The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1874-12-17
Extracts Of
LETTERS FROM EUROPE.
BERLIN, June IL, 1874

BY MISS MARY THOMPSON.
NO., v.
BERLIN, June II, 1874.
1 find the Germans exceedingl,
kind, and there are so many Ameri
cans one does not want for friends
Just think. Three months ago
started with Prof. Ebell and his par
ty-all strangers to me but Elise
Buckinghamand Miss Chapman-an
now I feel to all of them as if they
were old, tried friends, and I know
there is nothing they would leave IN
done if I needed their assistance il
any way. -
r My good heaIth is such glorious
blessing, I scarcely know sometimes
how to be grateful enough. We
all LIVE almost in the open air
walk 80 much, ride so often, eat SC
heartily and sleep so soundly, that ]
am not surprised we grow strong and
stout.
Wednesday of last week I went to
Potsdam with Fraulein Kranzer and
Prof. Schuie, to paint. You should
have seen me sitting under some OF
the grand old trees that were planted
for Frederick the Great and his dis.
tinguished friends to walk beneath
sitting there, looking like an ARTIST
for the first time in my lfe-with
camp-stool, feld-easel and large hat.
l painted very pleasant little pic
ture-a souvenir of Sans Souci, and
had the honor of hearing the 'Court
artist" pronounce it good. He came
out where we were painting, and re-
mained all afternoon.
Prof. Schuie has an order from the
Crown Princess to paint views of
Sans Souci, and he was so kind as to
ask me to go out with him and spend
the day. His uncle is the Court gar
dener, and lives in a lovely house.
The next day Prof. Ebell took us
all to Potsdam to see the Palaces, but
there are SO many we found we. could
not see them in one day, SO, about 4
o'clock, after very good dinner, we
had a sail on the river, which was
lovely-after seeing so much beauty
created by man, in the Palaces, to
look at the inimitable sky and placid
water, full of reflections. 1 do think
we have delightful time, and feel
more and more satisfied with our ex-
perience when 1 compare it with that
of others who have travelled alone OF
in different ways.
l am surprised to find that many
Americans who have been here for
six months or year, do not even
know of many places where we have
spent delightful days-"Tegel," for
instance, which I wrote of in for
mer letter-tne former home of AL
exander Won Humboldt. Then our
Lectures have also been very fine
An American gentleman and lady said
to me at Frau Won Holtzendorf' S,
"We went through the Berlin Muse
um in one day, and so do all travel
ers, because it is useless to stand gap
ing over something, (for instance in
the Egyptian department, and won
dering and guessing about its histo-
ry; but when one can go through that
Egyptian Museum with a man like
DR.. Thompson, it means something. y
This we have done, and we have spent
days in the different departments,
also at the Aquarium, which these
same people told me they saw in two
hours!
By the way, DR.. Ebell will publish
a little book or pamphlet, written by
the different ladies in the class. He
gave me "tbe Aquarium" for my arti-
Gle. He also desires me to make some
sketches for the book. When it is
published I will tell you-not before
October, I think.
But l am forgetting to write about
the grand and beautiful palace Of
"Sans Souci" It was built in 1744,
after the Seven Years War, by Fred
erick the Great, who lived here dur.
ing the intervals of peace with some
of the greatest men of his times, par
tieularly Voltaire, who called this
place ''le Paradis du Philosophe." In
going to this Pal ice one passes the
loveliest terraces, ornamented with
numerous rows of orange and lemon
trees, and on the top of these terraces
the Palace rises. Large fountains
and groves filed with statuary, bal
ustrade, with groups of children.
separate the terraced grounds from
lovely gardens, with long avenues o.
clustering vine-clad arbors. A col
lonnade, with SS Corinthian columns
supporting g roof, leads into the din
ing-room. The profusion of gilt il
these rooms is great. The library
walls are covered with satin wood, re
lieved by wreaths of flowers and vines
in gold. The room especially fttet
up for Voltaire is curious. Monkeys
parrots, &c. &c. with fruits and flow
ers, are made in plaster on the walls
and painted with theirnatural colors
After one of the quarrels that Fred
erick the Great and Voltaire had, thi