The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1921-09-30

in your mouth In the "Naussauer
: Haus" you duck your head and climb
down crazy old stairs. Then you
find little grottoes with tables in
them, the walls hung with old prints,
sign tells you this was built in 134S; !;
stuffed animals swing from the cell
ing. Oh yes, and one very modern
note: On one wall hangs an airplane
propeller with this legend in German: !:
"At the beginning of the World War
! in 1914 this was the first airplane to
fly over Brussels and Paris" 1t bears
the Iron Cross.
Then go to Rothenberg. Change
cars two or three times, give up get
ting there at all, walk miles after you
do get there, talk all kinds of poor
German to "Mein Herr" who keeps
the queer little inn and you are in
Rothenburg. Here is little village,
behind two great walls with towers
square and round, with crooked streets
and rambly houses, with more of those
great, crazy roofs. Here 1t is pic
ture everyway you look. The little
homes have bright flowers, in every
window; they are the coolest, most
domestic little houses in the world and
you want to take a picture of every
gate and doorway, of every queer old
iron-scrolled sign that hangs out, of
every old lady who saws wood there
in the lane that seems to ramble off
somewhere into the Middle Ages.
/ have yet to encounter one bit of
unfriendliness or one sign of animosi-
ty. My atrocities in the way one Of
the German language at once puts us
down as foreigners, though in appear
ance an American Is less conspicu-
ously different here than elsewhere
on the continent. Everyone has been
most obliging, no one ever fails to say
please" not even the man, or more
often old woman, who asks you to
buy newspaper on the street. The
English language is nowhere despis-
ed, on the contrary every German I've
talked to says he means to learn Eng
] lish. Everyone wants to talk to you
when they learn you are an Ameri-
can; they want to learn all they can
about our country, believe that all is
money over there, and many say they
want to come over.
1t Is impossible for me to close with
out word about the women of Ger
many. You will allow me some men
tion of women, won't you, Mr.. Editor?
No doubt, it always is dangerous
subject. These German ladies are
most remarkable for their conspicu-
Gus good health. They seem never
to have known sick day, both men
and women are very large in Ger
many, but the latter are of great
muscular, athletic sort that makes
you gasp. You feel that piano mov-
ing would be tho slightest task in the
German housewives day. Although
there must be many, many more
young women than men in this coun-
try today. I've never seen woman
unattended, never sign of powder,
never show of style nor a filtration.
Their clothes are on the square idea
models Of 1912, guess and don't
believe they ever heard OF the "vam-
pire" idea or silk stockings. Both men
and women seem too busy to think of
lifes ornamentations, so in dress and
manner they seem painfully plain to
us. Essentially domestic they appear
with robust health, a power and vi
Witty that comes straight from the
home.
Movies, the automobile and all that
sort of thing doesn't appear in theii
scheme of existence. Usually they e
to one Of the thousands of cafes
where, for seven cents in our money
you get little something to eat ant
drink, and sit almost silently listening
to the best of musc-Beethoven ant