The National tribune., 1898-10-27
4 LOYAL, HOME
WORKER ABROAD.
Sights and Scenes in European
Ways and. Byways.
Nuremberg, Town of Old The Meister-
singers Hans Sachs, the Cobbler Poet.
Albrecht Durer. ~ ~
BY ELSIE PoMERoY McELRoY.

Our two days in Nuremberg were delight,
except for the tantalizing visions of narrow
streets that we never could explore, where
the houses, with their pointed roofs, gay win
dows. and great carved doors with brass
knockers seemed to be ready to open and let
us enter to behold some old-time comedy or
tragedy Little shops tucked away in cor
ners and making flaring show of prints and
photographs and water-colors, others over
| flowing with the beautiful wood-carvings of
the patient Bavarian peasants, leased us
away from our guide-books Dark churches
| full of faded tapestries, lanterns burning
brightly before tombs of knights Of SO long
| ago that our century or two of life over here
seems only yesterday, beguiled us away from
the shops again and the great market where
so many geese are sold that it is sometimes
called 1.-The Goose Market and where the
lovely Gooseboy fountain plays lis merry
little plash, kept us lott ering about the
streets, forgetting fatigue.
In tie first place, Nuremberg has city
wall-a moat and 20 towers guarding wall
of stones as black now as iron and with a
surface more like iron than stone, that was
its defence long before Columbus sailed the
wide seas. It's true that now the city has
spread way beyond the walls and that cleo
tric cars 20 crashing under the arches and
across the bridges, and that the moat has been
planted with grass and flowers and become a
pleasure-wal!l for the citizens: but moats,
city walls and towers possess great charm
for the American eyes that have never before
seen them out of story books, but have found
them there in the very first books after
Mother Goose.
Nuremberg has been the home of several
Of the worlds greatest people. Albreclt
Durer, Gernany's greatest painter, copies of
whose en.ravings and paintings of Saints,
Apostles and the Virgin and Adam and Eve
are everywhere in the town, and Hans
Sachs the Cobbler Poet, are the greatest.
weather-beaten, crudely-painted sign.
showing hoary headed coebler, sw.nrs
in front of the inn where once was his little
shop. Around these two names are clustered
Nuremhcrg's finest memories. Hans Sachs.
besides giving the world his own songs and
verse. continually inwrought with his hum
bic and sturdy work, was the wisest of Il
| Masters Of The Meistersingers The Meister-
singers was an association OF long ago, when
the citizens, wcavtrs eobblers, merchants,
and all. were poets and singers, and music
and humble toll went hand i'll hand. At the
great contest citizen poets and musicians
came AM sang for, the laurels. The singer
received due praise as did the poet; but only
he who could wed poetry and music was
given the 4" Masters - laurel
The Meistersingers Of Nuremberg is the
subject OF one of Wagnef's finest operas, and
the only comic one he ever wrote. The story
is Of a wealthy nF.n who promised his con-
sent to the marriage,witbh is beautiful daagh-
ter OF the singer and poet;Eho won his Mastery
at the great contest. Being good father. he
only promised it on condition that the daush-
ter's heart was also won but he would have
none other for her husband than Meister-
singer a wealthy, middle-aged, and unloyed
! suitor had set his heart ON winning the aurels
and the maiden; but 4 youta}jCst returned to
the city, who has learned the conditions,
and who loves Eva steps in at the examina-
| tion of the candidates aud tries to sing, but
| is given one bad mark after another by the
piejusliced judges until he has many more
! than the seven that would disqualify him.
4 lie turns away hopeless, and, going 10 Hens
Sachs, the poet, sings of his love anu sorrow
/ in a song 20 beautiful that the old poet knows
! that here is a real Master. The c1bbler
copies eff the verses, but the song is ineom-
plete. The old sutton steals them. the petty
heroine comes on the scene with the poor ex-
euie OF tight boot, the cobbler mends it, and
while he is doing so Walter. finishes the