Morris tribune., 1905-11-04
IN THE vATERLAND.
Rev. Fred Hill Writes Entertain.
ingly of Germany
Dresden, Germany,
October 18th, 1905.

10 the Editor of the Tribune:
When last [ wrote we were a
BRUSSELS and were having the frs
dip into continental life. | believe
lntlmated then that the languag,
spoken was not quite so familiar ant
lntelligible to me as the English hac
been. [ cannot resist reciting few
incidents, illustrative ofmy attempts
to make myself understood among
French, Swiss and German residents
L have proven to my own sati faction
that the old adage, % little knowledge
is dangerous thing" is the pro
duct of a brain both wise ana pro
found. Let me illustrate the same
| have smatering of German
small remnants Of the little acquired
during one year at college. That
little enables ME to formulate ques.
tions bearing on our travels and the
needs of the day. So [ have often
glibly aud fuently given my ques-
tion and have been fully understood
And then be to whom 7 have thus
given to understand that [ knew the
l8nguageof the realm, has poured
forth whole a7alanches Of the same,
brimmirg full of desired information
but wholly unintelligible to me- All
L could do was to hold up my hands
and qv, "help." Again, l get my
very little Qittler if possible) French
mixed up, e, g, asked at the hotel
for 1l'eau chaud, bite" and to my
discontinue the maid said. call
right" One day [ was laboring
wbh the German in the railway
station, with grammar and syntax
AID gender all confused, when n,y
porter began speaking in purest
English. And SO | am learning to
be discreet in my evident abuse of
the Kaisers German, and stick to
my native tongue and with the aid of
violent gestures and an occasional
foreign word, make myself known.
AS matter of fact at the hotels,
ore need have no difficulty for all
the head porters and walters talk
good English and they take good
care of you--for an expected-con-
sideration in the shape of tips. Tips
The expenses of travelling in Europe
consist Of tips and a few incidental
items such as car fare and hotel bills. |
We are expected to furnish the de-
ticit between the wage given to the
servants by the employers, and that
necessary for very poor livelihood.
Whatever the reasons are, be they
high tariff, low tariff or no tariff, or
whether the tariff has nothing to do
with it, the working classes here are
miserably paid 1t is no wonder
that the United States is considered |
an Eldorado by the under classes OF
Europe and Great Britain. Women
who make the exquisite lace and !
embroidery, SO eagerly bought by
Americans, because of it's cheapness,
receive but from 10 to IL cents per
day. Talk about our sweat-shops.
they are not to be compared so far
as wages are concerned to the ordin-
ary wage. conditions here. I am
continually amazed as [ talk with
Swiss and Germans at
the cheapness Of labor here, and
living expenses are not cheap in
either. The lower class
Of unskilled labor here does not live,
It simply exists this is more true
If Switzerland than OF Germany.
But enough of economics. I realize
hat my knowledge of the question
s limited and not yet DO + pretend
y give scientific opinion on these
1uestiCus.
But 10 an.oce cunt of our journey.
Brussels, the home of wonderful
ace and tapestry, is a most delight
al city. The buildings are fer the
most part we'll built and with true :
beauty, The palace :
# Justice is said to be the largest :
of stone in the world ,
Everything about it is of stone and :
narble and it's position is a com
handing one above the city. The +
otel de Vile was begun in 1902 +
nd is considered to be one of the :
lost beautiful buildings in the /
The spire is $40 feet i
q height aud the view from there =
|