The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-16

of the Bohemia" consists in the fact
that while visitors of all nationalities are
admitted as spectators none but Czechs
are served. A foreigner may view the
brilliant assemblage of gaily-attired ma
tons, may enjoy the superb electrical IL
Elimination of the hall and may listen to
the enchanting strains of the orchestra
Dut he cannot sip of its rare beverages,
nor taste its rich viands which embelish
bar and table. The hotels are most mag
nificent in their equipment and guests are
served as princes.
When l visited Prague / recalled Its
associations with Count Wallenstein, to
me one of the most mysterious and dra-
matte characters in military history, not
excepting the great Napoleon Silent men
are always mysterious and it would seem
that their silence is born of a gloomy
premonition of some terrible fate, for the
three noted characters in history who OBJ
taned the suffix Silent" to their names,
Peter Martyr William of Orange and
Wallenstein. all fell victims to the as
sasslns blow
Walenstein insisted that the deepest
silence should reign around him. His
officers took care that no loud conversa-
uon should disturb their general, for they
knew that a chamberlain had been hanged
Tor waking him up without orders and
that an officer who had insisted upon
wearing. clanking spurs in the command
ers presence had been secretly put to
death. In the rooms of Wallenstein's
palace the servants glided as though they
We're phantoms, and dozen sentinels
moved around his tent, charged to Sc
cure the silence which the general de-
manded. Chains were stretched across
the streets and roads in order to guard
him against the disturbance of sounds.
This taciturnity and love of silence, which
caused him to be irritated at the slight
est noise, was due to his constitutional
temperament He never smiled, he never
asked advice from any one and he could
not endure being gazed at even when
giving an order The soldiers, wnen he
crossed the camp, pretended not to see
him, knowing that serious look would
bring them punishment. Wallensteih ev-
identity did not subscribe to the conceit
that Language was invented to conceal
thought His emperor was convinced
that he was meditating treachery and out
lawed him, after which he was assas-
snated by some of his officers at Eger.
Those who have stood before Piloty's
celebrated painting in the new glyptothen
at Munich. 'Seni before the corpse of
Wallenstein.' have ever sensed the at
mosphere of mystery that environed this
strange man. / visited his palace at
Prague and saw his horse (stuffed) which
he rode at the battle of Lutzen. and
l must confess that even this dead, dumb
brute impressed me.
The Rathaus Getty halD of Prague pos
sesses curious clock. fashioned some
what after the ingenious mechanism of
that at Strassburg, and before this clock
q leaders of the Protestant party, most
of them Bohemian soldiers, were exc
cuted in 1921, and 12 years later II officers
of high rank were executed upon the same
spot by order of Wallenstein for allie red
cowardice at the battle of Lutzen. The
suburbs of Prague are oemmed with in
Vulnerable stately castles, the most su-
perb of which is the Stern-Schoss, SO
named because it's massive walls are
built>in the form of star. 1t is the only
one of its kind In existence and was orig
inally royal chateau.
Most Americans are better acquainted
with the products of Bohemia than they
are with the country itself. The land
is famous for it's celebrated health re-
sorts and it's beers, notably of the latter
Pilsener and Budweiser But it is also
noteworthy that it's watering places are
ia amous in history as the localities where
conferences were held, the object of which
was generally the suppression OF democ-
racy Carlsbad, with it's $1,000 annual
visitors, is too well known to dwell upon.