Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-02-26
IFoR THE STAR.
sErr.ufS FROM GERMAN LIFE
o. RnnlbIes.

To good walker the vicinity OF s
is constant source OF interest and p. -.
One may make different excurslons
day for an entire season aud yet leave mn> =
M seen. There is but little driving done 90
these places OF interest excepting by strsn-
gers. The wiesbadeners, IN fact Germans
generally, Invariably walk. The distances
stated ON all the guide posts are calculated
for pedestrians, Indicating that the majority
travel on foot. German distances are given
r. hours and minutes. Thus Tie guide post
reads: Ito the Ruins, Is minutes" &C, cal
culstiDg At the average walking speed.
A FAvORITE WALK
is along the foot path leading from the Kur-
saal park 20 the ruins of Sonnenberg. The
road runs the entire way through a valley OF
rich meadow land. The ruins OF the old for
tress surmount huge mass OF rocks rising
abruptly out Of level ground. sonnenberg
mountain OF the SUM- seems indeed an APP
pfopriate name when, late I'm the afternoon.
tht level Iuddy rays OF the setting sun light
up Its gloomy grey walls, leaving all the
meadow land beneath In shadow. The town
of Sonnenberg clusters around the foot OF the
elevation. IL is as ancient in appearance as
the ruin Itself, which dates from the year
100. The interior OF The fortress tower il "A
great empty place minus windows. II seemed
ihe more cold and grey 10 us IN contrast 10
the warm sunshine that was flooding the
walls on the outside. Narrow iron stat. WAYS
run up 10 loop holes from where the move
ments OF the enemy used TO be watched. Dle
OF the rooms IN the tower L. furnished very
hastily after the style of the middle ages.
The guide opened a trap door In the floor dis
closing an iron grating over a seemingly bot
romless pit. Here. he Informed us. prisoners
were put without a hope OF ever being re-
leased. As late as thirty years ago some
skeletons were found there. He lighted a
newspaper and pushed IL down between the
grating TO show us the extent OF this prison
hole. We almost feared II might yet show
some grinning skull or portion of skeleton,
but IL only served 10 make the darkness wish
Die within the mOuldy walls
There is very pleasing though not eX-
tended view of the valley To be had from the
ed I'm the quaint little town OF SonnenOerg,
directly below. IL is the very ideal OF a
SLEEPY OLD GERMAN VILLAGE.
Broken bits of a wall that once enclosed the
fortress form one side OF many or the houses.
Light cream colored buildings, with tiled
roofs and queer looking chimneys, are COM
mon TO the whole village. Ne looked down
into the streets spread out before us, aud
could watch the movements OF the whole
out door population. There was scarcely "A
sound 10 be heard but the indistinct hammer
from blacksmith's shop, and the voices of
some children flying kites from a roof-top
just below us. IL is characteristic OF German
village life that we scarcely saw frau wnO
was rot milking cows, "shooing' poultry
into pens, or attending TO some daily evening
duty, while the lIege lords were all smoking
or chatting around the tavernS.
Starting out fIom Wiesbaden AZ the up
per part OF town, the Nero mountain is the
great attraction. lt belongs 10 the TaunGs
range, which enclrcle the city. Half way
up, IN clearing Of the forest. is situated the
Greek chapel. This mausOleum was built
by the Duke of Hassan,
In MEMORY OF HIS YOUNG WIFE,
who was also Grand Duchess OF Russia
Since the late war Nassau has come under
Prussian government, and tae Duke has hal
10 yield up all the possessions on that terri
tory 10 the crown. The building is constructed
in the Russian style, with five richly giIied
cupolas ornamenIed by chains. These gIlied
cupoiaS against the dark wooded back ground
are beautifully conspicuous from every pOigt
in tie vicinity of WiesbSden. Tue ground
plan forms a Greek cross. For more than
twenty years the interior of this chapel mas
been shown 10 visitors, but such care Is ken
TO preserve il that there is no indication OF
its use. Carpet slippers used 10 be puC Ga over
the shoes TO Keep from scratching the marble
mosaic floor; now an immense rug covers IL.
The ceiling is most deliberately ana beautiful
| ly frescoed. White marble predominates in
side the altar rail. Some very fine oil paintings
with gold backgrounds occupy different COM
partments all around the communion table.
The tomb is In wing OF the main building TO
The left. 1t Is surmounted by a life sized
| sleeping figure of the late Duchess. A rosy
| light from the cupola above falls upon THIS
| image, perieeting a life like lOOG winch
| artistic workmanship has given IL. Around
the couch on which the figure lDcAues are
eSqufsitely chiseled
STATUES OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES,
more than a foot and half high. Service OF
the Greek Catholic Church is held mere every
Sunday and Russian holiday. At morning.
service in the summer IL is almost impossible
10 get into the bailding. a noticeable feature
in the service is that the whole congregation,
from the Emperor to the pea ant. stands.
There are DO seats excepting few chairs FOR
aged aud inhrm people. This absence OF
pews adds greatly 10 the beauty OF the inte-
rior. The position of sexton to this chapel
a rs
that the former sexton retired on an inn
mense fortune made upon the fees he received
from visitors. Now the term OF Office is
| tlat time is sufficient to amass quite a little
| sim. The sections house, built after the
| style OF a Russian cloister, is but few steps
| from the chapel.
THE RUSSIAN CEMETERY.
A little distance further on Is situated the
| Russian cemetery. We met an old sexton
| here who for grim humor on ghostly SUBJ
Jects was second only TO the grave digger in
| Hamlet. Principally Russian nobility is
buried In this cemetery. The evil
dent bad taste In the matter of mouu-
| tressing 10 the eye. Moreover, the monu-
| ments and graves themselves are ornamental
with any amount OF perishaole trash, such as
| lick Of taste is seen in the German ceme-
| teries, where all sorts Of curious and gaudy
devices are neaped upon tne graves. Tnere
| several handsome monuments to Prussian
| heroes who persisted in the late war. The
peasants erect over their graves a wooden
| cross, painted black and ornamente around
| the top with sort OF huted tin. After a
| little wear the decayed wood and torn and
| hanging tin presents most forlorn appear
| aDce. Occasionally amid the crowded mass of
| German-worded monuments, your eye will
| catch the words
| SACRED TO THE MEMORY"
\ attracting you Immediately to the spot to
find perhaps the record of some fellow-coun-
| tryman, some American, who has died on
| German soil. The Germans seem TO have no
idea of the many trifiing details that go so
| far towards removing the gloominess of
death. Their funerals are positively dis
| tressing in this respect. There are seldom
| any flowers excepting few gsudy paper
| ones. The gentlemen walk, two and two,
| behind the hearse; ladies never accompany
| the procession to the place of interment. Six
young girls, dressed In mourning, but with
| out hats or wraps, walk on either side OF the
| hearse. In their arms they carry immense
| flower pots with some green plants growing
| in them.
| Pursuing the road from the Greek chapel
| upward the summit of the Nero mountain
is reached. Here, from pavilion called the
Nero Temple, q most magnificent pano.