The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1914-09-17
Europe When the War Began.
Trials and Tribulations of Tourists The
Voyage Home.

Trials and Tribulations Of Tourists. The
Voyage Home.
DEAR JOURNAL FRIENDS. Realizing
that war is the all absorbing topic just
now, will confne my "reminiscences te
that part of our trip which is associated
with the great European struggle.
At Cologne, July 28th. we heard sing
ing of "Watch on the Rhine" and Other
patriotic songs after retiring for the
night, but saw no signs of mobilization
and suspected no trouble. We had 9
quiet and interesting trip up the Rhine,
enjoying the beautiful scenery, and cas-
ties with wonderful legends, vastly more
than we could have done had it come as
an anti.climax after Switzerland. Weis-
baden was calm, too, and not until we
reached Heidelberg did we fully realize
that something was doing" in Ger
many. The students were wildly en-
thusiastic there, men were crowding
around bulletins shouting and singing all
night long, women were weeping, and
soldiers were preparing to leave and bid
ding their friends goodbye. We came
out of Heidelberg on the morning of
July 31st on the last through train to
Switzerland. Parties coming out the
next day were obliged to walk four miles
across the border carrying their suit
cases. Even then it was too late for a
young German woman who was in our
compartment, and with whom we had
some conversation, to get to her home
in Dresden, and she was planning to get
a passport in Freiburg and get into
Switzerland if she could. She told US
that of about 200 guests at her hotel
there were only four left, and another
large hotel was practically deserted and
was serving no meals. She had received
news that the men of her family, who
were officers, had already responded to
the call, and her lover was going that
evening. She said her country was
afraid of Russia, and its only chance
was to mobilize quickly before Russia
had chance to get her superior numbers
to the border. She stated, however, with
great emphasis. that war with England
would be tremendously popular. AS we
Travelled south, we noticed only empty
trains going the other way for the use
of troops. Every bridge and culvert was
guarded in Germany, and when we cross
ed the border we found the same condi-
ton in Switzerland; but here the scenery
suddenly became vastly more interesting.
While shopping IT Lucerne that evening
we found the clerks much excited and
anxious to talk about their fears. One
girl said in her pretty broken English
t'You Americans don't know what war
means to US. You hire your soldiers to
fight, and it really doesn't mean much to
you whether they are killed or not, but
here it is our fathers and brothers and
husbands who go to the front, and we
must work in the fields to get them food
to eat" l went back to the hotel in
QlotdAOCd oIotC VI lJlllu, anu insisted
that we must get passports at once, but
could not succeed in arousing the men in
the party. They only put me off with
so this won't amount to anything. 1t
will soon blow over" However, the
the next morning before starting on the
beautiful sail around Lake Lucerne with
stop at Tells Chapel and a walk
through the wonderful Axenstrasse, two
OF us went to the information bureau to
get the consul's address. asked "What
do you think of the war scare, will it
amount to anything?" 20 yes, Madam"
was the answer l received, ''it is bad"
Even then couldn't brighten our men
folks, and when they did finally come to
see the danger had the advantage of
being all over my tremors, and from that
time l had no fears of being shot, i'm
prisoned, starved or anything of the
kind, though l used my camera freely
wherever | wished to do so. We found
the Swiss most delightful hosts. AL
though some parties had difficulty in set
thing their accounts, our hosts were per-
fectly willing to take our travellers
checks, and the proprietress at the Eden
IN Interlaken even offered to wait for
her pay until we reached America. AL
though the Swiss soldiers were being
collected from every hamlet and town
for the border, we had no trouble in get
ting to Interlaken by the grand scenic
route over Brunig Pass, up to this time
losing nothing of our trip as it had been
planned. But now our conductor re-
fused to use the money for side trips
that we had paid in advance, and eau
toned US not to spend a cent more than
necessary. Three of US, however, took
the Scheidegg and Eiger glacier trip,
which l would not have missed even had
l known would 60 hungry to pay for
it, Passing through the beautiful Latter
brunnen valley, hemmed in by huge noun
tain cliffs from which lovely springs were
falling from a great height, the train
slowly climbed the mountains, each mo-
ment revealing something grander and