Glimpses Of Europe

Oct. 30, 1890. My dear Mr. Jacobs, - I proiaised to teil yon in this letter something about Paris. It would take montbs to see the grand sights of the Frenen capítol and volumes to desoribe tbem. I oan only mention a few of the places which it was my pleasnre to visit during my short sojourn. The Lonvre art galleries were the greatest attraotion to me and natnrally I made my first visit there. This grand pile of buildings along the river Seine, oontaios the flnest and largest colleotion of ancient and religious woiks of art in the world. lts remarkaale history dates back to the twelfth centnry. lts miles of paintings, halls and halls of ivories, bronzes, marbles, majolicasand furnitnre of Romau, Grecian, Etruscan and Egyptian art, would be impossible for me to decribe. [ shall live iu hope that my friends can come in 1900 to enjoy it all themseives. I must mention, however, ;hat grand statue of "Venus de Milo" whioh is mnob more beautifnl than any idea I had reoeived from its mauy reproduotions. The great paintings in :he gallery ut' Rubeus were most impressive. My next visit was the Jjnxembourg Palace, built in imitation of the Palazzo Pitti at Florence. It is the House ot :he Senate. lts annexes contain a great übrary and a grand gallery of modern paintings, some of whioh I notice are reproduoed in this montb's McClure's Magazine. lts extensive gardens witb aronze statuary, fountains, rose nurseries, and daily military band concerts make it a favorite íesort for the art stndents of the Latiu Quarter vicinity. The American Art Assooiation, where [ made headquarters is but a block away. The sparrows in the Luxembourg Garden are so tame that they fly down from the trees after orumbs and ight on the flngers of the passers by. Sunday morning of Oct. 4, I visited the largest cathedral of Paris, the historio Notre-Dame eglise begun in 1163. lts three lofty recessed portals, arohed naves, around which are many spaoious chapéis where the worshippers may be holding several services at the same ime, lts high pulpit is riohly carved wood, its tombs, monuments, soulpure of saints, angels and prophets, the ancient rural decorations and rose windows of brilliantly painted glass were very impressive to me. In one of the ;owers is a farnous bell weighing more ban fourteen tons. From the top of this tower we had a grand view of the city, the course of the Seine and its jeautiful bridges. The Madeleine is another magnifioent church whose exterior, with its fifty;wo fluted Corinthian columns, looks ike au enormous Greoian temple. It oontains grand collections of art treasures similar to those in the NotreDame. The Pantheon, whioh was formerly a churoh, has some grand mural jaintings. lts dome is the highest in Prance. The Hotel des Invalides is a jome and hospital for Freuoh army veterans. In adduion there is a large chnrch, nnder the dome of which is the ;omb of Napoleon. A circular irarblft; balustrade, supported by twelve oolos sal statues, surrounds a depression nineteen feet deep iu the center of whioh stands the sarcophagus of the Great Ëmperor. It is a single blook of polished granite weighiug abont thirteen tons. Adjoining the vault is a sepulohral chapel oontaining Napoleon's sword, insignia,, crown and flags taken in his battles. The Hotel de Ville, the residence of the ohief magistrate of the city, is the most magnificent of the Parisian palaces. It was once burned to the grotind, a fire in whicb six huudied people lost their livcs. The Place de La Concoide, said to be the grandest open space of any city, is the spot where Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Charlotte Corday, RobeBpierre and over two hundred others were beheaded. On this same historio site, stands the "Obelisk of Luxor" whioh was ereoted bef ore the Temple of Thebes by Rameses the Great, iu B. C. 1350. lts transportation from Egypt oost $500,000 The Bourse is a stately edifice with a colonnade of some sixty Corinthian pillara and fonr oolossal statues represen ting Commerce, Commeroial Law, Iudustry and Agrionlture. lts beautiful interior adorned with paintings and statuary produoed a notioeable contrast to the howling gambling transaotors whose oríes of "Je venda" "Je prends" and "Je donne" made a roar equal to that of Niágara. L'Opera, or the National Acaderny of Musio, where it was my pleasure to hear that grand production of Faust, is the finest opera house in the world, and cost nearly $10,000,000. lts exterior is adorned with busts and statues of musioians and several sculpture groups. I never expect to see more beautiful interiors than those of its vestibule of marble stairways and of its