PEASANT LIFE

GERMANY.

Miss Anna C. Johnson,
Author of the "Iroquois," "Myrtle Wreath," etc., etc.

NEW YORK:
CHAELES SCE-IBNER, 124 GRAND STREET.
1858.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1858, by
CHARLES SCItlBKSE
In tlie Clerk's Office of tbe District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York.

W. II. Tnreos, SMreotyper, Qioeob Russeli. h Co 'prlnto "
Rear of 43 & 45 Centre St, N. Y. 61 Beekman St., N. Y.

SAMUEL R1CKER,
" CONSUL-GENERAL OP THE UNITED STATES OP AMERICA, FOR THE HANSEATIC'
AND FREE CITIES OP THE GERMAN CONFEDERATION,"
THIS VOLUME
IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED,
IN TESTIMONY OP THE GRATITUDE OF THE AUTHOR FOR THE PROTECTION AND
ASSISTANCE CORDIALLY AFFORDED IN ALL PLACES "WITniN HIS JURISDIC
TION, AND FOR HIS COMMENDATORY INTRODUCTIONS TO OTHER CON
SULAR AGENTS, WHICH SECURED FOR HER ALL THE OFFICIAL
AND FRIENDLY AID SUE NEEDED UPON A DIFFICULT MISSION
IN A STRANGE LAND.

CONTENTS

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PAGE
Introductory  9

CHAPTER I.
First Impressions — Going to Church — Sunday Pie-Nic — Amusements —
Manners and Customs,  34
CHAPTER II.
Unity, Liberty, and Slavery,  49
CHAPTER III.
Aristocracy — Officials — Passports,  61
CHAPTER IT.
Costumes — Feudal Oppression — Religion,  73
CHAPTER V.
Military System and its Effects,  83
CHAPTER VI.
Rise and Decay of Feudalism — Growth of Free Cities— Annual Dinner of
Merchants and Sea-Captains at Bremen,  97

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VII.

rAGB
. 115

Guilds and Trades,  CHAPTER VIII.
Farmers and Farming — Village Homes— Education,  127
CHAPTER IX.
Agriculture — Irrigation — Superstitions — Flax-RaisiDg, . . . .141
CHAPTER X.
Fairs — Housekeeping — Domestics — Art in Europe and America, . . 157
CHAPTER XI.
Valley of the Rhine — Commerce — Luther— Guttenberg, . . . .172
CHAPTER XII.
Cities of the Rhine — Legends and Superstitions,  186
CHAPTER XIII.
Vineyards — Culture of Wine, Flax, and Silk,  198
CHAPTER XIV.
The Palatinate — The Vintage — St. Werner — The Jews — Nuremberg 
Wine Drinking — Grape-Cure,  210
CHAPTER XV.
TheOdenwald — Churches — Funerals — Balls — Smoking — Drinking  Want
of Politeness — Immorality — Marriage and Betrothals, .... 221
CHAPTER XVI.
The Odenwald — Tobacco Raising and. Smoking — Black Bread  Costumes
— Games — Legend of Emma and Eginhard— Wild Animals, . . ,931-

CONTENTS. Vll
CHAPTER XVII. FAGB
Washing — Sauerkraut — House Furniture — Housekeeping — Girls going to
America— School System and Schools— Papers — Masters— Education
of Girls,  252
CHAPTER XVIII.
Division of Land — Taxes— Habits of Life— Brunnen— Village Life— Scene
at the Brunnen— A Meeting and a Marriage,  266
CHAPTER XIX.
The Black Forest — Postillions — Farm-Houses — Food— Women and Cows
— Windmills — A German Yankee — Porcelain Stoves — A Mother, but
not married — Braiding Straw— Clocks — The Tax-Gatherer— Inns —
Boarding-Houses,  281
CHAPTER XX.
Agricultural Fairs— Costumes — Garden Festivals,  299
CHAPTER XXI.
Amusements — A Pastor's Welcome — A Village Raising — Marriage Con
tracts — Weddings — Gold and Silver Weddings — Birth-Days — Name-
Days — Games,  311
CHAPTER XXII.
Costumes — Women working in the Field — Lodgings at an Inn — Kitchen
Work — Recipe for preserving Fresh Fruit — Cider Making — Tiles — Carts
— Wooden Utensils — Apple-Bee — Sausages — Food — Chimney-Sweeps
— Titles — Etiquette of Calling — Betrothals,  351
CHAPTER XXIII.
Amusements — Palmers — Shrines — Mariazelle — Maria Tafel — Black Lady
of Altotting— St. Wenceslaus — Easter Monday in Vienna — Whitsuntide
in Frankfort on the Maine — Confirmation — Christmas, .... 340

VUI CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXIV. PAGE
Amusements Continued — Observance of Sunday — Change of Manners in
the New World — Peasant Manners in Thuringia — Feast of the Grasko-
nig, or Grass-king — Wedding Festivities — Costume — Universal Fond
ness for Sport — Inquisitiveness — Penuriousness,  358
"chapter XXV.
Miners and Lace Weavers of Saxony — Farmers of Schleswig Holstein,
of Westphalia, and Oldenburg, and of Northern Prussia — Supersti
tions — Amber Fisheries — Costumes — Dutch Settlers on the Vistula —
St. Bartholomew's Day at Berlin — Pfingsten,  372
CHAPTER XXVI.
Education in Germany — Invention — Artists — The German Element in the
United States — Emigration — Picture of a German Family preparing to
go to America,  386
APPENDIX,  405

PEASANT LIFE W GERMANY.

INTRODUCTORY.
" To Germany !" " Yes, to Germany." " And do you intend
to write a book — to add another to the catalogue of stupid
details of travelers' experiences, telling how many times you
lost your carpet-bag, how many lords, and dukes, and nobles
you saw, and how many times they condescended to bow to
you ; how far off you were permitted to stand to gaze at a
princess, and how some stupid old baron permitted you to walk
through his stables, provided you uncovered your head in the
presence of his horses, and left not the dust of your republi
can feet on the threshold of his dog-kennel 1"
Yes, indeed, we intend to write a book, though not after that
fashion. We do not intend to make it a copy of guide-books,
as those have done who write as you portray, taking verbatim
descriptions of castles from Murray and Boediker ; talking
of dinners in the palaces of dignitaries which they never
ate ; going into ecstasies over cathedrals which they never
entered, and enthusiastically expatiating upon pictures and
marble figures, because they were executed by old masters,
and which very likely they never saw. We intend to write
a book, and you shall see that there are not only new things
1* a

10 PEASANT LITE IN GERMANY.
to be seen under the sun, but new things to be said. We
will describe the people — -who have been passed by as if they
were dogs, or worms to be trodden upon, because they bend
their necks to the yoke of princes. We will tell you how they
live in the cottages, for into these we shall certainly find ad
mittance. " The peasantry 1" exclaims a fashionable young lady,
" those stupid people, what can you tell about a blowzy old
Frau, making Sauerkraut ?"
By this, we confess, our spirits were a little damped, but we
still answered, " You shall see.''
Another exclaims, " Alone, what can you do traveling
alone — and how are you to understand them ? You do not
speak the language, and in no two villages do they speak the
same language."
Alas ! deeper and deeper did our heart sink at this.
"Alone," to be sure ; but that we were in this humiliating
position did not make us fear or tremble. We only thought
of " what the world would say." We were doing something
unconventional, and might as well commit regicide. The lan
guage we did not know, but that we could learn. In spite of
all this, we heard a voice, saying, " Go, and the Lord will
prosper you."
We came, dear reader, and if prosperity is any evidence
tlat the Lord has been with us. we need not spend any more
words to prove that we have done wdl, in departing from the
beaten track of tourists, and departing from a certain conven
tional rule that would have doomed us to a life of idleness and
uselessness, had we obeyed it, instead of obeying the voice of
God in our soul.
Yet it was with a depression upon our spirits, not to be told

INTRODUCTORY. 11
in words, that we found ourselves alone upon the deck of the
great steamer, that bright, cloudless day, the 21st of March,
1851; and as one by one the cables are slipped, one by one the
ropes are loosened, one by one the chains fall heavily, the anchor
heaves and the good ship Hermann drops down the bay, we
feel as if the chords of our heart were snapped, and every
link that bound us to earth were severed, instead of a few
threads torn asunder that connect us to our native land, and
that will only be cemented all the stronger when we come back,
with the love of home and friends and country increased a
thousand-fold. Yet we were not long alone. It was a gallant ship with a
gallant captain,* as ever sailed the seas. We had none of the
ordinary " sea voyage " experience. The vessel was like a
lady's parlor for neatness ; the discipline, we were told, was
like that of a man-of-war, but so perfect we could not see any
discipline at all. The company was as if the captain had in
vited a select few to spend a fortnight agreeably together, and
all the way to Southampton was one long day of new and fresh
delight. We enjoyed every moment the exhilaration which
breathes in each word and line of Barry Cornwall's song :
" The sea, the sea, the open sea !
The blue, the fresh, the ever free !"
being in all its variations a new world of beauty and glory
and majesty.
We have always heard of the sailor's love for his ship and
the mighty deep, and learned, if not to understand it, at least
* Captain Edward Higgins. The ship has since passed into other hands, and he hap
left the sea.

12 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
to wonder at it, for not in a year, or any number of years, had
any cot upon the land so linked itself to our affections, or the
communion of many months so bound our heart in holy sym
pathy and friendship, as these few days shut out from all the
world beside, tossed in a frail bark upon the rolling waves.
Bremen was our destined port ; and now came the pang, the
sting for which there was no balm — a bitter cup which had in
it no drop of sweetness. We learned for the first time the
anguish of parting when we said good bye to ship and ship's
companions, and found ourselves upon the little boat that was
to take us lazily up the Weser. Not a word could we under
stand, to be sure, of the jargon that was jingling and grating
upon our ears. " How can it be possible," we exclaimed,
" when God made of one blood all nations under Heaven,
that they can make themselves so different, not only in tongue
and tint, but in all thought and action. In all that is within
and all that is without, there is scarcely a human resemblance
between the American and the German."
The first feature of the land, upon which our eyes rest, tells
us of the transition from the new world to the old — the little
mud-walled cottages, over which the grass has grown till they
look like green mounds dotting the plain upon which they
stand. Even the green is not the light, fresh green of an
American meadow, but darker, and the stems more thickly set
upon the sod. How much heavier the little fishing smack and
the great net of the fishermen. How strangely the .quaint
little boats dot the borders of the stream, and how stiff and
grim frown these old walls as we near the city. What narrow,
dingy, crime and poverty nestling-places are these old streets.
Yes, we are in the old world, where antiquity is the pride and
boast.

. INTRODUCXOKY. 13
Bremen is not renowned for art or for anything that attracts
strangers to dwell long within its borders. Yet it is one of the
most beautiful of German cities. After the French war, the
ramparts were demolished, as they were also in Hamburg and
Frankfort, and converted into beautiful promenades, for plea
sure-loving throngs. The ditch was widened and filled with
water, which is often renewed and kept fresh by pumps which
connect it with the river, and running, as it does, in a winding
way through the centre of the town, affords most delightful
and refreshing retreats for those who will walk or rest at any
hour of the day.
Our first exclamation is, How beautiful ! And as we wander
about, whichever way we turn our eyes, there is something that
strikingly evinces a love of that which gratifies the taste, and
brings over the body and spirit a dreamy, languid sensuousness,
instead of waking it up to thought and action. This is to be
found and experienced everywhere, and to an American is pecu
liarly grateful, coming as he does from the excitement and
whirl of the modern Babel, and wishing as he does for a little
time to forget care and business, and revel in enjoyment. If we
had traveled from city to city in this way, with no time or
thought, or wish for anything but the beautiful, we should have
returned as our countrymen do, to say, " Oh, that we could be
like unto them 1"
But our mission led us also among the contrasts to all these
things. Alas 1 what a gulf between the prince and peasant
¦ — the palace and cottage ! We have seen both, and have
only one predecessor in this new field of observation which we
have chosen. Twenty years ago, Howitt dwelt three years in a
German village, and wrote of the rural life of the people.
We have done the same, though upon a different plan, and pro-

11 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY
fitting somewhat by his advice and experience, executed our
task in a different way. We have dwelt a little while in many
villages, instead of a long time in one, and having no house of
our own, were obliged to dwell with them, night and day, and
thus became initiated into their ways of thinking and living, as
would be impossible in mere casual visits. Our readers will
probably still wonder how we could learn all these things while
the language was yet a sealed book. If they accompany us on
the way, they will see that we were not only pleasantly, but
conventionally attended — not a single mile did we go alone —
spent not a day without the companionship that was both
more agreeable and more profitable than that of any fashion
able lady, whose silks and satins and fastidious tastes would
have made her an object of aversion to the honest Bauervolk,
and among whom she would not have thought it possible to live
a day. No lady or gentleman could accompany us upon such
a tour, and only one who would write a book would make the
tour herself. But we found no difficulty in obtaining at any
time a young girl who could speak German and English; and a
peasant girl, whose mother tongue is the dialect of the illite
rate, can better understand other dialects of the same class
than one who speaks the language according to its grammatical
construction. A young girl of this description could also
obtain for me information which I could not obtain for myself,
if I spoke every dialect, as she would immediately be admitted
to their confidence. Other girls would tell her their secrets ;
and, being in her company, they do not distrust me. One, as
will be seen, made her lucli in this way. Among tlie peasantry
when a girl has obtained a lover and husband, it is called,
making her luclc. She is settled for life. When a man is
refused, he gets a basket instead of a mitten, as with us. But

INTRODUCTORY. 15
they add also, when accepted, he has a basket with a whole
bottom. A great reproach it is, and very sheepish he looks,
when it is whispered about, " he has had a basket without a
bottom." Sometimes when this has happened to some luckless swain,
he finds upon the door-handle, or under his window, when he
comes forth in the morning, an old basket, the foundations of
which are entirely gone. And far off stand a group of mis
chievous young men and maidens, to hoot, when in a fit of pas
sion he kicks it out of sight. A most unprepossessing specimen
of humanity he must be who cannot find a mate in Deutchland*
where to gel married is, more than anywhere else, the one thing
hoped and the one thing needed.
As we said, our first and favorite companion made her luck,
and we felt as if our own were lost forever. But the next,
though entirely different, proved equally good and more intelli
gent. She left us for a convent, not to take the veil, but 'to
educate herself for a teacher, whence we often have most
amusing descriptions of the old monks and quaint little nuns,
whose devoutness and sacrifices are to her only so many themes
for merriment. " Oh, no," she says, " I will never be a nun ;"
she likes the gay world too well, and " chatting with the
beaux." Each change seemed at the time a calamity ; but we found
it, on the whole, good, as we were thus furnished with a variety
in them, and had the benefit of the observations of different
minds. Their freshness and originality were to us a constant
wonder and diversion ; and amidst the new things which they
alone could understand and explain, we felt that they were
* Pronounced as if spelt DoitGhlamd ; we may often use the word, as it is the one
universally heard for Germany, and has become very pleasant to our ears,

16 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
the superior beings to whom we must look up. But in this old
world so distinct is rank, and so impressed is every class with
the rights and privileges of its own position, that no degree of
familiarity, or inherent superiority, leads any one to presume.
They are ever conscious of the line which separates them from
born ladies ; however lady-like themselves, expect only the privi
leges of servants. Yet we have met with no born ladies more
truly noble, or more intelligent, or whose society we so much
enjoyed. But we' must not . allow our king and castle-worshipping
audience to suppose we have not "gazed with all the gazing
town," at crowns and turrets. Boyalty is not so exclusive in
Germany as in France and England, and one may, in the course
of the summer, see half of the German princes at watering
places, in public gardens and galleries, where they go in and
out, and live from day to day in the most unassuming manner.
Our eyes have thus been gratified in beholding, in all their
majesty, the King and Prince of Prussia, the Emperor of Aus
tria, the Emperor and Empress of all the Eussias, besides any
number of grand dukes and inferior princes, and potentates
without number. To their credit, we are able to say, they are
not at all different from other people ; but we cannot tell what
effect it might have had upon our judgment, had we been
honored by a bow or an invitation to dine. When Mrs. Trol-
lope was in America she saw nothing but vulgarity and filth ;
in Germany she saw nothing but refinement and elegance ;
never looked lower than a castle tower ; ate only at the tables
of dignitaries, and traveled only in one grand cavalcade of
rank and honor. We shall have to confess that we have had
no such experience. We have traveled usually in third-class
ears, according to the dictates of economy, and in order to see

INTRODUCTORY. 17
in every possible light the people whom we wished to describe,
and often found that far richer people did the same, though
they will probably not confess it to their friends or put it in a
book. Yet the third class is not less respectable than the first,
and the Bauersleute are not less courteous than the Vornehmen-
leute (the nobility).
Our pleasure has not been less than others, in exploring
ruins, and visiting battle-fields. Stupid, indeed, must be the
mind that does not revel amid all those scenes so rich in his
torical associations. 'But we must have been infinitely more
ignorant than most tourists when we came among them, for it
has taken months of study, in connection with constant and
persevering observation, to enable us to understand or appre
ciate them at all. How those manage who see and know all
Europe in six months, we are not able to comprehend.
An English author says his countrymen and Americans have
about as much appreciation of the fine arts as a New Zealauder.
For others we cannot say, but for ourselves, though capable of
receiving the most exquisite pleasure from things of beauty,
we should as soon think of employing our pen upon New Zea
land, which we never saw, as upon the canvas and marble which
we still may be in danger of almost worshipping; and most true
do we find it, that all pens have been employed in vain, as far
as conveying any just idea of what they attempted to describe.
We have ventured to say what, we doubt not, will shock a great
number of ears polite, and what we might not have ventured
to say, had we not found among all the host of authors who
bewail our indifference on these subjects, and our want of en
couragement of this kind of talent, one to sustain us in a dif
ferent view. Our diary was quite filled, our reflections all
made, and our book half finished before we oame across the

18 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
voluminous works of Laing, a Scotchman, occupying one of
the highest offices of state, now three score years and ten,
whose observations were made after the manner of our own, and
many of them so word for word what we had ourselves written,
that we were almost afraid to let it stand as original. But with
full credit for many hints that were new, much valuable infor
mation, and a profound philosophy to which neither sex nor
age would allow us to pretend, we are not a little gratified to
be countenanced by such authority. We have said, and repeat
it here, that this excessive patronage of the fine arts and
sensuous indulgence, obtained by continual contemplation of
this species of beauty, is relic and evidence of barbarism rather
than superior civilization.
One of the young girls, who was long our companion, had
lived in England three years, in a family of rank, and had ac
quired notions of refinement that perhaps amounted to fastidi
ousness. Before she went, she had been only among those in
her own sphere of life, and knew not how those above her
lived. We were constantly amused to hear her remarks upon
the contrast in the manners of the people of the two countrieSj
who could be considered on a level and mingle in the same
drawing-room society.
" Oh," she exclaims, " these horrid dishes of sand and saw
dust in every corner I"
" And do they not have those in England ?"
" No ; what disgusting, barbarous things among decent
people !"
This led us to notice them more particularly, perhaps • but in
every saloon, from the highest to the lowest, in every palace or
picture-gallery, through the whole length and breadth of the
land, we found in the most conspicuous corner the dish of saw-

INTRODDOTORY. 19
dust, which is certainly a most incongruous bas-relief to a " Ma
donna," and reflects no holy light or softened shadow upon the
" Transfiguration." At a watering-place we were beyond endurance annoyed by
the staring. If resting in some quiet nook, a troop of men would
pass along and keep upon us one uninterrupted gaze, looking
back over the shoulder, after having passed on.
"What are they who stare so ?" we ask. " Do they belong
to the rank of gentlemen, who are guilty of such rude
ness ?"
" Yes," she says, " in Germany it is always the gentlemen
who stare ; in other countries it is the gentlemen who do
not." Never, among the meanest and rudest in young America,
did we see such impoliteness. Almost every day she would
come in convulsed with laughter, because she had interrupted
some gentleman at his observations through a key-hole, and in
many rooms she found holes made with gimlets for the same
purpose. She had been much in England with ladies at such
places, and never once saw anything like it ; and we are sure
every room at Saratoga and Newport may be inspected, with
out such a discovery.
In England she lived in a noble family, as teacher of young
children, where they kept thirty servants, and said she sat
always at the table, and was in the drawing-room in the even
ing, introduced to all company, and treated as a young lady;
but in the same position, in Germany, she would be a slave,
and be treated like a cook.*
On leaving a picture-gallery one day, we asked of the lady
* For which we take her word, not knowing anything ourselves of the matter.

20 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
who accompanied us, if young girls were in the habit of fre
quenting such places.
" Why, yes ; why not ?"
"We had a doubt about the expediency of familiarizing
them with such exhibitions."
"Oh, one never looks at such things," she replied.
But what, then, is the use of them ? We thought wonderful
works of art were for contemplation. What folly, to spend so
much time and money to procure and place here what it is not
considered decent to look at 1
What the effect may be we are not quite sure ; but of this
we have had many proofs — that the ladies who live in the
habitual contemplation of what in America would be condemned
as obscene, are not purified thereby. We have sat stupefied by
amazement to hear a mother, whose daughters were just bud
ding into womanhood, talk of a liaison, without blushing, or
thinking it was anything to blush for. She would even be
quite willing her daughters should know it all. She hated her
husband, and she loved her paramour ; therefore there was no
sin in her infidelity. We might in some degree have been able
to comprehend this, though not to pardon, if she had not been
a mother. But what more did she need to fill her heart, to
employ all her energies, and make her supremely happy, than
those young trusting ones, who came to her every day for the
well of affection which was to them life and joy ? Yet for
them she had no love, for them she did not wish or care to live.
When she could not revel in his caresses, there was nothing
more for her in life. And this was the holy mother's love we
hear so much about — a love which is thought to purify the
most corrupt heart, and ennoble the most groveling spirit.
Yet this same lady could make a little variation from conven-

INTRODUCTORY. 21
tional rules a subject of eloquent condemnation, and talk of
her faith in God and unshaken reliance upon his providence
and mercy in a way to seem a saint.
We have been struck very often with the importance
attached in different countries to conventionalities, affecting
the freedom and deportment of women, and have found them
require a course of conduct exactly opposite. In America, a
woman cannot go to the opera or theatre without a gentleman
— would not even be admitted to a respectable place. In
Germany, if you go at an early hour, you will see the door
surrounded by a crowd of ladies waiting to rush in the moment
the lock is turned, and doing so in a manner scarcely less rude
than the boys around the Bowery, in New York. A lady may
go quite alone, or with a servant ; but on no occasion with a
gentleman, unless he be brother, husband, or betrothed. In
both these cases the reputation of the woman is forfeited by a
departure from conventional rules, yet in neither case has real
propriety anything to do with the matter. In Europe, a lady
may travel anywhere, any length of time, with a servant only.
But what real protection is a servant, in the consideration
upon which society bases the necessity ? Not the least ; and
European ladies are seen everywhere attended by troops of
servants, and living in such a way as not even to screen their
reputations. American ladies may come with their children,
and a mother with grown up daughters is entirely safe from
scandal at home. Yet such a one has been obliged to leave
a respectable house, because her rooms were too much fre
quented by officers in gay uniform. Yet there is no pleasanter
way for a lady to see Europe than to take up her abode in some
central city of Germany, and Frankfort is the most central and
most accessible, making from there excursions to the watering-

22 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
places, to Italy, to Switzerland, as opportunity offers, and as
strength and leisure allow. She can see more of Europe, with
less expense, in this way, than in any other ; and where there is
a minister or consul at all fit for his duties, he can at any time
provide her with escort, obtain her board in a pleasant family,-
and afford her all the aid she needs in business matters, till
acquaintances and friends have been made that make her feel
as much at home in one land as in another. How many we
know who might thus enjoy a year or two of travel, who stay
at home because they think a gentleman, or a party, and ten
thousand dollars necessary to a European tour. Two ladies,
in company, may go anywhere, in the most agreeable and
pleasant way, without the slightest difficulty, provided they
know enough of the language to ask for what they want. A
quiet, refined, and dignified woman needs no other protection
in these days, and all the watching in the world never pre
served a wicked or a vulgar one from sin or shame.
In this way we have traveled, and strewn our path with
pleasant friendships and remembrances, experiencing very little
that was disagreeable, and nothing to lead us to regret for a
moment that we came. The skies of no land are ever cloudless;
and the flowery walks of these luxuriant gardens are not quite
free from thorns.
Had we published our note-book verbatim, it would have
made three folio volumes; but we have only culled here and
there what seemed to us most likely to illustrate the character
of the people, and be most interesting to those in our own
country who had never been in this. We have not thought it
necessary at any time to say at what hour we rose in the morn
ing, when we left one railroad station, or arrived at another ;
how many carpet bags we took, or how many we lost. The

INTRODUCTORY. 23
trials and tribulations of travelers had some interest in the
days of knight-errantry ; but in these prosy times of steam and
lightning the experiences of all are too much alike for any
amount of genius or bel esprit to hope for the reader's attention
to one's personal adventures. To our success in what we really
undertook to do the succeeding pages must testify.
We may also add that we have not been a spy in the land. In
any house we have entered, we have said frankly, we have come
to study the manners and the customs of the people — to learn
how you cook, how you wash, how you woo, and how you wed.
All that you tell me I write and publish, and wish only the
simple truth concerning the -most simple every-day life. Ger
man housewives are so conscious of their celebrity, and so sure
they excel all others in domestic virtues, that never once did
we find the least hesitation in exhibiting to us garret and cel
lar, and initiating us into all the mysteries of Braten, Suppe or
Eingemachtcs* We were infinitely amused to see how ignorant
they took us to be because we were American, and authoress
besides. They have always heard that American ladies did
nothing but lounge in rocking-chairs ; and when, after elabo
rately explaining to us the various operations of sweeping, dust
ing and cooking, all done by servants, we have drawn a picture
of some poor editor's or professor's family in America, where a
lady with more Latin, and Greek, and mathematics in her head
than they ever dreamed of, and more accomplishments than
they think it either proper or possible to attain, with perhaps
oue, and perhaps no servant, washes, and irons, and bakes,
makes all her children's clothes, and provides good dinners for
her husband, with her own hands, they have stared as if we had
told them some monstrous story of giant or goblin ; and could
* Roast, soup, and sweetmeats.

