The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-31

committee OF observation IN Hermauy
broke camp at the "Nassauer-Hoi,"
Wiesbaden, on tho 18th day OF this
month and moved down to the banks
OF thc river Rhine ut tho picturesque
little town OF Biebrich, and from thence
took boat for tho ancient city Of Co.
logne, about 100 miles further down the
stream. lam prone to use tho saving
and conservative word "about" when
speaking OF distances in this country,
or indeed In any country OF Europe,
for you must know that no one ever tells
you over hero tho distance in miles be-
tween places, be those places one mile
or one hundred miles or five hundred
miles apart. tits alwaysso hours by
railroad train and never so many miles.
In London, Paris, Romo and all other
cities it is always SO many minutes
walk, and never Il quarter or half OF q
mile. They know nothing about miles
in Europe, and especially here on the
Continent. They do have some faint
knowledge OF kilometers, which is the
expression for distance when they
do not say hours. You sec it sometimes
over the door at railroad station. A
kilometer is five-eighths OF an English
mile. A German mile is four and three
quarter English miles, but there might
as we'll be no such measurement OF dis
tances, inasmuch rs you never hear any
body use tho word. 1t is, as said, al
ways hours. At Biebrich we were not
100 miles from Cologne but seven and
half to eight hours, and you can only
at the mileage when you knowthe
speed Of the boats. which is estimated
at .'aboup fifteen miles per hour.
We set out early from Wiesbaden in
order to catch the morning boat down
the river and came down in "drosky"
instead of the motor line, in order to
catch the sight ard the scent of the
gardens as ne rolled over perfectly
smooth road. At this time OF the year
the flowers compete, with music in Ger
many in the work OF alluring and de-
tanning the tourist. They abound on
every hand, in the grounds OF the rich
and the poor, and there is apparently
the same universal love for flowers that
there is for music. If l was asked to
sum up the principal popular proclivi-
ties of Germany should say war, mu-
sic, flowers, wine and beer. The SOL
diers are everywhere, and they are very
popular. Music and flowers and wine
and beer are also everywhere and most
certainly they are very popular. The
army is popular in Germany despite oil
We hear Of Its cost to labor and capital.
II plebiscite could be taken on the sub
ject it would not be reduced q single
regiment. Not until they commence
reducing on the other side OF tho
Rhine.
ONE WAY TO SEE EUROPE.
At the aforesaid town OF Biebrich we
arrived in time to catch the Mayence
and Cologne day express packet "Kaiser
und Koenig Wilhelm IL" which means
that we got on a boat called after the
present emperor, William IL, who Is
also king OF Prussia. In fact, he is en-
peror OF Germany because and by virtue
Of the fact that he is king OF Prussia.
The kings Of Prussia are the hereditary
heads of the empire.
We found any number OF Americans
on board, bound down the Rhine en-
route from Southern Germany and
Italy. They we're simply small con-
tihgent of the $4,000 Americans in
Europe this summer. There was a
Cook party Of excursionists among
them OF twenty-six persons, who had
set out to do Europe IN sixty days, and
who had been to Italy, Switze rland and
Southern Germany, and wore now en-
route to Belgium and Holland, and
thence across the channel back to Eng
land The contract price from New
York to New York was $3.50 each, which
price (SS per day. included transporta-
ton, hotel bills, guide fees, ETC., and
was cheap enough, provided, OF course,
that person likes that way OF travel
ling. OF course they were on the jump
every day. 1t was a touch and go affair
at every place. Between hutriedly SEQ
ing and hurriedly rendinE their Baedi.
ker guidcbooks they had had hardly
time TO sleep, and come OF them were
pretty we'll worn cut and felt glad they
wore nearing tho ond Of their journey.
Still, with all its objections. II is about
the best way party Of inexperienced
people. especially ladies, can come on
sixty-day trip to Europe. At least q
portion OF all theysee and hear stick,
and 10 will be q perpetual education and
pioasare to them forever afterwards,
because they will 10 homo and find
new interest in history and books Of
travel. remember Brooklyn bust
ness man telling mo Mt Rome OF tho
pleasure no expected to derive during
the long evenings OF this coming winter
from reading Gibbons Decline and Fall
OF tho Roman Empire. Tho next bcst
thing to reading such works before ono
comes abroad is to read them after.
wards, and this is what many people,
oven sixty.day tourists, will do. Honce
there ia that great compensation in lieu
hurried trip like this Cook excursion.
saw party at tho hotel in Romc,
and afterwards met thom in Florence,
who thought were travelling about as
wisely and benedcially as any people l
had met. It was party Of five girls
lust out OF school, under charge Of
most accomplished chaperone, IN edu-
Gated lady who had been TO Europe
several times, although still young, and
who seemed to CLEAN every field she
came to with peculiar intelligence and
thoroughness. Under her chapcron-
shin those girls had learned more in
their year OF travel than in any two
years OF their school life They had,
beside seeing strange countries and
strange people, and things old and new,
learned Invaluable lessons OF discipline,
Of patience, forbearance and politeness,
and although thor chaperone did all
the bargaining and bill settling, yet
these girls had received very practical
ahinnt lnsanna Of n hnsinass chnrnctnr.