saloon, one hundred and sixty feet long and gorgeously decorated with paintings, sculptnre, colossal mirrors and walls in gold relief of Louis I design. lts audience room has five galleries and a stage rising to a great beight. Paris bas several triumphal arobes "Aro de Triumphe de l'Etoile" is the largest and iinest in the world. It was commenced by Napoleon in 1806, is one bundred and sixty feet high and coat $2,000,000. Leading down froiu Are de Trinrnphe is Charnps L'Elysees, one of the most beautiful and popular city promenades which like other Parisiau boulevards is oonstantly thronged Witb carriages and pedestriaus, especially in the evening, when the hosts of people sitting ontside brilliantly lighted oafes and crowds of others danoing on the pavement to the ruusic of restaurant orcbestras inake quite a novel soene to Americans. I shall never forget my deligbtful visit to the beautiful palace and gardens of Versailles, situated on an elevation surrounded by wooded valleys eight miles froru Paris. The trip is along the Seine rivet and the scenery is grand. The splendid palace, the home of Marie Antoinette is a vast stone house of paintings and sculptnre. The oíd gardens, with lakes, lagoons, terraces, magnificent stone stairways, innumerable statue gronps, sculptured fonntaius, swans, long rows of tall aged poplars on either side of broad paths; all this was most impressive to me. It immediately bronght to my miud the source of the beautiful backgrounds of so many famous pain tinga. Probably you have already read about the grand oelebration in houor of the Czar of Rnssia on which ocoasion the people from all Franoe assembled to Paris. I mnst say I was disappointed so far as procession was concerned. It merely consisted of the Czar and nis royal body guards, who hasteued by amid shouts of "Vive LesRusse." But the crowd was the greatest jam I have ever been in and so large tbat the bridges were blockaded and the people unable to reach hone until the next morning. The following day I left for Mnnioh, stopping at Strasabnrg and Ulm. The great cathedral of Strassburg, begun in the ninth century, bas rnuch the same order of grandeur as other cathedrals. The famous clock was of conrse a great treat. It is just as some one bas said that "Absorbed in the pleasure of these grand sights of Eorope we forget all we are learning at the same time." The cathedrals have been a speoial sohooling to me and their art an incentive to Biblical study. At Ulm, where I met my "reisegefsfibrte," we visited that grand oíd pile, the oathedral of Ülm. I eau not forget the feeling that came over me as we stood alone in a death stillnesa gazing at that magnifioient interior, illuminated with the tinted rays of the evening snn through vast mangold windows. And then we examined its colossal pillara, its masterpieoes of art, its ohoircbairs, the mosc beautifully carved in the world and the organ, one of the finest in Europe, oontaining over six tbousand pipes That of the JMormou tabernacle at Salt Lake City, olaimed to be the largest in the world, does not compare with it. Climbing up endless flights of winding Btairs which become narrower and smaller toward the top, we finally reached the last flight of the steeple of this old chuerh. And there I realized myself in the tallest spire in the world, eighty-seven feet higber than the Great Pyramid of Egypt and two hnndred feet higber than St. Paul's. Here we had a niagnifioieut view of Ulm, its gothic tile-covered roofs, the swift flowing Dannbe and the Swiss añd Bavarian mountains. It was my good fortune to oross Prance and the greater part of Germany in this glorious autumn weather and especially when all the Frenen and Germán peasants are busy in small cbeoker-board farras gathering in their harvests. I am told that when the faimer over here fluds a ohance to sell bis ox, be marries, for he does not need "two beasts of bnrden." At any rate his wife does the hardest pait of tbe work, and while sbe toils, leaves her children and baby-carriage in sorue shady spot near by. The varying landscapes along the route, with their lakes, cañáis, artistio bridges, rolling meadows, bordered by tall feathery poplars, terraced bill-sides, bedecked with vine yards, glimpses of castle túrrete, wioding roads as white and trim as concrete walks, orncifix crosses ot every forra wbere the peasants kneel at noon to worship, women herdiug oattle and oxen hanling hay - all this was novel and ruost interesting to me. ArriviDg at Munich, Oct. 10, we visitpid on tbe outskirts of the city, the "Oktober Fest," the traditional celebration of tbe peasants given annmilly at tbe close of harvest. It