Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-29

Hildesheim is delightful place to spend
week or two 1t is not only medieval
museum Of itself. but 1t
Delightful has at least two excellent
NJ. hotels and is within driv-
AAoSe' ing or motoring distance
of several other ancient German towns.
The roads are perfect, the farming VII
lagos and little manufacturing hamlets
which are scattered thickly about that
part of the empire are exceedingly inter-
esting. Everybody is busy. Men, women
and children, both on the farms and In
the villages, are doing something all the
time. They make an infinite variety OF
merchandise. and while their wages are
| small, their ingenuity and skill are great.
From some of the humblest cottages come
articles of great value for export. which
are sent to the United States, England
and almost every country on the globe.
The antiquity of some of these villages
is even greater than that of Hide
sheim. Moritzberg. for example. five or
six miles south of the ancient city, is
where the prince bishops in olden times
used to have a summer residence, and the
remains OF it still exist although they
are greatly changed. Goslar, town OF
$4,000 inhabitants, thirty miles to the
south of Hildesheim, was for several gen.
erationS the capital of the holy Roman
empire. Brunswick. about forty miles to
the westward. is city of 10000 inhab1t-'
ants, with a ducal palace, "a royal sau-
sage maker to the duke" and many his
torical associations. Munster, little
farther to the westward is the capital OF
Westphaia. with a palace and all that
pertains to royal court, with history,
legends and traditions that would fill sew
eral volumes. And. in addition to these,
might mention several other places also
of great interest within motoring distance
of Hildesheim.
Before I leave that old town, however, l
must tell you Of two quaint monuments
that stand in the
Juvenile streets. both intended
for the admonitiOn
AAVeSoCoA' and consolation OF
children. One of them. known as the
Eckart Gruppe,' represents an old man
with a long flowing beard, heavy cloak
over his shoulders, broad leathern belt
around his waist and stout staff in his
hand, lowering over two little children.
One is a half-naked baby. wearing moth
ing but short shirt above his fat legs.
carrying bunch of flowers in his right
of girl few years older. She is carry
ing water jug such as was used in olden
times to bring the supply for the house
hold from the spring or the fountain.
On the pedestal is engraved the follow
ing inscription: 'Die kinderlen Angstlich.
gen hause SO schnell gesellt SIGH gu
jhen der fromme gesell der alte getreue
der Eckart'-which, literally translated,
means: Enlightened children hurrylng
homeward, protected by that p1ous guar
dian, the trusty old Eckart.
The purpose of this statue evidently is
to strengthen the courage and the faith
of the children of Hildesheim by assuring
them that they have always a protector
by their side in time of danger. so that
they have no cause to be frightened.
"Eckart the Trusty is one of the most
familiar and popular heroes In German
folklore. His duties differ in several ira
ditions. but the most important is his
are exposed to danger. He is also sup
posed to protect young men from the
lures of Venus. In the time of Tam
hauser he used to sit at the entrance OF
the ravine of the Venusberg, near Else
mach, to warn young men that they
should not expose themselves to tempta-
ton.
The other monument teaches differ
ent lesson. AS have told you in former
letters, the farmers in
The Huckop this part of Germany
plant fruit trees along the
"oA Ling roadside, because land is
so valuable that they cannot afford to
use it for orchards. Every highway Is,
therefore, lined with apple. cherry, pear.
peach, apricot and other trees, which are
carefully tended and from which the
owner Of the adjacent land gathers a
profitable harvest. The fruit is seldom
disturbed by adults. One would be just
as apt to go into the field and dig up
hill of potatoes or pull the vegetables as
he would to pick the apples or pears, but
boys will be boys in Germany just the
same as elsewhere and they have been
known to indulge in mischief.
In order to restrain them from med
ding with the fruit trees there is an
imaginary policeman called the "Huckop,"
whose particular business is to punish
fruit thieves, and he is very hard on
boys that he catches stealing apples or
cherries. In one of the streets of Hide
sheim as an object lesson stands life
sized statue on pedestal as high as
your head, representing the 'Huckop."
weird and fierce looking elf, in funny
garments, who has just jumped upon the
back of an urchin who is running with
few apples in a bag. The boys face
bears an expression of terror. because
when the "Huckop'' gets his clutches on
youngster he never let's go.
The inscription being translated reads:
Boys should leave the apples alone. for
IL they do not the Huckop will catch
them. The Huckop is a fearful wight.
and makes short shrift with thieving
lads"
The old-fasllioned town of Goslar, thirty
miles south of Hildesheim, lies at the foot
Of the Harz mountains. and
Goslar'S a thousand years ago was
- -, an important mining center.
Wcd1tn' 1t owes its origin to the Sill
ver mines of Rammelsberg. which were
owned by the rulers of the holy Roman
empire, and were worked with great