The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-10-02
BADEN-BADEN, GERMANY, |
Aug. %. 1891.

The country from Zurich to Basle
is duplication of that between the
former place and Lucerne, lovely
green valleys and long, wooded slopes
There are good many patches o.
tobacco-the first 1 have seen in
] Europe-and some small fields OF
small corn. But most of the land is
given over to meadow and the second
crop of hay is being harvested. Some
fall blowing is being done, too, with
oxen-harnessed like horses, collar
and, tugs and bridle-and great pillow
which has o share about four feet long
and beam about ten feet, the front
end which rests on two wheels about
a foot and half high.
There is wait of three hours be.
tween trains at Basle-long enough to
show us the outside of a splendid
Gothic cathedral, with a gaudy roof
and some very ludicrous statues, the
theater, the old council house, a fine
public school house and the market
places, where the women and the dogs
are corgregated with their carts-and
then we cross the Rhine into Germany
and the Black Forest. This Is our
first view of the Rhine and 1 look with
curious interest at the river which has
probably inspired more poetry and ro-
nance than any other stream in the
world. 1t Is about as wide as the
Neosho, as turbid as the Missouri and
as yellow as the Tiber.
The country passed over between
Basic and Baden is much like that
passed over in the neutrality-suspicious.
and peaceful and homelike. The val
ley through which the rUad lies is
wide, and its varying greens reaching
back into the soft purple haze that
tells where the low, wooded hills
rise in the distance OH either hand,
makes pretty picture. There are no
fences and a few isolated farm houses.
But there are frequent villages, and
they look exactly as I had always inn
agined these little German towns must
look,-a cluster of small, red-brick
houses, with long steep roofs and
wide sheltering caves, friendly and
cosy and sociable.
The original intention was to call
this place Baden. But those who
named it bethought them that there
was town in Switzerland by that
name, and so to avoid possible con-
fusion they called it Badeh-Baden.
Probably the next town that is start
ed near here will be called Baden-Ba-
den-Baden. The Germans are moth
ing if not original in the matter of
names. 1t is a town .of about 10000
inhabitants-mostly cab-men and ho-
tel keepers-who live off the $4,000 or
more tourists who visit it every year.
For it Is famous health resort by
reason of possessing certain hot
springs the water of which is medical
ted with salt and arsenic! Think of
coming 5000 miles to swill that sort of
a decoction! / worried down half a
glass as a matter of duty, aud then to
get even told the pompOus attendant
who filled it for me that We had some
water at lola, Kansas, that
would knock this silly. But" he
said, "the Emperor drinks this"
saw that settled the matter with him,
and so did not continue the argument.
But couldn't help thinking to my
self how much there is in name-or
Here Is i'll reality, moth
ing but some tepid salt water,-the
most sickening and the least medici-
nal dose, probably, that Nature has
compounded. And yet here
Is splendid "Trinkhalle, adorned
with statues and paintings, with
beautiful grounds around it, and
with an orchestra that furnishes di-
vine music, stationed here to play
very morning from till s, and every
afternoon and evening from two till
en- and little way off is the most
complete and luxurious bath house on
he continent; and every year the rich
md the proud-and an occasional
country editor from the Wild West
ofne here and drink the water and
lathe in it and listen to the music,
nd 60 away singing the praises of
Great is Humbug!
To be entirely candid, however, Ba-
does not have to depend
ntirely upon its arsenical solution of
alt for its popularity, for it is built in
most romantic and beautiful spot
narrow valley, with heavily wooded
ills rising steeply on both sides, with |
view southwark of the sombre shad- 4
VS. of the Black Forest and glimpse
of the bright, broad Rhine
lain. The finishing touches that
AZURE failed to give man has added,
smooth winding paths in T
I'd out everywhere among the hills, 7
road carriage roads winding to the .
lmmits whence the best views are to I.
e obtained, cosy little resting places t
ere and there, and flower beds and A
untains. On one of the highest T.
lmmits are the remains of an old :,
site. An enormous structure it has \
BOD. with walls many feet thick and y
lilt 40 solidIy that they still stand G.