Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-23
QUEER SAX0NY CITY
Many Students From United
States in Halle Universities.
TWELVE GIANTS BUILT IT
Had Been Left by Charlemagne to
Guard Salt Mine.
LEGENDS OF EARLY DAYS
Maurice, of the Violent Temper,
Wore Bells to Warn People to
Get Out of His Way.
TWELVE GIANTS BUILT 1T
LEGENDS OF EARLY DAYS
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
Halle has had more students from the
United States than any other of the uni
versities in Germany, except Berlin. al
though it is one of the youngest and one
of the smallest of those institutions. The
city is one of the best types of German
municipal administration of educational,
financial. social, sanitary, architectural
and economic problems. 1t is a very old
city and has archives going back for
more than thousand years.
The story goes that in the year sos a
son of the Emperor Charlemagne came
here accidentally and discovered salt
springs. He built stockade around
them and when he passed on left it in
charge of twelve giants. Their swords
are still preserved in museum. four and
half feet long. But he seems to have
forgotten all about them, for he never
came back sent them any orders. They
lived there, however. supporting them
selves in their own way until one morn
ing the bishop of that diocese came along
and theys asked him permission to build
city.
Build it in Gods name" replied the
bishop, land may the sun, moon and
stars give you light" The city was
built and the sun, moon and stars were
adopted as its coat Of arms.
Distinction as to Towns.
Halle is stadt in distinction from a
"dorf,'' and it is not only a stadt but it
it a universitatstadt-that is, university
city. 1t was once protected by formid-
Of i.l
still remain. A "dorf'' is city without
walls, usually an unprotected group of
farmers houses at convenient distance
from their fields. They go back and
forth morning and night. except in har
vest time when, to save time and to pro-
tect their crops, they came out in the
open or have rude little huts for shelter.
The dorfer, villages, of SaxOny are
groups Of cabins. stables. barnyards.
gardens. shops and stores, divided by mar
stadts. which are established cities. The
distinction is of Importance. Halle, being
a stadt, has several dorfers, or suburbs
The ancient city is loaded with legendary
and quaint traditions, which somebody
ought to compile into a volume. At one
time, it is said, all of the male inhab,t-
ants died of epidemic except eight
men. who buried the rest. They were the
ancestors of the first families, or -four
hundred of the present generation The
descendants of the eight survivors of the
plague are the recognized aristocracy of
Halle. and no titles of nobility. no rank,
civil or military. that can be bestowed by
king emperor is equivalent to the
dignity which they enjoy. From this
historical incident has grown a custom
that eight pallbearers must carry the
dead to the grave at night. In the days
of the plague, more than a thousand
years ago, there were no burials in the
day time because Of danger from conta-
gion while the bodies were being carried
through the streets.
The name Halle is derived from the
''halleren." or salt diggers, descendants
of the twelve giants who founded the
city: and none other are ever employed
i'm the salt mines. They constitute
guild of their own. enjoying certain I'M
only among themselves, and pass down
their property interests in the mines like
entailed estates to their eldest sons.
Source of Great Wealth.
The salt industry has been the source
of great wealth for Halle. producing an
average of II 600 tons a year. but the
city has other important industries Vast
quantities of beet sugar. starch, chemi-
Gals, candles and other things are manu-
featured for shipment throughout the
world.
The HalIeren have a distinctive dress.
which they wear on ceremonial occasions.
II consists of military-looking coat. knee
breeches with top boots, immense three
cornered plush hats with heavy plumes.
and ruffled shirts. These costumes are not
so common they used to be, but the
old-fashioned people still adhere to them
and they can be seen at weddings and
funerals and sometimes at church on
Sunday.
Another legend relates to the church of
ST. Moritz. or Maurice, as an American
would spell it. 1t is altogether the finest
81 -tt ofnI t1no col
works, and was built in 1850 by a
margrave named Maurice, who was after
ward canonized and is now known as st.
Maurice-w with -the-1ittle-bells. Thereby, of
course, hangs a tale.
When Maurice was a young man he had
a violent temper, which he could not con-
troll. He had the amiable habit of knock
ing people over the head with big stick
when he did not like them. or when they
did not behave according to his notions OF
propriety. Sometimes, when his attacks
We're fatal he bitterly repented his pas
sion. Hence, to give people a chance 10
get out OF his way. he had the court tailor
sew rows of bells along the seams and
at the edge OF his coat like sleigh bells on
horse, and when workmen about the
town or other people who were passing on
the streets heard them jingle they could
dodge around the corner and thus save
their lives Maurice improved with age
and finally became so piouS and benev
olent that he was made saint.
on the bank of the river Saae Tradition
says that it was built by his sister. who
made him wager that she. by treating
the workmen kindly and generously. could
build it sooner than he could build his
church. with all his tyranny and violence.
She won the bet. and there used to be ali
inscription announcing the fact over the
door. The grounds surrounding the castle
are now used as d park and thousands of
people may be found there every Sunday
and holiday. In a municipal museum on
the farther side of the park are many in
tereSting relics of the early history of
Halle.
City of Ruined Castles.
Halle has more than its share of ruined
castles, and each of them has fascinating
romances and historical incidents asso.
ciated with it. Lewis 1.-The springer"
landgrave of Thuringia, made trust or
merger of all the petty principalities and
duchies in that part of Germany, and ap-