24 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
in nowise credit that it was possible for a lady to do such
work. And still more did they stare when they actually saw
an American lady sew and knit, make her own dresses, and
trim her own bonnets ; half the time clean her own room, be
cause the servants left it in no habitable condition ; and teach
them to cook many things they never heard of before.
They have the idea not only that ladies in America know
nothing of great stacks of fine linen, but that they have no linen
at all. They have heard that a marriage outfit consists of two
night-gowns, four Hemden* three pairs of stockings, and twenty-
four silk dresses ! We are afraid some of them do provide
these things in this proportion; but, on the whole, an American
lady's wardrobe is more complete than a German lady's. We
have never seen in Germany the long robe de nuit, now univer
sal among English, French, and American ladies. The peasan
try do not wear night-gowns or night-caps, though they wear
white caps all day ; and the young ladies, when at their work,
don the coquettish little Mutze. But the robe de nuit is a short
jacket of thick corded stuff, gathered into a belt behind, which
ties in front. If they are very nice, they have also a three-cor
nered kerchief crossed over the bosom, and a coarse Nacht-
hemd, made something like a gentleman's shirt. They pro
nounce the robe de nuit too warm, and very extravagant. They
could not afford such fine dresses for night ; but in many cases
we should have preferred to spend in this way the money which
they devote to embroidery upon the bottom of their skirts and
trimmings upon their street dresses.
There may be some among our readers who will think we
descend to very insignificant things, and feel it almost necessary
to blush over some pictures we have drawn of " life amono- the
* Chemise.

INTRODUCTORY. 'Z&
lowly," though they would have no scruple in standing hours
before pictures which conventional rules make it proper to see,
and study, and talk about, but from which they should be
prompted instinctively to turn away in disgust.
There is nothing we so much wish to know as the daily life
and habits of a people ; and the things which are disagreeable
and painful, perhaps, to say, are those which most vividly por
tray the character. We have had no motive but to present
what we saw, in a way to aid others in seeing what we have
seen, and knowing what we have learned. If we had any preju
dice when we came to Germany it was in favor of this country,
to the disparagement of our own. We expected to see ele
gance and refinement in the people beyond anything we had
dreamed; and, as usual in such cases, our expectations have not
been realized. The author who talks of the rawness of Ameri
can society in comparison with German, could not have had his
judgment formed among the elite of Boston, and the gentry
of New England, to excel which, in all that is cultivated and
high-bred in mind and manner, we have seen nothing in Eu
rope ; and a very unnatural effect of causes it would be if the
descendants of the families who settled in Massachusetts, Vir
ginia, and Maryland — the nobility of England — had all degene
rated into boors in a free country, where the means of im
provement are more abundant than in any other, and each is at
liberty to make what he pleases of himself, with the very high
est incentives in the reward which is held out to all who be
come worthy. Besides which, every year sends among us the
learned and accomplished of modern Europe. Is it to be sup
posed they immediately become clowns because they are on
American soil ?
We have endeavored to avoid the fault so common, of judg-
2

-O' PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
iog all by a few, and ascribing to any great number the follies or
vices by which we may, in a few instances, have been annoyed.
Infinitely amused we have been to see from what examples we
are judged. A gentleman remarks that he is astonished at the
'custom of American gentlemen in keeping on their hats when
they enter a room. We answer, that this is not the custom.
Why he has scarcely ever seen a gentleman take off his hat.
But where has he been to form his judgment ? He is a mer
chant, and has a large packing house, which is frequented by
sea captains, and, perhaps, stewards, who enter on business,
remaining only so long as business requires. But he was really
happy to learn that there were gentlemen in America who knew
enough to take off their hats on entering a saloon. We smiled
as we thought of the honorable gentlemen of Harvard Univer
sity, who, we are quite sure, as far as manners are concerned,
would not be out of place in Potsdam 1
We remarked to a lady concerning an American gentleman,
that he was very accomplished and high bred. " Very differ
ent, then, from most American gentlemen," she remarked.
" Where had she seen any ?" Why, there used to come a
man to their house, who was engaged in the shipping business,
who seemed a very clever, good sort of person, but not much
of a gentleman ! This was the only American she had seen.
What a liberal-minded woman ! But the universal charge is,
" Americans think of nothing but money, money," and they
have repeated it till they forget entirely what it imports. A
young man remarks, that he has just received a letter from a
friend in New York, who is not at all contented ; the people
are so mercenary, he cannot find anything like friendship.
We express our surprise in the utmost simplicity, remarking
it is very strange, when there are more Germans there than

INTRODUCTORY. 27
there are in his native city, that they should all be so immersed
in the greed of gain, that he cannot find one who has time or
thought for anything else ! He does not again look up, or
speak. For ourselves, we have never seen Grote and Kreutzer
magnified into quite so much importance as among these very
critics, and we have met one German who says among first
class American merchants there is a high-toned principle, and
sterling reliable honesty, he has never found in any other
country, be it English, French, or German. Of this we can
be no judge.
In the same superficial way their judgment is formed con
cerning domestic life. Those who write, judge entirely by what
they see in a few great hotels, which are filled with people
who are in nowise the true representatives of any country.
But American authors sometimes give very unjust impressions
concerning their countrymen, aud especially their country
women, because they have lived only in cities, and learn only
the life of boarding-houses. With all due reverence, we are
prompted also to say that gentlemen do not seem exactly
qualified to describe domestic matters, and we cannot help
thinking a man as much out of his sphere in the kitchen as a
woman in the forum. Had we undertaken to write a history
of the German Diet, we should expect it to be about as correct
as a gentleman's history of the family life and housekeeping
of his own or any other people. He would never be admitted
to the kitchen at all, and must have marvelous courage to ask
an entrance to the garret or cellar, and most likely sleeps in
a lodging-house, and eats at restaurants, seeing, therefore
nothing of regular family routine, and learning nothing but
what ladies tell him in the parlor. And one astonishes him,
by saying she must leave the company to go and see to the

28 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
dinner. If he had accompanied her, he probably would have
found all she did was to ask how it was going on. An Ameri
can lady would probably have gone out upon some other pre
tence ; but there are not many families in New England where
the ladies do not see to their dinners, and attend well to the
ways of their household, it being quite as disgraceful not to do
it as in Germany.
Another instance that strikes a gentleman as evidence of
excellent housekeeping, is that the ladies make the coffee them
selves, not being willing to trust it to a servant, and this is
the reason why it is good, whilst in America it is never good.
The reason it is good is, that it is made in a biggin, an article
which is not so unusual here as there, though far from being
unknown. The way the ladies make the coffee is this. The ser
vant burns or roasts it in the kitchen in a rotary tin or sheet-iron
oven, which she turns constantly till it is finished. When it is well
roasted it is almost impossible to make bad coffee of it. She
then grinds it in a movable machine which she sets upon the
table, or holds in her lap. Then with a little copper tea-kettle
of water, over a little brass furnace of coals, she carries it to
the parlor, arranges the coffee-cups, and retires. The biggin
is something in the form of a garden watering-pot, of tin or
earthen. Within is inserted a smaller pot with two strainers.
The lady puts a bit of white blotting-paper over the upper
strainer, on which the coffee, allowing a large table spoonful to
each person, is then placed, and the water poured till the small
tin is full. She then takes her work, or book, or continues her
conversation till this has drained through, when more water
is added. This is all done according to rule, and requires no
art and no labor. The apparatus stands on the table all the
afternoon, and every one who calls is offered a cup of coffee

INTRODUCTORY. 29
and there is never an hour when coffee is not welcome to a
German the same as tobacco.
The government prescribes the hours when windows must
be washed, and door-steps swept, and if the Madchen lingers a
moment beyond the time upon the last pane of glass, a police
man is seen to call before the day is out to demand the fine.
This law is with reference to the comfort of those in the street,
but it does not prohibit the woodsawyer from performing his
task before every door in the city, which is the most provoking
of all inconveniences. One must walk as if he were treading
a herring-bone ; one moment in danger of the saw, and in
another of a cart, at all hours of the day, and in the most fash
ionable promenade.
There is not so much danger in saying of any custom, it is
universal, in Germany, as in America. They have lived so long
in the land, and the governments are so disposed to imitate each
other in what concerns the people, that there is a great simi
larity in all things, which we shall be many years in attaining,
with the constant influx from all nations with every possible
variety of character, and a government that attempts scarcely
the slightest control of individual action. They read of New
York with its murders and rebellions, and think all America is
in just that state, utterly unable to believe what we tell them
of quiet old New England ; where there is not a policeman in
hundreds of square miles, a crime scarcely heard of in half a
century, and doors unlocked night and day. But when they
talk to us of slavery, 'we are obliged to blush and hide our
heads. Would that some ocean wave might wash it out for
ever ; and when they ask for our boasted freedom of speech
amidst those disgraceful congressional rows, we know not what
to say, except that those are by individuals, who have no

30 PEASANT LIFE LN GERMANY.
further power, and not by a king whose authority is unlim
ited. With all our efforts to prevent it, we cannot be sure we have
not made mistakes, though we have set down nothing which
we have not seen, heard, or which did not come to us upon
authority we could see no reason for doubting. We have
sometimes felt a little bitter envy for a people who owe so much
to America, which they will never acknowledge, and to hear
nothing but reproaches against a country towards which" they
should feel only gratitude. Thoy give the poor peasant the
alternative, America or starvation, and when he arrives in a
land of plenty, profess to feel the. greatest sympathy and inter
est in his welfare, really fearing he is not looked upon with the
honor and consideration he deserves. Very proud they are of
the amount and influence of the German element in our Eepub
lic ; but it is only when they have increased and multiplied and
prospered, as they always do, in other lands, that the peasantry
are gratified with praise or affection from their own.
That the language was at first a strange tongue was an
affliction ; but necessity compels to strange exertion, and we were
not content until we were able to hear from their own lips their
story, though we had many amusing adventures in the mean
time. It happened to us once to be left for a day with only a
village maiden, who could not speak a word of English; we tried
to make her understand that we wanted two bunches of grapes,
which after a long time she said she quite comprehended, and
departed to bring them. What was our amazement to see her
return in due time with two pint tumblers of hot gin punch at ten
o'clock in the forenoon ? We began to fear greatly for our
reputation even in a land where this beverage would not be so
reprehensible as in our own.

INTRODUCTORY. 31
At another time, in a city, we were requested by a friend to
call upon a German lady who had been in America, and whose
name was Mrs. Weisman. We took the name and number and
began our search. On asking in a grocery over which she
was said to live, they knew no such person. At the opposite
corner we saw two ladies at the window, and ventured in to
ask if they could aid us. They said " Oh, yes ; and the maiden
should show us the house." We were guided round two or
three corners into a large court, and told to inquire within.
We asked the first person we met if Frau Wiesman lived there,
and she said yes, oben (above). We ascended one pair of
stairs and at the top repeated the question to the maiden who
appeared at the kitchen door to see who came, and she still
answered oben ; so on we went, repeating the same at the next,
still to hear, oben ; but consoling ourselves with the thought,
that the roof of no German house reached quite to heaven. At
the top, we met an old lady, who said " yes," to our question, and
asked us in. Soon appeared a young girl, who asked, in order to
be certain, whom we wished to see ; we still said Frau Wiesman.
There was then some mysterious whispering, and they both went
out, returning after a long absence to show us into another
room. There we waited some time, when a gentleman entered
and shut the door behind him. This is mysterious indeed, and
we begin to think perilous. We say it is Fr.au Wiesman we
wish to see, and he informs us that his wife is dead 1 But he
speaks English, and we are able to explain our position, and
learn that the name has been given to us wrong ; the two little
letters i and e have changed places for once to our great
detriment. The name was Weisman, and when we went back
to the grocery with this, it was not in vain.
A few such experiences are the best spur to the acquirement

32 PEASANT LrFE IN GERMANY.
of a language, and as we stop to listen to the mud-besmeared
children in the street, over whose tongues and lips these hor
rible long angular words roll without choking, and hear the
market women jabbering away in a speech, that seems to us
like moving a mountain to attempt, we resolve to try, for what
is possible to them must be possible to us. Our first reward
was in reveling in the incomparable children's literature, in
which Germany is so fruitful. It will be a good work when
some one shall translate it, preserving its genuine spirit and
simplicity, to take the place of the prosy stuff with which
American children are obliged to be content. Our full reward
is in talking with the people. We have learned to know them,
and like them so well, that we consider it the best thing we can
do for our country to encourage them to go. They are soon
elevated by what they learn there, and there are many things
we may learn of them. America has begun at the bottom —
her glory is her government and the homes of her people.-
When she gets so far as to make the encouragement of art
possible and proper, there will be for beauty and ornament a
foundation which will present a tout ensemble without the incon
gruity which strikes one so painfully amid the tottering thrones
and cheerless hovels of Europe. There is just now, a sub
scription throughout Germany, for the purpose of erecting a
monument to Luther in that city, to commemorate his remon
strance against the unpalatable diet of Worms. A hundred
thousand dollars have been subscribed, and the kings and
princes are giving liberally. If the great reformer could speak,
we are sure he would say, " Let the marble perish; but scatter
the seeds of knowledge among the people." There came the
other day a letter to the authorities, with a hundred dollars
and these words': " For the monument at Worms, to Luther,

INTRODUCTORY. 33
the great struggler for truth, knowledge, and freedom — but
whose efforts were in vain for the people.
(Signed,) " A Jew, in Nuremberg."
No marble is necessary to preserve the name of Luther, and
though the work will employ an artist and a few workmen, it
is not a productive industry, and only a few among the rich
and traveled can look upon the statue, however ennobling may
be the sight ; we should say first, build up these worm-eaten
cottages, and supply these poor with the bread of life, and the
bread of knowledge. Who needs to be told that Guttenberg
invented the printing-press, and Luther translated the Bible 1
How useless to engrave names upon marble that are engraved
upon the hearts of every living soul. What a miserable farce
to do it — when the printed page of every book is so costly that
not one in a hundred cottages is blessed with a ray of the light,
which emanated from these glorious minds. A monument to
Luther, generously encouraged by the king of Prussia, who does
not allow his people, on pain of punishment and fine, to wor
ship in the simple manner which Luther thought meet ! A
monument to Guttenberg, in a land where a poor colporteur is
not allowed to pass the custom-house without being detained a
day, perhaps a week, that the Government censor may inspect
every line he distributes ! A bronze horse with a grim rider,
to preserve the memory of some young chieftain is more con
sistent. But the best way to honor him who translated the
Bible, and him who made it possible to print it, is to give to
the people the fruits of their labors.

2*

CHAPTEE I.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS  GOING TO CHURCH  SUNDAY PIC-NIC —
AMUSEMENTS  MANNERS AND CUSTOMS.
Our book will partake something of the character of our
mind during the time we were gathering together the fragments
of which it is composed. For many weeks we could do nothing
but stare wildly around, so bewildered where all was new and
strange, that we were not capable of rightly seeing anything,
or comparing one thing with another. One tells us we must go
here, and another tells us we must go there ; one we must see
this, and another we must see that. And knowing nothing
ourselves, we follow this advice, feeling all the time as if we
were in an opiate dream, or perhaps gazing upon a diorama.
We were still in the world and among human beings, but saw
them all in such different occupations and so differently ar
ranged, that we could hardly believe we had not been trans
ferred to the moon, or at least to some unknown planet.
We must go to church, of course, and see how people
worship God in a strange land, and enter one of these grand
old cathedrals, founded by Charlemagne (it is marvelous how
many there are in Germany boasting the same honor), with
.the richly-stained windows, and the great organ as large as a
New England meeting-house. The service is Lutheran, and the
clergymen of this denomination, though wearing gowns, perform
their toilet at home instead of having a looking-glass and
84

GOING TO CHURCH. 35
dressing-table behind the pulpit. They are seen walking
through the streets in full canonicals, and preach, and sing, and
pray, in the same dress. The women of the congregation do
not seem to be governed at all by Paul's instructions in the
matter of " proper attire," but sit in church with " uncovered
heads," not seeming to think with the apostle, that " it is a,
shame," and the men stand, half of them, with their hats on,
removing and replacing them to suit their convenience.
We stare about, and think how funny 1 The floors are
uncarpeted, and the seats uncushioned ; and yet before our
eyes are long rows of saints and beatified men, that we presume
are rare and costly works of art, upon which we ought to gaze
with profound admiration, but we have not yet learned this
species of homage.
The choir consists of some thirty or forty little boys and girls
in uniform — the former in blue jackets, with bright yellow
collar and cuffs ; and the latter in black gowns, with white,
three-cornered kerchiefs crossed in front, and long white aprons.
A pretty sight. Besides these, the whole congregation join in
the singing. The sermon we cannot understand, except that it
is about the blessedness of freedom. After this comes the
holy communion, to partake of which all must be dressed
in black, each one going to the altar to receive it at the cler
gyman's hands.
A large portion of the congregation were soldiers in military
array, present according to the requisitions of government. On
leaving the church, they assemble upon the parade ground, and
two hours are spent in the evolutions which perfect them in the
science of killing as many people as possible with the least
expense and trouble. This is Sunday, and this a regular
Sabbath exhibition.

3d PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
After dinner we are invited to ride ; and without definitely
understanding where or for what purpose, except that it is in
the country, where we wish especially to go, we accept the
invitation. At three o'clock there comes to the door a big
wagon, so long and broad that it will hold twenty people ; and
as we descend to take our seat in it, we are greeted by a little
group of merry-hearted maidens, and find it is an excursion.
There are eight gentlemen and eight ladies, with an elderly
lady to matronize, as there must always be on such an occa
sion in Germany. Our road is through a succession of green
fields and luxuriant gardens, dotted by farmhouses and peasant
cots, and is itself bordered the whole length of the way by the
oak, and elm, and linden, till we reach an open Platz in a wood,
where are tables and benches to rest and lunch. A little back
is the domicile of the owner of this pleasant domain, and after
walking about a little, we enter the great door, and find our
selves in the great hall of a well-to-do northern German farmer.
It is so large that one is instantly reminded of an immense
barn in New England, and is no more finished than many
we have seen, but yet has a sort of baronial grandeur, and
exhibits the same ideas of architecture as the palaces and
castles, the most elegant of which are reached by halls and
staircases of the rudest description. On one side are the stalls
for the cows, whose horns we see above the sliding-board,
which is raised and lowered as becomes necessary in feeding
and cleaning them. They are munching their hay, and look in
the thrifty condition of cows which are kept for the purpose
of the greatest possible productiveness to the owner. On the
other side of the hall, but not opening directly into it, are the
pantries and storehouses for the household, at the end of which
is the kitchen. It is very small for so big a house, and the

SUNDAY PIC-NIC. 37
stove occupies the whole length of one side, being at least from
fifteen to twenty feet in length, and bearing a little resemblance
to the modern range, being only about two feet in height. The
cooking utensils are arranged around the sides of the room,
and, engaged in the preparation of the various boils, and bakes,
and stews, are half a dozen women, looking in no respect diffe
rent from all women under the same circumstances — " hot and
greasy and blowsy !" and we are reminded of the remark of
the fashionable young lady, and begin to ask ourself what we
are to say to interest our readers about a blowsy old Frau
making Sauerkraut, or frying ham. But we will see. In one
corner of the great hall, upon hooks fastened in the beams
overhead, are some thirty or forty great hams, " hanging up to
dry." In another corner, upon the floor, is a hen-coop, and
the roost for favorite fowls is oben (over). Yet there is an
airy, healthful, cheerful look and flavor, which gives one the
feeling of being in the midst of the utmost plenty and perfec
tion of comfort. In the storeroom are butter golden-hued,
cheese, pans of milk, great loaves of rye bread two feet long
and half as thick. The earthen-ware is the common white of
American kitchens, with not so great a variety of articles, as
the number of dishes served on any occasion is by no means
so great as in a farmer's house in New England.
But we have not yet seen half the house. Eunning the
whole width, forming with the first-mentioned apartments a
cross, is another hall, quite as spacious as the first, and more
finished. There are comfortable-looking sofas and tables for
convenience in winter and rainy days, and the whole length of
the hall, doors opening into smaller rooms for sitting and sleep
ing, with painted wooden chairs and little earthen ornaments

38 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
upon the mantel-shelves and tables. All is clean and sweet,
gastfrci (hospitable) as one need to wish.
There is no public road within nearly half a mile, but here
and there shady avenues leading to the highway ; and as far as
we are able to walk in every direction, fields of oats, rye, and
barley ; a large garden as neat as wax-work, where the rows
of beets, onions, carrots, and cabbages stand in such juxta
position as would be considered death instead of life to them
in America, and yet exhibiting such vigor and consciousness
of their worth as we never saw in "garden sauce" before.
Our party have come to enjoy themselves, where it is not
necessary to dress or play the court lady ; and having taken a
general view of the premises, we seat ourselves under a clump
of spreading oaks, when a consultation is held concerning what
shall be ordered for our refreshment. In consequence, appear
directly six bottles of beer, eight tumblers of milk, and a pot
of coffee with milk and sugar thereto. As often as twenty
times a day, ever since we have been in Germany, we have
found ourselves exclaiming, "how funny!" and here we add,
what would our good friends in America say to such a sight as
this? When all have eaten and drunk they dispose themselves for
amusement. The first play is something like what we remem
ber to have heard called tag, when a child ; each stands by a
tree, and one in the centre will try to find himself a place as
the others run from tree to tree, and they try to change places
so quickly* that it shall be impossible. Afterwards comes
" blind Jacob." One being blinded and standing in the centre
of a ring, endeavors to recognize the others, who keep moving
round to bewilder him as much as possible. When weary
with play they take another glass of beer or cup of coffee

AMUSEMENTS. 39
and then walk, during all the time so merry, so perfectly like
children in their sport, that if our eyes were shut we should
suppose they were from five to ten instead of from fifteen to
twenty years of age. At other tables and in other openings
of the wood are a dozen parties of the same or different de
scriptions, and the air is filled with the echoes of their happy
voices. They are not rude ; there is no vulgar familiarity;
they are only merry; the exuberance of their spirits, like the
foam of the beer, as impossible to repress, and, as it seems to us,
as harmless. There are also troops of children skipping and
hopping and rolling on the grass, while swinging and see-sawing
and various games employ the boys and girls.
Before we go we have supper, which is not less funny than
the lunch. Before each person is set a plate, knife and fork, and
pewter spoon, the viands being a large dish piled with slices of
raw ham, which is a favorite article of food in Germany, and which
they eat cut in little junks and placed between slices of rye or
black Bitterbrod. This we cannot swallow. But what is this
in brown earthen pans, holding about two quarts, and given
one to every two persons ? Bonny-clabber, covered with
powdered sugar and cinnamon — a delicacy well known and duly
appreciated in the southern States of America, but not at the
North. Oh, yes ; we can relish this very well, provided our
dish is shared with a relishable person. Each takes a table
spoon, and placing the pan between, they dip alternately and
smack their lips as if it were custard, and we are quite
willing to pronounce it very good. After this we drink a glass
of fresh milk, then follows a dance on the green, in which the
old lady joins, and we are ready to return to the city. On the
way they sing, in a more softened strain, being weary and in
fluenced by the creeping shadows and the

40 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
** Moon-beams1 misty light."
And at eleven we are again upon the rattling pavements, and
among the dingy walls of the town.
On the way^we have noticed that the great hall in many
houses is filled with dancers and crowded, while the smoke of
cigars converts the atmosphere into poison, and beer is slopped
all about. Yet the external arrangements indicate a taste and
love of beauty such as with us is only seen around some gentle
man's villa. The trees, perhaps, will be placed to have the
effect of pillars, wreathed with vines, and blooming with
flowers. We have seen one where the house was entirely
covered with bark, the portico supported by trees as they were
cut from the forest, a long verandah and little booths here and
there in the garden, in the same style, and the whole so varie
gated with green and gold and scarlet that one might think it
the abode of fairies. What a desecration it seemed of such a
place as we looked within. And it is this incongruity, this
want of harmony at which we have marveled everywhere.
We pass on, though not as quickly as our pen, and as we go
farther south it becomes infinitely more surprising.
fn Hanover and Cassel, when we enter the doors of the
people of rank, we can think of nothing but a livery stable.
The ground-floor is earth, in a great open place like a shed ;
the stairs are of rough boards, and when you get to the top of
each flight, the first object is the water-closet, with no accessible
water, and the next door is that of the kitchen, so arranged
that we cannot understand how human beings can think of eat
ing and living there for a single day. The way tourists see all
these towns is to leave their baggage at the depots, which are
now the finest in the world, take a carriage and ride from one
gallery or museum to another, drive through the kingly parks,

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 41
looking in at the zoological gardens, visit the Wilhelm's Hohe,
which is a magnificent fountain in front of the palace of the
Elector of Hesse, and only surpassed by that at Versailles, and,
dazzled and bewildered by so much that is grand and all open
to the public, they think —
" How beautiful to dwell among princes."
But whilst we are writing, there passes a little group in the
street, that reminds us that there are others than princes amid
all this glory. " We hear the voice of singing," and looking
out, we see a company of boys arranged rank and file marching
out of the city. When they are just without the gates, the
foremost cries " halt," and turning around, he uncorks the bot
tle which he has before held high in the air, with a cotton
bandanna tied to the neck for a flag, and drinks to the health
of his companions. A glass is then passed from one to the
other, and when all have drunk they sing another song and
proceed on their way. The leader of the little band was a
journeyman shoemaker, who had just finished his apprentice
ship, and now commenced his wanderings through all the father
land to perfect himself in his trade.* He cannot set up on his
own account till he has passed through this experience, and
when he goes forth, his brother apprentices accompany him a
little while on the way. They try to make it a joyous occasion,
and while they are merry with wine and singing, cheer the
heart of the lone wanderer, who soon enough becomes sad in
prospect of his long exile, poverty, and friendlessness, from
which there is no escape.
But with more pity do we look upon the women who come
* The details concerning laws and customs in relation to mechanics will be given
elsewhere.

