The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-11-01

Wuerc three or Jour ROADS meet, anu some III
genious town authority has arrayed the white
paving stones In the shape OF a gigantic hve-cor-
nered star. witchs .pentagram It would seem,
good luck But the stony incantation has failed
Tor here we stand in the heart OF the old town and
shut There is one store modestIy open, where you
can buy rosary or certain works upon the Blessed
Heart OF Jesus should you be 80 inclined. little
distance away u the necessary bOtCh6r7e, with
toothsome shoulders Of mutton appealing to your
appetite We discover the tavern In the hope that
there will be an index OF life. The tavern keeper fs
middle aged Aisatian matron, who looks at us
sharply, and seeing US to be strangers and Ger
sn s 70 ner ser %
bread. In one corner is pretty maiden OF eight
or nine, with brown hair ironing pair OF cuts
with an iron that seems too heavy for her strength
The maiden smiles in answer to some CHEEKY word
OF encouragement and presses on in her work.
STILLrLlFE PICTURE,
fountain head or town life, Is dead. Madame will
lingly gives US glass OF yellow beer-quite VIII
she has discovered that we are not Germans, ana
not new arrivals from Berlin with instructions to
masters teach only the German tongue. We look
around the room. In one corner Is halEdozlng
ede from Jry no oaG wl
ing, s'Let us trust for better days and higher
prices" In another is 0 Prussian soldier drinking
his beer and crunching his biscuit In busness-llke
way meaning to eat and drink and be or TO duty.
He Is looking calmly, c0nicmptuously perhaps, at
the two persons in the middle Of the room trying
10 sing. One is peasant in his blouse who Is mod
eraIeiy drunk and immOderately happy-iOr he has
yes the very uniform or France blue coat and
red trousers ana they are celebrating tneir loves
in drink and song This soldier OF france. we
He had business IN Alsace In the matter OF
his option and is now waiting for the tram TO carry
under the influence OF liquor, who can blame him
or the blue bloused peasants who are plying him
living type OF France of her glory and her shame,
and one day he may come again behind conquer
ing banners and deliver his dear Aisace Are these
words spoken to that effect, nor would 1t be pro-
ductive of good, with that wide-lipped Prussian.
his beer. So certainly madame thinks, for when
the soldier and peasant have fraternal embrace,
and %eIe out INTO TO hm STRAIN an
demands peace as she pats him on the back.
''Peace oh, peace and silence friends, she says In
and silence, for am poor woman with my tavern,
and there is the conauerer. and what VIII come Of
S9 ns Incident and sfv' %ss before .ns
meant and wSat a cCIor gave to the EVENTS now
the struggle IN Alsace and LOrrainel The little
tavern tabeau of a French soldier fraternizing
with peasants, and madame striving for peace and
Hans from over the Rhine ready to put his hard
hand upon them all II one word Is spoken or one
d0n a o Of the
soldier was evidently proper person In his way,
when free from liquor and had not drinking look,
steadiness and candOr about him, and sure of his
morning headache, as all temperance tpplers are
SAID to be- He toa US In little a snatch ron Of n as
that night. His speech was discreet. Il would
rather,,'' he said, IN rollicking way, 'be half.
POSTING TO FRANCE,
ethan to live like a lord hereo And when we gave
him silver piece lie was quite polite and grateful.
take 1t he had exhausted his money, for upon re-
ceivng his small acquisition he summoned his
blouse companions and made at once for the
tavern.
PRAYING FOR PEACE IN ALsAcE
Well, we pass along into the byways OF the Sleep
n any to the church. large SQUARE church of
the eleventh or twelfth century, black with six
centuries OF tempest and rain. And having fancy
for churches OF the Olden time, and knowing few
strains OF music as well as what Goethe calls the
frozen music OF architecture, especially the Gothic
work OF the Middle Ages we enter, softly pushing
back the black greasy gate. 1t is very dark and
cold. The eye soon adapts itself to the gloom and
we see in the shadow the gliding and curtains that
ii levi, men and women. She is black and
ing in this new-braided. brocaded gown. On the
walls inscriptions, which we only read with an
ha we or and
expectation But how still-how awful Is Its still
ness No life, no sound, no spoken whispered word,
nothing but the intense, painful silence--and no
speech except what the fancy may gather from the
nn an and fantastic groupings and carvings.
Surely we shall find in corner some trembling
grandmother muttering over her beads, or some
fair maiden with burning blushng face, at the feet
OF the Virgin the sanctity of whose modest prayers
it would be irreverent to divine, only we hope he
your life, poor child or some proud, hopeful
mother, In the triumphant fulness OF satisfied love-
giving back to the Madonna, who has blessed her
life with SO perfect an answer to her hopes and
prayers, the performance OF the promised VOW
The writer or these lines has been In many cathe-
drals, from those In the lar North where the sons
OF Odin WOrShiDped. to the DrodiQiOuS piles in
sunny SPAIN where the soldiers Of CASTLE gave
divine emblems without suppliant. Surely some
curse must have fallen upon this unhappy land, we
partly for devotion. partly to obtain better view
or the stained glass behind the sanctuary-surely
land, when even in their misery the people forget
to pray! Thus thinking, we pass to the transept
door, and suddenly, rs though it were In vision,
we come upon group OF sisters Of some religious
order deep in prayer Five in all. nestled together
in silent prayer, heads bent their white caps look
ing very white in the darkness, so silent and mo-
tlonless that they might be statues. We move out
on tip.toe not to disturb the devotions, and learn
that the good sisters nave instituted series Of
prosperity to Alsace and Lorraine, and that this
motioness group were doing their share Of the
devotion.
THE "CARPEr. BAGGERs' FROM PRUSSIA
But the little town Is very dead: We see no
young They have all gone to prarGe they
new men have come here. Full-bearded Prussians
to gather taxes and see that Prussian laws are re-
spected and that nothing but German Is taught in
the schools. We saw one to-day-a new arrival
paradng around with his wife ON his arm and an
umbrella in his hand with which he seemed to poke
the walls and paving stones to see II they were
really sound. He has been appointed to some local
taxing office, and has come oil the way from Pome-
rama to fill the place, and Is on an GRAND OF OBJ.
servaton. He looks at the walls, at the old, red
Minister tower, at the cathedral, with his own
thoughts, perhaps, as to the heathenism and abom-
nations OF the place; at the earthwOrks and the
batteries; at the gate from which the French impe-
rial arms have been wrenched and the German I'M
perial arms not yet elevated, as the place is raw
and, one would think, bleeding at the soldiers, to
whom he removes his hat, while they stare at the
extraordinary mark OF attention. at the closed
window and stretch their heads out to follow MIN
up the street, and he walks with an air OF trucu-
lent authority, evidently feeling that the town
would be none the worse for q good fOgging by the
way OF beginning his work. A sound solid, sub
stantial, severe, but not unfeeling man, the new
master seemed to be, with his instructions from the
Kaiser, which he means to follow, and God be