Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1893-06-09
A TRIP THROUGH EUROPE
REV. DIR. DIxON'S LECTUEHH H
AT THE FIRST baptist.

an Interesting Account of His
European Tour and The KIM
preston The Sights Made Upon
Him.
Perhaps 500 persons listened to Rev.
DIR. A. c. Dixon's lecture, Europe
Through Green Spcctaclcs," at the First
Baptist church last night. DIR. Dixon
was in excellent health and spirits and
the lecture was evidently done in his best
style.
II shall not give description of what
1 saw in Europe" said DIR. Dixon. The
guide books are full of descriptions and
Information. What l shall say will be
the impressions made upon my mind by
what l saw. These impressions may
not agree with those other people form
ed, but they will at least have the virtue,
| If virtue it be, of being my own.''
DIR. Dixon's trip took in the cities of
Liverpool, London, Paris. Genoa, Rome,
Naples, Pompeii and London again.
| st. Paul's," said DR.. Dixon, made a
more profound impression upon me than
| any other building in Europe, doubtless
because OF it's being the first great struc-
ture 1 saw. In London Bridge l was
greatly disappointed. The impression of
| my childhood was that it was the largest
| bridge in the world. and when L saw
| small tugboatS have to lower their
|
| my disappointment was great. l turned
| to an Englishman and said the Brooklyn
bridge was very much larger, and ex-
pressed my disappointment at the length
| of the bridge. He quietly remarked that
| in England they made bridges only long
| enough to reach across the river.
| IL greatly enjoyed London. During a
| ten days stay the sun shone all the time,
a most remarkable occurrence. But
| my impressions of Paris anything
| but favorable. During my four days
| stay in that city l never saw
| the sun. The only light was the flare
of the gas Jets and the blaze of the electric
lights. Finally some one said, If you
| want to see Paris, go to the Champs
| ElySeeSn y So determined to go. l hired
the best team l could get, with the best
dressed driver, and away l went to see
| Paris at it's best. AS was driving along
the roadway, l suddenly heard the clat-
ter OF many horses feet behind me, and
1 was Informed by my driver that the
| were in the city, were coming. L imme-
diately told the driver that he must keep
up with the Shahs carriage, when it
| came alongside of mine, BY much use
| of the whip he obeyed orders, and l was
enabled to look the Shah directly in the
face The first impression made upon
me bv his appearance was that he ought
!: to be hung. The next impression was
that 1 would like to do the hanging.
The next impression was that the hang
ing should not be postponed, but done
| at once. The Shah was beaStly and
sensual in the extreme"
!. After Paris came Genoa, with the most
beautiful graveyard ever seen; Rome
| and ST. Peters, to the top of which he
climbed, and standing inside the great
| brass ball on it's top he reached up and
grasping a stout iron rod shook it with
| all his might, making the great cdihce
tremble-at the top-but the founda-
tions remained firm ever.
Mount NeSuviuS was next visited, and
| a BOmDeI
was also visited, and while there a great
thunder storm came up from off Vesu-
\ vius and rolled over the ruins of the an
? cient city, like the destruction graphi
? cally described by Bulwer in his great
novel.
r On the return trip DIR. Dixon stopped
E again in London, and at O'Clock at
1 | night, when the rain was falling, accom-
/ panied by detectives, he made visit tC
r the Whitechapel district. In their rounds
| they came upon small boy, dressed il
rags, sitting bolt upright against a wall
, sound asleep. The rain was falling upor
Il him, and drippcd from his long, matted
:, hair. AT his feet. prone in th'
mud, lay a companion, also asleep
/ II felt that l ought at least to say
Y kind work to this miserable urchin," saiC
Il DIR. Dixon, "and the detective said al
right; Just stand back and will awak
n him. The detective laid his hand upo
t him, and quick fash the child diSaT
&c pearcd as completely as if the ground ha
c swallowed him. l could no more tell hoS
or whence he had gone than if he ha
been shot into air. There are 5000
children like that in the Whitechap'
district said the detective. Their pal
ents have either been hanged, tran:
ported or are in jail. These children wi
II never allow themselves to be caught b
Il policemen. and their capacity for cscaI
has just been shown you There al
~ also 81, 900 thieves in this district
S DR.. Dixon spoke of the great work thu
" is being done in Whitcchapcl l.
T. Christians of all denominations, an
o gave n most interesting account of I'll
I'd outdoor meetings held by clcrgymen
TO the Episcopal church.
nc The lecture intensely ntercstir
Up throughout. DIR. Dixon is typic
Id Southern platform orator of the hiGhe
as type Such speakers are produced n
ed where else. Full of fire, cloquencc al
~ pathOs, they arc great power.
on DIR. Dixon left today for his home
er Brooklyn, N. Y.
ne Railroad Committee Meeting