The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-10-14
Rev. L. A. Parr Tells of His Trip
to The Famed East.
En- Route to Oberammergau.
10 be continued next week.

10 be continued next week
The Mecca of the western world in
the year nineteen hundred and ten is
the little village of Oberammergau in
the kingdom of Bavaria. Thanks to
the enterprise of the modern tourist
companies, all roads lead to that Bra
varian village. To take this trep there
fore means to be in the fashion, be-
sides enjoying a unique opportunity.
This letter will not treat of the Passion
Play, but of few impressions gath
cred in the journey en- route.
Our party, which consisted of twelve
persons, left London Saturday evening
for Harwich whence we took the tur-
bine S. S. ST. Petersburg for the Hook
of Holland, reaching there early Sun
day morning We Immediately board
ed the express train which goes as far
as Verona, Italy. For several hours
we travelled through Holland, the land
of dykes and windmills, via Dordrecht
and Rotterdam. This ride is through
very fiat and uninteresting country.
But one cannot help but admire the
courage and persistence of these Dutch
people who for centuries have kept the
sea at bay, and more than that, who
have robbed the sea of land that it had
claimed for it's own. AS one passes
hastily through the country it doesn' t
seem as if there were much scope for
business enterprise, but by their indus
try and frugality the people have made
themselves, considering the size OF the
population, among the richest people IN
the world
At noon we arrived at Cologne, the
largest town in the Rhenish province
of Prussia, with population of over
400, 900, and one of the most important
of German cities. The chief attraction
in Cologne is its cathedral, an imposing
structure that can be seen from all the
surrounding country AS early as the
9th century church occupied the site
where the present building stands. But
in 1913 the foundation stone Of the
cathedral was laid. AS is the case with
most of these cathedrals, the work OF
construction progressed very slowly.
Sometimes for centuries very little was
done towards completing it. Lack OF
funds and enthusiasm, the perils and
uncertainties of wars, all hindered the
work. And not till 1924 was the work
of restoration and completion begun.
Then in 1912 the foundation stone of
the new building was laid And on the
18th of October, 1880, the cathedral
was finally completed amid celebrations
attended by Emperor William | and
nearly all the sovereign princes of the
German empire. But as has been said,
though in one sense it is largely mod
ern building, the cathedral was planned
essentially as it stands, in the 18th CEN
fury.
AS before stated, it is most impos-
ing structure, one of the finest Gothic
edifces in the world. Its grandeur
grows on one the more one studies it.
Compared with some other cathedrals,
it's interior is very plain, almost bare.
But its immensely, its towers 515 feet
in height, It's gigantic columns, deeply
impress one. It's exterior, however, is
very beautiful. The graceful lines, the
towers both great and small, made me
think all the time of inverted icicles.
Truly these cathedrals are ''frozen
music" and ''epics of stone"
Leaving Cologne we took the famous
journey up the Rhine on one Of the
Rhine steamers. These steamers do a
heavy summer traffic which is due in
part to the natural and historical at
fractions of the river, and also to some
generous advertising. Many of our
rivers are much larger and finer, but
the spell of the past does not rest on
them. For, this river Rhine has been
one of the main arteries of the Old
World for centuries. Here men lived
and fought and died. Here kings were
made, empires were brought low; and
for a thousand years life has moved to
and fro in Kaleidoscope fashion. Small
wonder that this river has been immor-
talized in poem and song.
Journeying up the river we see Bonn
to our right, with its famous university
where the present princes of Germany
studied, having a student body of about
5000. After leaving Bonn the river
for many miles is uninteresting. But
on reaching the Drachenfels the seen
cry grows wilder and fuller of interest.
The castle of Drachenfels, 1865 feet
above sea level, was erected by Arnold,
Archbishop of Cologne, at the begin
ming of the 18th century. Since the
Thirty Years war the castle has been
in ruins. A cavern among the vine
yards, about half way up the hill, is
said to have housed the dragon slain by
Siegfried, the hero from the Low Coun-
tries, who having bathed himself in its
blood, became invulnerable. Owing to
this legend, the wine grown here is
known as '.Drachenblut, or dragon s
blood.
From now on the river teens with
interest. On either side we see cas-