The Portland daily press., 1881-11-08
Col. Won steuben is Astonished.
Impressions of Our German Guests.

Interview in Cincinnati Commercial.l
Col. Won Steuben said he was greatly inn
pressed and highly astonished with what he
had seen. He never thought America and the
people of this country were so highly devel-
oped. For their self-government he had high
respect He regarded the control OF the Amer
lean people over themselves as simply wonder
full. In the railroad cars, on the street cars,
and on all the public occasions he had wit
messed in this country he found the same de-
gree of control existing. AS to education the
colonel was great stickler for the scientific
studies treated of in the higher German uni
versities yet he must acknowledge that he had
found that the cultivation OF the average peo-
pie had attained much higher degree thar
anywhere in Europe. Col. Won Stsuben was
also disappointed in his original views regard
ing the militia organizations of this country.
His party found them vastly better sort Of
soldiers than they expected He was cognizant
OF the fact that the militia Of the United States
had worked wonders, both in the war Of the
Revolution and in the great rebellion. BE free
ly admitted that the German military had pro-
fited great deal as military scientists from the
study OF American warfare. Many new fnyen-
tons had been discovered il America pertain
ing to the proper methods OF warfare during
the rebellion which had been OF great use to
the German armies in the French war, and,
before ALL the American system of field fortih-
cations had been especially studied and great
use had been made of it by the German army.
Again, the s'trailleur," or mode OF deploying
the advance guard in use in American tactics,
had been of great value to them. In CinCA-
natl he was greatly pleased and astonished at
the immensty of some OF the manufactures,
especially with one that IS said TO turn @ OUT
some 300 buggies and wagons per day Inat
was almost beyond his comprehension. de
could not see where in America all these wag-
ons could be used. In Germany it was a luxu'
ry to own a wagon, nearly all those IN use
there being the heavy army wagons, though
some were imported from this country. The
reason for this lack of use was that the timber
(hickory) was too hard to mend If once broken,
/ and that the German people used nothing that
could not be mended. He thought the Amer
ican people too lavish in the expenditure OF
money With the music hall he was also great
ly pleased, and said there was nothing like 1t
that he had ever seen.
AS to the reception rendered himself and his
associates, he said too much had been done, but
they did not look upon it as being for them
selves, but thought the American people took
this occasion to express q desire to want to
stand on friendly terms with the German eie-
ment in this country as well as to the cultiyat-
ed people Of Germany itself. he was glad 70
see this expression of feeling, for the TIVE were
sister nations of the same original descent, and
he hoped they should go on in the road OF prog.
ress hand in hand. Their institutions differed
somewhat, yet there were similar ones here
and there which suited both nations. These
differences, however, should be no hindrancs
| to the friendly and commercial relations be-
| tween the countries He greatly admired
American beauty as he had seen it upon the
streets of the cities he had visited, and pro-
nounced it more striking than in any other
country in which he had journeyed. In con-
clusion Col. Won Steuben said he could not
find words in which to express his praise of the
Anglo-American population, and the manner
in which the leading gentlemen had every
where treated his party. Their greatest regret
was the want of knowledge of the English Ian
guage, which alone prevented them from re-
cprocating.