42 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
into town from the surrounding country, bent almost to the
earth with their great packs ; the most forlorn, poverty-stricken
looking beings we ever beheld. Their husbands and brothers
are soldiers, those fine-dressed, smart-looking troops, of which
the Prince of Hesse Cassel is so proud, though he is not kind
enough to allow a soldier or officer to acquire any great degree
of prosperity. If an officer is stationed, and of so high a rank
as to allow him to marry, and has the means, it has often hap
pened that when the prince passed his residence, and observed
a nice garden, and an appearance of thrift and happiness, he
has immediately changed his quarters, and for no reason than
because his sour nature cannot bear to see others happy.
Alas ! he has been soured by a guilty conscience, and should
serve as a warning even to princes, that injustice and vice bring
their own punishment. From his people we have never heard
a word but " curses be upon his head," for only curses has he
heaped upon theirs.
Again, we ask ourselves, what are we to say about these
woe-stricken women ? digging the earth, ploughing, hoeing and
driving carts, reminding us of those of only a little darker hue
that we have seen on southern plantations. Alas ! in some
other respects they resembled them — in their deep degradation,
One who has lived here long, and mingled with them in a way
to know, says they are bought and sold every day, not at public
but private auction, and the trifling sum for which they may
be had, proves how wretched must be their poverty ; and it has
come to our knowledge, that one had parted with all she pos
sessed, and set out for America. At the custom-house she was
detained, under the pretence that her passport was not correct,
or her trunk contained something contraband, and day after
day put off, harassed, and insulted by the highest official of

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 43
the government at that station, till there was nothing more for
her, a helpless, friendless maiden, but to become the victim of
the man of power, and instead of going to a land of freedom,
to better and elevate her condition, to go down to death. We
know the remainder of her story, but it is too dark for our
pages .
As we see them by the road-side, in the fields, and at the
market, we can hardly believe they are women. More and
more are we bewildered as we pass on.
But here is at least a curious contrast to the preceding, in
the same office, and perhaps, not less illustrative of the parental
care of government ! It is the custom in many parts of Ger
many, after the wedding ceremony is over, for the brother of
the bride to prepare a full trousseau for a very different person
age, a very insignificant little creature, who it is hoped will
soon be in want of it. A box of such paraphernalia was to be
sent across the Prussian border, and because the articles were
all new each must be paid for separately. So here, in a govern
ment office, on a great table, surrounded by government officials,
are spread out such a variety of bibs and tuckers, and of such
rare beauty, as we have never before seen. Each little frock,
apron, ruffle and band is taken up by the great rough hands,
that one fears will annihilate them, and each recorded in a
great book, which we presume goes to the inspection of the
State Treasurer. Upon one article our own eyes are riveted,
the christening dress, a robe some two yards in length and
width, of the richest embroidery, lined with white satin, and
ornamented with countless bows. What a beautiful and costly
article for a baby ! When the examination is finished, they
are replaced, the box is nailed, the required seal and certificate
given, and it goes on its way rejoicing.

44 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY
At the watering-places the peasantry are in their gala dresses,
and in such employments that they keep fresh, and bright, and
gay ; and, had we seen them nowhere else', we might have
received the impression that they were the handsomest and the
happiest among the people. At the Brunnen they dip the
water, and in the shops they sell the wares, and for these
offices there must be great pains taken to select the fairest and
the most attractive, for it is seldom we meet one whose cheeks
are not blooming and whose eyes are not sparkling.
At Homburg the spring is a bubbling fountain, like that of Con
gress Spring at Saratoga, and having nearly the same analysis.
But all the arrangements are infinitely superior for the comfort of
visitors. The platform upon which we stand is of red stone, very
porous, arranged in mosaic. Those without are separated from
those within by an iron railing, painted green. The tumblers are
of the beautiful Bohemian glass, of every variety of color, and
arranged upon long, neatly painted and grooved benches, upon
which also stands a tub of clean water in which they are rinsed
every time they are used. Four, six, eight girls, according to
the season, dip the water by taking three tumblers by the han
dles in each hand, and filling them without slopping, and sup
plying those in waiting so fast that there is no crowd and no
jostling and impatience. Their dress is black, or dark grey,
home-made woolen cloth, the bodice in many folds, and
fitting closely, the skirt full, with innumerable little plaits, and
reaching a little below the knee. The sleeve is short and nar
row, but below it comes the snow-white chemise, the fullness
gathered into a band. The hair hangs in long braids down the
back, fastened at the end by a clasp, but upon the top of the
head is a little coquetish cap, upon the breast a gold or silver
brooch, and high-heeled shoes upon the feet. One need not say

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 45
that water, ever bright and sparkling water, is more refreshing
from the hands of such dippers. They are to be met upon the
piazzas of the hotels, in the walks, in all places where one may
possibly need attention. To make beautiful and attractive all
that is to meet the public eye is the rule here as elsewhere, and
beautiful indeed are the grounds where the public congregate.
After dinner, all the world comes forth in full dress to prome
nade in the park, where there are seats for two or three thou
sand people, a band in full play, verandahs, shady walks, cozy
nooks, and every possible convenience for health, pleasure, and
comfort. Here are little tables upon which coffee, wine, and
creams are served, instead of retiring to the hotels, to eat in
crowded rooms ; and the taste with which little mounds are
covered with flowers, and a circular platz in the greensward
bordered with roses, pyramids wreathed with vines, old walls
made new, and new walls made old with creeping ivy, bids one
marvel at every step, and marvel still more when they see the
simplicity aud rudeness of the daily home-life of these same
people. Farther south, at Wiesbaden, Baden, Wilbad, Carlsbad, and
Gastein, we see the peasants in a greater variety of costume,
as they come from many different districts, with what they make
themselves, or to sell what others have made; and behind the
rows of glass cases, extending for half a mile along the piazzas,
they are standing, their forms in bright colors that can be seen
afar off, and their faces in bright smiles that tempt all who
come near to linger, and often, perhaps, to buy what they take
only to please the charmer. It is related that, not half a cen
tury since, a margrave of Baden met in his walks a peasant girl
selling fruit, whose marvelous beauty was like enchantment,
and to whom the promises and flatteries of a prince proved

46 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
irresistible. In a neighboring city may be seen the castle
which he built for her, surrounded by the beautiful estate
which he gave her, and where, with the titles which he
bestowed, she lived like a princess, the mistress of his affections
and partaker of all he possessed that he was free to give. How
far these made her happy we do not know, but during his life
she experienced no diminution of his love.
Graceful and elegant as is Parisian costume, there seems
to be something peculiarly becoming and attractive in these
quaint relics of the olden time that makes one almost wish to
adopt it ; yet, were it universal, it might lose its charm. Bat
true it is that the present mode must be rich and elegant, in
order to be beautiful, and upon those who can only afford in a
slight degree to follow the fashion, it is almost hideous.
It is a proverb among the peasantry that " all should be
homespun and home made which the Bauermann wears." It is
observable, also, that more sober colors obtain in the north
than in the south of Germany, though by some this is said to
mark the difference between the Protestant and Catholic. We
are inclined to think it is the climate only, as bright colors are
again favorites in Norway and Sweden, and the temperate
zone seems to betoken not only softened hues, but freedom from
extremes in all things.
When a peculiar dress has been worn for centuries by a peo
ple living in the same valleys and roaming the same hills, it
gives a character to them and their country, and clothes each
with an interest without which we might scarcely remember to
distinguish them. The Tyrolese once seen among his moun
tains is never forgotten — his leather small-clothes . and long
stockings, his broad girdle and suspenders over the bright red
vest, the short jacket and large round hat, with wide ribbon ; or,

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 47
deep in some valley, the green or yellow straw hat, green vest
and dazzling white shirt-sleeves, black neckerchief, and blue
stockings ; or, upon another mountain, the high sugarloaf-
crowned hat, the short, full coat, dark vest, and wide leathern
girdle, ornamented with feathers. There are a manliness, a
stateliness, and courtly dignity about the genuine Tyrolese of the
mountain that are seen among no other German peasantry, and
there is a true nobility of character to correspond.
A troop of Bohemian girls among the shadows of the forest
is still more picturesque ; their skirts of the brightest carmine
red, reaching a little below the knee, not to conceal the snowy
stocking and silver-buckled shoe. Around their head is a turban
of one bright or many colors, leaving unconfined only a few
plaits of hair upon each temple. The little jacket reaches not
quite to the hips, and wide open in front and low in the neck,
to allow the snowy chemise to show to full advantage, coming,
as it does, in full gathers to the neck, where it is fastened by a
bright red ribbon or silk handkerchief. Beneath the jacket is
a bodice covering only a small part of the back and bosom,
but richly ornamented. Their lovers are in black leathern
small clothes, and white stockings, or blue stockings and half
boots, a red, or blue, or yellow silk vest, and bright carmine
neckerchief. Before they are bent and browned by toil,
there is something in their movements of the Eastern Princess
and the beauty of the heroine of Lalla Eookh. There are a
softness of voice and litheness of limb, that tell us their
fathers were wanderers in another land, where they toiled not
neither did they spin, and no degree of cold or hardship for
centuries has destroyed their sportive gaiety, nor the fawn-like
grace which characterizes the daughters of sunny climes.
But we are not content with this superficial and desultory

48

PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.

manner of observation and reflection. We must enter the
homes and get at the hearts of the people. We must glance
back a little through the vista of the past, and if there is any
thing to tell us, learn something of the whys and wherefores
of all these strange things. We cannot think our readers will
be unwilling to accompany us for a little time, as ours only will
be the labor, and to them the fruit, and as flowery as possible
we will make the thorny path of knowledge 1

CHAPTEE II.

UNITY, LIBERTY, AND SLAVERY.

Contemporary with Charlemagne, who was the first king to
be entitled " His Majesty," were Alfred the Great of England,
Harold Haarfager of Norway, Eric of Sweden, and Gorm of
Denmark, whose lives were devoted to accomplishing the same
end — that of reducing a hundred petty kingdoms to one, and
extending law, religion, and the protection of one great power
over the whole — to make of many small and weak principal
ities one great nation, united in all interests of war and
peace. With all the others this plan was successful, and the king
doms they founded, or rather the nations they formed, remain
to this day, cemented only the more strongly by centuries of
mutual defence of the same soil, rights and privileges. But
that of Charlemagne fell asunder almost as soon as it was re
leased from his grasp, and there has never been found a tie that
could unite together the different states of Germany in perma
nent brotherhood. While having the same origin, and speak
ing the same language, and lying contiguously, they are as dis
tinct and almost as antagonistical as France and Eussia. To
unite them as one kingdom, or after the manner of America,
by a federal constitution, has been the dream of poets— the
policy of statesmen, and the attempt of all, in vain.
3 ®

50 PEASANT LDJE IN GERMANY.
We see in all the German States, among a great mass of
the people, the love of liberty and restlessness in bonds, which
characterizes all northern nations ; but though there are revo
lutions and valiant struggles, after a little while they settle
back into the old order of things, and dream on as before.
There is lacking some essential element of unity, either in them
selves as a people, or the physical construction of the country,
and the nature of this element has been for half a century the
speculation of philosophers and politicians, without resulting
in any conclusion that promises peace to poor turbulent Ger
many. But why should there be now and then a free city, and here
and there a little strip or tract of land, where the people have
attained to a measure of freedom, while those living upon
another strip or tract, not fifty miles distant, remain for cen
turies in bonds. We have found in the " Notes of a Tra
veler " * many curious speculations upon this as well as
other subjects, and as his reasonings and inferences seem also
plausible, as well as interesting, we shall avail ourselves of
them. " Liberty," says the author, " will be found, however op
pressed, to sit in some shape upon the sea-side and river bank."
And as we look around, we find these free states and cities lift
ing up their heads where the sea, or the lake, or the river will
aid them in bidding defiance to invaders. Upon the northern
coast we do not find the traces of the feudal castles or feudal
institutions that are scattered over all the hills and valleys of
the interior. Neither do we find there relics which tell of
the Eoman legions — the conquering army of Julius Caesar.
If we look along upon the banks of the rivers that empty into
* By Samuel Laing.

UNITY, LIBERTY AND SLAVERY. 51
the North Sea and the Baltic, we see institutions and results of
industry that betoken a different people from those further
south. A great proportion of the land was once sand, and
mud, and marshes, yielding nothing, and fit for nothing, till
drained and renewed. To accomplish this required not only.
energy and persevering toil, but interest and enthusiasm in the
work, such as men will not feel unless it is for themselves. If
they could look forward to a sure reward in land which was to
be theirs and their children's, no expenditure was too great of
time, or strength, or money ; but slaves would not toil thus for
a master. Those who accomplished these things must have
been lords of the soil, as we know they were. On the sea-coast
of Holland, Flanders, and Friesland, and about the mouths of
the rivers which water these countries — the Scheldt, Maase,
Ehine, Ems, Weser, Elbe, and Eyder, the land has from earliest
times been owned by peasant proprietors, instead of a few
lords and baroDS, to whom the people were subject ; and in no
other way could these coasts have been defended but by the
owners of the soil.
The little spot called Angeln, lying between the North Sea
and the Baltic, the river Eyder, and the muddy Schley, was the
home of our Anglo-Saxon ancestors, and by many said to be
the birth-place of the freedom of the world. They were almost
surrounded by water, and were necessarily a seafaring people,
with a life that requires and creates in those who follow it pe
culiar virtues — courage, boldness, self-reliance, energy, and in
dependence. But England was also an island ; and the ancient Britons
were a brave and fearless race, whom the Eomans had never
succeeded in subjugating ; and it is not at all proved that they
yielded to the little band of adventurers who came to them from

52 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
across the Channel. And if they did they were too few to peo
ple the whole island ; and there is no record of their having
brought with them their wives and children. They must have
incorporated themselves with the inhabitants they found there;
•and when afterwards they were themselves subdued by the
Danes, and then by the Normans, there followed the same re
sult. So that those who would claim to be kin of the liberty-
loving children of England and America, because they are born
on the same side of the Channel as that little band of Saxons,
may still lack some very important ingredients to give them
the same combination of virtues. Neither English nor Ameri
can blood is all Saxon. And brave and fearless conquerers as
they were, the Danes and the Normans were not less so ; and
there must be a mingling of the blood of four of these indom
itable races in the veins of all the sons of England, after the
tenth century.
Yet those who are born on the same side of the Channel ex
hibit natures as different as if mountains and seas divided them.
Those of the same language are not always the same people ;
for while this is retained, other circumstances may so modify
and change them, that there is no resemblance or bond of
sympathy, as we often see happen in members of the same
family. The different lives which those live upon the coast have made
them a different people from those in the interior. They are
independent and self-reliant where the others are almost abject.
Under whatever form of government they have lived, those at
the north have always retained the right of managing their own
private and social affairs. In Schleswig and Holstein, in the
districts of Eyderstad and Ditmersh, though belonging to the
autocratic government of Denmark, the people choose their

UNITY, LIBERTY AND SLAVERY. 53
own inferior officers, and submit to no dictation in matters
which concern their interest alone ; and only one estate is held
by noblemen in the whole tract from the Eyder to the Elbe.
In a few other districts in Germany the land has been always
held by peasant proprietors. In Westphalia, in Denmark,
Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Tyrol, Lombardy, and Tuscany ;
and in all these States the whole nation is as different from
those which have been ruled by feudal tyrants, as any nations
whose languages have not a single word in common.
The picturesque part of the Ehine, with its castle-crowned
hills, lies between Mayence and Cologne ; and here, in every
valley and upon every green slope, we find traces of the Eoman
invasion, as well as the strongholds of feudal lords ; and these
are seen, in every place, the one to have followed the other.
The Eomans could not subject the seafaring men of the north,
and barons could not convert them into serfs.
We find also the language as much affected as the habits of
the people by their invaders ; and in Holland, Friesland, and
all the country bordering on the coast and the estuaries, called
" Lower Germany," there are no Latinisms to betray their subju
gation, no innovations upon their strong mother tongue. We
often hear " low Dutch " and " low German " spoken of with great
contempt ; and if being different from " high German" entitles
them to reproach, they certainly deserve it. The language of
literature can scarcely be understood by those who know only
the language of conversation, and vice versa. To understand
German, one must speak twenty languages. Latin was the
language of the Church and all literature, from the fourth
century to the Eeformation, and engrafted its peculiarities upon
the languages of the people among whom the Eomans obtained
any permanent footing. "Low German" and Dutch, and the

54 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
dialect of many districts, have not the distinction of cases and
genders in nouns and articles, and many other peculiarities
which characterize the language of books, and that used by
educated people. We have often wondered what could be the
standard of " pure German ;" for the people of no city or
town will allow that the people of any other city or town
speak " pure German ;" those being only two hours' distant
from each other pretend not to be able to understand what
the others say, they use so bad German.
To own the land, " be lord of the soil " upon which he walks
and sleeps, seems to be the universal desire of man, and when
the choice is given him, he will prefer to be poor upon the
land he calls his own, than rich upon that owned by another.
Many of the great convulsions in the old world, have been to
abolish serfdom, and give to the peasant a right in a bit of
earth, however small. All over Europe, except in Great
Britain, this great change has been, for the last half century,
gradually coming about. In France, this was the cause of
the Eevolution, and in Prussia, the king granted voluntarily
what was demanded in vain of the Bourbons, and what the
people, therefore, took by force. Yet the quiet revolution of
Prussia was in consequence of the bloody revolution of France.
When Bonaparte swept over the land, there was expe
rienced the want of the unanimity and enthusiasm among the
masses, necessary to any efficient resistance and defence.
Baron Stein, who was then prime minister of Frederick William
III., suggested that if the people owned the soil they would
more willingly defend it, and to save it from being trampled
by a French army it must be done at any sacrifice. So it was
decreed, and that which had cost France millions of treasure
and rivers of blood, was accomplished in Prussia and other

UNITY, LIBERTY AND SLAVERY. 55
German States by the simple mandate of the king, and this
was his reward — the enthusiasm of the fatherland awoke, and
the peasantry went forth as one man to drive the invaders
across the border. But when the great occasion which called
them out was passed, they were no longer a united people, and
felt no more interest in their neighbors than in those of any
other name and country. Each returned to his home a unit ;
glorying, perhaps, in deliverance from a foreign foe and rejoic
ing to be free from foreign invasion, but for all civil purposes
preferring to stand alone. (See Appendix A.)
The first step towards giving freedom to the German serf,
was taken in 1807, and the first edict dated October Oth ; but
not till 1810 was their freedom secured, and not till 1821
was every vestige of this ignominious bondage removed.
Under the feudal " system," the land was possessed by a
class of nobles who held the peasants on their estates as serfs,
or leibeigen people. The peasant worked every day, or a
certain number of days every week, on the farm of the pro
prietor, and had a hut to live in, and a spot of land to culti
vate for his own subsistence in spare hours. Another class of
peasants, a little above these, held a larger occupancy of land,
for which they paid certain fixed services, of carts, horses,
and ploughs, to the proprietor, and certain payments in the
crops they raised. These payments being of old standing,
and fixed by usage at the highest rate to which they could
safely or profitably be raised, were of the nature of quit-rents,
or free duties, though not in general established by writings or
charters. There were tacksmen or middlemen, who took on lease a
district or barony, with its village and peasants, from the noble
or proprietor, paid him a money rent, and gathered in, and

58 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
Henceforth birth conferred no privileges, and at a single
blow, those who had for centuries considered themselves a supe
rior class, born to rights and honors, were leveled to the rank
of those whom they had called slaves, had commanded, and
perhaps flogged. It was for the one a great height from which
to fall, and for the other a great depth from which to rise, and
a people debased by ages of serfdom, could not in a day or year
become intelligent and fitted for their new position ; and no
edict of king or emperor could destroy the feeling in the heart
of the noble, which ages of prestige and homage had nourished,
that he was by nature a higher order of being than those whom
he had held subject. Names could be blotted out, ranks and
titles obliterated, but cordial feelings of equality could not in
an instant arise between those who had been so long separated
by the great gulf which exists between master and slave. Yet
it was a measure originating in a desire to promote the best
good of all, and it is not strange that mistakes should be made
in the details of a great revolution, not the less a revolution,
because it was brought about by a. king, instead of people, and
accomplished without civil war.
It was considered a great infringement of the rights of pro
perty, that the feudal proprietor should thus summarily be
deprived of services which had been looked on in the light of
property, and no compensation be allowed, and that lands, the
rent of which had been his wealth, should be " sold or otherwise
disposed of," without permitting him a voice in the matter. It
was taking from him a right he had enjoyed undisputed a thou
sand years, and it is not easy to see how a king could consider
himself entitled to abolish a privilege as well established as his
claim to the throne. Both originated about the same time, or
if either could claim precedence in time, the feudal lord had

UNITY, LIBERTY AND SLAVERY. 59
decidedly the advantage, and both originated in the same way
by assumption, and the right of the strongest, and in Prussia
especially a sceptre had been but a very little while in the
hands of her kings.
The nobility no longer having the consequence which great
landed possessions conferred upon them, and depending upon
official and military offices for support, lost their influence, and
indeed are no longer a nobility in the land. Those who retain
the titles have nothing to sustain them, and the little appendage
of de or von commands very little extra respect.
In France, the people were also given a representative gov
ernment, which calls them to a new sphere of action, and gradu
ally educates them for a higher position. People will not
instruct themselves in that which does not concern them, and
cannot possibly take an interest which will keep their minds
awake, and make them intelligent, thinking beings, in affairs
which require or allow no action.
Prussia has not yet given the people the privilege of any voice
in the government. The king is very nearly as much of an
autocrat as the Czar of Eussia. The serfs were emancipated,
and feel that the soil is their own, but it is still so loaded with
taxes, and their freedom of motion is so curtailed, and the free
dom of speech so forbidden, the new governmental machinery
is so expensive, and their toil to meet all its demands so
oppressive, that their condition is very little improved by what,
it would seem, must be so great a blessing. They cannot
choose the village schoolmaster who is to teach their children,
nor the clergyman who is to instruct them in religion ; and
every officer necessary in the most trifling local affairs of the vil-
age, is appointed by government. They are taught to read, and

60 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
punished if they will not learn to read, by the same government
that afterwards punishes them if they listen to a preacher, or
look in a book, except such a one as the king approves.
What are they still but slaves who submit quietly to such a
state of things ?