was notting more tbau tweuty or tnirty aores of beer, pretzel and wienerwurst restaurants, and wbere everything from a herring to an ox was roasted on a spit before a flre. Tbe people assembled tbere afternuons and evenings in great numbers, to bave a gpod time and from appearances tbey certainly did. To usjit was au interestiug exhibition of the characteristics of Germán and Swiss peasantry. Were I a oartoonist, I should want to resort to this spot for suggestions. I have seen many speoimens of humanity but none to compare witb the contour of the average Swiss gentleman, whom yon can imagioe, of several hundred ponnds avoirdupuois, wearing golf stocking legets (if I may sa speak) and a small green feit clown - like hat with a feather sticking in it and fastened to his head like that of a hand-organ monkey. I am delighted with Munich. It is a feast of decorative art. The houses are adorned with soulpture and bas reliëfs and the exterior walls of many are entirely covered with decorative paintings. Even the lamp posts are ornamented with cnpids and the street ment wrcragbt into design, lts bndges, fonntains and hnge wrought iron gatee are a mass of applied art. It is not so in Paris. One natnrally assooiates the general rnn of Frenen art with tbe airy gayety girl and the like. In consideraion of all tbe argumenta in favor of Parisian sohoola I went to flnd out elf aud was disappointed. It's uot tbe art I ata af ter. I have alwavs liked the Gerruan people, bnt tbeir hospitality aud good nature have made ine learu to like tbem all the moie. Tbe difference of cn;.ructer between tbem and the Freuch is noticed inirnediately on crossiug the border line. I sbould like to have yon read the article about "arr student life in Munioh," in tbis mouth's number of Frank Leslie's magazine. It ia illustrated and gives a splendid idea of Munioh. I do not agree with it eutirely, however. To be sure, tho Germans have a total disregard for time, and speud half of it in cafes und musió halls aud some Americana fall into the same habita. There are about twelve studeuts froin onr country in the academy and most all hard workers. We have come too far to be idlers. I think it dependa muoh upou oue's iuclinations. I flnd rnyself more energetio than in California's enervatiug climate and enjoy work more han I ever did. LiviDg is not expensive here and mauy thinga are rernarkably cheap. We expect to enjoy grand Wagner opera, be favorita entertainment of the art and musio Ktndeuts for as little as fifty jfeunigs or twelve and a half cents tbis winter. Last week we went to the Dnlt, an anunal fair of the second-hand and antiqnity shops. This was a treat for '. am a lover of relies and old books. I could have bougbt an old spinning wheel for sixty-flve cents. One of my 'riends lagged home a ponderoua pig skin silver monuted book of the fifteenth century for which he purohased for a dollar. I fonnd a history of Navarri, jrinted in 1590 and several Latin bibles and histories of the sixteeDth centnry for flve cents apiece. Ou the other hand there are many exjenses over here which seem ridicolous. ?or instance at seme of the concert halls, coat and umbrella are demanded, checked aud a charge for same. At'tbe city library a foreigner must make a cash deposit for privileges besides paying an entrance fee of "Trink geld" (money for a drink). I have an aoquaintance who is abont to take the examination for-entrance to the conseiva;ory of music. The examination fee is ifteen marks and if he fails to pass, ive maiks will be returned and the ïeads of the institntion keep the rest. This is a city of many eduoational mstitutions, oonsequently there are students from all parts of Europe. They band together into fraternities (better oalled drinking clubs) and make themselves conspiouons in high patent leather Doots, velvet hats in various oolors, big 'acial scars and onltivate long goat-like Deards on the ohiu. Their favorita resorts are tbe beer gardens aud public promenades and they are present in ?reat nnmbers at tbe military band concerts, given at noon daily on the 'Odeou Plat." We Americana oomparatively oould improve somewhat, so far as mauners are conoerned, still, on the other hand I thiuk politeness over here is carried toexcess; I mean the perpetual act of pnlling off the hat. It really beoomes sxpensive, for with a man who has a large acquaintance in any pnb ie place; ais hat is never two minutes at rest. Men always salute eaoh other by tipping the hat, whioh they do as if they were endeavoring to kill a bee. People jreet aud bid one another adieu at res:aurant tables, whether or not they aave ever met before. I snppose you