The daily gazette., 1880-10-25
OUR EUROPEAN LETTER.

OUR OWN HOME BEsT-BAvARIA-
MUNICH-sT. MiCHAEL's CHURCH
RoYALPALACEs--TH PASSION PLAY,
&C., &C.
Special correspondence of the Gazette.
MUNICH, Sept 8, 1880.
From Mayence we made a bold strike
across the country, or, rather through
several Principalitles and Powers of
the German Confederation, and arrived
in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, af-
ter continuous journey of nearly
day and good part of the night. The
Agricultural aspects of the country
are interesting. For the first score Of
miles we passed through CONT luous
garden of fruits and vegetables. Then
came the hills, and with the hills, as
usual, the vineyards, whilst every val
ley is carefully irrigated whenever
practicable, and devoted to grass. The
women are busily engaged cutting the
second or third grass crop with short
sickles, and carrying it away toythnr
stables on their backs. Occasionally,
ON the larger farms, they have a heifer
or cow attached to small cart, and
for the plows they have pair of heif-
ers or heifer and horse or mule
hitched together, the man driving
while the woman guides the plow.
Wherever We 60, either in the king
dom of Great Britain Or in the Conti-
nent, we find fresh cause to be thank.
full that our home is in happy, free and
prosperous America.
Here we see the peasants atwork so
soon as daylight, taking scarce an hour
for noon and extending their labors fai
into night, for a per diem of about
forty cents, board included, or sixty
cents and board themselves. The
farms in Germany vary in size from
one acre to teu acres, and the rent
paid varies from five to twenty-five
dollars per acre, according to quality
and location. How families are reared
ON the profits, after the rents are paid,
requires one better informed ON such
matters than | am, to explain. Ger
tain it is that we meet with little
real poverty in Germany. On the
other hand the people everywhere have
a prosperous and happy appearance
Yet they are all men, boys and girl
and women who till the fields and car
| ry their products to market.
| The young, able-bodied men are takeI
for the army, where all are obliged I,
sere at least years. Many thus become
att ached to army life and remain in ser
vice. The patient industry Of the Ger
mans is remarkable, and accounts 10
their success in the wild western land
of our own country. With our free wa
of living and carelessness in business
our own people would simply starve
were they to exchange places.
Through Darmstadt, Wurmsburgf
Anspatch and Augsburg, crossing th
river Danube, we arrived in Munich, tn
capital of Bavaria. This is compara
lively new city, but it is Athens, Paris
and London combined, in a measure
with its gorgeous palaces, its halls {
statuary, its treasure houses of art, il
banquet halls and Its library of 800
900 volumes. st. Michals Churc
is a magnificent church, grand in its pre-
proportions and all glitter of gold sn
silver and precious stones in the il
terror. ThOrwaldstenS monument I
Eugene Beauharnais is built upon II
door of the church, a ponderous an
wonderful construction. There al
many grand tombs Of Kings aud noble:
| and the Basilica, with its dome supper
ed by massive monoliLhs of marble al
all glorious with gold and painting. "
| walked hour after hour through the Ol
Royal Palace with its miles of fresco
and The new Royal Palace, where dwell
Lbe King-iJ is said, though he is seldol
seen there, being bachelor with a tast
for the solitary. The new Palace IS
| | .rand, cold, homeless looking place, wit
Its walls of marble and its floors of ma
ble and its ceilings richly painted. 1t
, | nothing but a show house, fitted up wit
show furniture and fine pictures. Slun
ering through the palace one day, we INT
a young couple who appeared to
''doing" the sights, without much rel
interest in what they saw. ''
Indeed, they had weary look a
they wandered through, scarcely raj.
ing their eyes TO the pictures, that al
pealed to our happy party.
We recognized them as Americans
and going up to the young lady GU
Little Woman" kindly inquired G
her if she had been long in the coun
try. Oh, how far little show ofsyu
pathy goes when one is far away froI
home and friends and hears only
language that is, to us, unintelligabl
and barbarous. The poor thing CAV
way at once. She was on her wedding
tour, and was pining for herhome an
her mother amid the far away whea
fields of Montana. All the grandeu
and high art around her was nothing
in comparison to the wild prarie rosei
that clustered about the rude porch o
her clapboard home in the far West
She was all aweary of them all, anC
commended the wisdom of our girls il
making the 'grand tour. before, in
stead of Immediately after their wed
ding day.
We made a visit to the old "Pina
co heck" and the new "Pinacotheck'
and the Glyptothek and the Nationa
Museum, as well as to the palaces and
churches, and when we were tired OF
seeing the pictures and frescos and
sculptures and the boundless splendour
and richness of the churches, we turn
ed to study the continual stream OF
visitors from all parts of the world,
who are gathering for tho coming rep
resentation of the "Passion Play" to
come off at Ober-Ammergau on Sun
day next. Munich is about fifty miles
north of Ober-Ammergau and visitors
meet here for two weeks previous to a