CHAPTEE III.
r
ARISTOCRACY  OFFICIALS  PASSPORTS.
After the first steps of the great change in the condition
of the people, there came the new and important question of
what should be substituted in place of the feudal aristocracy,
as a support to the throne, and a machinery for accomplishing
its purposes. There must be a middle party between the king
and people, who are too far removed from each other to
know their mutual wants, or understand their mutual sym
pathies ; a class who have been served by slaves and know
nothing of labor, must still live, and though paupers, could not
be huddled into poor-houses, or turned into the streets to beg.
There must be some respectable position manufactured for
thousands of persons who must still be kept apart from the
common herd, and have been deprived of their hereditary
titles and expectancies ; and here we find the secret of the
great army of petty officials in uniforms, springing up like
mushrooms all over the land. It seems to the traveler that
every third person wears the badge of office, and statistics tell
us that three millions, at least, depend . directly on govern
ment for their daily bread. In the choice of none of these
have the people a single vote, and whatever may be their
crimes, delinquencies or oppressions, can have no influence in
getting them removed. Their sympathies are never in any in-
61

62 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
stance with the people, but with the government that appoints
them, and pays them, and requires of them blind and abject
obedience to its commands, against which they are in little
danger of offending, for the loss of its patronage is the loss
of all things, as they have no knowledge of any other business
than the routine of the one office in which they happened to
get installed.
The appointment is one for life if no offence is given, and in
all the inferior positions, where the duties are almost mechani
cal, and the performance of them requires no thought, and very
little exertion, they go through the monotonous process of
signing passports and collecting taxes, till they have scarcely
more intelligence or animation than the coins and papers they
handle. In America, " rotation in office " is the principle from high
est to lowest, and though the system has its evils, one may bo
very well content with them who has thoroughly understood
the " office for life " system of Germany, where there is no
accountability but to the king, and fidelity to an autocrat for
the one selfish purpose of gaining and keeping a government
place, is the sole inspiring motive in the performance of every
duty. But the evil does not end with those already provided
for, but extends to the hundreds who are living in idleness in
expectation of office, and who having been trained with special
reference to it, never think of applying themselves to any
other business, and have no practical knowledge that fits them
for any useful station in life.
Not merely those performing government duties are thus de
pendent, but those of every possible profession and trade. The
apothecary is licensed by government, and cannot open a shop
in any city or place without permission, and only a certain

ARISTOCRAOY  OFFICIALS  PASSPORTS. 63
number are allowed in any one at a time. The physician must«
obtain the same permission to practise, the dentist to fill teeth,
the merchant to sell goods, the mason to make bricks, the
shoemaker to make shoes, and the cartman to drive his donkey,
and for every office or trade there are hundreds all the time
waiting. In one year there were a hundred livings in the church va
cant, but there were also nearly three hundred applicants ! For
a hundred vacant judgeships there were two hundred and fifty
applicants ; and for a hundred medical appointments, two
hundred ready to take them, and having no education or know
ledge by which they could do anything else.
The universities are all under the fostering care of govern
ment, and the church is paternally cared for in the same way,
and those who teach either religion, philosophy, or political
economy must be careful that their dogmas are in accordance
with those of the king, else farewell to honor and farewell to
bread. So here is a government phalanx of three millions in
active service, and as many more obsequiously petitioning and
waiting for the same favors. In England and America these
young men would engage in some business, however humble, by
which they could earn a living, and consider it infinitely more
honorable than such a life, and the educated and intellectual
portion of the people must be as verily slaves as the serfs, or
such trammels upon their thoughts and tongues could not be
borne. We are continually taunted with the reproach that Ameri
cans are without education, without appreciation of the fine
arts, and money is their god. To which we could reply that
there is more really valuable education in one State of our
Federal Union than in all the German States together. We

64 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
.have no galleries of art, to be sure; and may the time be long
before the people are taxed millions of dollars to build them
and furnish them, while they live in hovels and starve in gar
rets, and we think we shall be long in deciding that it is bet
ter to beg than lay up money. It is said to be a very fre
quent occurrence, that the grown up and able-bodied students
of universities, and the mechanics learning their trades, are
seen begging on the highways, and always with a pipe in their
mouths. Even the peasant people are taxed to support the
king's theatre, and we confess music has not seemed to us so
divine an art, since we have seen at what expense of comfort
it is cultivated, and how degraded are many who attain to the
highest perfection in a science considered so ennobling.
It was long before we came to Germany that we concluded
mere book knowledge to be the least important and useful of
all, and our opinion has been a thousand times strengthened
since we came to this land of dreamers, theorists and specula
tors. What good do they accomplish ? How much better for
themselves and their country that they should be engaged in
some employment that would provide for themselves comfort,
and add to the comfort of others ? What a century of genuine
every-day work is necessary all over the land, to give the
homes of the people the very first elements of true comfort, such
as the humblest family in New England would consider abso
lutely necessary to life. Labor with the hands they consider
degrading, so they sit down to eat the bread of dependence
and spin out theories, till some vacancy in the offices of
church or state gives them something to do, that comports with
their ideas of honorable employment. It is said that nine-
tenths of the students in the universities are wasting their
energies in this dreamy life of expectation.

ARISTOCRACY — OFFICIALS  PASSPORTS. 65
Once in a government stall they are fixed for life, and nearly
every government office, high and low, requires a university
education. It is certainly wasted on half the metaphysicians
and theologians, who would be doing less harm, at least, if they
were hammering stone; and what good it does these " servants
of the state," who are the merest machines in every duty they
are called on to perform, and are not allowed to act in a single
instance for themselves as free agents — cannot marry without
permission — we cannot imagine.
It is infinitely amusing, however, to see the importance they
assume on the most trifling occasion, especially those who stand
at the corners of the streets, or in some little hut that professes
to be a custom house, or at some pigeon-hole to receive your
passport. They seem fully conscious of the petty business
they are engaged in, and by their pomposity and bluster, and
the Scarlet badge around their throats, remind one of the sable
tenant of the farmyard when attempting to frighten children
from its precincts 1 Weekly rotation would be better than a sys
tem that supports this army of lazy, stupid, conceited life-long
officials, their " fair round bellies with good capon lined," and
their fair round faces such a mass of stolidity as one would not
have believed the human countenance could present. We have
once or twice fallen into their hands, and though we experi
enced no evil, had full proof of their importance.
In the free city of Frankfort we wished to spend a few weeks,
and take up our abode in a family of " birth and position," not
doubting that in a respectable place we should be considered
respectable, and not having learned from any previous experi
ence, that no amount of respectability could exempt men or
women, in Germany, from the special supervision of the police.
We were scarcely domiciled when we were called upon by one

66 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
of this august body to prove our right and title to live and
breathe unmolested in a so-called free city, in the middle of
this enlightened nineteenth century. The personage who came
to inspect our credentials was a good type of his class, his
countenance giving good evidence of the dull routine of his
life. We stood up before him like a culprit about to be sentenced,
as he asked :
" How long do you wish to live in Frankfort ?"
" I don't know ; perhaps a month, perhaps six months."
" It is necessary that you have permission."
"Yes, sir."
" Have you a passport ?"
"Yes, sir."
" It is necessary that I see it."
" Yes, sir," and we depart to bring it.
" I will take it to the police office, and return."
" Yes, sir."
Whereupon he departed, and we, in the meantime, make
ourselves merry with the ridiculous law that requires a respec
table lady in respectable life to be summoned before the
police. But our good landlady was almost as much shocked
as if we had been guilty of sacrilege — that we should presume
to doubt the concentrated wisdom of a hundred Frankfort
Burgomasters. " It was very necessary," she insisted, ' ' abso
lutely necessary for the peace and well-being of the city, that
no person should be permitted to live in it without permission
from the government."
" And what will it do for the peace and well-being of the
government when I get this permission — what more will they
know about me for looking at that piece of parchment, which

ARISTOCRACY  OFFICIALS  PASSPORTS. 67
was written and signed by those who never saw nor heard of
me, and knew nothing of my title to respectability, and only
knew upon my own assertion whether I was born in one
country or another ?"
To this she had nothing to answer, but still insisted that it
was necessary, and to prove it, said : " Only a little while ago,
there came a man — a Frenchman — who remained a long time,
and then ran away without paying his bills," etc., etc. We
began to think it might be a rare city for virtue and honesty,
when it was related as a marvelous thing " that a man — a
Frenchman — ran. away without paying his bills." We had
heard of fifty Frenchmen, and Germans too, who had done the
same in New York. But our after-experience destroyed even
this happy illusion. We learned, though not for the first time,
that people can be a great deal more scrupulous about what
their neighbors do than what they do themselves.
In half an hour the policeman returned, and solemnly said :
" You can stay in Frankfort six months, and if you behave
properly, will not be further molested. But if you then wish
to prolong your residence, the permission must be renewed."
We paid the required sum for this permission, and the man of
authority retired, appearing to think himself on an equality
with some gallant knight-errant.
In a little village of Nassau we wished to tarry for a week,
and did not once think of a passport, but the poor official,
having nothing else to do, was glad of anything to vary the
monotony of his life, and immediately came blustering in to
demand the proofs that we could be permitted with impunity
to live in a little dirty inn, in the dominions of the Grand
Duke of Nassau. Alas ! we had no proofs, except that we
considered ourself a respectable-looking personage, and such

68 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
of our deeds as were on record, were not among those of spies,
thieves, and housebreakers. But this was not enough ; no
stranger could be allowed to dwell in their midst, without the
writing signed by the proper authorities, that testified that he
was no vagabond, that might pillage or burn, or what per
haps was more to be feared, might die, and subject them to
tho expense of prayers and burial service. In another place
in Darmstadt we heard this given as the only reason for requir
ing all this ceremony. If people were sick or in distress, they
wished to know where they lived in order to be able to appeal
to their friends or government, as they could not afford to
take care of a sick stranger, or incur the expenses of his fune
ral. We could see a little sense, but not much charity, in
such a reason.
There was no appearance of mortal sickness about us, and
we feel quite as sure, as little of being thief or vagabond. Yet
this did not procure us any mercy from a Nassau official. He
considered it his duty to put us under the lock and key of a
government station-house, until the Consular Agent of the
United States of America, and His High Mightiness the Grand
Dnke of Nassau, could come to an understanding concerning
our destination.
We preferred to depart, and shake the dust of such a heathen
land from our feet, rather than put these dignitaries to so much
trouble'. But when the inn-keeper and some young men who
had been to America, and learned a little of civilization, heard
this conclusion, they petitioned in our behalf, and succeeded in
assuaging the fears of the man of power for the safety of the
State, and he condescendingly extended us permission to remain
one week, accompanied by the assurance that his watchful eye
would be upon us I

ARISTOCRACY  OFFICIALS  PASSPORTS . 6 9
But the people themselves, cannot go from one principality
to another without all this parade ; the peasants cannot go
from village to village to attend a fair without permission ; and
. the mechanics, who are compelled by law to spend three years
in going from place to place, to learn or practise their trades,
are still not able to travel twenty miles in any direction with
these passports. The police office is only open at certain hours,
and if they do not arrive in season in any day, they must be
detained at great expense till another day, and the appointed
hour, and each must pay the sum fixed by law, or go to prison,
or the station-house for the reception of vagabonds.
A lady who arrives in any place and has not a passport,
must give fifty dollars bond for good behavior, or the family
must with whom she resides, no matter what their station, or
how well known they may be ; with neither money nor pass
port she would be turned adrift. The pretence for all this is,
that they have so great a regard for morality, and the general
well-being of the community, that they cannot allow in their
midst irresponsible persons, or those of doubtful position ; and
this, when you have only to look out of the window, to see
the most flagrant violations of morality and decency in every
street and at every corner ; such proofs of the immorality of
the whole people as seem impossible to be permitted to exist
in any civilized or Christian land.
The whole system of signing and viselng passports and
various other documents, is kept up for the sole purpose of
giving employment to those tens of thousands of officials, who
have no education or faculty for doing anything else, and whom
the government need as spies to promote their secret purposes.
In Norway, officials are accountable to government, but
government is also accountable to the people for the appoint-

70 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY
ment of its officers, and cannot retain or dismiss them at its
will. They can appeal to courts, and be tried if accused, and
are therefore quite independent, and speak and write of govern
ment measures with the same freedom as others ; and being
allowed to think and speak, and act freely, do not become
machines or automatons, and the people are not at all in their
power. In America, all official stations are filled by those who are
constantly mingling with the people, and are of them, knowing
all their wants and grievances, because they have themselves
experienced them. Every man who holds an office, from the
highest to the lowest, has also another trade or profession ;
and only proves himself qualified for official position by success
in some other calling. Office is a reward, and not a profession
by which to gain a livelihood, and the hope of obtaining a
position which the community considers honorable, is an incite
ment to industry and self -qualification. No man is a policeman
or tax-gatherer for life. These are only episodes which give
him a little variety, and do not stamp tax-gatherer upon his
face or manners, as we have seen stamped upon so many here,
who have done nothing but collect money all their lives, and
never having been one among those who were called upon to
pay it also, have no sympathy with the people, but demand
" the utmost farthing " with a stoical severity, which is indeed
" grinding the face of the poor," in the most oppressive manner.
An Englishman, who may be supposed to have no undue
partiality for American institutions, says : " That in all the
affairs of the United States, men of ordinary education and
common sense have shown themselves capable of discharging
very ably all those public functions and official affairs, which
in Europe are supposed, from their being wrapped up in forms

ARISTOCRACY — OFFICIALS — PASSPORTS. 71
and etiquette of procedure, to require long training in official
bureaux of ministers, very great experience, and much study.
The Americans have proved in the cabinet and in the field, that
all this false importance, claimed by men of office and routine,
vanishes in the management of public affairs, before sound
common sense and energy.
" In their foreign diplomacy, American ministers, fresh from
the counting-house, the printing-office, or the farm, conduct im
portant negotiations, at least as successfully, as the regularly
trained ambassadors of the old European countries. American
statesmen and generals have proved themselves equal to those
bred in courts and on parades, in bureaux and at grand re
views." In Germany, only those who are educated for certain places,
and are living in expectation of them, take any interest in the
knowledge requisite for performing the duties which belong to
them. Among the peasantry there is no hope of office of any
kind ; no hope of anything out of their humble sphere ; and
they therefore have no object and no ambition, to extend their
thoughts or knowledge beyond their humble duties. The mere
acquisition of knowledge is an incentive to but very few.
In America, the humblest ploughboy indulges the faint hope
that he may one day become President of the United States ;
and knows as well, that it is not as ploughman, that he can
enjoy such honors. He may be a mechanic,- a farmer, all his
life, but he must not be an ignorant one ; without an abund
ance of energy of mind and body in active operation.
Ambition — the reward of distinction of some kind — is also
necessary to spur men to effort. If a man gains wealth, he
exhibits talent of a certain species, and patient persevering
effort, which deserves the reward of commendation in some

72 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
form from his fellow-men, and deserves position, far more than
those who are born to honors, and who cannot appreciate true
merit. ( See Appendix C.J
The objection is made to rotation, the great excitement and
whirl in which it keeps the whole country. But this is exagge
rated by the newspapers, and is only political at any time. To
those who look on, and only read the daily journals, America
seems hke one great maelstrom, into which all that is valuable
in society is being plunged. But the social condition of the
country is far less affected by it than appears. In New Eng
land the people are about as settled in their ways, and as im
movable as the Germans, only they happen to be settled into
a better order of things. Even the yearly rotation in office
produces scarcely a ripple upon their sea of life. They put on
and off dignities as they do their winter garments, and take it
all as a matter of course. The duties of most offices are Httle
more than matters of ceremony, there as well as here ; and the
man who gathers taxes spends but very little time about it,
and is not obliged to neglect his farm or his merchandise to
count money or keep an account of it. Even those who are
sent to the Senate and House of Eepresentatives, require only
the exercise of a little good sense, and it is certain that many
in the early days of the republic, assisted in framing the best
Constitution and laws any country has seen, without being able
to spell three words correctly, and hardly able to write at all ;
and when this was done, they returned to the plough and the
desk, not less expert or content than before.
Kings invent many instruments of oppression, and this army
of spies is not the least of them all. There is not a man in
New England who would wear the yoke under which the Ger
man peasant bends, for a single day or hour.

CHAPTEE IV.
COSTUMES  FEUDAL OPPRESSION — RELIGION.
It has been a matter of great wonder and curiosity to us, as
we have read of Germany, how, within so small a compass,
there could live so many distinct classes of people — how each
little province or district should retain a distinct costume, and
customs as unlike those in a neighboring province or district as
those of Paris and Constantinople.
We could understand that people living under different gov
ernments and laws, and speaking different languages, should be
different. The Turkish costume is the costume of all Turkey,
the Grecian of all Greece ; and in the great empire of Eussia
there are only two — one for the serf, and one for his master.
In Norway there is only one. In England, the dress of the cot
tage is the same in form and fashion as that of the court, dif
fering only in material, according to the means of the wearer,
and diversified by the tastes of individuals. Why should there
be in Germany a, hundred among no greater number of peo
ple 1 The solution we find not so difficult, now we have come
among them.
Long centuries ago, when Tacitus wrote of the Germans, he
mentioned twenty-seven tribes situated between the Elbe, the
Saale, and the Vistula, and eighteen others between the Elbe
and the Ehine, all -speaking the same language, and evidently
having thesame origin, yet always remaining distinct. They
4. T3

72 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
form from his fellow-men, and deserves position, far more than
those who are born to honors, and who cannot appreciate true
merit. (See Appendix G.)
The objection is made to rotation, the great excitement and
whirl in which it keeps the whole country. But this is exagge
rated by the newspapers, and is only political at any time. To
those who look on, and only read the daily journals, America
seems like one great maelstrom, into which all that is valuable
in society is being plunged. But the social condition of the
country is far less affected by it than appears. In New Eng
land the people are about as settled in their ways, and as im
movable as the Germans, only they happen to be settled into
a better order of things. Even the yearly rotation in office
produces scarcely a ripple upon their sea of life. They put on
and off dignities as they do their winter garments, and take it
all as a matter of course. The duties of most offices are little
more than matters of ceremony, there as well as here ; and the
man who gathers taxes spends but very little time about it,
and is not obliged to neglect his farm or his merchandise to
count money or keep an account of it. Even those who are
sent to the Senate and House of Eepresentatives, require only
the exercise of a little good sense, and it is certain that many
in the early days of the republic, assisted in framing the best
Constitution and laws any country has seen, without being able
to spell three words correctly, and hardly able to write at all ;
and when this was done, they returned to the plough and the
desk, not less expert or content than before.
Kings invent many instruments of oppression, and this army
of spies is not the least of them all. There is not a man in
New England who would wear the yoke under which the Ger
man peasant bends, for a single day or hour.

CHAPTEE IV.
COSTUMES  FEUDAL OPPRESSION — RELIGION.
It has been a matter of great wonder and curiosity to us, as
we have read of Germany, how, within so small a compass,
there could live so many distinct classes of people — how each
little province or district should retain a distinct costume, and
customs as unlike those in a neighboring province or district as
those of Paris and Constantinople.
We could understand that people living under different gov
ernments and laws, and speaking different languages, should be
different. The Turkish costume is the costume of all Turkey,
the Grecian of all Greece ; and in the great empire of Eussia
there are only two — one for the serf, and one for his master.
In Norway there is only one. In England, the dress of the cot
tage is the same in form and fashion as that of the court, dif
fering only in material, according to the means of the wearer,
and diversified by the tastes of individuals. Why should there
be in Germany a, hundred among no greater number of peo
ple 1 The solution we find not so difficult, now we have come
among them.
Long centuries ago, when Tacitus wrote of the Germans, he
mentioned twenty-seven tribes situated between the Elbe, the
Saale, and the Vistula, and eighteen others between the Elbe
and the Ehine, all speaking the same language, and evidently
having the same origin, yet always remaining distinct. They
4 73

74 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
would perhaps unite to repel foreign invasion, and immediately
separate again, to revolve in their own little orbits, and live
within their own little spheres.
At the time of this description they were, in every sense of the
word, barbarians ; and we are not to suppose that Tacitus, or
any one else, in those days obtained any very definite know
ledge of fifty roving, barbarous tribes, speaking a different lan
guage from his own, and keeping no records by which the past
or present could be traced. Their clothiDg was the skin of the
beast of the forest, and their food his flesh.
As civilization crept in among them, we can easily imagine
that he who was at first their chief, because he was more strong
or more fierce, became their ruler, because he was more wise
or more cunning. The next step they would naturally take to
wards permanency and order would be that of feudalism, when
a few more ambitious and brave than the rest would appropri
ate the land, and those who lived upon it, and for defence build
their strongholds, which we see scattered all over the interior
of Germany, and marshal around them as many dependents as
their domains would support, who would have no option but to
obey. In a little time, power would become consolidated in the
hands of a few, and the multitude would become subjects, with
such rights and privileges only as their masters saw fit to
grant ; and as there is a peculiar fascination in power, any one
who could obtain authority over a sufficient number would con
stitute himself their prince or governor. Thus each petty tribe
became a petty principality, and a few baronial lords formed a
feudal courts — the satellites of a prince who ruled only by the
right of the strongest, and at most numbered only a few hun
dreds within the limits of his power. Thus we rea-d of those

COSTUMES  FEUDAL OPPRESSION  RELIGION. 75
grand cavalcades, where the prince, with his lords and knights,
with their squires and vassals, issued from the castle gates with
the sound of music and the flourish of trumpets, striking awe
into the hearts of the people by the imposing spectacle.
How it should happen that each little court should have an
entirely distinct costume does not appear, unless from the desire
of each to take advantage of everything that could give it
prestige and importance; and a livery hy which all who belonged
to it should be known, would certainly be a very effective
way, and is still practised among the different noble families of
England in regard to all who belong to their households.
That in these days the dress of the serf wasjhe same as that
of his lord, and_the maidjike that of her mistress, is known by
the carvings upojij^mpry, and upon the monuments in old
cathedrals. There we find upon the tomb of the prince and
baron the costume in which he was accustomed to appear; and
we see that the costume of the peasant in that principality or
dukedom is the same to this day. The dress of the modern
courtier is changed ; for he has "gone the way of all the
world," which is to Paris, for his fashions, and indulges in all
the freaks for which the fickle goddess is so famed. But the
peasant knows nothing of Paris, and in these days knows
scarcely more of the little German court, which is not the
grand affair it was in the old feudal times; and besides, changes
are not within his means. We have sometimes asked them
why they dressed in so peculiar a way, instead of conforming
to the rest of the world, and they say : " This was the way our
fathers did, and they were respectable people, so we follow
their example."
When it became the custom for lords and ladies to spend
their time in distant cities, and to leave their castles and estates

76 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
to brutal overseers, only spending a few weeks occasionally
among their dependents, the tie of affection was dissolved, and
obedience was no longer a dictate of the heart, but a matter of
unwunng~necesslty7-The Tine between The" "Tiighljorn" and
lowly became more marked and impassable than ever. The
one class became more proud, and haughty, and distant, and
the other more abject and debased in their servitude. Those
of the same humble condition became more attached to their
own ways, and tenacious of their peculiar customs, and min
gling very little with others, had no motive or inducement to
change. There was also another question which continually recurred,
and was in the distance quite as insoluble. When serfdom was
abolished, and the peasant became a free man, why did so great
a political change effect so little in his social condition ? In
other lands the peasantry gradually adopt the dress, and man
ners, and habits of living of those above them, and the country
imitates the town. But here there is no such amalgamation.
However high the standard of intelligence, refinement, and cul
tivation in any city, the people, one mile beyond its walls^are
in no material respect different from their ancestors hundreds
of years ago. What can there be in their humble routine that
acts like a spell in keeping them within its circle ? Alas ! we
have learned that it is the pressure from above that keeps them
down. There is nothing essentially groveling in their natures.
They are no longer serfs, but they are still very far from being
free, and to change their condition is as impossible now as when
they were bought and sold with the land they tilled.
We have listened in amazement to hear the contempt with
which city people speak of the Landleule—the country or peasant
people— as if they were reptiles or worms, to be trodden upon ;

COSTUMES  FEUDAL OPPRESSION — RELIGION. 77
and it is true that every manner of unkiudnoss and ungenerous
advantage is exercised towards them to make them feel their
degradation, and keep up the enmity between them. Even in
the free cities they are not allowed to pass the gates without
tribute. The market-woman cannot bring her basket of eggs
and vegetables, without having it first searched, and that it is
often done in the most insulting manner we have been eye
witness. The farmer's cart, too, is subject to the same inspec
tion, and half his hay or straw, or whatever he carries, is per
haps tumbled into the street, for him to reload, which he is told
to do with a curse that makes him writhe beneath the indignity,
as well as groan under the tyranny. How can they care to
imitate even the good they see in a people from whom they
experience so much evil ?
In many districts we see among the peasantry a few who
have become rich, yet they do not change their costume, except,
perhaps, to wear a little finer material, and do not remodel
their houses or furniture, and these are as essentially distinct
and peculiar as their dress. There is an evident wish to remain
distinct, and a decided aversion to assimilation, deep-seated,
and deep-sown with the seeds of animosity. The various sub
jects and illustrations which fill the remainder of our book will
perhaps do something towards an explanation, if to others the
question is involved in the same mystery that it was to us.
The large landowners, on being deprived of their estates,
removed to the towns, and could not, of course, be supposed to
feel very amiable under the new order of things. They had lost
their wealth, and were shorn of their laurels. Labor had
always been performed by the degraded, and they looked upon
it as degrading. They, therefore, could not toil. For support
and position they must depend upon government offices, and it

78 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
is not likely would give their influence to measures for the
benefit of those who had become free at their expense. This is
our supposition ; we cannot trace through all their gradations
the decrees which have proved a millstone upon the necks of
the poor, and we cannot imagine how kings and councils, in
their senses, could, from any motive whatever, bind the souls
and bodies of their subjects as those of every subject in Ger
many are bound.
We did not think to enter into the assemblies of princes, or
to meddle with their decrees ; but when we came to mingle
with the people, we found everything in their social state and
economy so depending upon 'their governments, that without
entering a little into the reasons of things, and tracing effects to
their causes, all we had to relate would seem without beginning
and without end — an unintelligible mass of details, concerning
manners and customs, as strange among civilized people, in the
nineteenth century, as the fetish of Africa, or the caste of
Hindostan. How often we have heard it expressed as a matter of
astonishment, in America, that the country in which originated
the Eeformation should have so soon degenerated into a nation
"fearing not God and keeping not his word." How many are
lamenting that the children of those who were the disciples of
Luther and Calvin, and ready to give their lives in defence of
the faith, should have become indifferent to the religion of their
fathers, and that the churches where the truth was first
preached in its simplicity should be left desolate ! Yet there
are very good reasons for this seeming degeneracy, which is not
strange in the ordinary nature of things, for causes have been
followed by their natural effects.
It is not so long ago, that it should be forgotten by those

COSTUMES  FEUDAL OPPRESSION — RELIGION. 79
who are not " the oldest inhabitants," that a Protestant king
of Fmssi&forbade " the worship of God according to the dic
tates of his conscience," to every Lutheran and Calvinist in
his dominions. Frederic William III., like Henry VIII. and
James I., wished to be supreme in the Church as well as the
- State, and framed a liturgy which was henceforth to be used
among his people, if their obedience could be enforced by fire
and fagot, or at the point of the sword.
Catholics were allowed to go on as the pope ordained, but for
state reasons it was necessary to make a compromise with the
sovereign pontiff, and as it would be impossible to convert the
Protestants of Germany back to Catholicism, the attempt was
made to compromise with them also, or rather a decree was
made commanding them to give up the beloved ritual which
Luther prepared, and the prayer-book he recommended, and
those who should refuse were threatened with " fire and impri
sonment." In the Lutheran chuches, many more of the Catholic forms
had been retained than in the Calvinist, which were rigid in
their simplicity ; but both were now alike required to restore
the dethroned images, to set up the candlesticks, and rehang
the pictures, and to "fall down and worship" in the way
the king ordained. Prussia was but a small portion of Ger
many, and this sceptre extended over but few among the whole
people, till all those of inferior right and power thought to
exalt themselves by following so worthy an example. The
Duke of Baden declared the Calvinistic service too demo
cratic to be allowed in the land of princes, and so the whole
Protestant nation was at once nominally transformed from
many Lutheran and Calvinistic churches, to one Prussian
church, in which all were to worship together.

