The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-09-02

the arm of the Zuider Zee. The city
is built upon piles, which gave occa-
sion for Erasmus TO say that he had
reached q city whose Inhabitants,
like crows, lived on the tops oftrees.
From Amsterdam l went to Ber-
lin, the capital of the German En-
pire. This CITY stands on the Spree.
small stream about the size. or
probably not so large as the Colo
RADIO ut Austin. The city is situated
in the midst of plain of sand, and
ii is surprising that the foundation
of town should ever have been
laid on such a spot. but far more
wonderful that it should have grown
| up into one of the most fiourishing
and magnificent cities of Europe.
The finest buildings in Berlin are
concentrated in very small space,
probably in an area of not more than
half mile. From this city went
by way of Munich to Oberamman-
gen, TO see the Passion Play(of which
| will speak hereafter), and then
on to Vienna and this beautiful
city. For me to describe even briefly
the principal sights of the cities
have visited would occupy too much
of your space, but Venice has so
many attractions, i will mention
some of the most interesting. You
know the gondola is the only means
of conveyance in this city of the sea,
and stepping into one of them from
our hotel, we glide around to the
Bridge of Signs, Ofwhich it has been
said that no man ever crossedwith the
faintest hope of return. 1t is divided
lengthwise into two parts-One used
for criminal and the other for polit-
ical offenders. The door at the fur
Their end is at present closed, as L
believe, and only part of the prison
on that side is used. In the Doge's
Palace we go to the ''Dread Hall of
Three" where the last possible APP
peal was once made. History
and fiction have made these rooms
familiar to us all. We then descend
to the PoZZi, in a series of under
ground dungeons, damp, dark and
cold, where we hear the water gurg-
ling along as it flows above our
heads. Here condemned victims
were incarcerated. Each cell has
tiny aperature to admit food. And
here, too, we are shown the stone
on which the executions took place,
and the little door which admitted
the prov of the gondola to receive
the ifeless body and carry it out in
the silent night to be dropped into
the depths of the Adriatic. The Ca
thedral of st. Mark is one of the
most celebrated churches in Europe,
as it contains, so said, the relics of
st. Mark. The altar is richly en-
belished with marbles and precious
stones, surrounded with columns
said to have belonged to Solomon's
Temple. To get a full view of the
| city, you must ascend the Campanile.
This is the tower that Napoleon as
cended on horseback to the top,
about 800 feet. The Piazza of st.
Mark is the great rendezvous of We
nice in the evening. AT promptly
each day the pigeons assemble in
this piazza, and are fed at govern
ment expense, a custom dating from
time immemorial, and finding its
origin in some legendary service
rendered the city by these birds.
The tourist sees many things while
travelling in Europe that look odd
until they are explained. In Ger
many, Just before you leave each de-
pot, bell taps three times, and al
most in an instant you hear three
more taps, though of a different
sound. The three first taps give no.
| tice to the next station that the train
is about to start, and the three last
sounds give notice that the track is
clear. Precautions like these is why
so few accidents occur in this coun-
try. Passing through Austria you
see all along the country roads
shrines of the crucifixion erected
/ presume this is one of the means
used to remind the weary traveller
of his faith and to afford him an
opportunity to say littlee prayer
as he Journeys along his wearisome
road.
| | noticed while in London that
the English church publishes to the
congregation the bans of marriage
of its members three consecutive
Sundays; how would this suit Aus
tin? The person who comes to
Europe expecting to live cheap will
be badly mistaken when he gets
here. Outside of a very few articles
living is much dearer here than in
| America. In fact you will be sur
prised to see what enormous prices
some articles bring. A pound of
good beef costs thirty cents in the
market and flour has been very high,
but the prospect for good crops is
much better than last year.
l mentioned that l had attended
| @ho Doeg;on Dlor nhor
is a village picturesquely situated in
a valley of the Bavarian Alps,
the inhabitants numbering about
twelve hundred, are principally
wood carvers. In the year 1858 the
pest ragged so fearfully that in the
parish near this town there were
only four persons left, and a man
coming here to visit his wife and
child fell by the roadside
and was buried, and within a period
of three weeks eighty-four people
died of the plague. Accordingly
eighteen of the citizens assembling
from the village of Ober-Ammergan
vowed that once in ten years they
would present in living pictures the
Passion of Christ. From that instant
the plague ceased, and those who
were i'll instantly recovered. This
VOW has, with few exceptions, when
prevented by war, been faithfully
observed every ten years. The Pas
sion Play is altogether without its
parallel in the world About half
of the inhabitants, men, women and
children, take part in its production.
the chief actors combining the high
est art with the most reverential
treatment of the subject. To trace
this most interesting play through
eight hours of intense interest is
more than you would wish, if could
do it, nor could do it fyou wished.
On the evenings previous to each
day appointed for representation a
band of music parades the village,
and again during the night. The
actors in this play attend mass be-
fore each performance, and are spe-
ci;dly consecrated for this purpose.
At 8 A. NJ. a canon fires and the cho-
rus, composed of twenty-seven men
and women, enter. These are attired
in classical costume and appear sing
ing the prologue. AT IL o'clock
there is pause of one hour for re-
lreshments. AT l O'Clock the play
again commences and continues un-
til o'clock. The play opens with
the expulsion of Adam and Eve from
Paradise. This Is tableau, and az
ter singing by the chorus comes the
acting, the triumphal entry into Je-
rnsalem Thraa hundred neonle