The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1910-02-25
ARE TAKEN TO STRASBOURG
Fellowship Club with Vivid De-
scription of Famous City.

scriptiOn OF Famous City.
Mr.. and Mrs b. r. Chase of "Con-
ifers," assisted by Miss Page of New
York City, delightfully."- entertained a
goodly number of the members of the
Fellowship club in their pretty home
last Wednesday evening. The program
for the evening opened with singing by
the club, followed by fine piano solo
by Darrell Weston. Blaine Warner then
gave a vocal solo in his very pleasing
manner and responded to an encore.
The chairman OF the evening, DR.. o. E.
Lanphear, then introduced the speak
err, DR.. William Henry Walker of South
Haven.
"Strasbourg and the Alsatian Cues
ton" was the subject for the evening,
and DR.. Walker painted word picture
of the facade of the famous Strasbourg
cathedral as an introduction to his dis
course, which was very ably given and
thoroughly enjoyed by all who heard it.
One could easily follow the traveller
through the narrow, streets where the
contrasting French and German build
ings stood side by side. The narrow
lanes in the old part Of the city, the
Venetian quarter and broad, beautiful
boulevards in the modern quarter,
where stand the Imperial palace, new
library and university buildings were de-
picted with an exactness that plainly
showed the painters skill. Then there
were the parks and squares, the Rhine
and the agricultural surroundings of the
city. Returning to the center of the
city he described the contrasts in the
crowd, the nurse girls and their little
charges, policemen, officers, soldiers,
students, foresters, peasant women and
Alsatian girls. Going back to the origin
of the city the lecturer spoke of the
sacred spring, beside which the druids
performed their horrid rites, the coming
of the Germans, the Roman city OF the
Ford" and the new Teutonic city which
grew up outside the ruins. the city
had become the seat of bishopric and
the spring had been consecrated to the
Virgin. Power slipped from the hands
of the bishop in the thirteenth century
into the hands of the city nobility, de-
scendants of the bishops old guild Off
GERS. A feud like that between the
Montagues and Capulets led to deco-
cratic constitution In the next century.
The city had become free city of the
empire. Characters and scenes in the
cIty's life were described, among the
rest the goose liver pies for which the
city is famous, and Louis Napoleon's
first absurd attempt to gain throne
Turning to the Alsatian question, Dr.
Walker spoke Of it as a part of the strug
gle of the Romance and Teutonic peo-
Piles for supremacy through twenty GEN.
turtles OF European history. 1t began with
Caesar and Ariovistus and ended with the
Franco Prussian war Of 1870. Since the
war the German policy OF reconciliation
had, when he was there, done little to
remove the bitterness produced by the
change The modern Frenchman thinks
OF the modern German as Caesar did
OF Ariovstus, that he is "barbarous,
irascible, insolent," and the modern
German reciprocates by feeling that the
Frenchman IS treacherous, cruel and
vainglorious. The lecture closed with
the curfew, which nightly rings its re-
QUEEN over the unknown multitude who
once lived their lives in the old city.
This was one of the most largely attend
ed and enjoyable meetings held by the
club. Dainty refreshments were served
in the dining room, which was very
prettily decorated with narcissus and
cherries, com nemorative of the day
The members fingered around the piano
and made the house ring with watch
on the Rhine" "Sweet Alton" "Then
You'll Remem Der Me-" and many other
familiar songs, closing with GOOD
Night, Ladies'" happy ending to one
of the most pleasant meetings of the
year.