Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-01-15
M.IsseM's CHINA.
The Valuable Art Barn in One Of GERMANY
Finest Castles.

|
| The German empire in point Of manu-
| factures. and the whole world know
| something Of the vast quantities o.
woollen goods and stockings produce
in ChemnitZ. and Of the thousand toa,
OF books and printed matter sent gu
yearly from Leipzig. But probably
there is an industry still more init
mately connected in the American
mind with Saxony than either of thes.
i mean the decorated ware commonI,
known as Dresden china. and NOR.
particularly as Meissen ware. Ever,
traNt Her expects to find Dresden some
thing Of big china shop, ana he is nos
disappointed. There are china shop.
here Of every description, whole build
ings where nothing is found but par
ticular styles of china dishes. anf
whence almost every day in the yeal
big cases Of china are sent off to the
most distant parts of the world. Ther.
are dealcrs-very important oncs-whr
handle nothing but one pattern or even
one kind Of decoration: and other,
whose whole business is done In some
particular china dish One firm sells
nothing but little cups inscribed 'E'o,
a Good Boy" or words to that effect
or Souvenir Of Dresden" or souvenir
of one of the three or four hundred
other places in Germany where sou
vcnir cups are sold. OF late years Ger
many has been SO much oVerrun with
tourists that even the most insignili-
cant village now offers for sale IT.
purcurs-cards. photographs. Oi
chinaware. bearing an imprint Of what
ever may be noteworthy in the neigh
borhoud.
Dresden !s a vast china depot. and
whenever the visitor becomes inter
ested In the ware he will be advised 10
go Ia Meissen and see how il is made.
There are q score or more Of china
manufactures in Saxony. most OF them
turning out decorated as Well as plain
china. hut the "KOnielichc PorZel-
ianfabIik" or royal china factory. is
the most important of all: it turns out
the most beautiful specimens Of what
is known the world over as Dresden
china and maintains the standard fGl
this ware. had not been a week in
Dresden before had been told a dozen
times that J ought 10 go to Meissen
snd yesterday being a fine autumn day.
what We should call good Indian
summer day al home. | took the boat
down the Elbe to that historic little !
town, the cradle Of the china industry
Mc;sS-n is about l. miles from Dres-
den Little steamboats, capable Of |
about l00 passengers apicre I
start every hour from Dresden and |
make the "trip To Meissen. with the cur |
rent. IN an hour and a half. ana the !
trip back. against the Elbe in about /
thrc" hours. for which reason most
scopIe 60 by boat and return by train /
II is a cheap trip. the ticket there and |
'a"k costing only mark or q cents. |
iNe stopped al least eight times on tn.
way down ~ little landings 10 let of |
peasant women with big baskets
strapped - their backs: they had car
led these baskets fun of vegetables or
ruit 10 Dresden. long before daylight,
and We're now on their way home
hating and laughing among them
'elVes They occupied the front of the
'oat. mere accommodations are
'heaper than a the stern. which is
given up to aristocrats able to pay !.
whole mark. | can imagine no better
picture of good health, good spirits. and
'ontentment than group of these
N"ncn on their way home. Probabl
heir earnings are very small. but that |
hey are sufficient was evident from !
heir warm clothes red checks. and
eigh spirits: they allow even of beer
he StcWardess of the boat being kept
Iusy bringing mugs Of beer from a big
'arrel in the cabin. \ beer barrel is
* necessary to every one of these
loats as boiler. ON both sides Of the
|,lhc arc pleasant hills covered With
-ineyardS. and as we get near Meissen
Ne sac an immense white cut in one
4 the hills from which have been
aiken the thousands of tons of fine clay
II kaolin used in the china factory.
y few miles before We get tn the
own the majestic castle Of Mcissen
'r"N ming a height overlooking the
iNer, loolns into ricw. To most Ger
mans ana to many foreigners the caste
= Meissen is a more interesting affair
han th" factory. for ii is one Of thr
inest ucdiacval fortrcssos in the
Hotld. which is saying much in Z,
ountrE lil,c this. where every few
nilrS YOU are tktlN L. see a castle 90
ono sort, and most Of them from two
@ slN hundred Years old, \ sort ut
igantic mound, perhaps $50 feet high.
With u plateau vi few acres on top.
vas just the sort of a place which tn.
I'D robhcr harons would fancy as z
lomc. for il could be easily fortified
gainSt an army. And. in fact, there
: said to have been Il fortress here dS
arl% as the eighth century. But it
vas about the middle of the 18th cen
urN that Duke Alhrecht of SaXonN.
unnamed the Courageous. and also
Known as the German Roland, deter
mined IL make the place worthy of
lin. He invited as architect one
srnold from Westphalia. and told him
o build a home worthy of IA king The
york began in 147o and was finished by
he end of the century. The old fort
esS was torn down. nothing being left
'ut the cathedral. which was built in
266-l293 by Bishop Witigo l., upon the
ite of a still earlier church,
i the precipico. rose noble series Of
'uildinSS. comprising the palace and |
omcS of the bishop ana chief officers of |
he nuCal court. A causeway wide
nouSh for six horsemen abreast was |
'uiit at great expense, from the level of
he plain below, with a tremendous draw