St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-07-16
The Old Castle at Nuremberg.

1t was raining hard the afternoon we
set out to visit the old castle at Nurem
berg. Dark weather best brings out the
charm of that dream city. Once within
its walls, whatever the circumstances,
you feel that you must have ceased to
exist-at any rate as part OF the 18th
century - and, wandering far back in
some past age, you don't know what
you are, nor do you much care. OF course
it is a dream-you know that-and soon
you will wake and be back in the world,
but while it lasts what dream it is!
The dark bridges, the tumbled down
roofs rising steeply over each other, the
gray towers and churches, the narrow
streets and quaint market places - all
this, coming out of and melting into the
mist, made us pause often and long as
we climbed slowly up the hill. Then we
turned slowly inside the castle wall and
instantly went still a few centuries fur
Their back. The "pentagonal tower"
where the famous Iron Virgin resides, is
the oldest thing in Nuremberg, having
been built about 800. AS we passed from
out of the rain within those dark old
walls our guide met us-a woman with
broad, expressionless face and voice
usually soft and gentle, but, owing to
cold, given to suddenly breaking off and
dying away in whisper. She spoke inn
perfect English, and at once began to
show and explain the contents of the
tower.
have great admiration for the per-
son who arranged that display. 1t is
really work of art, rising gradually to
climax worthy of master mind. And
l must say our guide, consciously or I'M
consciously, carried out the idea to per-
fiction. First, she showed us objects
used not for torture but disgrace, and
then her gentle voice only amused us,
telling how, MAN beat his wife-zen
wear zis round hees neck, " or how Man
tells lies-zen stand here and be whipped"
But then, without pause she moved to
the torture implements and the air began
to grow little chill. In the same dulcet
tones we heard "Wiz zis squeeze re
thumbs, wiz zis put out re eyes, wiz zis
cut off tongue, wiz zis pull out re
tongue" Her special joy was spiked
cradle-also sword which kill 800
people, my ladies'" She fingered over
them lovingly little, but her eyes never
lost their GOODNESS, nor did her voice
change one whit from it's sweetness.
remember all too we'll the horrid machines
l we saw-racks and spiked chairs, rolling
: pins and piucers-but spare my reader:
: the details which our guide would not
= spare us. 1t is impossible to describe thu
+. way in which that sweet, unchangns
voice clothed everything in horror ant
Y sent cold shivers down our backs. Sh
D reminded me instinctively of Nine
b Defarge.
+ After we had seen everything on tn
: first floor she opened narrow door il
# the wall and led us up winding figh
}. of steep stairs leading into gloom,
t apartment. In the midst a black fgur
It doomed out of the darkness, and when
!, candle was lighted it proved to be tn
l. Iron Virgin. CHASTITY thing! We shran
o back even from our first glance at tina
n cold face, but nothing awaited. We wer
l. there and we must see it opened, lear
t, how the victim was put in, how tn
IS doors were closed closely, into what par
n of the body each spike went, all so gentl
81 and infinitely that we longed to file,
lie But still our guide kept us, pointing to
great iron bell standing near. Eat,
lie she said, was always rung just befol
'e man die" And she rang it That col
If slider the artistic climax of the who
S. thing. The harsh sound Changing out
1t that dusky room beside its awful con
I'd panion, the thought of what it's voi'
We used to mean, completed the spell and "
t, stood aghast, Nine. Defarge watchin
ke us coldly. After that followed an ant
ne climax, the prisons where the condemne
spent their last days, one containing
to startling life-lke wax figure of famo,
is robber who escaped by squirting h
IS. horse over the moat-hoot-marks still [
as be seen by the creduous! Then came
es collection of old things among which
SIS minnesinger's harp stirred my imagin
ey ton. One might as we'll believe it w,
er genune
1t, There was great slipping away
in centuries and rushing back to 1897 WHIT
Y" our guide opened case and begs
as pressing upon us some souvenir spool
We with the Iron Virgin for handles "An
in my ladies, zey open and shut-so!" TT
lis idea was so startling that it was vel
of humorous and the laugh that follow,
Id did us all good. But still came out in,
ur the fresh, free air again with feeling
ar depression upon me and my mind WI
II, occupied all the way home with phil
RI sophie reflections upon human ,natur
he To think that men only few centuri
Is ago should have been capable of su,