80 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
It could not be expected that forms whicii had been estab
lished for centuries should be quietly given up and others
adopted at the simple mandate of a king, It was not strange
that the churches should be deserted, and that the people
should become indifferent to religion in any form.
But this was not all. A Protestant king of Prussia, in the
nineteenth century, forbade, also, on pain of fine and imprison
ment, meetings in private houses, for prayer and praise, and
kept corps of military on every highway, and in every village
street, to ferret out any poor disciples who should venture to do
what the Saviour recommended, rather than the king of Prussia.
Christ said " where two or three are gathered together in my
name, there will I be in their midst ;" but those who would
do this in Germany, must hide themselves among rocks and in
caves, as did the early Christians, who were by Eomam empe
rors persecuted and slain. Whole villages in Silesia were
deserted by the inhabitants, who fled across the sea for no other
purpose than to be able to preach and pray as they thought
right. We have traversed the road by which they marched to
the vessels which bore them weeping away, and have talked with
those who saw them, with weary footsteps, marching through
the forests and along the valleys, broken in spirit and heavy-
hearted. Six hundred embarked from one port in a day, aDd
from two to three thousand in all renounced home and country,
and all else they held dear, for the faith of their fathers.
It was in December, 1834, that a body of soldiers were
marched upon the little village of Hoenigern, the home of
pious Lutherans, to compel them to enter the churches and
worship after the form the king had prescribed. Finding the
churches locked and nailed, they forced them open, and fired
upon the people, wounding many. Still thoy resisted, and

COSTUMES  FEUDAL OPPRESSION — RELIGION. 81
neither the sword nor imprisonment could force them to obey.
Their houses were then filled with a brutal soldiery, who were
permitted to trample and insult them, but still they opened not
their mouths, and when there was no longer hope of peace and
freedom of conscience, they fled. Not yet thirty years have
passed since this scene of bloody persecution in the name of
Protestantism and Christianity.
It was this same king who promised his subjects a " consti
tution " and " representative government," and though rein
stated upon his throne upon solemnly pledging his word that this
should be their reward, he never fulfilled this promise. Every
feeling that could attach them to king and country has been
outraged. In 1815, when the nations met in the famous " Congress of
Vienna," to divide the spoils, not a thought was bestowed upon
the people, who were set off and parcelled out at the sovereign
will and pleasure of these lords and potentates, in a way to
best promote their own interest. Those who had long served
under one duke or margrave, were in a day transferred to an
other, without regard to any bond of attachment they might
have to the name and family of him whose subjects they and
their fathers had been. This was nothing to those who only
counted the number who could owe them allegience, and the
amount of treasure in gold and silver which would be poured
into their coffers, by so many slaves. Whether they had hearts
and souls or not, was of no consequence, or how ruthlessly they
were trampled and crushed.
What wonder that loyalty and religion dwelt no more in the
fatherland !
But let America remember, she has in her midst more than
one colony of praying Germans, who fled from the land of their
4*

82 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
birth, and the homes which had been hundreds of years their
fathers' and fathers" fathers, to seek a-n asylum in a strange
land beyond the sea, for exactly the same reason that
" A band of pilgrims moored their barks
On the wild New England coast."
They had not so many "perils by sea and perils by land,"
and therefore their names will not live so long in story, but
they were not the less martyrs in the cause of truth.
It was in the nineteenth, instead of the seventeenth century,
that they were driven forth by the rod of persecution, and they
took refuge in a land of plenty, so they did not " die of cold,
and hunger, and nakedness," and their prayers and tears have
not been so often the theme of poet and historian. But they
deserve a passing tribute, at least, from those who would
do honor to self-denial and sacrifice in a noble cause. We have
seen the homes they founded in the new world, far away in the
western wilderness, the churches they built, and heard the faith
they teach, and know them to be good and true. And now we
have seen, in the old world, the homes they left, which were not
deserted because they were not fair and pleasant— because the
sky above them was not genial, nor the earth able to yield an
abundance for the wants of all her children, but because oppres
sion sits in high places, and they are scourged from the land
they love.

CHAPTEE V.
MILITARY SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS.
It is in no instance because the land is not cultivated in
Germany, that she swarms in such multitudes. There is
enough and to spare for all, if it were only divided in any
equal measure, and the poor could only be allowed the tenth
part of the fruits of their labors..
But the most oppressive and paralyzing of all the influences
upon the people is the military system, which we would think
might have been invented by some evil genius as a blight and
plague-spot upon the nation. In this, too, Prussia set the
example, and the others followed, as if she were the goddess
of wisdom, as indeed she seems to be in all that can be devised
to bring evil upon Germany.
Again we must go back to the past, in order to give a clear
view of the present.
In the old feudal times every able-bodied man was obliged
to do military service, from prince to peasant — from the crown
vassal to the meanest serf — and when of the whole there were
so few, this was perhaps the only way to make sure of defence.
The knight was obliged to appear in the field with two
esquires, two servants, and nine horses, as his equipment. All
nobles served on horseback, but the peasants and serfs, as well
as the common people of cities and towns, served on foot. as

84 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
History and romance have made us familiar with the deeds
of brave knights, and gay troubadours have sung their loves,
but we fancy they were both more brave and true in romance
than reality. Chivalrous devotion to fair ladies, and breaking
lances in the cause of honor, have something very fascinating
as we read them ; but these very chivalrous knights beat their
serfs till they could not stand, and even unto death, for the
most trifling offences, and swore, and cursed, and drank, and
reveled in a way that would banish any man from the society
of gentlemen in these days.
But beating of servants is not yet banished from the peculiar
and cherished privileges of masters in Europe. We have just
seen that in Sweden it still stands permitted upon the statute
book, and when an effort was lately made to have it erased,
the majority were against it. What a noble privilege, and
how prized 1 that " a master and mistress may beat their ser
vants whenever they please." That some made an effort to
get it abolished, proves that it is also an abused privilege.
There would be no need of depriving them of a right of which
they never availed themselves, and those must be, to all intents
and purposes, slaves, who have no alternative but to stand and
be beaten.
The word soldier is derived from the word Sold, and means
pay, and was applied to those men who' were paid for doing
military service by those who were allowed, and who preferred
to give money instead of going themselves. Thus a few were
exempt from this onerous duty, and it has been always con
sidered a step onward in civilization. It was taken in the
thirteenth century.
In 1745, we find these military cavalcades spoken of as so
many Speere, and to each spear belonged a spearman, a squire,

MILITARY SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS. 85
a weapon bearer, and eight heavy armed men on foot. Each
company was composed of those who belonged to one feudal
lord, so that they were not mere soldiers bound together by no
tie except that afforded by military service. There was also
a social bond, and when they went to the field, they fought
side by side with comrades whom they knew and loved.
Charles VII. of France was the first king who kept a, stand
ing army, but his example was soon followed by others ; for
this was another step in advance of the old feudal system.
The military strength of each country was then easily ascer
tained, and the several princes would not be so likely to make
war upon futile occasions, nor the weak and defenceless to risk
offence with those by whom they could be easily subdued.
A certain number, kept constantly in pay and ready for
service, was a great relief to the masses, who were thus at
liberty to stay at home, and attend to their several callings,
' and their industry was thus adding wealth to the nation. That
a few were required every year to fill up the broken ranks,
was a slight evil, to requiring the whole to be in readiness at
any time to take the field, or to waste their time in military
exercises. But the king of Prussia has seen fit to go back to the days
of barbarism, and require of every man, of whatever trade or
profession, to give tfiree of the best years of his life, and the
best portion of his strength and time to military drilling. He
found, sure enough, that his standing army was of little service
against Napoleon's raw recruits, but Prussian officers were
hampered by etiquette and burdened with equipage, and the
soldiers were paralyzed by fear and brutalized by ill treat
ment, so that it was like moving a mass of dead bodies to
marshal and command them on the field of battle. When

86 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
serfdom was abolished, and inhuman punishments interdicted,
and a new and living army went forth conquering and to con
quer, it was seen that men need not spend all their lives in
military manoeuvres, in order to fight effectually. But they
need some strong, impelling motive ; and such a one as Napo
leon and his armies furnished, will not be likely to be offered
again in a century.
The king of Prussia mistook one cause for another, and
concluded it was a better way to convert a whole nation into
soldiers, and he has thus converted a whole nation into idlers
and paralytics. (See Appendix D.)
Every man must spend three years, between twenty and
twenty-five, in learning military tactics, lounging idly in bar
racks, and becoming acquainted with every species of vice.
How well fitted must a young man be for the humble duties
of his trade, and the seclusion of a village home, who has been
trained in such a school. In three years he could have
acquired skill in the use of tools, and an experience that would
be a mine of wealth in after years, but however dexterous he
has become in the use of sword and rifle, he is only the more
awkward with the plough and the trowel. With the loss of
knowledge he has lost his interest in the occupations by which
he must gain his bread, and most likely through life remains
an inefficient and unproductive laborer. During these three
idle years, others with the same trade take his place in the
community, and when he returns he must commence again at
every disadvantage. Very likely, too, he has acquired not
only idle but vicious habits, and any one who has seen these
young men roving and lounging about garrison towns, would
not expect them ever again to become a useful or respectable
class of people in any other sphere of life. They not only

MILITARY SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS. 87
beeome demoralized themselves, but are tho demoralization of
every place where they are quartered, and when they are
scattered again over the country, must carry with them these
evil habits, which, even if they make an effort, cannot be
shaken off in a moment, after three years' indulgence. One
cannot help thinking that if there must be a soldiery, it is
better that a few make it their profession, and suffer its evils,
than that every young man in the nation should be destroyed
by its corrupt influences, and so paralyzed in his business
and industry, as to be henceforth useless to himself and the
country. We have read a thousand heart-rending stories of the
weeping and wailing caused by the conscription system of
Napoleon ; that men were ready to cut off a right hand, or
pluck out a right eye, rather than be enrolled in the army,
but we have heard even that called a blessing in comparison
to the Landwehr system of the king of Prussia. Napoleon
took only so many from a certain number of inhabitants, and
in all cases a substitute was permitted, if it could be obtained ;
and also, in the old feudal system, a man could purchase
exemption ; but here there is no substitution and no exemption,
and when three years have been wasted in drills and manoeu
vres, this does not finish the evil. A few weeks of every year
must be spent in practising, that he may not forget the routine.
A few regiments, called "regiments of the line," are kept
continually in service and pay, and into these the raw recruits
enter to be practised. What curses deep and long we have
heard muttered against the governments that impose such laws
and exactions ! The revolution of 1848 was entirely in conse
quence of them. The people had borne till there had come a
limit to their endurance, and they rose up to shake off the

88 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
chains. But, as we said before, there is in the thinking part
of the people a defect. They are visionary, and attempt
impossibilities. They have not been trained in a practical
school, and the uneducated, but deep-feeling and suffering
people, who intrust themselves to their guidance, are deluded,
and not delivered. •
When they found there was no hope — that neither unity or
liberty were to be obtained, then commenced the stream of
emigration which has been going on ever since, and to the
causes of which government tries to shut its eyes. In the old
military system, there was at least distinction to be gained,
but in this there is none, because where every man is a soldier
all are on a level, and the peasants can seldom attain to the
rank of officers, for the want of education, which they have
not the means to acquire. There is nothing to kindle a spark
of enthusiasm for their calling. They go like animals driven
to be slaughtered, and perform their evolutions like automa
tons. There is, besides, no unanimity between the different states,
and in many cases the most cordial enmity. There can be
nothing more intense than the hatred which the Prussian bears
to the Austrian, which is manifested every time they meet in
the street, and that of the Bohemian and Bavarian is scarcely
less to the haughty house of Hapsburg. There happened under
our window one evening, in Frankfort, a quarrel and skirmish
between the soldiers of these different states. The trouble
commenced at a dance, where a pretty girl promised her hand
for the next waltz to a Prussian, and when the time came gave
it to an Austrian. The former immediately drew his sword, and
all present took sides, when they issued into the street to fight
it out. It was the first time in our life that we had seen the

MILITARY SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS. 89
dashing of swords, and though it was a very insignificant
occasion, and at the most a very trifling affair, it was suffi
ciently sad and fearful. Several received wounds of which they
afterwards died, and the whole length of the street was filled
with people in carriages, on horseback, and on foot, from the
lumbering and stately equipage of the Frankfort burgomaster,
to the humblest boor. The uniform of each state is so distinct
as to be recognized in the dark, and in any trouble the officers
are immediately upon the alert. Patrols of ten or twenty
commenced regular marches through the disaffected streets, and
for several nights their tramping was heard till morning, and
the sun " glistened on their burnished armor." Every epithet
of scorn which the language afforded, was hurled from one to
the other among the offended, and all the authority of the city
military, and official power of each regiment, were necessary to
quell the disturbance. The cause we heard from a young girl
who brought us bread the next day, and who was present.
Her lover was also wounded, for this is one of the moral pecu
liarities of garrisoned towns, that every soldier becomes the
fiance of some poor girl, who really believes that long years
hence, when he is allowed, and able, to marry, she shall
become his wife, which, we are sorry to say, seldom happens.
No officer is allowed to marry unless he or his wife is worth
five thousand dollars ; and no common soldier is allowed to
marry at all. At all hours of the day, when not on duty, they
may be seen promenading with their sweethearts, who are
mostly servants in good families. The contrast is quite striking
between the man and woman, for though the soldier is very
likely from the same class as the servant, if well formed and
good-looking in his uniform, he has decidedly the advantage of
a poor girl who has just emerged from the kitchen, and has not

90 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
thought it at all necessary to fix up in order to go forth with
her lover. Very likely she is on her way to market, with a tub
or basket on her head, while he is in laced coat and white kids,
with a gilt sword-hilt and other bright accoutrements hanging
at his side. They have an appointment, and wait for each
other at some shop or corner, as the girl cannot be sought at the
place where she lives, though it is well known by those who
employ her that much of her time is spent in soldiers' barracks.
It has been a standing joke against our greenness since we have
been here, that for weeks we assumed these pairs to be brothers
and sisters, or members of the same family, as we had never
dreamed that those bearing such a relationship promenaded
openly and with the knowledge and consent of "families ofthe
first respectability." They may do it elsewhere, but in ordinary
dress it is not known, while the uniform makes it certain that
these are only thousands of liaisons, as soldiers are not allowed
to form any ties more honorable.
We have never been able to understand how those who are
scrupulous even to prudishness about what gentlemen and
ladies do, should manifest no concern whatever in the moral
welfare of the poor. A story will illustrate, and we had It
from a German lady who was very tenacious of .the honor of
her country. A young girl presented herself as wishing a place
as domestic in the family. The husband said, "Ask her how
many children she has ; and if she says one, it may be prudent,
but better two or even three ; if she say3 none, send her away
by all means, for if she comes, we shall be obliged to dismiss
her in six months." It is said by city ladies, that girls from
the country are far more debased than those who have lived
always in the city, but we presume it is only that they are
more easily deceived; and some assert that those from Catholic

MILITARY SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS. 91
districts are worse than any other ; but this we did not find
proved in our own observations, and do not think there is any
ground for the assertion.
When Napoleon swept through the land, he not only over
turned thrones and kingdoms, but churches and monasteries.
Hundreds of lazy monks were turned adrift, and lazy priests
deprived of their livings, and offices in the church conferred
upon worthy young men, and many from the peasant class
received favors at his hands. What a tottering of old institu
tions there was wherever he went. And one must see the
remnants of barbarism that still remain, and the iron hand of
long-established despotism that still holds the reins of govern
ment — the shackles of customs fastened for ages upon the
people, and the haughty oppression of a proud aristocracy, in
order to fully understand the good work he performed. The
most cruel acts of tyranny of which he was ever guilty, were
mild, in comparison to those which were the daily pastime of
the kings who ruled by the right divine, and those who are still
denominated, " His most Christian Majesty," and the " Lord's
anointed." Another just such a whirlwind, to stir up the
stagnant waters which are still settled in every valley of this
old world, would be the greatest blessing they could expe
rience. Kings were obliged to change their tactics, but the dungeons
are not less dark and dank than they were when a republican
army opened their doors and searched their recesses ; the
chains are not less galling which fetter the limbs of those who
do not sit down quietly under the yoke which despots forge,
and the poison not less effectual which stops the murmurings
of unwilling slaves.
There is no hope for Germany but through some great con-

92 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
vulsion, which shall make these potentates tremble for their
power, unless they use it rightly. One writer, whose philoso-
phizings have greatly interested and edified us, thinks " unity
among these many states impossible, because there is no mate
rial interest to unite them," and goes on to demonstrate that
"England and Scotland would not have so quietly joined hands,
had it not been that the one needed the other in commercial,
manufacturing, and agricultural exchanges, and that the north
ern and southern States of America are linked by the same tie,
which is stronger even than any national pride, any bond of
brotherhood cemented by even a long period of struggle and
suffering side by side. People are more inclined to do what is
for their interest, than what is for their glory ; and as long as
the cotton, sugar, and rice of the South are in demand at the
North, and the commerce and manufactures of the North are
necessary to the South, they will be as likely to dissolve into
two or many separate governments, as England to resolve itself
into the Saxon Heptarchy." This material interest, together
with the strong national feeling which does and must ever
exist between the descendants of those who partook of the
same strife, and shared the same glory in establishing an inde
pendent government, may be the preserving element of our
republic. And we are inclined to think there will be few who
will care to renounce their proprietorship in a government
and country of which Washington was the common Father.
The halo of American liberty shines equally upon all. The
honor and glory of those who achieved it, were shared iu an
equal degree by all. Those who remove from under the brood
ing wings ofthe proud eagle, and the shadow of the star-
spangled banner, must renounce for their children all heritage
in this glorious past, and either wreathe for them new laurels,

MILITARY SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS. 93
or deprive them of one of the strongest incentives to virtue,
energy and the acquirement of a good name. To help pre
serve and transmit this inheritance, is the privilege of the
humblest citizen, and something which adds to his dignity, and
inspires him to industry and effort ; and there can be nothing
in all the future to compensate for its loss.
If national feeling and "material interest" are both neces
sary to form a nation, there can be little hope that Germany
will become one. Her climate and productions are nearly the
same in every part, so that each is self-reliant, and her manu
facturing and agricultural resources very nearly equal. As we
have said elsewhere, there were in the beginning numerous dis
tinct tribes, many of which became distinct duchies and princi
palities ; and though as early as the middle of the tenth
century there was what was called an empire, which commenced
with Otho the Great, who gained the title of emperor by his
conquest of Italy, it was an empire without power and without
head ; for each of the separate states of which it was com
posed, had a government entirely independent, and the electors
by whose votes a new emperor was placed on the throne, in no
case yielded obedience to him contrary to their own wishes and
interests. Each was continually striving to aggrandize and
exalt himself, and the whole country was therefore torn by in
ternal dissensions, which made it a constant prey to foreign
aggressors. After a time, the head of the Austrian government assumed
the title of emperor, and eclipsed in power and extent of
dominion the united principalities, and then Prussia arose to
rival both empires, and in the contest, which, under Frederick
the Great and Maria Theresa, lasted seven years, the whole
land was laid waste. Poor Silesia was the bone of contention

94 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
which Frederic coveted, and to which he had no right ; and
that he gained it by might and injustice, and Austria lost it, is
still the cause of the bitter, undying hatred between the two
countries. It may be of little consequence to the Silesians to
which power, they give allegiance ; but the long wars, and the
constant fear of being again the theatre of the strife of nations,
and the heavy taxes to support them, keep them wretchedly
poor and miserable.
But the last vestige of a German empire did not disappear
till Napoleon came with liberty inscribed on his banner, and
promises of freedom and protection to all who would join his
standard. Fifteen German states then voluntarily withdrew
from the German Empire, which had now become one only in
name, and formed the Confederation of the Rhine, which was
again dissolved when the great conqueror fell to rise no more,
though these states are in most respects more French than
German in spirit, and give to France all their national sympa
thies. Whoever shall be so ambitious as to seize upon and
annex them to the French Empire, may count upon their
loyalty. To Germany they would be lost evermore. It was
not till they became subject to Prussia, that they learned that
even to support the armies of Napoleon and exposed to the
ravages of armies, they were less oppressed with taxes, and
more free in every respect as Frenchmen in time of war, than
as Prussians in time of peace. In the countries where the con
queror seemed then only a scourge, they have learned to look
upon him as a blessing ; and the states over which he had for
a time ruled, are now far in advance of any other German
states, in the comfort and general improvement of the whole
people. The agriculture of Ehenish Prussia, is in the most prosperous

MILITARY SYSTEM AND ITS EFFECTS. 95
state of any other part of the king's dominions, and from
these provinces he receives the largest revenue in proportion to
the number of inhabitants. Here we meet fewer who are
miserably poor, and by far the smallest proportion of beggars.
What in the agricultural portion of Old and New England
is termed morality, seems at a low ebb everywhere on the
Continent. We read in authentic documents, what must be
true, though scarcely credible, that in Ehenish Prussia the pro
portion of illegitimate children is from three to four in every
hundred ; and in all other parts of Germany, from twenty to
twenty-five in every hundred ; or one fourth of all that are
born. The reason given for the difference in favor of the former, is
the better condition of the people, which admits of earlier
marriages, the establishment of homes, and the support of
families. Yet one writer says the Irish are rich in comparison
to the people of Ehenish Prussia ; that they have no beds but
naked straw, and no food year after year but black bread and
potatoes, and the poorest cottage in England is richer than the
richest in many towns on the Ehine. There, too, you may see
a donkey and a woman harnessed together to draw a plough.
In the little town of Goar it has been the custom for three
hundred years, to collect the young girls upon an open platz
and put them up to the highest bidder — the whole lot for fifty
dollars — and then each one separately. A man having bought
and paid for one, she is subject to him for a year, and must,
during that time, be his partner in the village dances, or at
least dance with no one else, and consider herself at all times
at his disposal when required for his gratification.
In Hesse Cassel, we were told that a young girl could any
where be bought in the same way, and for a very trifling sum,

96 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
merely because of their poverty. This is considered the poorest
of any state in Germany, and supports the largest military
force ; the elector being essentially warlike in his propen
sities. It was another curse, we heard often from the mouths of
women, that the government officials were everywhere the
employes ofthe ravisher and seducer; and many were the stories
we heard of their baseness in becoming the instruments of con
signing young and friendless girls to the most unendurable of
all thralldoms, who had no alternative but starvation or crime.
We do not at all suppose these men to be worse by nature
than others ; but, having more power and opportunity, they
can do more mischief.
" Slave Life in Europe," by Hacklander, gives no exaggerated
picture of the class he describes ; and " Slave Life in America''
contains no darker. We could cover our pages with stories of
stern and simple truth, as heartrending, concerning those who
are not called slaves, but who have not a single element of
freedom.

