The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1910-10-21
Rev. L. A. Parr Tells of His Trip
to The Famed East.
En- Route to Oberammergau.
no be continued next week.l


and about the same by water. But ere
write further in these letters, let me
say, lest be charged with plagiarism,
that for much of the historical data /
am indebtebted to the guide books,
whose name is Legion.
Coblenz is the capital of the Rhenish
province of Prussia, with population
of SO, 900 including garrison of 5000
soldiers, as it is the seat of the civil
and military authorities. The city is
stragetically and beautifully situated
at the confluence of the Rhine and Mo-
selle. Directly across the river is the
towering fortress of Ehrenbreitstein,
built on a precipitous rock 385 feet
above the Rhine and possessing COM
manding outlook over the surrounding
country. The tourist finds Colenz to be
a delightful stopping place. On one
side of the city he finds fine modern
buildings and streets, with the beautl-
full Rhine promenade one and a half
miles in length, and laid out with gar
dens and strawberries and shady resting
places. Passing in another direction he
traverses the old Moselle part OF the
town, with it's many points of historical
interest, its quaint and narrow streets.
Here are the Church of st. Castor,
century, the Kaufhaus built in 1879 as
a town-hall and now used as a school.
But in this region the great attraction,
which is indeed the most conspicuous
thing in the entire city, is the monu-
ment of Emperor William |. This was
erected by the province of the Rhine at
a cost of ], 900, 900 marks and unveiled
in 1897, and is said to be one of the
most impressive purely personal monu-
ments in the world. The statue repre-
sents the Emperor on horseback accom-
panied by winged genius, Victory
Raised aloft on immense granite pillars
the statue itself is 46 feet high, and
standing as it does at the juncture of
the two great rivers, it presents most
imposing appearance.
At Colenz we had our first experience
of that delightful German custom
dining out of doors. With the fresh
evening air about US, the lights twink
ing all along the river shore, that din
ner served on the hotel piazza by suave
and handsome walters, too handsome |
fear for the peace of mind of some of
our party, reminded us that true dining
is a gentle and fine art. The orches-
trail music, and how these Germans do
dove music with their meat and drink,
gave rise to an amusing incident. Half
way through the dinner the orchestra
struck up America. Immediately
the English clergyman sitting at my
side rose to his feet, thinking that it
was 'God Save Our King" in honor of
the English present. AS became
tourist from America, | protested that
it was ''My Country tits of Thee" in
honor of the Americans. And then
in the midst of our argument, to the
delight of the crowd, some little street
urchin began to whistle the tune, re-
minding us that the tune we call our
national tune, and which the English
say we borrowed from them, both ma
lions borrowed from Germany.
Again taking the steamer up the
Rhine from Colenz, we enter region
that is very beautiful and full of the
relics of the past. On the right, and
within the city limits is the Palace
erected in ITS, and occupied latterly
by the Empress Augusta who annually
spent part of the spring and autumn
there until her death in 1890. The En-
press greatly loved Colenz as shown by
her gifts to the city and her interest in
all the efforts to deI elop and beautify
1T. For many miles now the river is
one continuous panorama of beauty.
wooded slopes and the little river vii
lagos Nesting in their shelter. To the
right and left may be seen castles built
many centuries ago, all at one time or
another having been besieged and pill
LACED, but some restored again and
again, and others standing a mere
shapeless mass of stone, like silent sem
tinels over this ever moving river. AS
stated last week, there are many leg
ends connected with nearly all these
places. Further up the Rhine, Oppo-
site the Castle of Ehrenfels, on quartz
rock In the middle of the river, is sit
uated the Mouse Tower which in the
popular mind is connected with the leg
end of the cruel Archbishop Hatto of
Mayence, GA. Having caused a num-
Der of poor people, whom he compared
to mice bent on devouring the corn, to
be burned in barn during a famine,
he was attacked by mice which tor
mented him day and night. He sought
refuge on this island, but was followed
by MS prosecutors, and devoured alive.
Before coming to this place, however,
we notice st. CIoar, town with 1475
inhabitants, the handsomest of all the
smaller Rhenish towns. This town owes
its name and origin to chapel founded
In the time of Seigbert, King of Aus
trasia, $40, by st. Goar who preached
the gospel here. A curious old custom
known as the "Hanseln" OF Initiation
prevailed here till 1927. Every traveller
who visited the town for the first time
was attached to ring in the wall of
the custom house, and obliged to SUBJ
nit to the water or wine ordeal. If
the former was selected, a good duck
ing was the result; the pleasanter al
tentative consisted in drinking COB
let of wine to the memory of the vari-
Gus august persons, the reigning prince,
and the members of the society which
enforced obedience to the custom. The
traveller was then invested with the
rights of member of the society, and
finally had to present a donation to the
poor and enter his name in the Han
selbuch. I" One is tempted to think
that it must have been some such Gus
tom &C this that has made the RheniSh