Morning journal and courier., 1893-03-11
Noeo

sic surroundings as those of vallombross
In Italy, mountain chasm Is bridred by
the ancient pile In SO extraordinary and
picturesque o way 90 to seem at distance
like gray old cloud kissed nest that has
for ages defied decay and the battling Of
the aerial tempests there. But the gray OF
real decay La upon all things at valdemusa:
In the gray old church and endless cells
and oloistsrs; In the gray old houses that
nestle along the mountain side beneath IL:
and In the gray old folk that haunt the
spot like vraiths of those who were once
there.
An indescribable sadness fingers sbout
this splendid Msjorican relic of monkish
times and days. The rich Of Palma come
here In summer and live gay mock con-
ventual Life. George Sand half q century
ago passed the most dolorous winter of her
life within these walls. With her was
Chopin. Perhaps within these very clo!s.
ters was born the Wild and inexpressible
melancholy of the melodic creations of
the masters later LIFE. To me Yaldemuss
will remain more q memory Of these two
strange sad souls than merely q crunbling,
deserted and majestic monsstic relic upon
the island mountains.
have passed the greater portion of
the last seven years among the pessantry
OF Europe. Not only has this associa-
ton been with the lowly upon the road be-
side their shrines; at public fountains
where the back breaking loads are drawn;
among the men and maid servants of great
hotels and little inns; with the veriest
clods In fields and vineyards; among the
shepherds of the mountains and plains;
and with this manner of folk from the
cabins OF Shetland to the huts of Apulia
into which shines the sun from across the
lonian sea; and think that the honest
thipg to be said about these people is
that there Ia general content among them.
liz Is difficult for Americans 10 under
stand this, for IL In iuconceivsbls to n.
how We could be thus contented When
you get close to the European peasant ron
VIII hnd that 1t is equally as difficult for
him TO conceive of any other condition
than that IN which he exists To Illus
trate, In any half hours ride by rail
through Bavarisn valleys you are certain
to whiz past some pretty feld-lAne and see
q Bsvarian peasant driving q cart to which
are yoked little heifer and q coarse wo-
man. As they stop near your passing
train you will notice that the he.fer 10 the
only animal chaing under it's yoke, for the
woman looks up and smiles, and the male
removes his pipe for hearty lsugh.
They are simple, childish folk one and
all, content In their severe labor; sati,fied
with their, to Us, niggardly recompense;
loving the very earth they pig with unut-
terable Affection; hsppy in tbs few holI-
days the year brings about; patient under
the tithing of king aud church, while
proud that the one protects and the other
shrives; and quite radiant, at the end, to
lay aside the working clothes of the sod
den days bshind for the promised hnery
of the eternal holiday beyond.
Nowhere else in Europe can be seen
such variety and wealth of roadside
shrines as In Austrian GAlicis. In the
two or three thousand miles of its great
stone roads huge wooden or stone cruci-
hx, or tiny brick or stone shrine, may be
found on the average at the distance of
every half an English mile. Mos. Of the
crucihxes are of wood hewn out of beech
or oAken logs. Whether of wood OF stone,
az If from some great burden, every one
leans, and this very leaning lends strange
ly suggestive sadness and loneliness to the
landscape.
They are most frequent In districts
nearest the Csrpathians which form the
Hungarian boundary. The Ruthenian
being of Russian stock are all
Greek Catholics, and the Polish Galscisns
are without exception Roman Cstholics.
They are equally pious, and you can never
pass crucifiK or shrine without Witnessing
q group of both in rspt devotion, many Of
whom are groveling PROSTATE upon the
earth before the sacred reminders of CAL
vary. At Whitsuntide one will see crowds
of these simple and pious devotees crawl
Ing upon all fcurs, while trailing huge
wooden crosses from their neeks and
shoulders, around every roadside shrine in
all Galicis
After one gets over the FIRST iu.h of re-
bellious resentment at the system, there is
\ good deal of grim humor TO be got out
Of continental railway travel You will
ind the same little carriages as in Eng
land, comprising from four to six compsrt-
ments, each holding eight people in the
frst and second, and ten persons In the
third class compartments. In Bavaria
there are even tourth-class cars, or car
riagss, principally for use In time of war
They are all marked: "To contain ten
aorres or thirty-six men,"
Except in France, Italy and Spain, the
service is about equal to that In England.
One has personally to zee his luggage In
the luggsge-van, and not only give trink-
geld or pourboir to have 1t labeled, but to
have it put on board. While the monarch
of the train, the guard, Cannot take mon
ey for fare, he would accept bribe from
ybody for any service; and even an off,
Ger of the line thinks 1t quite the proper
thing to pay tribute to the guard, should
he desire to occupy an entire compartment.
This guard bribery is universal. / re-
Gently saw q train of thirteen carriages ca
pable of accommodating four hundred
and fifty manila uoCva ont of nolo,-1s uIfb
but thirty-seyen passengers, who had in
this manner purchased almost exclusive
accommodations, upwards
of one hundred persons having been left
behind at the station. The most serious
opposition to the general introduction of
modern sleeping coaches for night service
comes from these bribers and bribed. A
fve mark or q Ave franc piece, or less,
slipped into the hand of q night-train's
guard will iecurs sn entire compartment,
or an entire side of one, for your iedivid-
ual uss, and Is far preferable TO berth in
the vile little four-compsrtmsnt sleeping
coach which has lstterly crept into service,
where the guard, conductor and porter in
one, insists at all hours of the night on
your purchase of bad viands and worse
wines.
In Germany will be found the most gro
teeque oficiAliem, but the best coaches and
the prsttiest railway stations in all tho
world. The government wholly conducts
all German railway lines. Every employs,
even the walters at the station dining
rooms has been . German soldier, and the
entire regime 10 military. Each station
has . captain in q red cap and gorgeous
uniform. The station guards and porters
are also uniformed, with dark blue oaps.
When q train hslts the captain aud his
station guards win be found drawn up in
line In front of the main entrance. The
train. guard alights and salutes the station
captain, who with his men return this ss-
lutte, when the loading and unloading of
luggage is begun.
An far as convenience of arrangement,
Cleanliness and comfor. are concerned, the