Year: 1874

Austria.


Rev. John Dillon permits US to copy
| the following extracts from private let
ter from Rev. j. D. Fry ]-ED.


''TUFFER, Austria, May 3, 1874
| when 1 commence to write to you
about what we have seen, / know not
what to say, for VIC have seen enough
since we have left Halle to fill small
volume. In the last letter 1 spoke some
of Prussia | will now write about Aus
tria. The first Austrian country or
Province that we came into was Bohe-
mia, the land of John Huss. We ap-
preached it from Saxon Switzerland,
very hilly, yet picturesque part of Saxo-
ny. AS we entered it we were intro
duced to huts covered with thatched
roofs. The country is very cold, l sup
pose. in the winter, hence the walls of
their huts are very thick. Il am now
describing villages of from 500 to 1000
inhabitants,) and have small W ndows,
perhaps two feet square, and double;
that is, two sets of sash one foot apart,
the inner from the outer. The houses
are about twelve feet wide and twenty
feet long, and whitewashed. but the lower
part of the wall about three feet high
with blue color and the rest white,
save when they want to be fancy, then
the whole wall is covered with figures
like the leaf of grape. Most of these
houses are covered with rye straw in the
shape of thatched roof, and the loft is
used as hay NOW to store away fodder
for the cattle.


After we left Prague we thought we
would like to stop over night in some
country village to see village life as we'll
as city. We saw from our guide that
there were some things in the vicinity of
Saitz that were of interest, and so we
concluded to buy ticket to that station
When we got to the station we found
that the town was three quarters of
mile from there and when we walked out
to the town we found most of the houses
covered with straw, yet the appearance
of the whitewashed walls made us hope
that we could find place to stay all
night. We made inquiry and learned
| that there were three (GaSthauseS) hotels
in the place, but were directed to one as
being decidedly the best in the place
We went there and found that they had
| one extra bed with which to accommo-
date their guests, and that a bed for only
one, as all the beds are in Germany. l
| have seen no other since here. This bed
was in the pantry or room where they
| kept dishes and edibles in, and only
! partly partitioned off from the dining
room and bar-room. The lady of the
| house thought we could sleep in that
bed, but Mrs. F. thought not, so we left
and n ade inquiries for the other hotels,
but found out that the former was the
only one that had even a single bed to
| accommodate strangers, so we went back
| to the railroad and took the next train
! for a larger town and got to Lunden-
burgh late, and found hotel a little
better than the one described, with two
beds, and stayed for the night. In the
morning early l took ramble to a
neighboring town, about mile and a
half off. l will here copy a part of my
diary:


l started out and saw in many respects
what had seen in the aforementioned
town (Saitz.) Men and women were on
their way together to work. The women
wore short dresses that came little be-
low their knees and heavy boots like the
men. Some of the men had around
their caps wreaths for an ornament,
made of red white, yellow and blue col
ors. l walked to an adjoining village,
Tamanauh. First thing on entering was
the cross. Houses about fifteen feet
square,


Then follows the description 1 have
already given. Perhaps l ought to say,
before continuing the quotations from
my diary, that the cross is no uncommon
thing in Austria. You may see them in
the graveyard. by the church, at the
entrance of village, by the roadside, on
a farm, sometimes a halfdoZen in the
space of mile; sometimes an effigy OF
Christ alone on the cross, and sometimes
the two thieves on each side of him, but
more frequently Mary with the infant
Savior, and before these efhgies a place
to kneel, look and repeat prayers. Saw
some men driving a herd of swine. They
| were the long nosed, slab sided breed
that men raised in Ohio thirty years ago
Men with whips ever and anon cracking
: them, (this is great country for crack
ing whips and young man with lonG
horn. made out of the horn of an animal


with which every five or ten minutes h,


blew a rude tune not unpleasant to {


novice like me. Saw drove of cattle


the drover also used horn. Somewha
. further on saw the laying of the foun
. dation of brick house. About ar
d equal number of men and women were
It at work together The women wer,


carrying mortar and wheeling dirt from


the cellar, while the men did the shovel
= ing and laying the brick. The morta


was quite thin, and they dipped it VI


with ladle and poured 1T where the,


Wdnleu loi UlSCdFulHS VIC uSS VI ITOWe


altogether. l stood and watched then


while they spoke their short Bohemian


language, and was, l suppose, as great


curiosity to them as they were to me.


A little further on ! heard a man max
|. ing muttering sound. As drew near
stopped to see and hear him. He wa


before the door of the Burgomastel


He had no cap on, his hair had neve


seen a comb his clothes all in rags. Fror
what could understand | knew he wa


praying. ! heard him again and agai
- bring over the words Maria and Amer


| said to stranger passing by, "Sprecke


sic Deutch p He said YAH so l aske
him about the man and he said he was
beggar. Begging and praying" said


and he answered "yes." Returned


Lundenburgh and stopped awhile in Il
~ Roman Catholic Church. Saw some


the rudest worshipers l ever behel
ne Most of. them covered with filth, wit


their heads in their hands. After fe