Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1892-08-09

Special Correspondence ne REGISTER
We arrived in Lucerne last night, hav-
ing come from Heidelberg, where we
spent day or two pleasantly. We Wis
tied the old castle, the most picturesque |
and massive ruin in Germany; here, we |
saw the ancient wine turn, which nolds /
$4,000 gallons. The whole surround !
inrs' of this ancient castle, forests, !
rocks. ruined towers, mOaty bridges |
and the outlook from the mountain |
were of a wild, strange and charming !
character. We next visited the Uni |
versitv. the largest and most ancient one |
of this empire. Here we saw the stu
dents prison, the interior walls OF
which were covered over with pencil
sketches. crude paintings and inScrlp-
tlons in German, Latin, French, and
very few in English. We could not
very well understand why ii was neces-
sary 20 have a prison for university
students, but later Oh we came 10 the
conclusion that il was a useful and
necessary institution. IL so happened
that we visited the studehtS quarters,
beyond the Necker, just st time when
they seemed to be having what they
~
engaged in the serious business or
drinking beer and fighting duelS. One
Young man. fair-haired manly-looklng
fellow. who had just finished a
duel. had his scalp padded
with raw cotton and on mis- cheek were
several clean cuts of the rapier, while
the cloth upon his shoulders was satur-
ated with his young blood. 1t seemed
ms Frh have
soldiers put forth their strength in bat
lie. this mimicry Of war. Yet IL some
what tests thu native metal OF the young
combstant and 20 his phlegmatic Ger
man temperament, brings glory and
honor almost equal TO that the soldier
wins In the press Of charging squad
ronS.
The eyes are protected by goggles and
the throat and upper part Of the chest
are padded so as TO secure protection
against a mortal wound. A duet began
shortly after our arrival One or the
combstapts was a left-hsnded young
man and the other larger and apparent
Nv Drawer In the start, but the tables
were soon turned. 1t had occurred 70
me that the thrusts of left-handed
man were difficult TO parry, yet they
did not thrust at all but Siashed away,
with such skillful and exceeding quick
cuts as TO prove them masters or fence.
The left-handed Combataut soon Siashed
his adversary upon the cheek with a
vicious stroke Of his rapier, that laid IL
open, and made the blood squirt. Then
the seconds interposed between
them their own crossed raplers and
stopped the fight After the wounded
man had been sDonged OF the fray con-
tinued in the same manner until the
worsted swOrdman was bleeding
from many wOunds-such ugly cuts
as would no doubt scar him
for life. We thought this scene was a
pretty lively introduction to Heidel-
berg, about whose classic shades we had
been reading from early youth.
At night we drove over the Necker
again. 10 view the annual illumination
of the ruins Of the old castle upon the
opposite mountain, together with sever
al other castles upon the same heights.
This Illumination is given by the citl-
zens Of the place In honor OF the stu
dents. q
From our brief observation Of these
same students, we began 10 rate them as
pretty lively chaps, and concluded that
there ought not TO be anything very
tame in the illumination given in their
honor, and there was not. The old cas-
tie was ablaze "from turret 70 tounda-
tion stones" as the warning cannon
Numbered from its ancient post. This
was taken up by the other castles and
by the bridges and by the many boatSin
the river, until one was oewildered by
the blaze Of lights, By the firing Of the
rockets, and by the general confusion
and rejoicings in many different
tongues. But everything must have an
end. Soon the light went out, and the
might closed in on the lone castle and
the mighty hill, and the students went
back to their beer and to their passages
OF arms
We were fortunate IN passing up the
Rhine Valley I'm the midst OF the har-
vest season, as we thus had an OppOr-
tunity to observe the peasant class at
work.
This land, through Baden, seems to
be the garden Of the earth, laden down
with golden crops of wheat barley, rye,
oats, ana also red clover, potatoes, hops,
tobacco, and vineyards In every rocky
and apparently inaccessible place. In
the cities, such es Antwerp, Brussels,
Cologne and WleSbaden, we have seen
no tram9s or iOungerS upon street cor
ners An seemed 20 be engaged Ia some
-work-men, women and Children-there
is no idleness. All are deCently clad
and apparently happy. A number OF
harvest labOrers came into the station
at Frankfort-On-the-M Maine, where we
were. They laid down their harvest
indictments while they took their glass
of beer. These we examined closely, and
we were surprised 10 see how primitive
and crude they were as compared with
ours in America. Their hay forks were
simply q forked stick cut from the
woods; their cradles had a short blade,
such as we call brier scythe, and very
short fingers, while their fails, which
they vlsO carried, had handle as long
as fork handle and the fail part was
three inches thick with square corners.
While passing through Baden we no
tlcsd that they worked cows for oxen,
but used no yOkes, the cattle
pulling altogether by their
heads, BY strap fastened under their
horns. In this way they pull in line
with the spinal column and seem 10
draw loads with more ease than do ours
with the yoke and bows, which latter
often choke the steer. These peasants
seem kind 20 their beasts, using no
whips. A country appears TO greater
advantage that has no fences; we have
seen none In Europe, quite contrast
wnh our country where In certain To-
co1fffoe in naSSinQ on trains one can