The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-08-16
srea.nl corre,t ondlnoe d a In,e7lamer.

:
OF observation in this highly interesting
and attractive country. ! am now So
journing at my seventh stopping place
in Germany, which makes an average
TINS far Of about two weeks halt at
each place. These respective places
have been as follows, viz: Munich. in
the Kingdom OF Bavaria, Stuttgart, in
the kingdom Of wurtemberg, Heidel-
berg, in the Grand Duehy Of Baden,
Baden Baden, in tho same Duchy,
Frankfort.on-the. Main, Homburg, in
Hessen-N Nassau, and lastly Wiesbaden,
my present locality, the former capital OF
the extinguished Duchy Of Nassau. The
three last named places are all extins
guiahed independencies. They lost
their individualities at the hands OF
Prussia in the war Of 1883 against Aus
tria, because OF their utilization with the
latter, and are all now simply annexes
OF Prussia. This reduced status must
have been a great humiliation to an
important and wealthy city like Frank
fort, one of the free cities OF Germany
from time immemorial. Although COM
mercially and financially she is still as
of old, an important center Of exchange.
She simply lost her political autonomy
and her prestige as tho city where diets
were wont to meet and where Emperors
were once crowned. The free cities
nowadays are Hamburg, Bremen and
Lubbock, and they have the same sepa-
rate political autonomies that the states
of the empire possesses, which fact is
one Of the distinguishing features OF
German federation under the empire.
You will Of course not confound the
great, free city iof Hamburg with the
little city of Homburg, which l have
mentioned as one OF my soiourning To-
calities. The former Is the great sea-
port Of Germany, away up north from
here, while the latter is simply q de-
lightfuI summer health resort OF CEN
trail Germany, in the beautiful valley
Of the Main near the foothills Of the
Taurus mountains. va
THE GREAT LUTHER MONUMENT.
During my three months slow travel
and observation in Germany I have
made little excursions from the various
places named into the surrounding
country, my longest jaunt being to the
ancient town Of Worms on the west side
of the Rhine where the historic diet OF
1921 was held that tried Martin Luther
for heresy and for his life, and where he
had, as we say in America, q CLOSE
call" They have Luther de1kmaL
there that Is one of the curiosities Of
Germany in the way OF monumental
work, as respects size, artistic concep-
tons and skillful execution, and that
travellers go out Of their way to see. 1t
is q series OF monuments commemora-
tive of the career OF Luther and his re-
ligious confreres, as well as OF some of
his predecessors, OF all of which group
ing he Is the colossal and central figure.
IL took nine years to execute and erect
allths details OF this great monument
and OF course an immense amount Of
money, and twas the contribution OF
all Germany. from the old Emperor
down to all classes Of his people, to the
memory Of the man who outside OF his
religious movement and without refer
ence to that part Of his career estab-
lished claim Of an extraordinary
character on his native land by virtue
Of what he did to give her homogeneity
Of Language through his translation OF
the Bible and his composition OF popu-
lar hymns. What Dante did for Italy,
to mould her iarring idioms into one
beautiful recognized language, Luther
did for Germany. and to-day at these
resorts where we have been soiourning
they open the morning music with a
choral from one OF his hymns oftener
than any other authors hymnal compo-
sitions, especially THAT well known hymn
commencing "ein teste Burg tst unSaF GoN."
THE RHINE.
II was ON my way to Worms from
Heidelberg that l had my first face to
face view Of the Rhine-the river Of
rivers in Germany-which was sur
prised 70 find so much like the Ohio in
its width and general appearance. The
resemblance seemed to me quite strik-
ing indeed. 0f course its hills and
slopes present much more animated
scene OF busy and populous life than
the Ohio. There are cities and towns
and villages, as well as old castles and
other ruins, without end, and also
numberless picturesque vineyards and
an infinite variety OF water craft, aud
these present scenes more like those OF
the Hudson between New York and
Albany than those Of the Ohio between
Pittsburgh and Wheeling. But still the
Rhine is like the Ohio in its general APP
pearance, and ] have seen bend or
two in it that reminded me not little
ofthe general topography Of our beauti-
full river in the neighborhood OF Wheel
ing. The soil OF the valley OF this at
tractiye river is the rich soil par excel
lence of Germany, and as the climate is
genial it is naturally the favorite home
OF the vine. Hence tho great abund-
ance and popularity Of the so-called
Rhine wines. Germans drink these
wines in all lands wherever they 20, in
Wheeling as well as other places, and
here in Germany they are especially
popular on account Of their cheapness.
How dear to the German Is the wine
and the beerof his native land you will
never know until youcome over and see
for yourself There Is no man aud pos
sibly no woman In Germany who does
not drink either wine or beer or both,
most generally both. There is not a
dienitary of church or state who thinks
it In any way derogatory to him to use
daily one or both Of these German pro-
ducts. Ireally doubt il there is such
person as a teetotaler in Germany.
Thau use OF wine and beer, one or the
other, is practically universal.
There are $1,000 breweries, big and
little, in the empire, 5000 Of which are
IN Bavaria alone, a district OF Germany
onlya little larger than West Virginia.