CHAPTEE VI.
RISE AND DECAY OF FEUDALISM — GROWTH OF FREE CITIES 
ANNUAL DINNER OF MERCHANTS AND SEA-CAPTAINS AT BREMEN.
We find in Germany, laws and customs concerning corpora
tions, trades, and all mechanical arts, that strike us as not only
unjust and oppressive, but barbarous ; and wonder how they
can be tolerated among a civilized people. But in judging, we
must first consider how they originated, and then how difficult
it is to change long established usages, especially among a
people sp isolated, and who see so little of the world outside
their own circle, and read and write, and speak a different
language from those nations among which innovations are most
frequent and progress most rapid.
Again we must go back to the dark ages, and trace by its
slow steps the advance of light, and watch its faint glimmer
ings here and there, as ignorance and superstition give way
before it.
We have seen that the Eomans conquered portions of Ger
many, and left the traces of their footsteps wherever they went.
They were then defied, re-conquered, and almost extinguished
by the barbarian hordes that poured down upon them from the
North ; and as these wild tribes emancipated themselves, and
settled in the countries they conquered, each became a distinct
principality, and feudalism was the result of their attempts at
protection and self-defence ; and for four centuries, from the
5 "

98 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
seventh to the eleventh, they remained shut up in their strong
holds, depending upon their vassals and serfs for cultivating
the soil, and to take up arms, or rather to buckle on armor,
in their cause when attacked or when they wished to attack
others. There was no one head which these haughty chiefs were
compelled to obey, and in the quarrels which were continually
arising because of real or imaginary aggression upon their lands
or upon their rights and privileges, there was no arbiter — no
established code of law or justice to which either side could
appeal — and they were therefore in a continual state of petty
warfare ; coveting each other's possessions and devastating
without mercy what they could not conquer and appropriate.
There were never a sufficient number who would rally round a
prince and support him in subduing the others and enforcing
obedience. All were ambitious to exalt and aggrandize them
selves, and the history of this period presents a series of the
most revolting crimes and vices. Those who entitled them
selves the nobility, because they owned houses and lands, were
ignorant, corrupt, and revengeful to the last degree, and their
vices descended as certainly as their inheritance from father to
son, from generation to generation. They had none of the
simplicity which characterized the Slavonic races at an earlier
period, and they had not acquired the refinement which com
merce and literature diffuse. They were in the transition state,
which among all nations is sure to be one of corruption.
But it is a vulgar proverb that "when things get to the
worst they must mend," and historians in different languages say
the same. We find it written by one who is called both elegant
and profound: " There is an ultimate point of depression as
well as of exaltation from which human affairs naturally return

RISE AND DECAY OF FEUDALISM. 99
in a contrary progress, and beyond which they never pass, either
in their advancement or decline." When things become in
tolerable, there is a greater effort to retrieve them, and at the
close of the tenth century it commences to dawn upon this dark
ness, and light and knowledge have been since steadily advancing.
Science and literature had slumbered during all this period
in the cells of monasteries ; and many a monk could not read
the breviary he recited. There was no written language except
the Latin, and this was confined to a few. There was no
medium through which the people could acquire knowledge, and
it was considered a most useless commodity to introduce among
them ; but when they joined the standards of the crusaders
and entered the land of luxury, and passed in their march the
classic soil of Greece and Eome, there were no obstacles to
prevent their seeing as clearly as the kings and knights who
led them, and who alone expected to bring away honors and
spoil. They went to rescue a land from infidels, and to possess
it because they were Christians ; but as they advanced they
were obliged to come to the humiliating conclusion that they
were scarcely Christian or civilized themselves. There was a
softness and refinement about Eastern manners which, blinded
as they were by prejudice, they could not help seeing; and,
coarse and rude as they were, they could not entirely resist its in
fluence. With what wonder they gazed upon the remains of art
in Italian cities, and to eyes accustomed to Gothic architecture
and the sombre hues of their dingy castles, how dazzling the
gorgeous beauty of the Turkish capital. They thought it a
duty to destroy the splendid palace of Saladin, because it was
the abode of an unbeliever ; but they hesitated not to transfer
to their uugenial clime its glowing treasures, and when they re
turned to revel once more within their knightly halls, they

100 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
thought it no shame to adopt the more Christian etiquette of
a Moslem court.
The monarchs of Europe did not participate in the first
crusade ¦ it was undertaken entirely by the knights and people,
and not only aroused them from a lethargy in which they had slum
bered for centuries; but opened to them the fountains of know
ledge, and pointed out to them a new way by which they could
elevate themselves and acquire power and influence. Courts and
palaces were above their reach ; they did not dream of thrones
or titles. But they learned that the delicate fabrics wliich
they saw worn by Eastern beauties, were wrought and dyed by
hands in nowise different from their own ; and that these were
objects of exchange between nations. They learned the art
and brought it home.
But the nobles who enlisted in this strange war soon became
embarrassed for money, and were obliged to sell their posses
sions, and princes were willing to buy them, as in this way
their own influence and power were increased, and that of their
barons not only diminished but destroyed ; as, if they lived to
return, and come laden with treasure, they had lost their strong
holds and vassals, and would be no longer formidable. Thus
power became gradually consolidated in the hands of a few,
which was better, even though these few reigned not wisely,
than the sway of hundreds of lawless marauders.
The people of Italy were the first to take advantage of, and
be benefited by, the new impetus given to commerce by the cru
saders. Their ports furnished supplies and transports, and as
all who followed the standard of the cross were under the,
special protection of the church, those who aided them were'
granted special privileges and immunities, and those who should
impede or annoy them, were threatened with her direct anathe-

RISE AND DECAY OF FEUDALISM. 101
mas. Documents are still extant in Venice, Genoa, and Pisa,
which show the contracts made by these cities, with the princes,
knights and nobles, who led their zealous hosts to conquest, and
it was in noticing the result of receiving so much money in
exchange for their commodities, that originated the first idea
of general commerce with northern and western nations.
As a consequence of their becoming more flourishing, various
towns became more desirous of freedom, and of making laws
suitable to their new condition, and of being relieved from th6
exactions of their feudal oppressors. Those who were their
nominal rulers lived far away in France and Germany, and
were glad to strengthen the allegiance of their subjects, and
obtain money by granting their petitions, and thus were formed
the first corporations or communities, with acknowledged rights,
and a government in which the people had a voice. For not
only had the barons held their immediate vassals in servitude,
and bought and sold at will their serfs, but cities and villages were
obliged to depend on them for protection, and humbly sue for
every favor. They could not dispose of what their industry had
acquired, without special permission — could not even select the
guardians of their children, or make a will in their favor, in case
of death, without the consent of their feudal lord, and could not
marry," any more than a serf, without buying the privilege.
When commerce opened to them new sources of wealth, they
openly resisted in some instances, ahd finally succeeded in obtain
ing their freedom, and in others, as we have seen, purchased it
of their king or emperor, who only thought of the present
necessity, in relinquishing power for money, and had little idea
of the ultimate results of this commercial spirit and desire of lib
erty. The holy wars continued during two centuries, and before
they were finished the knights and nobles began also to feel the

102 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
want of the money they had wasted on Arabian sands, and
before the end of* the last crusade, all the principal cities in
Italy had by might or money obtained their chartered rights,
and were evermore free from feudal oppression. France soon
followed the example of Italy, and Louis le Gros took advantage
of this new spirit among the inhabitants of towns, and volun
tarily granted them more than they asked, in order to create a
power that should balance in favor of the crown against the
nobles. These privileges were called charters of community, by
which he enfranchised all the members, abolished all marks of
servitude, and formed them into corporations or bodies politic,
to be governed by magistrates and councils of their own nomi
nation. These magistrates had the right of administering jus
tice within their own precincts, of levying taxes, and training
the militia who took arms for the sovereign ; and we shall after
wards see these burghers in continual strife with the nobles, in
the cities of the Ehine, which then belonged to France.
The example of France was next followed by Germany, and
spread quickly over all Europe, Spain, England, Scotland, and
all other feudal countries, soon exhibiting the happy effects of
an institution that filled them with flourishing cities, and poured
wealth into the coffers of princes, besides infusing it into all the
channels of the nation.
Commerce formed a new class in the community, and confer
red new distinctions, to which all could aspire, and thus, whole
nations awoke to a new life. It was a consequence of a foolish
enthusiasm and blind superstition, which the most far-sighted
would not have predicted, but now who can tell how long
Europe might have slumbered in ignorance, and been sunk in
barbarism, had they not been aroused by a voice which they

GROWTH OF FREE CITIES. 103
believed divine, and seen in Peter the Hermit, an apostle whom
they believed commissioned directly by Heaven ?
For imany years the Italians engrossed nearly all the trade
between the western and eastern nations, and were the means
of introducing the luxuries and comforts which soon became
widely scattered in the rude homes of the north, and increased
a taste for elegance, which had great influence in refining and
softening the manners of the scarcely yet civilized lords of broad
manors, who had long thought themselves first among princes.
The Lombard merchants were invited to establish their manu-
facturies in any part of Europe, and were taken under the
special protection of the governments, which granted them
privileges and exempted them from taxes, in order to induce
them to come.
It was soon after the holy wars that the mariner's compass
was invented, and navigation being, thus rendered more secure,
the seas were soon covered with the little merchant fleets that
brought the silks and spices of the East, to exchange for the
coarser products of colder climes. A strange sensation it
gives us to walk about in the streets that were alive with the
bustle of trade and commerce long centuries before America had
even a name. Hamburg and Liibeck were free cities before
America was born, and in Bremen had been formed a society
for the relief of the widows of seamen before the first ship had
crossed the Atlantic. Those great cities in the new world were
a wilderness when these were teeming with life and industry I
More and more wonderful our country seems to us when we
think in how little time she has grown, and how far she has
sped beyond those who have been many hundred years on the
way. The first great commercial league originated in the northern

104 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
ports of Germany, where the inhabitants were continually sub
ject to incursions from the barbarians across the channel, and
their fleets exposed to the robber pirates, which infested all
the borders. It became necessary to present to them a formid
able resistance, and for this purpose was formed the confed
eracy, termed the Hanseatic league, which was for mutual
defence, first between the cities on the coast, and proved so
beneficial, others prayed to be admitted, till there were eighty of
the most flourishing and prosperous towns united in a sort of
commercial brotherhood, which became so rich and formidable
that kings and princes courted its favor. They established
marts or ports of trade, which became the receptacles of the
commodities of exchange from all countries, and were the first
to institute formal regulations and a systematic plan, to govern
all commercial intercourse.
This was in the twelfth century, and many of these rules are
still in force, though the league was long since dissolved and
the hundred free cities have been reduced to four. In those
days they deserved the appellation they acquired ; but in these
there is little that deserves the name of liberty in their institu
tions. They did not advance with time, and in many instances
the shackles which merchants imposed upon mechanics and in
ferior tradesmen, were not less oppressive than those they had
experienced from the nobles ; and the decay of their prosperity
may be traced to an unwillingness to grant to others rights
and privileges which they demanded for themselves. We have
heard ship captains say that the laws concerning foreign vessels,
and the harbor regulations, were not so liberal in German
ports as in China ! and their commerce is crippled by what
they consider a protection, but what really is the greatest
detriment, as those who can trade more freely and be treated

ANNUAL DINNER. 105
more liberally in China will prefer a trade which takes them to
her coast.
Yet, as we said, before the first frail bark had crossed the
Atlantic, there was a society founded in Bremen for the relief
of the widows of seamen ; though, in accordance with the
spirit of those times, it was limited to the widows of captains
and mates. A wealthy captain gave a sum at his death, as the
commencement of a fund, and. the anniversary of the day of its
foundation was to be ever after celebrated by a dinner, at which a
contribution was to be taken up, the proceeds of which were added
to the fund, and the interest paid quarterly to the widows.
Small houses were built for them, which they had rent-free, and
though the sum is small which they receive, yet this, with what
they can earn, enables them to live comfortably and re
spectably. It is curious that though the portrait of the founder of the
institution is preserved, the name is lost. At first four new
members were elected every year, two captains and two mer
chants ; but, as the third year after they are elected, the new
members must provide the dinner at their own expense, it was
found expedient to change this feature and elect annually nine,
six merchants and three captains, in order that the burden may
not be too heavy upon each as the numbers increase. The
dinner takes place on the 17th of February, at two o'clock, and
is arrayed in the style of the fourteenth century, having been
preserved through all this time by a resolution to adhere to the
primitive customs of the days when it commenced. The hall
is the same that witnessed the first little circle of eight, and
foamiug tankards of beer are brewed for the occasion, from ex
actly the same materials and by the same process as was done
three centuries ago, and would scarcely be tolerated by the
5*

106 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
humblest Bauermann as his daily beverage in these days. The
room is hung with the flags of all nations, and in the entrance hall
are such emblems of the days of yore as make one quite recon
ciled to live in these degenerate times. A specimen of the
frail barks which crossed the perilous seas, without compass or
guide, is hanging over-head, and a veritable man, whom art and
time have converted into a most hideous looking mummy, is sit
ting upright and holding the oars, which once paddled in " the
salt sea foam." Monster fishes, of the same time-honored hue
and texture, are suspended around ; and remnants of shattered
ships and relics of ages gone, tell the sad story of " decay and
change and death."
Every member must have his Wappen, or coat of arms, and
if the misfortune has happened that this testimony to the
nobility of his family is lost, he is allowed to search for it in
the book of heraldry, and not being able to recover the old, to
select a new one, so that the walls are hung with every variety
of ensign, designating to whom they belong. We should think
some old baron would arise from his grave to prevent such a
desecration as that a sea captain or a merchant should pretend
to the honor of a true born knight ; but we have not heard of
any such demonstration. Perhaps they remember that the
order of the Golden Fleece was instituted by Philip the Good,
in honor of the weavers of Flanders, and adopted as the ensign
of the city, because to them was owing its prosperity and
wealth; though, we presume, no weavers were permitted to wear
or carry a painted golden fleece. This would be conferring too
great an honor upon a weaver.
All gentlemen of distinction, and honorable strangers, are
invited to this grand dinner (ladies not included), and the day
we looked in upon the preparations there were two hundred

ANNUAL DINNER. 107
plates upon two long tables ; and what are these curious look
ing papers by the side of each ? They are an evidence of the
civilization of the dark ages which we did not imagine to have
existed. One contains .salt and the other pepper ! They are
folded tunnel-shape, three or four inches long and two in cir
cumference at the top, and hold a large teaspoonful of these
condiments, each. Eeally it is far better than for each one to
help himself with his own knife from one salt-cellar, as we often
see done in these days of refinement and cultivation.
There are bread and cakes too of the olden time, and
the tall old-fashioned beer tankards stand at convenient dis
tances along the centre.
The guests having all assembled in the ante-room, the Presi
dent of the day moves forward, crying : " Schaffen, Schaffen,
unten und oben Schaffen .'" which is the signal for all to march
and for the dinner to be served. When seated, each drinks to
the health of the one opposite, from the foaming tankard,
making three bows, with a corresponding motion of the tankardi
first straightforward and then diagonally to the right and left.
The table service is of white ware, with blue edge, and in the
centre of each plate and dish a wreath, within which is an
anchor and the date 1789.
The first course is soup, a kind of chicken broth, after which
comes stockfish with butter sauce ; then boiled ham and
smoked beef, with Sauerkraut and brown kohl ; thirdly, roast
beef and veal, in immense joints and quarters, with potatoes ;
and, lastly, nuts and rasins ; the whole finishing with coffee
and cigars. No innovations are allowed ; no French cookery
or flummeries of any kind ; not even silver forks. The plates
are changed once ; but under each plate is a piece of brownish-
white blotting-paper, with which each one wipes his own knife

108 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
and fork, and very little service is rendered by attendants. We
have wished a thousand times to know exactly how a dinner
was served in the olden time, and now we have seen. How
often have we wondered what were the substitutes for salt
cellars and napkins, among those who would naturally wish to
be cleanly and observe some kind of ceremony at table, and
surely these inventions are not to be despised. They were not
prompted by a love of display ; but must have resulted solely
from the instincts of refinement, and they availed themselves
of the only aids the times could furnish. When the guests
have finished dinner, they rise,- and bowing to each other, and
shaking hands, say: " Gesegnet die Mahlzcit" (blessed be
the meal), and this is the custom at every dinner party in
Germany. On a table at one end of the room are the instruments of
navigation used before the compass and quadrant were known,
and a man is taking the bearings, in the manner which the sailors
did when these were used. Before separating, some national
songs are sung, and before seven, these honest burghers have
returned to their homes.
We have met with nothing among the ancient or modern
institutions of Germany that interested us more than this.
We have never entered an old castle but we have wished there
had been preserved something that would give us a tangible
idea of the daily life of those who dwelt in them, and though
a dinner is but one meal, and occupies but a little time, we
have obtained from it a definite idea — a distinct picture, which
we have obtained nowhere else. Gesegnet die Mahlzcit, say
we to all who shall sit at this substantial board for ages to
come, and may it then, as now, continue to tell the simple tale
of the manners of ages gone.

ANNUAL DINNER. 109
It was in 1792 that the first ship sailed from Bremen to
America, and not till then had any vessel traversed those seas
of more than 400 tuns burthen. One would think they did
not need compass or quadrant in such a commerce, and vessels
used mostly to leave in the autumn and return in the spring.
Thus captains who belonged to the society were not often
present to partake of the dinner.
The great centre of trade of the confederated cities, in the
thirteenth century, was Bruges, in Holland, where were settled
companies of merchants from seventeen kingdoms, and twenty
foreign ministers had hotels within its walls. Here met to ex
change their friendly greetings the silks of Persia, the wools of
England, the linen of Belgium, and the heavy merchandize of
Hamburg ; and the little harbor was white with the fleets of
Venice, Genoa, and Constantinople. But now there are only
ruins to tell of its former grandeur, and with a population of
only 50,000, where there should be a million, 15,000 are
paupers. The flourishing state of these commercial provinces in Ger
many, induced Edward III., of England, to invite artisans from
Flanders to settle in his dominions, that the wool which his
subjects raised might also be manufactured by them, and as his
sagacity had foreseen, they soon rivaled their teachers.
In the novels of Sir Walter Scott, we often see these Flemish
weavers alluded to, and see with what contempt they were
looked upon by those who had been created noble, by having
spurs buckled to their heels, after some exploit of valor ; and this
same spirit is rife everywhere in this old world. Commerce and
trade were the refining and civilizing influences which awoke
Europe from barbarism, without which her nobles and knights
might to this day have been the ignorant and stupid boors they

110 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
were for six centuries, and yet those engaged in trade and com
merce are still looked upon as beneath even the impoverished
descendants of some haughty baron. We one day asked a lady
what had been the profession of her father, a.nd with much
stammering and blushing she at last confessed that he was a
merchant ; but went on to say that her grandfather was of noble
blood, but the new order of things and various misfortunes had
reduced them to this humiliating position 1 We did not tell
her that we had more respect for her merchant father than his
knightly sires, as this would only have added to her miscon
ceived degradation ; but we smile a hundred times to hear
" old families " boast of their long pedigree, and still disclaim
all kith and kin and acquaintance with any who earn their
bread by honest industry. Even the spirit of chivalry did not
awake till after the crusades, and falsehood and every species
of dishonor characterized this proud nobility. But in order
to maintain commercial relations with one another, cities and
countries must have laws and courts of justice, to which all
must be subject, and rapine and murder must receive their
reward, even though committed by dignitaries. Knights
learned something of courtesy of the infidels they thought
only of insulting, and a new standard of honor was set up.
Humanity, gallantry, and fidelity were proclaimed as knightly
virtues, and henceforth, cruelty in war became disgraceful ; the
defence of the helpless, and truth to woman the means of
winning the proudest laurels.
Wherever we look in that age or in this, we see that it is
the humble and useful arts to which mankind owe all their
progression, and in which we must place our hope for the per
manency of civilization. The encouragement of the fine arts
alone does not promote the comfort or true elevation of a

CONDITION OF BAVARIA. Ill
people. It is proverbial that only barbarians can produce the
highest kind of poetry, and it has so far been true that only
barbarians have produced the highest kind of beauty in painting
and sculpture. The great artists of the olden time could
neither read nor write, and in the cities and countries where art
is in the most flourishing state, the masses of the people are in
the greatest degradation.
Louis of Bavaria has done most, in modern times, for the
promotion of art ; and in his dominions the people are the
most poor and wretched. Whilst all the other provinces of
Germany have been devoting study, and time, and science to
agriculture, the king of Bavaria has done nothing, and his .
peasantry are the poorest, the most in debt, and have the least
money at command of those of any kingdom iu Germany.
While galleries on galleries have arisen, and palaces have
multiplied on palaces — filled with pictures and statues, and
frescoes, where the rich and idle may lounge, and travelers
open their eyes to stare and wonder, the people are starving.
They have toiled and drudged, been taxed and stripped of
their clothing to gratify the taste of a few. We have read
in a hundred books of travels of this same king of Bavaria,
and seen him extolled as deserving, above all others, honor
and glory, but we cannot help saying, as we look upon these
three thousand pictures, they are painted with blood! Our
readers will wonder what can be more wretched than the
life we have portrayed in Saxony and Ehenish Prussia ; yet,
in Bavaria it is more wretched still. It is here that taxation
is most oppressive, and the fees of lazy officials most exor
bitant. Here the peasant's cot is literally a pig-sty, and as
a species of serfdom still exists, the land is not so variegated
with the little patches that betoken ownership among the

112 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
poor, and more than three millions of acres yet remain not
cultivated at all. Here the laws concerning marriage and
property are so severe, that thousands cannot acquire sufficient
to enable them to pay the priest and sheriff, and therefore live
together without any form of marriage at all, and the illegiti
mate children exceed the legitimate in every district, if it is
a right use of terms to call those illegitimate who are born of
parents who live uprightly and virtuously all their lives, and
conform to every law of God and a well-regulated community.
Against whom are those parents sinning, who love one another
and their children, with a singleness and devotion not elsewhere
excelled, and remain true to each other through life, with a
devotion which seems often less disturbed by bickerings and
brawls than where a solemn and holy tie has bound them?
They are conscious that their respectability depends solely
upon their merit and good conduct, and separations do not
occur so frequently as among those who must be divorced.
They feel that they are suffering unmerited wrong and dishonor,
and only by mutual love and forbearance can it be endured.
Their life is open and acknowledged. It is well known that
inability alone prevents their conforming to the commands of
Heaven and requirements of society, and it is often the case
that they spend years in laying by every penny that govern
ment does not demand and imperative daily wants can spare,
in order to procure the sanction of Church and State to their
union, and pay the full price as soon as they are able. But
we confess we think there will be darker sins exposed at the
day of judgment than any of which these poor people are
guilty. In Munich, the home of tlie arts, the homes of the
people are most uncomfortable, and it is proverbial that they
seldom invite strangers to enter their doors, they are so ashamed

THE COMFORTS OF GERMANY. 113
of the best accommodations they can offer. They have not
the least idea of comfort, and the humblest class of mechanics,
and even laborers in America, would not think such tene
ments habitable, as people of rank here eat and drink, and
sleep in all their lives content. If you stay a week, you will
sleep in a room bare of everything you have been accustomed to
consider necessary to daily use. A rude pitcher, containing a
pint of water will be thought sufficient for your ablutions, and
such a convenience as a slop-jar has not entered into the
catalogue of the chamber furniture of the highest dignitaries,
and we venture to say there is but one in Germany, and
that owned by an American lady, who sent to England, and
paid ten dollars for one. You will have one towel a week,
and one pair of sheets a month, with the upper one sewed to
the quilt, as you will find it also in the common inns of Hun
gary and Wallachia. Table furniture and table etiquette will
be such as would surprise almost any greenhorn of Yankee-
land for its rudeness. Alas 1 how little those who go abroad,
and spend a day in one city and a day in another, staring at
palaces and wondering at collections of fine arts, know of the
lands they visit, and how little capable are they of judging of their
own. These people who cannot furnish you with what you
have deemed necessary to the common decencies of life, and
have enjoyed without thinking of them, will parade you through
Glyptotheques and Pinacotheques, by which barbarous names the
king of Bavaria has christened his salons for the reception
of pictures — lead you a promenade in public gardens, where
you see plants and flowers of all climes, and hear the music of
all the spheres, and then return to their homes, which they
reach by ascending dark, filthy staircases, to sit upon un-
cushioned chairs, walk upon uncarpeted floors, and be lighted

114 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
to feather-beds by tallow candles, and expect you to commend
their superior refinement and civilization. We think with the
author who says, it is very much like the civilization of the
North American Indian, who paints his face and dresses in
the skins of beasts. In Vienna you will find one presentable
room, which is showy rather than comfortable, but all the
rest are barbarously bare and coarse, and this we hear spoken
of in the same terms by German ladies from the north, who
are accustomed to the genuine comforts of a home, where the
private arrangements are first in the household economy, and
the showy salon the last ; yet these same Europeans go to
America as exiles and fugitives, and talk in the most lamen
table strains of their sufferings and privations in a new coun
try, where they cannot have the luxuries and elegance to
which they have been accustomed. An American gentleman,
whose tastes for personal and private comfort have been culti
vated to a degree that is amusing in its fastidiousness, and who
expected to find in Europe everything on a still finer scale, says
he shall at least know what to say to these grumblers when
he gets home.

CHAPTEE VII.

GUILDS AND TRADES.

