Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-28
An Augusta Teacher Abroad---Letter No. 10

The time was coming when we were
to leave Germany, but we felt that to
go without visiting Weinar. the home
IF the two great German poets. Goethe
and Schiller, would be an objectionable
neglect on our part. AS we wished to
have long day there we agreed to go
on the early seven o'clock train which
would Eecessitate our getting up at
six. 1t was winter and dark at that
time, and my friend was afraid that we
would oversleep. but I promised to
knock on her door at quarter of six.
| had that on my mind all night long
and every hour or 50 I got mp and felt
Of the hands of my Swiss clock to find
out what time it was. But with all
that prccaution the first thing I knew
was that my friend was pounding on
my door. saying that it was half past
six. anG we could never catch that
train. However in about ten more min
utes we had snatched the lunch our
fraus had prepared for us the evening
before. Gropei our way down the stairs
and were soon waiting for a car at the
corner of the Kaiser Wilhelm Strasse.
AT last when it did come it seemed as if
it STOPPED at every other house. and
when we at last arrived at the station
we had only a minute before the train
started. For the first time since we
mad been in Germany we saw the sun
rise.
AS the unusual effort of getting mp
early made lis hungry we soon thought
Of our lunches. My friends lunch done
up in white tissue paper looked more
tempting than mine in it's newspaper
wrapping, So we began on hers first.
One taste was sufficient and the rest "f
that lunch went out to feed the birds,
for it consisted of those coarse
brown bread sandwiches spread with
pork fat The inside OF my pack
age was happily disappointing fnr
the bread was spread with but
ter and we managed to cat il,
but when We reached Weimar the first
thing we did was to go into 2, bake
shop and have some rolls and milk.
Weimar is beautiful place with its
parks and rivers and we enjoyed walk |
ing about its stately avenues. In Il |
square was a large bronze statue of tho |
two poets. and every way we turned we
saw a Schiller Strasse or a Goethe park. |
The place is redolent with memories Of
the poets.
Goethe'; house has been turned into q |
and there are many valuable |
personal relics. His work room is just |
as he left it. rude but suggestive Of |
grace and dignity. There is an old !
clock in tho room the hands of which |
were stopped at twelve the hour that |
Goethe died. There too we saw odd |
for Goethe was an artist as |
well as a poet. But what impressed |
us most was large painting OF Goethe. !
him seated in an easy |
chair, with his daughter-in-law at his |
feet, while Goethe with raised eyes is |
saying "MelIr LIGHT (more lightD It's |
handiwork is skillful Interpretation |
of the grandeur of the poets character |
and graceful tribute to Goethe.
One Of the guides in that museum |
was very persistent and followed us |
around asking for different American |
phrases. He was able to pronounce |
everything but thank you Flank" |
was as far as he could get for the tn |
of our language is an almost insur- |
object to the average Ger
man. No matter what We We're looks |
ing at he was always at our elbow ask |
ing us for some phrase. and when we
started to go he startled us by taking