Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-13
CHEAP WINTER RESORT.
The Poor Consumptiye Can Live We'll
in the 0ber-Harz.
From the London Mail

Not a day passes at this time OF the year
but some poor mortal or other is told that
he must betake himself out of England il
he would live. He must say goodbye TO
London. with its cold winds and its fogs,
and make his way with all sped tn some
land where the sun shines and the air is
clear And the chances are he is a curate
with flU0 a year. or perhaps minor gov
ernment official or even bankers clerk.
Well may his heart sink as he hears
| the doctors decree; for he knows, whether
they know or not, that he might just
well try TO go TO Saturn for the winter as
to the Mediterranean or the Alps. Such
places as these are, he is well aware,
the preserves Of the rich; sunshine in win
ter. he will tell you. with feeble attempt
of smile, is beyond the reach OF the poor;
if nothing but sunshine Will save HIM, well.
he must die.
Nor is he far wrong. perhaps. If he he 50
poor as to have no money at all: hut the
case is otherwise if he has, say f2O In his
pocket. 1t is in the HarZ mountains, es-
pecially in the Oher-Harz, that the cheap
est of all the health resorts in Europe are
to be found. In that part of the world
there are places where a man can live the
whole winter through with quite "A fair
amount of comfort--in a blaze of sunshine.
too-at the cost of about a guinea a week,
ard have quite fairly good table dhote
dinner OF five courses every day.
If he can afford TO spend 3ls. a week on
his keep he Will be able not only To dine
at the hotel but to live there entirely.
/ Rooms are TO be had al from rs. Cd TO
IS. week; a good breakfast costs. perhaps.
I'd: afternoon coffee, Sd; and the table
d hote dinner. Is. I'D. Needless To say. the
accommodation is Of the simplest descrip-
ton; there is nothing that smacks Of lux
ury in these Harz villages. The best OF
the houses are little more than cottages.
and most of the furniture is manifestly
home made.
~, tho th.,. hand tho ,oo,,,. .,r, ,1,,-,,-..
well warmed, the beds are soft and comfort
able, and every thing is as neat and clean
as hapds can make il. Then the haus-
frauen-eNceleEt cooks IS a rGlc-are kind
ly folk who although they take life hardly
themselves, strive their utmost to render
easy and pleasant the lot OF those who So
jouIn among them. They are Tending and
thrifty; they have a perfect genius. indeed,
for making one penny do the work of two
the result OF long experience IN battling
against poverty.
In winter it is. of course bitterly cold in
these r. Eions, FOR the Ober-HarZ are quite
ursheltered. There is not a single noun
tain ridge between them and the north
pole. The mean temperature for the whole
year round is only forty-one degrees For
weeks together the thermometer Is far be-
low freezing; every pond is one mass OF
ice. and the earth is covered deep with
snow.
But the cold there is something quite
different from the cold we know in En-
gland; there l. nothing dull or depressing
about the winter there. on the contrary,
the sunshine is as bright as in August
and the air. keen and cold though il he, is
eXhilarating that the mere fact of
breathing it is like drinking champagne
The most thoroughgoing or pessimists
begins to take a fairly charitable view OF
life after spending week or two in :hse
highlands; while ordinary people cast or
their cares and troubles in the most ex-
traordinary fashion-just give themselves
up to 'joie de Vivre,' in fact The secret
of it all IS. OF course. that they feel so
well-Ihat they breathe this thin, cold air
easily, even though their lungs he little
better than rags.
St. Andreasberg. which lies midway he
tween Nordhausen and Goslar, is one OF
the cheapest perhaps even the very cheap
est, of the Ober-HaTz winter shelters il
has the advantage. too, of being well sup
piled with doctors, and OF having three
hotels-one of them n charming Old build
ing. which I'm the middle ages was the
Rathhaus
The most lucrative industry that is now
carried on at ST Andreasberg Is a some
what strange one-canary rearing. ThOus-
ands and thousands of canaries are bred
and reared there every year and exported
to all parts of the world In many cottages
the kitchen walls are entirely covered with
cages. and people make a regular business
of training the birds and teaching them
TO sing.
High up, in the veriest mountain fast
nesses. beyond the reach Of all who have
not learnt TO climb. odd-looking little piles
of stone are to be seen On these were Of
fered the very last sacrifices Thor and
Wooden eyer received. The Harz peasants.
II seems, chung to their old gods even when
the worshiDing of them was counted high
treason. ard they would steal away Up
The mountains to render them haf.l.Ec let
their bishops say what they would.