Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-26
Thriving Manufacturing Town.


to the seacoast, it acquired great Inn
portance.
Thriving Manufacturing Town.
1t is now thriving manufacturing
town, producing wooden. cotton and
linen textiles, laces and all kinds Of
trimmings for ladies' wear, under
clothing, stockings and other knitted
goods, leather and chemicals. 1t is the
principal source Of flower and vege-
table seeds. which are grown in vast
quantities on the farms in the neigh
borhood.
Erfurt was a stronghold of Charlie
magne. and later was the capital Of
Thuringia, an Independent state made
up OF the principalities and duchies
which now constitute the eastern end
OF the German empire. In 1908 the
city was made memorable as the scene
Of an interview between Napoleon
Bonaparte and Alexander I Of Russia.
Napoleon occupied the city for sew
eral months and convened confer
ence OF the reigning princes OF this
part OF Europe in the rathaus there. The
new rathaus is a beautiful building.
one of the finest examples of modern
Gothic in Europe. 1t was built be-
tween 1869 and 1875. and the halls are
adorned with frescoeS representing the
LEGENDS of Tannhauser and incidents in
that neighborhood.
In the afteenth century Erfurt had a
larger population than now. and was OF
even greater commercial importance; but
one of the most rapidly growing cities in
Europe. The population In 1878 was A.
02b: in 1890 1t was 72,S12; in 1900 1t was
OF, 4O8. and in 1910 1T was 125,OO.
There are several technical schools. in
GLIDING an academy of practical sciences.
IS n N
q military academy. large commercial!
college and a normal school. There used
to be nine monasteries and five converts,
but the former have been suppressed.
and the only Roman Catholic institution
of importance is a seminary for young
women kept by the Ursuline nuns.
Has a Fine Cathedral.
The Roman Catholic population OF Err
furt is strong and rich. and the city is
the seat of the archbishop. The Roman
and finest in Germany, having been be-
gun in 1154 and completed about 1850. 1t
occupies a magnificent site upon an emil
hence overlooking the older portion of the
city. and is approached by a broad,
two hundred 1teps. The cloisters, partly
and partly Gothic, are beau
tiful, and in one of the towers Is a bell
known as Crosse Susannah," dated 1447,
and weighing nearly 5000 pounds. 1t is
one of a chime Of ten bells which are
famous for their sweet tones.
Almost Immediately joining the cathe-
drai, not more than a stones throw dis
tant, is another large and venerable
church, built more than seven hundred
and dedicated to st. Severus. 1t was
entirely restored in 1873. and has many
beautiful pieces Of carving and bronze.
These two enormous edifces, standing
side by side, make great show, and
the first question always asked is why
did they do it? The invariable answer is
that the duplication is due to the rivalry
between the secular and the regular cler-
sy; the older church being the cathedral
Of the archdiocese and the other the
these two churches have sufficient room
to accommodate a congregation as large
as the entire Roman Catholic population
of Erfurt. and there are half g. dozen
other churches Of the same denomination
in tho city.
The Augustinian monastery where LII
Their took orders and became a monk
was burned in 1872. The wing Of the
building which contained the cell he
occupied and all other portions identified
the chapel. What il left of the original
building Is now an orphan asylum and
q house of correction for juvenile offend
ers. There is a Luther museum in the
building to attract visitors, who can see
a few books once owned by him and
other unimportant relics.
Nearby is the picturesque old Lille Inn.
built In 1885, where Luther lodged several
times during his frequent visits to Err
furt. On tho walls are brass tablets to
inform whoever it may concern that Gus
tavus Adolphus. Maurice of Saxony and
other famous lights Of medieval times
put up there.
Luther's Chapel Remains.
There is really nothing left Of Luther
in Erfurt except the chapel of the mon
astery with which he was connected and
in which he made his vows and where
he celebrated his first mass. He tells us
that his father attended the latter cers-
mony in great state. riding to the gate
of the monastery from the neighborins
town Of Mansfield attended by an escort
Of twenty horsemen. neighbors. friends
and admirers of his boy. Martin. The
altar at which Luther celebrated mass
was removed during the reformation.
In July, 1901. when Luther was nine
teen years old. his father had become
80 prosperous that he was able to send
the boy to the university at Erfurt.
portant educational institution in Ger
many. but it was suppressed during the
invasion of SaXony by Napoleon and
never reopened. 1t was aftervard con
solidated with the university at Halle
There were thirteen hundred students
i'm Luther's day. and he said in his
Table Talk that other institutions