have heard óf the European oustom of osoulation among men. It is a most laughable sight to see two old whisker.ed fellows meet on the street and ?reet with a kiss on each side of the cheek. Society aJpo bas its peculiarities. I am told it is not the oustom for single men to walk with ladies on the street nor to escort thern to places of amusement. When tbe young Germán oalls on a lady friend (if perohance he should bave one) he visits the entire fanaily and should he continue his visitw the maternal side of the house would be liable to question him regarding his inten ti ons. Germán cities are well fortified and so compaotly built that most of the streets are narrow and pass tbrough arobed tunnel ways. There are seven of these between here and the heart of the city a distance of half mile. Tbe streets are kept sorupulously clean by women who sweep them nightly with hazel sprout brooms. The house oombers begin at the eud of tbe street, number up on oue side and down the other. I notice mauy old door-knockers, desigued with heads of oxen, fisb, etc, emblematic of the business of the merchant. Plaoes of business are extremely old and pass from the hauds of one generation to the next. I feel sorry for the women servants here ; they are slaves in the truest sense of the word and receive iittle remuueration more than their board. We would think it odd for a woman to oarry heavy trnnks np several flights of stairs or after serving five meáis a day, the last at ten p. m., to sit up late shining all the shoes of a family, but snch are some of the reqnirements of the Germán servant. I have also seen old grey-headed woman delivering papers, oarrying heavy hods of mortar to the top of buildings, pushing loaded vegetable carts, bare-beaded aud bare footed these frosty mornings, and driving a flock of nanny-goats (for such are some of the milk deliveries in Germany). On the street near by, I have watched an old oonple sawing and splitting wood. The old woman saws all tbe wood. Her busband splits it. She piles it into a rack holding perhaps ten armfuls, whiob strapping to her back, she carries np a flight of stairs. When their work is done, they are privilged to take home the largest chunk which tho woman carries in addition to ber saw, sawbuck and wood rack. Her husband marches gallantly homeward oarrying nothing but his little band ax. Germán furnitnre is all peouliar but eepeoially the stoves and beds. The former ie tile covered, iiarrow, six to ten feet high and sets close ia the corner. Soft ooal pressed into brioks is nsed as fuel. The "fedcr bett" is nuthing more than a narrow wooden box of feather-ticks, bnge pillows and bolsters I and so short that one must lie in a halfsitting posture. A person feels quite out of sight in this uperfluity of feathers but oertaiuly nut in the slaug seuse of the phrase. This is trnly the "Land of Beur, Cheese, Sausage and Saurkraut". One cannnt walk a block without nieetiug somebody homeward bound witb a mug of beer. I saw an old toper the otber day with his quart mug strapped on his baok. We expeot to reside for the winter at a pension whiob ie the most desirable way of liviug here; tnough I am not yet accnstomed to I mealtime. We finish snpper abont half past eight o'clook. I don't wonder the bioycle riders are so few here, for they haven't even as many privileges as in Paris. After the wheeJman pays his license and takes an examination to see whetber he can ride well enuugh and has supplied himself with bell. lanternn, brake and mudguards, he is provided witb a book of laws and reqnirements telling what streets he can or can't ride on; when be meets a pedestrian, he must torn to theleft; wben he passes one, to the r'tzht; wheu be leaves a drive-way he must ges first that the street is clear. Wheu '"Seine Kcenigliche" or "Ihre Majestaeten" passes, he mnst dismount, take off his bat and wait nntil the carriage is out of sight. If he wishes to rent a bicycle, he mnst hire a cab and take tbe wheel ontside the city. Such are some of the ridicnlous requirements of bicycling. Germauy has naaDy holidays. Tliis is "All Saints Feiertag. " We have been visiting tb3 castle and Gardens of Nymphenburg and have seen the subtenaneau tombs of King Lndwig II, and inany dnkes and prinoes. We have already made some good frieuds, among thi-m Mr. Corning, United States vice consulate, Oriu Peck and Cari Marr, well known artists to wbom I had letters of introduction from Halsey C. Ives. This letter is already altogether too long. I will have to teil you about Munich when I write again. The weather here is a big oontrast to that of California. Very Sincerely Yours, 14 II Arualieu Strasse.