The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-25

Especial Correspondence of the PREss.]
Bayreuth, Aug. Goth, 1897.
"'Bouillon has familiar sound and
SAVIOR, let us have that" said W. to E.,
as together they sat scanning 'smenu'
in a Munich restaurant "Bouillon'
repeated the waiter, then added interroga-
lively with what seemed malicious after
thought, "Bouillon NIT Ei2'' "What in
the world is ZIP nervously questioned
W. of her superior In ''Deutsch' If not in
years. How extraordinary is the amount
of respect inspired by young person who
has even a limited vocabulary in a
foreign tongue at her command. when
the s'senior partners" knowledge is con-
fined to "'ja and nein" with an occasional
meek "bitte vie viel?" In other lands
there has been no question as to the pre-
ponderance of w. over e. Since we reached
Germany all this is changed, and the
relation as it now exists, is fully express
ed by the relative size of the letters In the
above plural. We have completely lost
our hearts to Germany 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 haunting terror by day, has been
the dread feeling fiend. AS true daugh-
tiers of Maine, we disclaim desiring some
thing for nothing, but why, we ask, in
the bitterness of our souls, should the
jewellers on this.side of the globe continu-
ally demand silver and gold for naught?
The porter who carries our bag the
waiter who brings our food, the maid
with her, "heiss Wasser, E" we fee without a
murmur, knowing that though hateful
the system, this is their only remunera-
ton; but when we are followed by
"boots" who knows not the touch of our
"Schuhe", when the lift boy lies in wait
for us in every nook and corner, though
we have purposely Stunned his slow,
nerve killing chamber Of torture, when
that soft smiling sham, the head-water
beams on us for no service whatever.
and one and all stretch out their hands
for mark" then, then we rebel; we
were compelled however to observe the
custom of the country and with depleted
pocket books we betook ourselves to
Nuremburg. We could FIJI pages with
description of the quaintness OF. tits long,
narrow streets, its many gabled roofs
and small windowed houses, leaning to-
ward each other for support as if weary
with tho weight of years. We stood
long about the market place, large
open sq-are with curious fountains.
where the women bring their fruit and
vegeta les 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 swords
man with one swift stroke cut 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 victim; slowly the arms
stretched forth, the form unhinged, the
wretched prisoner 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 attract
ed US with irresistible force to Bayrel1th.
70 Moooa which 6ro,u IN
all the world the worshippers Of Wagner's
wondrous genius. Bayreuth was as
the slumbering princess 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:English9 Our::fears were only too we'll
founded. Frau Methusaleh the maid met
us before the iron gate with cheerful Ger
man greeting, followed by the mistress
of the Mause,' with similar voluble
welcome but by incessant turning of the
leaves of our small dictionary we carried
on a satisfactory conversation and were
soon friends with all the household, in
Guiding Humid the dog, and Baedilah the
cat. We quickly discovered 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 marble slab commpletely
covered with fresh laurel wreaths and
flowers. A feathery grove of young trees
grow thick about the grave, and through
them the sunlight filtered, casting faint
shadows, while birds sang softly in their
leafy branches of the final consumma-
ton Of ''Hope's Peace" Through dead
he yet speaketh" we murmured inyolun-
tarily as with vast multitude of all kin
dreds 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
a commanding height, it sends forth
through the wonderful interpretations
that there take places glorious hight that
illumines musically the nations of the
world.
We set forth more than an hour before
the time for the beginning of the
'Rheingold, in order to watch the
1900 spectators wander about the grounds