Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-08-20

From Muelhauson the progress Of the
| French up to the outer line defense
| should be relatively easy as It lies over
good country. with tolerably good roads
about 80 miles along the very valley ~
the Rhine Here the rough, high coun-
try of the Vosges mountains has given
way to rather level plain land in which
| agriculture is followed more or less. The
| city OF Strassburg itself is only q miles
from the French frontier and 2io miles
from Paris, while 80 miles TO the north
east lies the German capital. Berlin.
The German forts at Strassburg, though
erected before 1899, for the most part
are thought to be thoroughly equipped
with up-to-date military accoutrements.
1t is here the Teuton forces must offer
their sternest resistance to the French II
the latter are to proceed northward from
their frontier. In case of dire stress the
Germans can put a large section Of the
town under water, It is eaid.
IN THE ROMAN DAYS.
Strnssburg has been a military strong
hold since the Roman period. This was
the scene OF the establishment Of the
Roman Argentoratum, where the eighth
legion OF the Romans was quartered aft
er the Celts, who had settlement there.
had been driven out In 357 Emperor Ju-
Ian won a signal victory over the Ale
manni here and Emperor Macmillan
| spoke Of 1t as the bulwark of the Holy
Roman empire in the north.
! But 20 years after Julians victory the
Alemannl got control of the fort and
still later 1T passed into the hands Of
the Franks. Its first church was built
! by Clovis In $40, and from that time II
acquired great political and religious i'm.
portance
Early in the middle ages. when it had
become the scat Of a Roman bishpprlc,
the Strassburgers chatting under the &C.
ciosiastical rule as they gained greater
wealth, struggled for freedom for many
years, finally meeting with success at
the battle of Obcrhausbergen in 1862, when
they received the designation Of free
imperial state from Philip Of swabia
The association with the Germans had
come In 933 when the Duke Of Lorraine
paid homage to Henry l.
The period Of commercial ascendancy
was followed by internal revolution
which in 1899 resulted in the admission
of the guilds TO n share in the govern
ment, and again the town began to -four
lsh. In 1881 it Joined the Swabian stadte.
bund
IN REFORMATION TIMES.
The reform doctrines were accented
there about l5-o under the leadership
'of Martin Rucer and for century and
a half the old StrassburGer Munster was
given over to the Protestant services.
But with the capture Of the town by
Louis XIV in 1881 there was a return to
the Roman Catholic faith
AT the time Of the French revolution
1t was deprived of IT'S privileges as a
free town and became a French pro-
vincia capital. Then the episcopal lands.
which had probably belonged to the blsh-
opric from the fourth century on. were
seized by the French government.
MANY FAMOUS BUILDINGS.
The most famous Of the Strassbure
buildings is the Munster, Of which a
volume could be written It represents
four centuries as it now stands. Part
Of the crypt dates from 1918. It's apse
denotes the transition from the Roman
esque to the Gothic style. while the nave.
In pure Gothic, was finished in 1915
The west facade, with screen Of
double tracery and beautiful sculptured
designs was planned by Won Steinbach.
but the upper part Of the facade and
the towers were finished in accordance
with later plan. The north tower,
erected in 1895 is 455 feet high. while
the beautiful staned-gass windows and
a strange astronomical clock are a few
Of the curios'ties of the medieval period
to be found there.
| The Protestant church Of St Thomas
which was built In Gothic style in the
18th and 1+th centuries with a monu-
ment OF Marshal SAKE, sculptured by
Jean Baptiste Pigalle. under Louis XIV,
Is another famous old building, while the
Hotel du Commerce is of the Renais-
sance period The Church of the Sacred
Heart and tii7 Temple Neuf, rebuilt
since 1870, are among the treasures of
the town
The Strassburg University, which is now
quartered In handsome buildings erected
between 1877 and 1894. many of them de-
signed by Eggert, was originally founded
IN 1861, but was suppressed In the French
revolution on the ground that 1t was n
stronghold of German feeling. 1t was
reopened in 1872. It has about /, 400 stu-
dents and 1870 professors There is also
in Strassburg a Protestant gymnasium
which dates from 1885