A TOUR IN EUROPE by G. C. Tenney

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 2, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 47.

A TOUR IN EUROPE.

By G. C. Tenney

FROM Wittenberg we proceeded to Eisenach and found a few hours' rest in the early morning. Just outside of this pretty town is the famous Wartburg Mount and Castle, to which Luther was conveyed upon being kidnapped by his friends. An ascent of 1,300 feet, occupying three-quarters of an hour, brings the visitor to the summit on which the castle stands. The place has been restored to its original form, and some portions of it are of the original building. This is true of that portion that contains Luther's room, where, under the appellation of "Knight George," he passed the time of his confinement translating the Scriptures. His table and bedstead are still there, and a section of the vertebra of a whale which he used for a footstool. The spot on the wall at which he hurled the inkstand as if to smite the devil is marked by a cavity in mortar and timber which has been dug out by relic seekers. The chapel, banquet hall, and hall in which the historical "Lieb Krieg," or song contest, was held, are points of interest, and especially so is the armory, stored with the habiliments, instruments, and relics of war of past centuries. But having seen what is to be seen within, the traveler is sure to be enchanted with the view which spreads out before him on every side.

The castle is a typical one of numberless similar edifices, now mostly crumbling to ruin, which crown many of the mountains and vantage points all through this country. They date from feudal times, some of them a thousand years old. In those days they were built and habited by chiefs and lords, who carried on a predatory warfare in their own personal behalf, and from these inaccessible fastnesses defied the restraints of law and order.

Pursuing our journey, the same day we passed the cities of Frankfort, Heidelberg, and Karlsruhe, the latter of which was the birthplace of Elder Conradi, who was conducting our party. As we passed through the country, he pointed out many spots familiar to his childhood and youth. After a night's rest at Offenberg we started early for a ride through the celebrated "Schwartz Walde," or Black Forest. It is a mountainous region on the north banks of the Rhine. The scenery was much of it very fine. A little after noon we were in Zurich, the home of Ulrich Zwingle, one of the brightest lights of the Reformation. The city is a fine one on the banks of a lake of the same name. The rushing river Sihl passes through the center of the town into Lake Zurich, and the Limmat passes through another portion as it emerges from the lake. Gross Minster is the name of the old church in which Zwingle preached. The building has a history of its own extending back previous to the discovery of America. Near by, a fine bronze monument perpetuates the memory of evangelist and warrior. But the most interesting relics we saw were found in the national armory, where are stored the arms and armor of past times. Here we find one of the first cannon ever used. It has a four-inch bore, is six feet long, and consists of a wrought-iron pipe strengthened by bands of iron and wound tightly with ropes, the whole being covered with a tight-fitting leather case. Here were two-handed swords nearly six feet long, and an almost endless array of man-slaughtering implements, ancient and modern. In a case by themselves were Zwingle's battle-ax and mace and iron hat, or helmet, pierced on the right side with an irregular hole of considerable size, through which he received his death wound. One can hardly look upon these things without repeating, "All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword." To our perception it seems most unfortunate that this man should have so mistaken the call of duty as to lay down the Bible and take up the accoutrements of death. In many respects his work, and the fruits of it, excel in real merit that of Luther's; but the shortsighted choice of the battle field cut his career short, and left his work but partly done.

Proceeding, toward the close of the afternoon we reached Neuchatel and Colombier late at night. On the way, at Schaffhausen, we crossed the Rhine again, and caught a glimpse of the beautiful Rhine Falls. Switzerland is a land of roaring, delicious water, rushing streams, and sparkling fountains; but it is to the uninitiated temperance traveler a land of tantalizing thirst. During our stay and travels in that country the heat was considerable, much greater than we had anticipated, and, as we were informed, unusually so. For the convenience of thirsty mortals, wine and beer are everywhere present, with plenty of glasses from which to drink. But the cheap, common water bubbles in vain, sparkles and murmurs or roars its own praises on unheeding ears. Once in a while an isolated, appreciative temperance man comes along, the water invites, and the man longs, but no friendly glass or cup offers to mediate in bringing the two ardent friends together. The traveler dare not risk his dignity and linen by putting his mouth to the stream, nor his reputation for sanity by asking for an outlandish a thing as a drink of water. So he goes on, wishing his good sense had told him to bring a cup with him, and placing a telescope tumbler at the head of the list of things he will bring next time.

Switzerland is not the pinched-up country it appears to be on many of our maps. It is true that in some places it has more land to the acre than any other country in the world, for it is stacked up high. But its square area is about 16,000 square miles, which is nearly equal to double the area of Massachusetts, or four times that of Connecticut. Through the country from southwest to northeast runs a broad and level valley, from the center of which the Alpine peaks are barely visible in the distance. It is not this plain that attracts the attention of the world, but the mountainous portions of the south and southeast part of the republic. And of all that has been said or written, it may be observed that the half has never been told. It is untellable.

G. C. TENNEY.