Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-11-22

grand rush, conclude my series of let
/ tiers, at least as far as the narrative of
! travel is concerned.
/ A continuous journey all night and
4 half the next day took me from Naples
/ to Venice. This city is a marvel. Its
main streets are water: its cabs are
gondolas. When the sun shines on the
glistening water the city is very charm
! ing. But as it rained most of the time
was forced to see the city at a great
Disadvantage. Tho wind also set from
the direction of the mountains, where
enough show had fallen to chill the
wind | realized that winter was ap-
preaching.
THE FAMOUS BRIDGE OF signs
The art gall cries in Venice are fine, the
city having been the home and patron
Of many noted artists and sculptors.
The palace of the Doges. the hon of
ST. Marks, the cathedral of the same
name, the public gardens, the gondolas,
(of course / tried them and enjoyed
their easy swinging notion the gay
shops. the busting markets were all
very interesting, The interior of the
cathedral glitters sc with gilded mos
aics, it may be almost called bizarre.
The Bridge of Signs, made famous in
Byron lines, is open to inspection.
The Dungeons, horrible and dark enough
for anything, | also saw. The criminal
and political prisoners went by different
passages one above the other across
the bridge to the prison on the other
side of the canal. Visitors are shown
the place where the guillotine stood and
the holes through which the blood of
the victims of government ran to red
den the waters of the canal below.
Above these is the window whence the
bodies were thrown into the water.
Many victim passed into the terrible
dungeons never to be seen again. Some
dark night perchance splash in the
water and then an awful stiffness was
all that was ever heard more. But no
one knew who the victim was. How
thankful the modern world should be
that the middle ages with their horrors
of tyranny have passed away
Another joErney commencing about
noon at Venice and ending the next
afternoon at Wiesbaden. took me TO the
famous Rhine. The mountains at the
head of the Adriatic looked beautiful as
we sped across the level country near
Venice. All around us we're heavy
clouds although the rain had ceased.
The mountains in the distance were
covered with snow and there were no
clouds there. They shone in one long
array of white and golden SUBMITS,
made the more beautiful by the con-
trast of the dark foreground II was
ike heaven beyond the darkness of this
life.
AT THE HOME OF ROMEO AND JULIET.
had time to look around Verona, the
home of Romeo and Juliet. II is a
pleasant little city with old walls and
quaint market place, the old forum sta
tue and fountain. Much as would like
to have tarried at Innsbruck, Munich
and other cities, | FASTENED on to Wies-
baden, famous for It's mineral springs,
is a great tourist resort. 1t has a
bright, wide-awake atmosphere. took
the street car from there the next
morning to Biebrich and began the
| famous pilgrimage down the Rhine.
The day began with fog, followed by
| light rain and some sunshine and was
| cold throughout. Yet though the
journey was not half so interesting as
! IL ought to have been, ! was very well
| pleased with il. Many Americans say
they are disappointed in the Rhine be-
cause the Hudson is so much more beau
| tiful. OF course it takes an American
I to appreciate the Hudson. a Rhine-
lander to appreciate the Rhine. To the
| former I do not wonder that the Hud-
son is more BEAUTIFUL. 1t is in several
respects, but not in all. There are not
huge ice houses lined along the banks
| of the Rhine to disfigure it as there are
on the Hudson. Instead there are
| charming cities, villages and old castles
| Transporting one back into the atmo-
| sphere of legend, medieval, poetry and
| romance; pOntoOn bridges and giant
railway bridges, fast steamboats, and
recant statues overlooking the river,
mingling also the modern up-to date
world with the old # was very inter
esting to note the numerous acres Of
vineyards on the north bank of the
river and how every small space that
caught the mid day sun on the south
| banks had been utilized. The vines,
! they say, must have the monday sun.
/ Wine from the south bank, where the
vines do not grow so well is reputed to
! be sour compared with the product OF
4 the north bank. Cologne, where | left
the Rhine, IS another pleasant German
city.
IMPRESSED WITH GERMANY
What saw of Germany i'm
pressed me great deal. The Germans
are we'll educated, we'll conducted peo-
pie, bright and eager for the business
of life. On all sides hear praise for
the unmistakable progress which Ger
many has made in the last fifty years.
/ Germany is power to be reckoned with
/ from the standpoint of education, or
commerce or war, and as far as | can
see she is destined to acquire greater
/ influence in the future. Knowing enough
German TO make myself well under
stood. | enjoyed Germany all the more.
! But here your need Of knowing the Ian
/ guage is least, for great many Ger
/ mans speak English. Formerly French
( was the language next in Importance to
| German in the school curriculum. The
present emperor changed it. Now
/ English comes next This gives the
Germans an added purchase on the
| lever of commerce over her rival, Eng
! land, Just across the North Sea, for
English is spoken 50 generally over the
world.
At Brussels, which is only short
ride from Cologne, one comes again
more into a French atmosphere. He
sees more pampered dogs, more ex
travagance in dress and less cleanliness
and decency in the habits Of the peo-
pie. The two hotels at which / stayed
IN Germany were the bee. and cieanest