The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-09-17

way this way and that along lovely ter
races until we reached the entrance to the
castle, We approached under a porteullis
nearly devoured with the rust of genera
tions of peace With a fair, buxom guide
who speaks no less than five or six lang
uages, we began our visit through the
old castle.
Many king has been a guest IN these
halls and noted the time of day by the
ancient sun-dal which still hangs vertical
~ on the chapel wall In the courtyard. In
the old bandueting hall the students of
the Heidelberg university still hold their
levees. From the great terrace, SO famil-
lar in pictures we had a splendid view
from whence the cattle and the wide lam
from whence the castle and the wide lam
illness.
Then we went down into the old kitchens
and saw the stones upon which 1t was
usual to roast a whole OK at one time;
close by to restore the balance OF too
romantic preoccupation, we were shown
the effigy of the dwarf Perko. the court
Jester, small of stature but large Of
thirst standing opposite the great Tun,
100 feet in girth. This enormous hogshead
holds $4,000 gallons of wine and was thrice
filled since 1892 to its full capacity and
which the dwarf doubtless did his full
share towards emptying, for he regularly
drank his sixteen bottles daily. On the
broad top cotillon parties have been held
and we, too. walked about upon the top
OF the huge vine caSk. six nunufeu years
were occupied in building the enormous
pile, but eventually Louis XIV, the most
Christian king of France, cast an envious
eye these fair possessions and began
the cruel war which rent in twain by gum
powder one of its great towers. A huge
fragment still lies in the moat below,
a solid mass of masonry destroyed by the
power that finally involved the whole Pal
atinale in a common ruin. But the true
glory of Heidelberg is Its university and
not the Wondering memorials of the past.
There is none older in northern Europe,
except those of Prague and Vienna. For
more than five hundred years it has been
the cradle of learning In southern Ger
many. A thousand students are here in
winter, and still more in summer, for its
terms, like TennysOns brook, go on for
ever
Here may be viewed the peculiarly Ger
man custom of duels which give sinister
aspect to the faces of the combatants.
Both Bismarck and the present emperor
are strong defenders of the custom, as
tending to strengthen the military spirit,
and the former is said to have fought
score on his own account when here
student. Yet they have students prls-
on where refractory youths are incarcera-
ted to eXpiate their offences on bread ana
water and the cells were literally covered
with caricatures of those who had sent
them there. One of the names thus sell
inscribed is that of Otto Won Bismarck
We next visited Baden-Baden the larg-
est and most fashionable watering place in
Germany. What a contrast 1T is. Here all
is like and movement and gaiety and the
holiday aspect of the place convinces us
that we are in the midst of fun and trollc'
where people relax from the sterner auUes
of life and enjoy the fragrant pleasures OF
SPRAY and bath. The fashionable people
are in evidence by the beauty and gorge
BUSINESS of their clothes; while the mag
nificence of the numerous hotels, the
kursaal and "rrink halle eVince ihe
n,aaIth tbat is accustomed to gather here.
II is a beautiful place and we felt amply
repaid for the time spent at this famous
,o,ort PAUL PRY.