In the laws which regulate citizenship, among the lower
classes, and the proprietorship of workmen in the labor of their
calling, we see still more evident the remnants of the days
when darkness covered the land ; when the people were few
and their wants easily supplied.
Eivalry and competition are not considered the " life of
trade," nor freedom the ground-work of a nation's prosperity.
Every profession, trade and occupation, is restrained, or as they
call it, protected, till there is no possibility of progress, no ani
mation, and no encouragement for invention. Each little state
and principality is antagonistic to the other, and those who are
citizens of one cannot be citizens of another, without great for
malities and paying an exorbitant price. If a young girl, born
in one duchy, removes to another as servant or with her parents,
she cannot marry a citizen of the place to which she has re
moved, without paying a sum which few among the lower
classes can command, and this is why we see in so many in
stances young men married to old women, who have by a for
mer husband acquired the means of purchasing the citizenship
of a second. A young man cannot be promoted to the honor
of master-workman in another city or village than where he
was born, without the same formalities; and in this instance too,
115

116 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
they will often marry a woman whose husband has been mas
ter-workman, and thus conferred upon her the privilege of pro
moting another. A woman with this advantage will offer her
self to a young man in the factory or shop where he has
served his apprenticeship, and if he declines her proposals, he
will be dismissed from service. More than once we have seen
young men in this predicament consent to become the hus
bands of women twice as old as themselves, because the only
alternative was poverty and disgrace.
In one or two principalities within the last year, they have
for the first time made some changes in these laws, so that skill
may have its reward wherever it is exercised, and the com
munity the benefit of the knowledge and perfection to whicii
any artist has arrived, no matter under whose government he
has served.
In many instances, the rules which govern artisans originated
with themselves, and the protection which government affords
them is demanded by the corporations or guilds to which they
belong. The history of these guilds is the clue to many strange
customs, which strike so harshly upon modern ears and are so
at variance with modern life, but t which harmonized well with
the times and people who instituted them.
It is said that even before the Eomans invaded Germany,
there existed among the people associations for mutual pro
tection, which were denominated Waffenbruderschafte, or
brotherships in arms, and the members were styled guild
brothers and oath brothers, because they were united for mutual
benefit and protection. One company consisted of ten, and
were called tien-manner tola. The expression to keep tally,
among children and uneducated people, is derived from this old
German guild, and has come through England to America and

GUILDS AND TRADES. 117
is heard among all who speak the Saxon tongue. These asso
ciations were introduced into Great Britain by Alfred tho
Great, for convenience in governing and preparing for defence.
Every ten belonged to another company consisting of ten times
ten, or a hundred, who held their own assemblies for adminis
tering justice. In England every county was divided into hun
dreds, for both civil and military purposes, and these ten times
ten were again a part of a community numbering ten times a
hundred, which made in Germany a Gau or district. These
terms still apply, as we see, in the Rhine Gau, Bris Gau, etc.
When cities were founded, and those who first formed corpora
tions and obtained privileges grew rich and powerful, after the
manner of men, they remembered not their poverty, and the con
dition from which they had arisen. When others fled to them
for protection, and asked of them the rights which they were
so long in obtaining of those higher than themselves, they
treated them with contempt, as beneath them, and instead of
aiding them to rise, placed every obstacle in their way, and
made new laws to humble and oppress them. They termed
themselves the Geschlechter or genteel classes, and were the same
that became afterwards in England the Gentry.
The new comers were obliged to work at any trade that
offered them recompense, and engaged in menial service, often
to those whom they hated, and thus a bitter feeling was engen
dered in the whole as a class, against those above them as a
class, which widened the breach of separation. The original
freeholders elected the officers of government, formed guilds
from which the handicraft class were excluded, and married
exclusively among themselves. But as the humbler classes
increased in numbers, they also formed guilds, each trade by
itself, which afterwards combined, so as to become formidable

118 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
to the merchants, who in their wealth were not less tyrannical
than their feudal lords, and demanded also their rights at the
point of the sword. An open and bloody war ensued, in which
the handicraft guilds were victorious, and obtained of their op
pressors the right of a voice in the election of officers of gov
ernment, and of being freeholders, with the same privileges as
merchants. Next followed rules which were to govern each guild, and to
which all must conform in order to be protected. One of these
was, that each young man, after having served his apprentice
ship, must travel three years in order to perfect himself, and
then must show by some well executed piece of workmanship,
that he was fitted to practise his trade ; and when he had done
this, a certificate from the master of the guild testified to his
capacity and fitness, and with this he could procure an engage
ment. For six centuries this has been the custom, and is
demanded not the less strictly now than when it was instituted.
On every high road these wandering journeymen may be seen,
with their packs, and generally two and two, traversing the
whole country, demanding in each place work, and when
obtaining it, stopping for a specified time, and then marching on
to do the same in another. At the time when it originated, it
was probably a very good custom, as in each place they could
learn something new, and acquire much information which
there were no books at that time to supply. But it has been
done till the particulars of every handicraft are as well known
in one place as another, and all the shops of Germany have
kept up this mutual exchange till everything in mechanics has
become reduced to a terrible sameness, and there is not enough
of variety in any art to allow the gratification of individual
taste. In every house from the Black Sea to the Baltic, from

GUILDS AND TRADES. 119
the Volga to the Ehine, may be seen the same tables, chairs,
sofas — the same knives, plates and candlesticks — the same door
handles, window-fastenings, flower-pots, brooms, brushes, mops,
and dishcloths, all of the same pattern. If they would spend a
small portion of the time in some other country, they would
learn more that would be useful in their trade, and improve
more in manners and general intelligence. But this would be
more expensive, as they wander through their native land under
the protection of their guilds, and working their way with the
extra expenditure of only a few dollars a year. Yet if they
spent half the time steadily at work in one place, and with the
money they earned, traveled or studied energetically the other
half, it would be better, and better still to stay at home entirely,
for most of them, than to saunter about as they do. They are
often seen begging, holding out their hands and running after a
carriage, like the poor children in great cities, and manifest no
shame when repulsed. A strange sight it would be in America
to see a strong young man, with a good trade, strolling through
the streets and asking alms of passers by !
With these guilds originated the custom in England and
America of binding out apprentices, to be for a certain time at
the service and disposal of their masters, but though with us
the laws concerning them have been much ameliorated, and
their condition greatly improved, in Germany all the barbarous
usages concerning such engagements are still in full force. If
a gentleman wishes a house built in any place he must employ
the master builder, whom the law and the guild authorize to
superintend building. He may be old, and what is worse, old-
fashioned, with all manner of notions which belong to another
century, and perhaps to a period three centuries past, and
quite unfit to construct a house according to modern ideas of

120 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
comfort and beauty ; yet he must be employed, as long as he is
supported by the guild. One of his journeymen may be an
enterprising young man, who has profited by his travels, and
would like to display his genius and exercise his skill, but
should any one propose to him to build the house, he would not
dare to attempt it, as the result would be persecution by the
guild, punishment by the law, and ruin to all his future hopes.
He must go plodding on iu the same old way, as must every one
else, in every trade ; and while these things remain, all Germany
will go plodding on, and houses continue to be built after the
model which Frederic the Great furnished, upon the principle
of putting as many in as small space as possible, to the end of
time. Guilds are divided into nine or ten different kinds, some of
which are peculiar to cities, and some to villages — some termed
limited and others unlimited, also close and exclusive, fine and
coarse, and in all different ranks according to the departments
to which the workmen belong. No one can establish a business
for himself without leave, or sell anything on his own account,
and only so many masters of each trade are allowed in one place.
When a young man has finished his apprenticeship, all the mem
bers of the guild meet to hear the result of his examination, and
if satisfactory, he is pronounced free by the guild master ; yet
he is ever subject to the rules of the guild, and when he sets
out on his travels, must have a certificate of birth and various
particulars concerning his time of service, with rules of his guild,
and any resolutions with reference to his destination and time
of absence. Each one must have a passport from the police, and
dozens are sometimes seen waiting at the police offices for the
necessary signatures, that enable them to go from village to
village in their fatherland, without danger of imprisonment !

GUILDS AND TRADES. 121
But the paying of the fee is thus sometimes avoided, by their
standing in a row and passing the sum from one to the other
Us they leave the box, making one dollar answer for twenty.
Among some, a fund is formed by the annual payment of a
certain sum, to support those who cannot find employment
whilst they are seeking it; and those who belong to the exclusive
guilds do not receive those who are only members of the others,
and those of the fine and delicate handicrafts associate not with
those of the rough and coarse. Each has its rules, and those
who do not conform are excluded, and could not independently
find an employer, . however excellent they might be in any
department. In all large towns there is an inn for the journeymen of each
particular handicraft, to which they immediately resort on enter
ing tlie place, and deposit their certificates whilst they go forth
i.ti search of work, which they do by calling at each shop where
their particular species of labor is performed, and offering their
services. When any one is engaged, his credentials are first
examined, and if satisfactory, he takes his place immediately
among the workmen, and remains the time specified, when he
again shoulders his pack and sallies forth.
The inn of each handicraft is known by the sign, which is a
boot if belonging to the boot-maker's guild, and a watch if
belonging to the watch-maker's — a horse-shoe for a smith, and a
barrel for a cooper. In a village or small town, where there
can only be supported one inn, these different signs will be hung
over as many different benches, in one room, and then it often
happens that those of different guilds and trades meet in their
wanderings, and many are the adventures they have to relate of
what they have seen in the house and by the way.
In country places where there are many of the same handi-
6

122 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
craft, and no theatres or other places of amusement, these
young men spend Sunday afternoon and evening in their inn,
drinking, smoking and singing, in a way that none making any*
pretensions to respectability would think of doing in America.
We have often seen it stated, that rowdyism is never to be seen
in Germany; but those who say it judge only by what they
see in their hurried travels, where every other man is a police
officer, and order maintained by the strictest governmental
police. While stopping in a village in Southern Germany, we several
times looked into the salons frequented by the Guild brothers,
and more than once, spent several hours in their midst. Onr
traveling companion was a young peasant girl, who had friends
among the villagers, and by them we were invited to be present
at their meetings. The sisters and sweet-hearts of the young
men go also, and though a young man could not call to see a^
young girl in her father's house, she may go alone in the even-'
ing to these meetings, and stay till nearly morning, drinking,
dancing and singing without reproach. They seat themselves
around a long table, and each calls for a bottle of wine, when,
filling their glasses, they reach forward and clinking them against
each other, drink to the pleasure of the evening. Afterwai'ds
a song is sung, and when they have become excited, the dancing
commences, and is accompanied by the grossest familiarity of
manners ; boisterous mirth, and such rowdyism, as would only
be seen among a class many grades lower in America. These
were members of the fine and delicate handicraft's guild, a class
that in America would be attending lectures, and consider them
selves gentlemen. Some of them, too, are musicians, which we
consider an elevating profession ; at least, as placing those who
practise it above coarse and vulgar sprees ; but in Germany, one

GUILDS AND TRADES. 123
must become very eminent before he is allowed to step out of
his rank, and whilst he remains in it, must be hail fellow well
met with his comrades.
We remained till twelve o'clock a witness of this scene, and
were told they would not disperse till morning. The next day
we called at the houses of some whom we had met the night
before, and found the young men sick, and not able to work.
" Always sick on Monday," said the father ; and with a tone
and expression that indicated no dissatisfaction or fear of evil
consequences. This was their amusement, a part of their life,
and as necessary as their labor. We went afterwards to the
factory where they worked, and found only a few, and they
looking pale and languid, and all ready to confess that they
were suffering from the effects of their dissipation. Yet they
grow old without becoming drunkards, as would be the case in
America. They are not disgraced in the eyes of the commu
nity, and are doing nothing which their parents disapprove.
Often the father and mother go in for an hour to share their
mirth, and the clinking of glasses is louder than ever to give
them welcome. Though wine is cheap, it must cost quite a
sum for each during the year, and make sensible inroads upon
wages that do not amount to more than $150 or $200 a year,
to say nothing of the loss of time, where two days in seven are
given up to amusement.
We afterwards met in the cars a young man who had be
longed to the same guild, but had gone to America a few years
before, and when we asked him if he drank wine and beer as
freely there as he had done in his native village, he said : " Oh,
no, it would not be respectable. The first year or two I did
just the same, but I found it would not do ; besides, I could
not bear it, my health suffered." " No," he continued ; " I

124 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
have not spent an evening out of the house for two years, except
at a lecture or in some family ; and would not be seen once in
such' places as young men meet in here every week or day."
He had been absent six years, and had returned to see his
friends, but nothing would tempt him to live again in Germany,
dearly as he loved his fatherland. In America, -he could do
what he pleased, and his position depended upon himself. This
was all he wanted, the privilege of being and doing what he
was capable of, and then to be judged by what he had done.
From how many have we heard the same, and never from the
lips of peasant man or woman anything but blessings on Amer
ica ; " the home of the exile, and the asylum of the fugitive."
But the hatred of the higher classes is intense and bitter
towards everything American. We have not met an educated,
cultivated German, whose good breeding or politeness restrained
him from expressing this feeling, if he entertained it, who con
sidered it any breach of courtesy to pour into our ears any
amount of truth or falsehood concerning our country that he
happened to believe himself. " Does not your brother like
America ?" we asked of one, whose kinsman had resided there
many years. " He likes it so well, that he counts the days and
hours till he can come back here to live."
" Why did he go, and why does he stay ?"
" He went to make a fortune, and stays only till he can
accomplish it." But it did not occur to the gentleman that in
this very sentence he was bearing good testimony to the coun
try he was maligning. But it is the case with many ; they go
to America to make money, and come back here to enjoy it ; and
it is quite true that many species of enjoyment are far more
abundant and accessible in the old world than in the new.
Servants are cheaper, and housekeeping for ladies much easier,

GUILDS AND TRADES. 125
and theatricals, music, and beautiful pleasure-gardens within
the means of all.
It is often said to us, "You have no musicians or artists in
America. Your people have no time for anything but to make
money." But they find time to pay a good deal to those who
go from here to amuse them, and the music they hear is as
good as is to be heard by the public here, for the best artists go
there, but they have to pay more for it.
It is because these guilds prevent all rivalry and competition,
that young men have so much time to devote to music. No
exertion procures them more wages or a higher position in their
trades, so they have no motive for rising early and sitting up
late to perfect themselves in their handiwork. While, if they
can become sufficiently skillful in music to merit a government
place, they are fixed for life. Every court has its theatre, and
those who belong to it a salary ; so that there are sixty-five state
theatres in Germany, always open, besides those which are only
occasional in country towns; and connected with these, in the
enjoyment of definite and permanent pay, 1,273 musicians,
and 3,834 persons connected with the stage in various ways.
Among these are 1,224 male actors, 229 female dancers, 917
female actors, 219 ballet dancers. Those who have a fixed
salary, receive a pension in old age, or after they are disabled
in any way from performing ; and to support these theatrical
establishments, the whole people are taxed. The peasantry,
however distant from court, must pay towards supporting the
king's theatre, though not once in their lives can they ever
enter one. The price of admission is not half what it is in
America, and a few cents admit one at any time to the public
gardens in the suburbs of cities, where are a series of concerts
from May to September ; and where one is regaled with the

126 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
finest productions of Handel, Mozart, and Beethoven. But
those who think the people thus privileged are, as a whole, more
intelligent, refined, and cultivated in other respects, than some
who perhaps never heard au exquisite piece of music in their
lives, are mistaken. The same numher of people, from the
same classes, gathered together for any purpose in the suburbs
of Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, would exhibit feelings
as high-toned, and manners as polished, as any which these
courtly circles send forth, though they may not know a march
from a gallopade, or a waltz from an oratorio. But in America
there can be no assembly of any sort without a mixture of
all classes, so that to a European it seems a vulgar herd, as he
has never been accustomed to look upon such a sight, and he
knows nothing about distinguishing one kind from another in
such a mass. No peasant would think of entering a garden or
salon in Europe, except to serve or sell something, while in
America the humblest plough-boy may go and stand and sit
where he will, provided he pay the price. An European sees
everywhere the coarse and fine mixed up together, or rather
sees this coarse element, and contrives to shut his eyes to the
fine, and then says there is nothing but coarseness to be seen in
the land.
The Scotch have been much longer a people than the
Americans, yet they have not to this day theatres, and have
attained to no eminence in music or any of the fine arts ; yet
who would not think it as desirable and honorable to be a
Scotchman as a German or Italian ? Not that music, painting
and sculpture do not require and exhibit the highest order of
talent in those who cultivate them ; but they do not require or
exhibit various other virtues which place their possessors as
high in the scale of civilization and refinement,

CHAPTEE VIII.
FARMERS AND FARMING  VILLAGE HOMES  EDUCATION.
We have had many evil communications to make, but we
shall also have many that are good, and not the least inter
esting to ourselves, nor the least honorable to the people, are
the agricultural details and statistics. Such industry we have
never seen as in Germany, nor such results of industry, and a
book concerning the people, written to be read by the people,
must not pass by the farms, the vineyards, and the gardens.
When the land was given to the people and divided into so
small portions, a peculiar kind of culture became necessary,
in order to make it fulfill its mission — that of supplying the
people with food. The ploughs and horses, and expensive
implements, which could be profitably employed by large
farmers, would be too expensive upon the little patches of
small proprietors, and we see, therefore, in some districts the
whole country tilled like a garden, with spade, and hoe, and
rake, and in the improvements which have been made in
agriculture, and the perfection to which it has been brought,
the people have not been left entirely to themselves. It has
been reduced to a science, and a department made for it in
universities. Agricultural schools have been established, and
an annual Congress instituted, to which all who are interested
in such matters are invited, to discuss projects and give the
result of experiments. 127

128 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
The first of these was held at Leipsic, in 1820, and had only
nineteen members. This, it will be seen, was just one year
before the final enactment which entirely abolished serfdom.
They have been continued ever since with increasing interest,
alternating among the principal cities, awakening interest, and
extending their influence, till they number many thousand
members, and their example has been followed till there are
several hundred different societies for promoting agriculture,
and kindred objects.
In Nassau there are 824 rural communes or villages, and
when the society meets, there are assembled representatives
from each village, who are expected to give the required infor
mation concerning the state of every different culture, and
are particularly questioned in public by a committee, who ask
sixty questions — whether the commune is upon hillsides, or in
valleys, what is most cultivated, how the cattle are managed,
and the lands watered, etc., etc. Statements are then com
pared, and advice given as to changes and improvements.
There is also in every village a nursery of fruit trees, to experi
ment upon the best kind of fruits, and to supply grafts which
have been proved the most successful ; and there are in nearly
all these villages a superior cla.ss of peasant farmers, who take
an interest in all these improvements, and hold meetings among
themselves to talk of village and farming interests.
We have not attended these meetings, but we have seen
these honest farmers, and partaken of their goodly fare, and
have never seen finer specimens of character, or more genuine
refinement of manners than in some of these village homes,
which seemed to us unaccountable, so in contrast were the
homes themselves to all that had been ordinarily associated in
our minds with true elevation of mind and delicacy of feeling.

VILLAGE HOMES. 129
To one who has been accustomed to New England villages,
those of Nassau, and of the interior of Germany generally,
strike one as little better than a nest of Indian wigwams. The
houses stand close to the street, and close together, or sepa
rated only by narrow, dark, and dirty alleys, which have been
just as dark and dirty for centuries. Not a foot of land is
left for garden or grass plat, and instead of which we find the
cowyard, and are often obliged to walk through it, in order to
reach the door. Within will be one little room that looks
tenantable, and this will contain a bed, a settle, a few chairs,
a long, bare wooden table, which is never moved, and whicii is
used for meals, for work-table, and for anything for which it
may be rendered convenient. There will be also a clock,
some pictures of the virgin and the saints, a cross, and other
things which denote the religion of the people, but whom we
have found neither bigoted nor ignorant, in the usual accep
tation of these terms.
The kitchen is a room some ten or fifteen feet square, and
so dark that we can scarcely distinguish one person from
another, and opens on one side into the stable, and on the
other into the stable-yard, and looks a place unfit for pigs to
feed, much less for human beings to cook their food. The
sleeping-rooms are above, and have in each two beds, as
such a curiosity as a double bed is not to be found in Ger
many. In the humblest cot, among the most miserably poor,
no two members of the family, of any relationship, occupy the
same bed. They are all very narrow, and the sheets and
quilts are made to correspond. One or two feather-beds are
made up light and round on the outside, and a neat white or
colored spread goes over the whole. The floors are white and
sanded. (5*

130 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
If we are here to breakfast, we shall have coffee and black
bread and rolls, and if we take breakfast in any family in
Germany, high or low, we shall have the same, and should be
considered very gross and uncivilized, if we should ask for
anything else. At ten o'clock we shall have offered us bread
and butter, and some slices of cold ham or beef, and this, also,
is the universal custom, but as far as grossness and refinement
are concerned, we are not able to understand why ten is not
as unsuitable an hour as eight at which to eat meat.
If we dine, we shall have a snow-white cloth upon the long
table, and a plate to each person, and knife and fork to each
plate ; one large pint tumbler full of water, out of which each
will drink till it is empty, when it will be filled again, and a
great loaf of black bread, from which each will cut a slice
when he wants it. The first course will be boiled beef, what in
New England is called corned beef, and this also is the dish uni
versal in Germany ; with it we eat bread. After this we have
some kind of fried meat and boiled potatoes, and perhaps cab
bage, which is also another dish universal. Cabbage is the great
staple among all classes, but there are several kinds, white, red,
brown, and cauliflowers. Every dish has a clean wholesome look,
and each one helps himself from each dish which is passed, with
a spoon, or knife and fork upon it. For dessert, we have a kind
of cake, made very thin with plums, which are called Zwetchen,
placed in rows close together all over the top, and baked in large
tins three feet long. When done, it is cut in strips and arranged
cobhouse fashion upon plates. If it is fruit time we shall also
have fruit, apples, pears, plums and grapes.
There are no indications of poverty, but on the contrary of
the greatest abundance, and the family are worth perhaps eight
or ten thousand dollars. Besides their farm, they have a brick-

FARMERS AND FARMING. 131
making establishment, keep cows and pigs, and have plenty
of geese, hens and chickens. All these animals are in pens,
and do not see the light of day from year to year, yet they look
fat and sleek. Green fodder is cut daily for the cows during
summer, yet we cannot help thinking the milk lacks the sweet,
fresh taste of that to which we have been accustomed, where
the cows crop the green grass as it grows, and drink from the
clear pebbly brook.
But this custom of keeping the cows and sheep iu stalls all
the year, has been generally adopted throughout Germany, from
its economy. A hundred years ago, four-fifths of the land was
devoted to grains, and one-fifth to grasses or forage ; and now
only one-fifth is devoted to grains, and the other four-fifths to
forage. By this reverse, the number of cattle is multiplied, and
thus the quantity of manure increased with which to enrich the
land, and continually renew its capacity for producing. Grains
also derive less nourishment from the air than foraging plants,
and therefore exhaust the soil more entirely for their original
support, and do nothing towards repaying the debt. Grasses
live more upon the air, and leave a richer decayed substance to
add to the value of the soil.
Very little space is devoted to grazing, because the same ex
tent of surface will support ten times the number of cattle if
devoted to clover, with which they are stall fed. An acre, it
is said, will be scarcely sufficient for one sheep in pasture, whilst
it will support twenty if sown with the best of clover, and ten
with that which is called Spanish, and is considered only half
as good. The soil of England has been increased two-thirds
in value by this system since the middle of the 18th century ;
and Holland and Belgium have extensively adopted the same.
So we must be resigned to what seems a cruel bondage for

132 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
the animals, and detracts infinitely from the beauty of the land
scape, if both man and beast are really in a more thriving
condition thereby ; for the earth must be made to yield to its
utmost to supply the wants of the fast increasing human family,
and sheep and cows must patiently be restrained of their liberty,
and submit to individual discomfort for the good of the whole!
Exactly how they feel about it we do not know, but very wist
fully they looked out from their dark cells as we opened the
door, and the voices of the lambkins were pitiful, as they plead
for room to skip upon the green. That they do not pine unto
death, is proved by their number having been quadrupled in
the last seventy years.
But we have not heard of any benefit that led us to be re
signed to these horrible manure yards under every window, and
do not see how the value is increased by any such juxta-position
with human olfactories. Yet we have learned very interesting
facts which would have escaped our observation if they had
been farther off. So important is this branch of husbandry,
that scientific engineers are employed to construct trenches for
receiving all the waste juices of the house and barn, and any
thing that can enrich the soil, is as carefully preserved as the
crumbs of the most costly food, and valued as silver and gold,
We remember often in New England, to have seen the only
yard where the cattle could perambulate, one vast pond, and
when it became necessary to remove it, men were employed
days in dipping it with pails. But from these trenches it is
drawn by means of a suction pipe, some twenty feet long, and
three or four inches in diameter, one end of which rests in the
water, and the other connects with a large hogshead whicii
stands in a cart, and which a man fills in a few minutes with

FARMERS AND FARMING. 133
apparently little effort, and certainly with less deleterious effects
to himself and pantaloons.
But whilst he was doing this, a young girl was standing bare
foot, up to her knees in a manure heap, digging with a pronged
shovel, and filling another cart, which she drove to the field,
and we suppose unloaded when she arrived. She was hired out
for the year to do a.ny work about the house or farm, and re
ceived fourteen dollars for a full year's service of this kind 1
and whenever we have been in the country, anywhere in Ger
many, we have seen women employed in the same way, which
is said to be made necessary by the law which requires so great
a proportion of the men to be lounging in soldiers' barracks.
Woman is thus degraded from her true position ; and we need
not describe the condition of the homes where women spend
half their time in the field. When they work as hard, and do
the same things, they are not treated as the equals of their lords.
Often they walk and drive the oxen, with a genuine thrust and
flourish of the goadstick, while the men are sitting at their ease
in the cart, smoking, and perhaps swearing at their teamsters.
We once saw a man and his wife going home from the city,
where they had been to make purchases ; and she had upon her
back a box some three feet square, and a basket as large, and
heavy laden, in her hands, while he carried nothing, but beat
and scolded her the whole length of the street where our vision
extended, if she lagged or complained of weariness, which she
often did with the tears streaming down her cheeks. But this
did not surprise us so much as the stoical indifference with
which a lady gazed upon the sight, as a matter of no conse
quence, because they were peasants, and it was a common occur
rence. That those who grow rich and lay up some thousands of dol-

134 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
lars should still feel no ambition to fit up and make convenient
and pleasant their habitations, seems at first very mysterious ;
but we have to remember that they have been yet scarcely half
a century out of slavery — a state in which they had not the
means nor the power to improve their condition. When they
became owners of the soil, and could act for themselves, they
were like grown children, with no experience and no observa
tion to aid them in their new life. They could neither read nor
write, and had no knowledge of business. To possess even a
little sum of money, to do with as they pleased, seemed per
haps to them the climax of happiness ; and to spend it in per
sonal comforts would scarcely occur to them, when they had not
seen this done by the greatest lords in the land. They had no
idea of a comfortable or pleasant home, because they had
never seen one. A castle is a very romantic affair, crowning a
distant hill-top, and associated with hundreds of years of history,
chivalry, and romance ; but in itself, it is a dreary, desolate?
comfortless shell ; for the wealth of the most powerful noble
would not enable him to furnish a hundred rooms in even a hab
itable manner. There is without a great parade of walls, of
Gothic, or Grecian, or Italian architecture, and lofty towers,
reaching to the skies ; and within there is utter barrenness,
showing that those who occupied it were unacquainted with the
most common wants and gratifications of civilized life. We
have not yet seen a castle, inhabited or uninhabited, that be
tokened so high a state of civilization, refinement, and taste, in
all its arrangements, as the majority of village cottages in New
England. Besides, when the serfs were made owners of the soil, and to
be a land-owner gave no marvelous distinction, those who had
hitherto enjoyed it did not wish to live side by side with those

