The Iola register., 1891-10-09
seems to perce ptiblJ

The town of HeldelDSfR tpol1uiasion
about 25 ,ooO) is mostly old and there
fore ugly. But there are some fine
public buildings Of recent date. and
there are handsome parks in the new
er part. and considerable number Of
modern residences, the summer homes
of the rich. I found few things of
special interest;--the little inn where
the students fight their duels; the old
stone bridge across the Neckar, its
high stone towers still bearing the
marks OF French bullets; the old
church turned into "den of thieves"
by having little shops built into its
walls OH all sides. But after the Cas-
tie has been seen there is kttle in
in Heidelburg to long detain the aver
age tourist.
=.
WIEsBADEN, GERMANY, Aug. %, '9l.
From Heidelberg to Frankfort-on-
the-Main pronounce it "mine") is
pleasant ride over country that re-
minds one of Kansas and England, so
level and green is it. But one is often
enough reminded that it is not Kan
sas nor even England, by the sight Of
women working in the fields. Women
and COWS, they yoke them together
here the woman hslding the plow and
the COWS pulling it. The "gentler
sex.n even of the beasts that perish, has
few exemptions in Germany. The
cows are harnessed differently from
any have elsewhere seen, the tugs
being attached to a band across the
forehead instead of to collar or a
yoke. They have a queer fashion
here also of hitching one horse or one
COW to tongued wagon, the animal
walking ON one side of the tongue and
drawing an enormous load. 1t looks
awkward enough, but some how 1t
works.
Frankfort ls fine old town and l
was sorry not to have three or four
days there instead of only three or
four hours. But three or four hours
was time enough to see the Hotel
Swan, where the treaty was drawn up
which closed the Franco-Prussian
war; the house in which Goethe was
born; the house where Luther lived
and preached; the house in the Jews
quarter where the Rothsehild family
got its start; the Romer, queer OLD
palace where the Emperors used to
come to feast after having been crown
ed in the Cathedral; the fountain In
front of the Romer, which, in the good
old days, ran with red wine and white
for an hour and half during the cor
onation banquet; the monument to
Gutenberg, the monk who invented
the art of printing; the largest railway
depot on the continent, and perhaps
| in the world; the quaint old houses
with each of the upper stories extend
ing out over the story below, until
buildings which are wide apart at the
Bottom almost meet at the top. And
| it was time enough, above all, to see
"Ariadne on the Panther" the most
exquisite piece of statuay in the
world. The group was cut from a sim
gle block of marble by Dannecker, a
sculptor of Stuttgart, who was en-
ployed upon it for five years. Its
present owner. wealthy Nobleman
of Frankfort, paid $780, 900 for it, erect
ed fine building for its reception and
now exhibits it for a merely nominal
fee. / believe I am not extravagant
in saying it is the most beautiful
thing, animate or inanimate, ever
saw,-a very miracle of grace and low
illness. To see it is alone worth visit
to Frankfort.
Wiesbaden-an hour away from
Frankfort-is a bigger, better and
brighter Baden Baden, a resort where
q hundred thousand people come ev-
cry summer and get up early in the
morning to drink very little salty
water, and sit up late in the evening
to drink very great deal of Munich
beer-for their health! They are not
to be blamed for coming. however, for
it is beautiful place,-wide, clean
streets, miles and miles of shaded
walks, acres of parks with green grass
and gay flowers and cool fountains
and great trees, and the best music in
Germany at the Cursaal every morn
ling, afternoon and evening. The Cur
saal, by the way, is one of the peculiar
institutions of this country. 1t origin
ated in Germany and the word meant
in the first place, what it says, the
Cure-Hall, the general meeting place
for all those who were visiting the
resort. But it has now spread all
over the continent, into places where
there is no "cure" at all, and means
simply a place Of entertainment where
for a small admission fee one may hear
a fine musical program, chat with his
friends, if he has any, see plenty of
light and life and be served if he de-
sires, with almost any sort of food or
drink. In France and Switzerland
and Italy there is always a gambling
attachment carried on as openly as
any other part of the establishments,
and patronized by ladies fully as much
as by gentlemen,-American ladies
too, regret to bear witness. But in