Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-14
LINDEN TREES OF GERMANY.
sOME RkFLEOTiOSs AND SAcfs 70"
ARBOR DAr. 1850.
oomu.r,.on Of the Oak and ianden-A Timely
Arue,e, Translated Fro" IN" o"r""" For :
IN, .aermsntown Telegraph" !"
,,.,,v rteldiox-Prose ana Poetry.

tnrned 10 their forests, where silence and
peace reigned, and which yielded TO them
TAR more than all that they had found In
the busy haunts of men. Deep into their
hearts the roots Of the grand old trees seem
to have grown till they become part OF their
very selves united In association, domestic
and historic, To such degree that they come
down tous In history hand In hand. This
has been especially 10 with the Germans, to
whom these great soltudes have been more
than delight they have found in them
refuge and sanctuary. Therefore, the fol-
lowing thoughts Of the monarchs OF tho
wood, above all Of the llndens, around
which associations OF such deep aud eloquent
interest cluster, may possibly prove not quite
uninteresting.
IL the stro,ig oak " to be considered the
symbol OF German power, II from its branches
the leaves must DO gathered which form the
crown OF victory women for the head OF the
homecoming hero from the field OF battle,
that It alone can yield the magic twig which
pressed into the dead hands of those slain In
the wars, will open for them the doors OF
WalhAlla, IL " the heaven seek Ing beech that
embodles the highest idea of the sublimity
and true elevation OF human thought Its
column-iike stem leads the eye upward to
leafy canopy that roofs green earth like sec
oud heaven aud beneath Its dome one hears
the mysterious murmurings Of the life OF
the woods, and the voice of God sounds
through II all NJ a temple.
Martial music belongs TO the oak woods.
the peals OF the organ recall the solemn depths
of the beech groves, but under the liDdens
resound the merry measures OF the dance,
the glad laughter Of joyous youth. In the
"honey month" tho atmosphere under
these trees IN Intoxicating In Its sweetness.
The bees, busy little creatures, swarm upon
Its honey laden branches gorgeous butter
flies sport through the branches, and from
above the finch calls lovingly to his mate.
And nights, when the moon looks mildly
down from heaven, her son radiance casting
magic spells upon the shadowy depths, soft
whisperings are heard under the linden
trees. Tor here fond lovers swear eternal
truth to trusting maids. How much of loves
10y and woe could even ono venerable tree
have learned which had listened to tho vows
of one generation
THE LINDEN IN SONG AND HISTORY.
In the hymns of the people, In the hero
songs in the rhymes tales and sages OF all
German history, echoes and re-echoes the
praise of the linden. The tenderest senti.
ment and the deepest feeling, the most per
feet union in family life, the German ass6
ciatos with this tree. Under Its far-reaching
shade the young villagers dance, the citizen
plants 1t before his door and everywhere
young and old gladly assemble beneath its
natural historian gives precedence as the
iongest-livod among our trees, stands the
linden, among which many can be found
whose existence can be traced back COO, 200,
and some even 10 900 years Until re-
Gently the cantons held their courts OF justice
under the lindens, and the Holy Febm se-
lected the linden groves for their nightly
meetings. Ii was in the shades OF these be-
loved groves that the first signs OF genteness
manifested themselves in the German charac-
ter, tor 1t was here in these meetings that we
nee the first evidences OF sympathy with the
sutferings of others in the hearts of those who
too long had shown but mans inhumanity
ior man - IL was hero the stern wills weak =
ened, yielding To the tender influences Of the
scene, and Love and Charity began their
holy reign In these hearts 80 long obdnrate,
81 long deaf To their tender pleading
Though the majesty OF the law was main
tanned and its stern DEGREES executed, yet the
great, Interchangeable claims OF humanity had
been acknowledged, and scant though the
acknow ledgement WAS they were no longer
TO be ignored
SOME HISTORIC TREES.
one of these noted trees stood for seven
hundred years on the old mountain road
by the cloister near Sugenheim. Beneath it
the counts Of Kstzenellcntogen, now a long
extinct race, collected their tithes which
right was granted them In the year lio7. But
long years before this race was ever heard of
the frankish kings had held their tribunals
here, and here even yet are visible traces OF
these courts and remains of tho seat occupied
10y the presidents, The tribunal convened
by our ioreiathers under the lndsns but sci.
dom executed their sentences, and II they
were bloody ones HeUer beneath their hon
ored bOughs. For this the oak was usually
selected, and to dreadful deeds and gloomy
sacrifices which have been wrought under
their solemn shades could their mighty roar
ing bear testimony were the voice but intel
ligible to the ear OF man.
r.Ntsh shaS.. Lana,
relic OF the centuries gone by, ~ the ceie-
brated linden Of inc old Landsberg In 1850 II
suffered fatal injury from great fire, whose
envious tongues greedily devoured the his
toric tokens of ancient German times and
planted in Its mighty body the seeds of Ger.
tain death. Since this fire this giant linden,
whose height was almost seventy feet and
whose circumference measured forty feet,
beneath whose widesPreading, leafy dome
tho youth from far and near had assem- bled,
where the music Of the wandering minstrel
had resounded and the golden.haire peasant
maid whirled in the dance OF the midsummer
festival long before old landsberg stood, has
steadily fallen to decay.
PEACE IN ITS SHADE.
In the year 1900 a terrible storm ragged,
which the people of the time considered "A
miracle sent by heaven to sweep all evil pas
sions from the earth and purify the air OF all
wickedness in anticipation of the revolution
and reconstruction, which it was hoped would
make new century 80 much better than
that Just ended. The destructive hurricane
uprooted among others an immense linden,
the favorie OF the surrounding country NOT
TAR from little village in Franken land. Al
It's roots were found, az If In derision OF these
old soothsayers, short swords, spurs, horse
shoes, bracelets, bucklers Of the most artistic
workmanship, indicating Roman origin,
strife, wild sin, and power used for destruc-
tion, Put II WAS at the root of the linden