The Cecil Whig., 1878-06-22

winch IN reallty means SIMPLY " toll
house, and some one, seeing the similarity
of names, called it the - Mouse Tower"
and invented the story about the mice in
order to make it the more plausible. The
fact 49, the tower was stricken by thun-
der bolt many, many years ago, and left
nothing but the blackened ruins.
For long time | thought that Lots
wife became pillar of salt, too. Old
josephus said she did, and backs up his
saying with the words, for | have seen
it," With all due respect for Josephus, he
never saw anything of the kind. Well,
then, how can you explain the plain words
of the Scriptures? | answer, that salt was
used in ancient times, as now, for the pur-
pose of preserving things from decay, so
that anything that tended to preserve a fact
IN the memory of men reminded the his
torlan of this property of salt, so that Lots
wife became pillar of "perpetual remem-
brance," or as Moses has written it, s'she
became pillar of SALT She was struck
dead, or probably she returned to the city
Of Sodom and there perished. Certain it
is, we never heard anything more of her
after her disobedience to the commands of
God. We all know the story, and it has,
III fact become a pillar of perpetual re-
membrance even unto our day, and it is
altogether likely that her sad history will
be known throughout all coming ages until
time shall be no more.
Next to Bingen is the Tower of Ehren-
iets. There Is pretty little love story
connected with this castle, which | will
here relate for the benefit of my young
romantic readers. GI i'm old bachelors need
not pause here, for there is nothing to in
terest them. 1t appears that many years
ago worthy knight owned and occupied
this castle; that a young lady fell in love
with him. But her hard hearted parent
determined that she should marry another
knight, and had the wedding day appoint
ed, the guests invited and he had put on a
clean SHIRT 10 attend the wedding of his
daughter. She was mounted on a fiery
seed, attended with guards, ard the pro-
cession moved on to the chapel where she
was to be joined for better or worse to the
man she loathed. Just the procession
reached the chapel the horse which she
rode turned and rushed wildly past the
guards, and bore its precious burden to the
Castle of Ehrenfels. The father and the
cruel knight pursued, but as fortune would
have it, their horses stumped their toes and
sent them to the other side of Canaan.
think the Castle of Falberg is next in
order. This castle was built by one of the
boldest and most daring robbers on the
Rhine. | must confess that my memory is
at fault. | cannot remember all the castles
in the order in which they come, and |
took no notes vi my travels whatever, eX-
cept when opposite Biugen | believe that |
did write these words on the fly leaf of
book had with me: " Now we are oppo-
site Bingen; it is a small place. and -
that was the sum and substance of my note
taking, so | have to write all these letters
from memory, and may leave out the de-
ScriptiOu of some of the castles, but | can
scarcely forget the magnificent Castle of
Gutenfels. This castle is just back of
town called Caub. There is a love legend
connected with this castle also, but am
confused about the story and | am afraid
to commence to tell it for fear will be-
come mixed up and will have to retire from
the field.
But the next place of interest is a group
of rocks called the Lurlei. These rocks
We're the dwelling place of the Siren, and
who used to come out upon the rocks, with
long dishcvelied haIr, and with looking
glass in hand and sang so sweetiy and en-
ticngly that the old boatsmen would drop
their oars, and let their boat drift to de-
>truct;on, III the rapids of the cliffs. Poets,
painters. orators and school boy declaimerS
have one and all tried their hands at prais
ing this wlerd looking place, but | have
yet to see or hear of any description that
equals it in reality.
According to the story, Count Schonburg
had seven daughters, who were fair to be-
hold and who were as coquettiSh as they
were beautiful. They had great many
suitorS, and they turned them off with
chilling indifference, and many were the
victims of their heartlessness. SO that
one day "Lurlei," the river fairy, re-
solved to punish them. One day, these
seven daughters thought they would get
in boat to 90 across the river to .
neishboring castle, the Rheinberg," and
whilst on their way a violent storm arose
and they were capsi2ed into the river. They
were Immediately turned into rocks At
low tide the boatmen point out to travellers
the seven damsels. 1t is said that the
Lurlei sings very soft and enchanting
Song.
After passing several castles we come at
last to the Castle Of Stolzenfels, or in Eng
lish, "The Proud Rock Next comes
the celebrated fortress of the Rhine
EnrenbreitSte which means .sHonor' S
Broad Stone" All down the river from
this point TO the city of Cologne, castles
are as thick as hops. ! have not burdeued
my mind with the names of them and if
had | hardly think | would inflict the read
ing of them upon my kind readers. 1t
took the boat on which | was a passenger
about nine hours and half to 90 from
Mayence to Cologne. At last we arrived
At the city of Cologne. | have frequently
Thought what delightful place it must be-
SO sweet in perfumes, and SO exquisite in
everything else. | thought the whole street
was flowing with the extract of heliotrope
nj Sr,rB t,IIa nrFr t1,,f ytrtra
landed and walked up the street to my
hotel, thought had gotten among a nest
of dead cats, dogs and fish, and every other
abominable nuisance. | would put up the
city of Cologne against any other in the
/ world for producing abominable stenchcs
aud smells. When | got to the hotel, |
asked for a guide, and behold about ten
persons presented themselves. and each
protesting that he spoke the English Ian
guage more perfectly than that other fellow,
and commenced to give me al example of
their acquaintance with our tongue. Well.
the English every one of them spoke was
enough to upset the Tower OF Babel. |.
however, selected the ugliest looking guide
among them and commenced to ransacll the
city. First of all, | wanted to purchase
some cologne. Now did not know until
, that day that the guides are in the employ
Oi merchants, cologne venderS and Jewel
lers; but they are, for happened to men
tiUn that | wanted some cologne, some of
the genuine article, and told my guide to
take me to the best cologne establishment
there was in the place, and he took me-in.
had left my guide book behind at the
! hotel, and could not remember the cologne
dealers name. But this guide was no
doubt in the employ of one of the inferior
shops and he took me there, and [ pur-
chased some of the cologne. l found out
the next morning that had not visited the
great dealer in coiogne-John Maria Farina.
But visited his store the next morning
aud laid in supply.
- The cathedral at Cologne is a fine build
ing. No matter when you see it yon will
always find workmen fixing something
about it. There is always a scatiolding
erected around and about the building,
showing that some parts OF the building
constantly need repair. Now the cathedral
Of Milan needs no repairing. 1t is pei feet.
| Within this cathedral are many interesting
relics Among the most curious relics in
the cathedral are three skulls encircled
with crowns of precious jewels. These