The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-02-15

Mr.. E. r. Kennedy has just received
letter from his brother, Mr.. J. A. Ken
I~Hedy, who is spending the winter in
Germany. The following extracts from
his letter will be interesting to his many
friends hereabouts:
MUNICH, Jan. 20, 1889.
had very nice voyage, no storms
and no fogs to speak of. We came over
in nine and half days, landing at Bre-
men Haven, and going by rail to Bre-
men. AS l had to wait there eleven
hours took good look at the city. 1t
is q, Mace of about 200 orc people, and is
and cities of this country are. l visited
while there the old and far-famed wine
vaults, called "the twelve apostles"
These vaults or cellars were built over
200 years ago. The twelve apostles are
in this case twelve large wine butts, hold
ing over 100 barrels each, and two or
three of them filed with wine that was
made over 100 years ago, and no wine is
drawn out of these casks that has not
been made at least twenty-five years. l
travelled through many fine cities and
through the best part of Germany in
coming from Bremen to this place. AS
my ride for a. good part of the distance is
along and through very fine valley, on
either side of which there are quite high
and steep hills or bluffs, all of which are
planted with grapes, rode for 100 miles
at least with nothing to see but vine
yards. The hills are 80 steep that sus-
tanning walls are built to keep the earth
from washing INTO the valley. Fruit
trees of the kinds most common in New
England are found here, and as they are
very productive fruit Is cheap. / can
buy very nice apples and pears for three
fourths of a cent piece, and of course
city of $50, 900 inhabitants, and as they
have been building it for the last thou
sand years, have got in very nice shape.
1t is city of castles, school buildings,
art galleries, barracks and churches.
The schools for the smaller children are
open here at seven o'clock in the morn
ing, and you will see little boys and girls
not more than five years old trudging
off to school with their satchel of books
on their backs, stay there until twelve
and then have two hours recess and off
to school again, and stay there as long as
they can see. A child here is as far
along at fourteen as child in our coun-
try at eighteen. There is no person ed
ucated in this country that does not I'M
derstand three or more languages. Civil
service reform is the law here, and is
carried out to the letter. The
most capable gets there every time, let
him be rich or poor, and everything but
royalty is competed for. They have had
bad luck with the last two kings here.
King Ludwig drowned himself, and as
he jumped out of boat in which he anu
his attending physician were having
little ride on lake near his castle,
Ludwig caught hold of the doc
tor and both were drowned. Otto, the
present Ring, is also crazy, and is not ca
pable of doing anything. He imagines
himself q squirrel. lin his room is a
large cage fastened in an artificial tree,
and the king gets into it and eats nuts
and roots like squirrel. The affairs of
State are in the hands of the crown
prince, an old man, and as he has a
family of fourteen children, and his old
est son has family of twelve, this coun-
try is well supplied with king timber for
many years to come. Living here costs
about the same as at home. All drink
beer and all work. Tramps are I'M
known. ]. A. KENNEDY.