeed do
all the Germans with whom have spoken,
that it is terrible pity to have the war
con tiuue, but "let us fight Ii out now, and
make an end of it," said he, and not have
another one before five years are gone"
Particulars about the wsr you get in the
papers much better than / could write
them Indeed the American and especi-
ally the English papers, give much more
detailed and accurate news than the Ger
man and French journals. The London
Times and Telegraph are copied in almost
every one of the German, Austrian, Swiss
and French journal. Outside of the short
kilograms that announce the occurrence
of the more important events, l have got
the earliest and fullest details in each of
these countries from the London Times
and Telegraph. which are taken every
where on the continent.
l have talked with good many French
and more especially Germans, about the
war. The earnestness and even fury with
which these people, otherwise so lethar-
gic, go into the war, is wonderful But
they had long been nourishing their
wrath against the French-the humilia-
tions of Germany at French hands in Ma
poleon's times and earlier,-the DISPOSE
ton that France has ever shown to med
die with Germany and put down German
interests, claims of the Rhine
territories, indeed the arrogance of ''La
grande nation, not entirely without
expressed resentment and counter-irrita-
tions from the Germans to be- sure, had
been for decades nourishing q slumbering
fire ready to break out at any time. I
remember we'll talk l had once with
Prof KNAPP, early last winter, in the La
boratory when we were working in Leip-
zig. The laboratory as l have written
you, was in an old castle, the "Sohlose
Pleissenburg," in the innercourt and outer
grounds of which were parade places
where the 30 called "Freiwillige" volun-
teers-young men who, as is the case in
the North German Confederaoy with all
young men, are obliged to serve in the
army for from one to three years--were
being drilled The fellows were being
put through the drill in front of the win
dow, and the professor remarked think
OF the millions of money and untold
amount Of time that this miserable mill
t,ry business COSTS" and after minute
he continued, IF the same cost could be
applied to furthering science-but then
there is France"-and then the quiet,
peaceful, simple man suddenly warmed
up, as with a sudden inspiration, "But if
1t does come to war with France, we'll
whip them sure-that we will I'll risk
my life on it."
Just before the outbreak of the war, be-
fore there began to be great deal of talk
about it, WAS sitting one evening quietly
gossipping with some Of the assistants in
the Laboratory of the Experiment Station
at Gottipgen, in Hanover, and the con-
gersation touched upon war. "Well,"
said one, "war is a SD thing, would that
it might never come upon us, but if it ever
does come, Heaven grant that it be with
France" His brother, young officer in
the Prussian army, was by, and chimed
in hearty amen. 1 haven't heard from
them since, but as likely as not one or
both are lying under French sod to-day.
any number of my acquaintance are in