Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-25
LOST HEARTS TO GERMANY
And Their Pocket Money 10 tie
German Beggar Servants.


DouIIiOh has IaHlllIdC SOunu ana
SAVIOR. let US have that" said w. to E..
as together they sat scanning a
menu" in q Munich restaurant
"Bouillon" repeated the waiter. Their
added interrogativelyw with what seemed
malicious after-thought, "Bouillon nit
Ei?" What in the world Is Ei?'" ner.
yously questioned w. of her superior
in "Deutsch" II not in years. How ex-
traordinary Is the amount of respect
inspired by young person who has
even limited vocabulary in foreign
tongue at her command, when the
'senior partners" knowledge is con-
fined to ia and nein" with an coca
sional meek bite vie viel?" In other
lands there has been no question as to
the prepOnderance of w. over E. Since
WE reached Germany all this is changed
and the relation as 1t now exists, il
fully expressed by the relative size CT
the letters in the above plural. We
have completely lost our hearts to Ger
many and Munich was the first city to
win them; her broad, clean, tree shaded
streets, her substantial buildings, her
kindly people made us feel at home the
moment we stepped from the railway
carriage. tired and dusty from our two
days and nights travelling. Since we
left Professor and party, our one haunt
ing terror by day, has been the dread
feeling fiend. AS true daughters Of
Maine, We disclaim desiring something
for nothing, but why, we ask, in the
bitterness of our souls, should the
jewellers on this side of the globe con-
tinually demand silver and gold for
naught?
The porter who carries our bag, the
waiter who brings our food, the maid
with her 'heiss Wasser,'' we fee with
out murmur, knowing that though
hateful the system. this is their only
remuneration; but when we are fol-
lowed by boots" who knows not the
touch Of our "Schuhe," when the lif:
boy lies in wait for us in every nook
and corner. though we have purposely
Stunned his slow. nerve killing cham
Der of torture. when that soft smiling
sham.-the adwaiter-beams on US
for no service whatever. and one and
all stretch out their hands for a
mark" then, then! we rebel; we were
compelled however to observe the GUS
tom Of the country and with depleted
pocket books we betook ourselves to
Nuremburg. We could fill pages with
description of the quaintness of its
long, narrow streets. its many gabled
roofs and small Widowed houses, lean
ing toward each other for support as if
weary with the weight of years. We
stood long about the market place. a
IL, h
tains. where the women bring their
fruit and vegetables for sale who in
their peculiar costume and odd head
gear, gave us many queer pictures. We
roamed about the castle and saw the
execution-chair where but fifty years
ago a prisoner sat. bound hand and
foot while the swordsman with one
swift stroke crt off his head. Among
countless instruments of torture we
saw one peculiar to this ancient place.
1.-The iron maid" She stood apparently
smiling a welcome to the helpless vic
tim; slowly the arms stretched forth,
the form unhinged. the wretched pris-
oner was placed within the hollow, the
relentless shape enclosed him crushing
out life while thrusting into his body
hundreds of iron spikes.
Nothing could have beguiled us from
fascinating Nuremberg but the power
of the 'Nebelungen Ring" that at
tracted us with irresistible force to
Bayreuth, the Mecca which draws unto
itself from all the world the worship
pers of Wagncr's wondrous genius.
Bayreuth was as the slumbering prin-
cess until the Masters magic music
awakened her to life. We reached our
stopping place on Hofgarten Strasse.
the day before the first performance
of the last Cycle. What shall we do
we queried,if they can't speak English?
Our fears were only too well founded.
Frau Methusaleh the maid met us be-
fore the iron gate with cheerful Ger
man greeting, followed by the Mis-
tress of the Mause," with similar vol
uble-welcome but by incessant turning
of the leaves of our small dictionary
we carried on satisfactory converse
ton and were soon friends with all the
household, including Humid, the dog
and Baedilah the cat. We quickly dis
covered that we were but few steps
from villa Wahnfried in whose grounds
Wagner lies buried, and soon we were
standing before the ivy covered mound
on the top of which rests plain mar
BILE slab completely covered with fresh
laurel wreaths and flowers. A feathery
grove of young trees grow thick about
the grave, and through them the sun
light filtered, casting faint shadows,
while birds sang softly in their leafy
branches of the final contamination OF
Hopes Peace" Though dead he yet
speaketh" we murmured involuntarily
as with vast multitude of all kindreds
and nations, we walked slowly along
Bahnhof Strasse through the double
row of noble trees that line the way to
the very entrance Of Wagner's theatre,
where the lofty creations Of Wagner's
genius are enacted. While nothing
could be palmer. outwardly, than the
building, it's situation is typical of the
far-reaching power of art. Standing
as it does upon commanding height.
it sends forth through the wonderful
interpretations that there take place.
a glorious light that illumines musical
ly the nations of the world.
We set forth more than an hour before
the time for the beginning of the "Rhein-