EDUCATION. 135
to whom they were thus leveled, and did not remain in the coun
try. The peasants were left entirely to themselves. For many
years they could not travel to learn the improvements of other
lands ; they had no examples to excite their ambition, and con
sidering themselves, infinitely blessed in their new condition, and
not knowing that it needed to be, or could be, made better,
were infinitely content.
In America, if there is one family in a village more wealthy than
the rest, and able to indulge in the luxury of travel, and with
means of higher education and cultivation than those around, we
immediately see the evidences of superiority in their home: there
is a beauty of finish about the house, articles of taste in the par
lor, of convenience and comfort in the kitchen, which are imme
diately observed, and, by those who have the means, copied.
Thus the whole becomes elevated, and so certainly that there
cannot possibly exist gradations in rank for any length of
time. It is not from the mere fact that they live under a Eepublic an
or Democratic form of government that this equalization exists.
In England the poor man may also become a peer ; and there
are before him constant examples that incite him to effort. But
on the Continent there are neither example nor reward.
The house which we have described belonged, as we said, to
a peasant farmer, who exhibited in all his manners and deport
ment an innate dignity and refinement that we do not often see
among born and bred gentlemen. If he had been educated in
court, he would have been truly courtly ; yet he had lived to
the age of sixty-five years in this hovel without thought of
change, and had never in. his life seen a better house than his
own. But a son who had been four years in America returned
to visit his birth-place ; and the first thing he did was to paper

136 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
the walls of the little parlor and the sleeping-rooms, and add
many things to give a comfortable appearance to the house.
He had learned, and showed that he only needed to learn in
order to appreciate and act.
Yet in a village like this, and among these people, there is a
decided village aristocracy, though we cannot ascertain very
definitely upon what it rests its foundations. Money does not
seem to be the criterion, nor a particular business, though both
these have a little influence here, as they have elsewhere, the
world over. That respectability, according to the universal stand
ard, is taken into the account, we learn by one family consid
ering it a lowering of themselves to associate with another
upon which fifteen years back there rested some imputation of
disreputable conduct. Whether this would have been remem
bered if the persons had not remained poor, we have no means
of knowing, but presume, as is seen in the most moral and
religious communities, wealth and prosperity might have blot
ted out their sins. Their crime was stated to be, having com
mitted the before-hand sin ; and the priest, who was of course a
Catholic, not only severely reprimanded them, but was a long
time in consenting to make them " honest people" by uniting
them in the holy bonds of wedlock. We give the incident as
an illustration of manners and morals, which will be creditable
to pastor and people ; it proves that there is a high moral
standard at least ; and we have no reason for doubting that it
is as real, and has as much regard paid to it as in any other
community. The revelations of Luther, and other reformers, concerning
the Catholic priesthood, exhibited them so corrupt and fallen,
that however different they may have become, or however
great the number of exceptions, they have all to this day had

EDUCATION. 137
to bear the reproach which the monks of the fourteenth
century brought upon their brethren and upon their order.
But the Eeformation not only reformed those who came out and
were separate, but those who remained members of the " Holy
Catholic church." At present we cannot learn that they are
as a class either rich or corrupt, and in little villages of a popu
lation of two thousand inhabitants it must be easily known if
they are. Our inquiries were often among those who had
become entirely weaned from the church in which they wero
educated, and had no motive for representing either priest or
church as better than they really were.
We are in danger, perhaps, of forgetting that the Eomish
church became corrupt, and it is possible that churches having
the name of reformed may in the course of time become also cor
rupt, especially those which are connected with the state, and
form part of its machinery. The Catholic church was always
democratic in this respect — that its favors were bestowed
equally upon the high and humbly born — birth seldom conferred
any distinction, and wealth was not a necessary passport to its
honors. But the new Prussian church is very far from posses
sing these recommendations, and as a class, the clergy con
nected with the nominal Protestant government are not called
to so much self-denial, are more secular, and preach less of the
pure doctrine of the gospel than the Catholic clergy of Ger
many. As to morals and manners, the standard is so different
in all Europe from that in America, that it is difficult to judge.
It is certain that those of every denomination drink freely,
play cards publicly, and frequent the theatres openly; by which
we do not mean to say that all do, or the greater portion, or
that those who do these things are equally reverenced with
those who do not ; but that many do, and retain their position

138 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
as teachers of religion and morality. It is also evident that
American clergymen do not think conformity in some of these
things a " sin unto death," as, either to gratify a natural and
excusable curiosity, or to learn as much as possible of the dark
side of the world, in order to be better able to expose it, and
make truth and goodness desirable by contrast, many seek out
what they are in the habit of denominating " sinks of iniquity,"
and " roads to ruin," and contemplate for a time these horrible
things. When we were in Catholic villages we attended the Catholic
church, and in every place saw the children assembled for
Sunday-school teachings, and heard them catechised in exactly
the same way as Protestant children are catechised, and could
see very little difference in the general intelligence of the peo
ple, whether professing one faith or the other. Indeed, there
is nothing that should make a difference. All the children
attend schools where the system is exactly the same, and attend
church where the difference is more in name than in reality.
But this is the remarkable feature of the Catholic church, that
it adapts itself to all governments, and all people — takes into
consideration all times and seasons and ages — and knows very
well that dogmas and exactions which would be received sub
missively in the Middle Ages, in the days of darkness and
superstition, would not be tolerated in these, and makes no
attempts at imposing them upon the people. There are images
in the churches, and a crucifix in every corner, which are looked
upon as symbols by some, and as objects of idolatry by others,
according to their mental capacities. We hear them uniformly
told that these are not to be worshipped, and though there is
a great deal of mummery left, which for us has neither sense
nor reason nor interest, and is inconceivable folly, we learned

EDUCATION. 139
to respect the simplicity that could find food and comfort in
what could not even for a moment engage our attention when
the novelty was gone. With our minds and feelings they
would do the same; but we have not only been made differently
in the first place, but grown up under influences so dissimilar
that to judge one another is impossible, and may possibly be a
greater sin than even idolatrous worship.
At least it would be well if the world in general would re
cover from the prejudice against everything Catholic, and the
belief that everything Protestant or reformed is right; if they
would cultivate the spirit of Christian charity, and see things
as they really are.
In many countries on the continent, the people are less capable
of thinking and reasoning than the children of England and
America. They are taught to read and write, but are scarcely
more educated and not a whit more intelligent for this. It is
even true that schools for teaching " reading, writing and
arithmetic" are more numerous in Catholic Italy than in
Protestant Prussia.* Eome has a population of 158,678 souls,
and 372 public primary schools with 482 teachers, and 14,099
children attending them. The population of Berlin is double,
and has only 264 schools ; and the Papal States, with two and
a half millions, contain seven universities ; Prussia, with seven
teen millions, has also but seven !
But this is not saying that the people in one place or the
other are educated. They are both ignorant and stupid ; but
it is not the fault of their religion. The government does not
allow them to think or act, and the children of England or
America who do not know how to read or write, are more
intelligent and have more mental activity. We have seen
* Laing.

140 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
learned professors who were as stupid as cartmen, and never
had one original thought, and were no better judges of prac
tical things in the world than children, and no more useful.
The Catholic church has ceased to be afraid of the power
of their people, because they can read and write, and we doubt
not there will come a time when she will throw away her
symbols ; because she will adapt herself to the times and the
people over whom she wishes to rule. Her tactics are already
very different in England and America from what they are on
the Continent ; and dungeons and tortures will not be the
machinery by which she will take root in the new world. It
would not be strange if she should do it by becoming pure and
spiritual, and those of other denominations who would retain
their position, must take care how their luxurious churches
exclude the pure and spiritual from their teachings.

CHAPTEE IX. *
AGRICULTURE — IRRIGATION  SUPERSTITIONS  FLAX-RAISING.
Our first excursions in the country were in the spring, when
the grasses were already green, and soon the summer foliage
and the abundant harvests made the earth reel with her rich
burdens. It was then our constant exclamation, " How is it
possible to make any soil produce so much ?" In America, in
the orchards and where fruit trees grow, there is no attempt at
cultivating the earth for other purposes ; but here, under any
green tree, there is another harvest; — it is as luxuriant beneath
as above.
When we came to mingle with the farmers themselves, we
learned something of their secrets, and are sure it will be no
betrayal of confidence if we make them known.
When the rich summer coats were removed and the earth
was exposed, we saw the little well-springs of fruitfulness bub
bling up over all the land, and learned that neither grain, nor
grass, nor vegetables, grow here more than anywhere else,
without science, perseverance, and toil.
"Draining and irrigation" — we have often seen these terms,
and heard the processes spoken of as the gold and silver in
struments of agriculture. All over the fields, running here and
there, zigzag and crisscross, we see little canals of only two or
three inches in width, which had evidently some special de-
141

142 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
sign — yes, they were for the purpose of irrigation, and it has
accomplished so much for the dry and waste places of these
now fruitful fields that we must attempt to describe it.
In Germany, the term meadows is applied to what we call
pasture-land, which lies away from the natural watering sources,
and is so dry as to be quite useless, unless moistened by artifi
cial means. The labor is immense of preparing the ground for
the canals, as there must be an inclined plane, and when nature
has not made it, the whole turf must be carefully removed, and
the good soil also taken away, that the leveling may be per
formed upon the subsoil which is beneath and not good for any
productive purpose. When the whole has been made level, or
reduced to the necessary inclination, the good soil and turf are
replaced and the canals formed.
Sometimes a well is first dug, in order to procure water, and
from this a channel runs on the upper side of the inclined plane,
which is to hold the water that is to flow over the land. This
is the supplying canal ; on the lower side is the receiving canal,
and between are the little cross channels, through which the water
must flow. The breadth between the largest channels must not
be more than six or eight rods, and between the smaller furrows
only a rod. The elevation is scarcely perceptible, being but a
few inches. A very nice process it is to form the inclination
exact and arrange the furrows so as to water all parts equally.
Parallel with the supplying and receiving canals, and at right
angles with the transverse furrows, must also be longitudinal
ones, and when the water is permitted to flow, it must be in
measured quantities arid at stated seasons.
It is said that snow water dissolves the earth and carries off
the rich particles of soil, so this is never used in irrigation.
After the crops are gathered, and the land clear, the water

IRRIGATION. 143
overflows two or three times a week during the autumn till
frost comes. In spring it is done in the night, two or three
times a week, when it is dry and so warm as not to freeze, as
this would injure the grass. Again, in June, just before the
haying time, as thus the stems are rendered softer, and the
mowing easier. Then for the fourth and last time, fifteen days
after the mowing is finished, when the stubble is dry and de
cayed, so that it will not take the nourishment which is
destined for the new shoots, the whole is overflowed quite often,
till fifteen days before the grain harvest commences.
Sometimes a sort of rolling prairie is made of the land, by
dividing it into as many rods in width as there are rods in length,
and a slight elevation of a few inches between each division,
and the furrows correspond to the ridges. The supplying canal
is on the upper side of the meadow or pasture, and transverse
furrows carry the water to the receiving canal, the whole form
ing a curious network ; and when, as we have often seen, these
hundreds of little rills are flowing and dimpling and sparkling in
the morning or evening sun, it is also a beautiful sight upon the
wide extent of the otherwise dreary plain. Many thousands of
acres have thus been rendered fruitful that were formerly barren.
In one town we were struck every moment in our walks with
the beauty and fertility of the parterres, and were told that from
six thousand five hundred acres, which formerly yielded only a.
value of five hundred dollars, there was now an income of three
thousand, and the whole expense of preparing the ground and
introducing the water was covered the first year by the in
creased fruitfulness ; and in the same county, thirty or forty
villages obtained the same result.
The furrows crossing the land must be changed every three
or four years, and should be narrow and deep, as they thus

144 PEASANT LIFE EST GERMANY.
occupy less surface, and less mud accumulates in them. The
water is thought, too, to act more efficiently on the soil than
when they are shallow, and continually enriches it by bringing
new and valuable particles, which it leaves in deposit.
This system of irrigation was invented by Mr. Drusler, the
mayor of Siegen, a town in Ehenish Prussia, in the year 1750,
and has extended over nearly all Germany. Wherever we
went in the autumn, we saw the little rills, and saw them upon
little strips of land here and there, which otherwise would be
parched and dry nearly the whole year, and not worth a penny.
As we said in the beginning, we have never seen anything to equal
the persevering industry and toil of the German husbandry, and
the economy with which everything that can be made useful is
gathered and stored. In the forests may be seen the children
gathering in baskets a(ll the cones which fall from the fir trees for
kindlings, during the winter, and gleaners may be seen in all the
harvest fields, and here, as in the land of Judea in the days of old,
these are always women ; with the little sickle they go over all
the hills and .valleys, and cut every stray spear of grass, every
tuft by the wayside, and gather the scattered remnants of
every sheaf, pick up every seed and leave not even a weed to
flourish in its rankness. Sometimes they are seen returning
home in troops, with their treasures in baskets or tied in bun
dles, and in whatever way, always on their heads. The cow
and pig of many a poor widow subsist entirely upon these
gleanings. In one village in the Westerwald, or western forest, we used
to hear every day, at exactly twelve o'clock, a horn blown, all
up and down the street. We thought at first it must be the
postman, as this is the way he often announces himself ; but hav
ing looked several times and seen no arrival at the noise of the

EMPLOYMENTS. 145
trumpet, we inquired, and were told it was to call forth the cows
of the poor, who during the summer were permitted to crop the
grass by the wayside for a few hours each day ; and sure
enough, the next time we looked abroad, at the clear shrill mu
sic of the winding horn, there was a troop of these quiet ani
mals wending their way to some distant grass-plat, where they
had learned there was a fresh sweet morsel to be found. One
would not suppose it could be necessary to blow a horn every
day of the month, and every year of the century ; but this is
only a specimen of the system with which everything is done in
this old land. Like dock-work is a proverb in the new world,
but it is only here that we see it illustrated.
In the city where we once lived, there came iu every week,
on Friday morning, a little fat, jolly looking man, who without
ceremony took the glass from the clocks in each room, and
wound them up, replaced them, and trotted out again, till at
length we asked upon what authority he did this. " Oh, this
was his regular business." He lived two miles out of town,
but the city was divided into districts, and in a certain portion
he wound all the clocks, having a certain day and hour for
each. In the same city and street, we noticed every time we went
out and in, a man sitting upon a stone, and around him stand
ing two or three others, who were often engaged iu coming and
going with packages. Till at length we asked again, " What is
the man's business, and how long has he sat here ?" " He is a
packer, and has sat there some forty years."
" Forty years !"
" Why yes ; is that anything so wonderful ?" To be sure, it
was nothing so very wonderful after all, as this was his regular
business — and he was now an old man — that he should have
7

146 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
attended to it forty years, and a stone was as good a place
for the firm to establish themselves by, as a counter or a desk.
But we had never before heard of a packer, which was perhaps
the greatest part of our surprise. We found it afterwards a
common profession in southern and interior Germany, and our
good friend was one of the most respectable of his class, a
thoroughly substantial, respectable looking man, who had fol
lowed an humble calling, patiently, honestly and industriously,
from youth to old age, and from a beginning with nothing, to a
comfortable independence. He packed and unpacked the goods
of merchants, and the furniture of families when they moved.
If a party were going a journey, they sent for him to pack
their trunks, and in all these cases he took the whole care
upon himself, as independently as a man would build a house
or a tailor make a coat, receiving only general directions. His
fame had extended also quite across the borders. When the
Emperor of Eussia was married to a princess of Darmstadt,
he was sent for to pack the trousseau, and marvelous tales he
had to tell when he returned, of the velvet and the ermine.
All these humble callings, as well as those of carpenters, car
riage makers, and tailors, are under the protection and super
vision of government, and cannot be laid aside and resumed
without permission ; and we presume the man who blows the
horn for the cows has also a regular commission, and the cows
could be called by no other person, or in any other way, without
a council of state to decide upon the matter, which does not
make it the less a deed of kindness to the poor, and one for
which they must be very grateful, as it saves them much labor,
and enables them to save a large portion of their gleanings for
the long, cold winter days. Oh, how they must be suffering,
notwithstanding, in some of those dismal huts, with the wind

WALLED TOWNS. 147
whistling through the crevices, and the snow piled against their
windows. But it is only in the interior, within the circle of the old
feudal dominions, that we see the villages constructed in this
way. In the north, and far away to the south, the farming
districts have more the appearance of farming regions in
America. The houses are scattered about on the hillsides and
in the valleys, with plenty of room within and without for men
and animals, though the cows, the horses and pigs, are here
under the same roof with the family, separated perhaps only by
a narrow hall, on the one side opening into the stable, and on
the other into the kitchen and dining-room. We have our
selves slept for a week directly over the animals, and heard
their champing and tramping at all hours, night und day,
though our room was as clean as wax itself, the walls neatly
papered, and the floor as white as scouring could make it. But
our window also overlooked the stable-yard, and the effluvia
from beneath and round about, would have seemed pestilential if
we had not heard that it was everywhere considered healthful !
But these compact country villages were built when people
thought more of defence against foreign foes, than protection
against fever and malaria at home, and at a time when it could
not be imagined the people would ever become as the sand on
the sea shore for multitude.
" A walled town with massive arched gateways " — how often
we have read this, and thought how grand and imperial must be
these little towns. What a veneration we have had for " time-
stained walls," when reading the descriptions of those who rode
hastily by at a distance, and could bestow upon them only a
passing glance, or when gazing at them through the enchant
ments which the artist's pencil is sure to throw around them.

148 PEASANT LUTE IN GERMANY.
Henceforth, away with such hallucinations ; we have en
tered the massive gateways, and dwelt within the "time-
stained walls," and there are the same beauty and fascina
tion about them that one may find in the most dismal cells
and garrets of the Five Points, or the dark alleys which
lead to the dens of poverty anywhere among the oldest and
most dilapidated streets of New York. They, too, are found
by first passing through or by walls of brick and mortar,
which constitute the mansions of the rich, which are infinitely
more grand and imposing than those old gateways are or ever
were. It is true, that in order to enter many a town of three or
five thousand inhabitants, one must pass under an arch of stone,
stuccoed and carved in all manner of hideous figures, as they
now look to us, though very likely they have been in their day
very wonderful works of art. The gate is still guarded by
men in armor, who pass to and fro, with shouldered guns,
looking like automaton images, dressed in the gear of by-gone
ages. But the purpose for which they stand there now seems
to us anything but chivalrous and honorable, for it is this :
to search the baskets of the poor women who come to market,
and all people, old and young, who come from their farms and
their trades, to be sure that nothing is admitted free that
should pay a town duty ! We have not heard the names of the
contraband articles, but are sure a poor old frau, bareheaded
and barelegged, with only a peck basltet full of stuff, which she
wishes to sell in order to buy a tin dipper, a piece of calico, or
a pound of coffee, can have nothing which should be contraband,
and subject her to the expense of a penny to support this
miserable town, though one may well believe they need all they
can get

SUPERSTITIONS. 149
A curious spectacle is afforded on market-day mornings. Iu
the open platz assemble the men and women from far and near,
each in the costume of the district, some with cabbages and
some with broom corn, some with butter and some with cheese,
until all the articles of husbandry and many of domestic manu
facture, such as baskets, mats, pottery and cloth are arranged
in two long rows upon each side of the square. By their
wares some are kneeling and some are sitting, some are stand
ing, and some are walking, and all jabbering such jibberish as
only they can understand. It is a superstition among these old
Frauen, that they shall have no luck unless they sell first to a
young, blooming virgin, and we have often seen them wait
long and refuse good bargains in order to invest their Kraut
and Kringel with this charm. If the luck comes not then, we
presume they have a good way of accounting for it, at any
rate, no ill fortune seems to destroy their faith in its effi
cacy. In Brunswick we saw a curious instance of superstition iu
men. When called to testify in a court of justice, they think
themselves bound to tell the truth only when occupying a certain
position, which is with the left hand held straight down by the
side, and the right in front of the breast, with the two fore
fingers pointing outward. When standing in this way, no temp
tation will lead them to swerve from the truth, but an officer is
employed to watch them during the whole time, or the fingers
are sure to steal around behind and commence twirling a
thread or button, with which process they feel at liberty to
vary as widely as they please from correct statements. These
are curious relics of the days of barbarism, and remind us every
day of similar fantasies among the American Indians, and not
among them only. One may hear things quite as strange in

150 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
familiar intercourse with the fishermen of Marblehead, and
their descendants in many parts of New England have not lost
their faith in signs and wonders.
The remnants of feudal laws and customs jarring against
modern, and even republican innovations, strike one at every
step. In two or three villages, in different places, we have seen
instances of American or English families, coming to reside for
a few weeks or months, and bringing servants and children.
With these accompaniments, it had not occurred to them that
a copy of their marriage certificates would be necessary to give
legitimacy and respectability to any poor little one who might
have the misfortune to be born among a people so scrupulous.
But no prayers or entreaties could induce the registrar of these
important items, to record the birth of a little stranger unless
the mother could prove by documentary evidence his right and
title to this honor. It had been the law from the commence
ment of formal legislation, that the birth of a child, should be
registered in a book kept for this purpose, and also that the
proofs of a formal or regular marriage should bo adduced by
those who would thus give their children the rights and privi
leges of citizenship and inheritance of property. The inhabi
tants of the country must, of course, conform to these requisi
tions, which are quite right and proper. But neither their laws
nor inheritances would be much affected by irregularities in
American families ; and how easy for those from a country
thousands of miles away to forge a certificate or any other
document necessary to their purposes. But the letter of the
law must be obeyed.
When we spoke of it to a German lady, she lamented, as if
it were a real calamity, that the parents had been so negligent,
and thus entailed upon their child the disgrace of illegitimacy

FAIRS AND MARKETS. 151
through life. What a stigma for the poor child to bear ! We
laughed merrily at such a ridiculous view of tho matter ; but to
her the child was really disgraced; and if one whose birth was
dishonorable, could have procured the registering of his name,
she would have had no lamentations for the real immorality.
So great an influence mere forms come to exert upon the minds
of people.
The fairs and markets are the peculiar institutions of Ger
many, and arc held for the purpose of selling and supplying the
people with anything that is needed in social and family use, as
shops do in other countries. In the Duchy of Nassau, there are
261 in the course of a year, some of them being only cattle
and swine markets, and some for the sale of all manner of
goods. There are usually four, to correspond with the four
seasons, which are more general and important than the others,
and attended by people from all the surrounding country. The
almanac contains every year a list of the markets which will
be held, and the days of opening and closing. The Grand
Duchy of Hesse Darmstadt has 250, and the Jews are so far
regarded in all, that if the fair happens upon their Sunday, or
feast day, there is a change made. Besides these, in each
duchy or principality there are the great fairs, held twice a
year, at Leipsic, Brunswick, and Frankfort, Leipsic being the
largest, to which come the people from all parts of Germany,
and sometimes from Holland, Belgium, France, and Switzer
land. Here one may see the national and sectional character
istics of the people, and have the manufactures and industrial
products of every nook and corner of the land. Little booths
are erected in all the squares and along the main street, and
tables spread, behind which stand the owners of the wares in
their several distinctive costumes, offering you the " cheapest,

152 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
the best, and most beautiful," in dialects not less distinct and
peculiar. But it is not the results of great manufactures, of steam
power, and water privilege, that are here collected, as would
be the case in England and America ; but the results of house
hold industry. In all the rural districts of Germany, the
people who are in summer toiling in the fields, ploughing,
hoeing, reaping, mowing, are in winter engaged in various
kinds of handicrafts, their own hands being the power looms,
and levers, and turning lathes. There is often very little skill
exhibited in these productions ; but the industry is marvelous,
and by it they obtain the little money they have for the few
luxuries they indulge in, and to pay their taxes, which are
many and great.
We read of certain cities which furnish the world with
specified articles of luxury, but often not a person in the city
makes these things. Nuremberg is the great toy market,
and ask where you will, " Whence come these things ?" you
are told Nuremberg ; but the toys are made by the peasants
in the villages of the Thuringian forest. Here are whole
armies marshaled on a plain, the men being scarcely an inch ia
height, and their accoutrements proportionably diminutive.
Eailroads, steamboats, castles, cottages, miniature villages,
everything they have seen they imitate, for the amusement
of the little folks, and the sugar work, glass, earthen, and
wooden articles are often carved with a nicety of line, and
curve, and finish, quite inconceivable with the rough hands and
rude tools that execute.
There are fine laces from Silesia, and these, too, are wrought
in such miserable, poverty-stricken homes, as one would not
believe could send forth anything -beautiful. But during all

FLAX-RAISING. 153
leisure hours men, women and children are engaged with the
bobbins that weave the delicate meshes we might suppose must
owe their gossamer texture to fairy fingers. And when it is
bleached and pressed, and ready for market, it is put in large
packs, the year's labor of a whole village being scarcely enough
for one, perhaps, and the women set forth with them slung
across their backs, and bending to the earth with their burdens.
From city to city they wend their way, often barefoot and
bareheaded, allowing themselves scarcely food to support life
by the way ; attending at fairs and sometimes kneeling to
princes, saying, " Buy, buy, for we are starving," till they have
disposed of the precious store, and then return to distribute
the money among the naked and starving, who are waiting
anxiously for the little pittance on which life for another year
depends. The laces of Silesia are scarcely inferior to those of
Brussels ; and coarser kinds are brought from Saxony, while
France and Holland contribute the finest and most costly. Of
one pound of Flanders linen thread is made from two to three
thousand dollars' worth of lace !
It is the same with a great portion of linen cloth. It is
spun and woven in families, though there are, of course, in
Germany now large manufacturies for all kinds of cloths.
Frederic the Great used to call his country a nation of spin
ners, for the wheels and spindles were to be heard in every cot
upon the mountain, and in every hut in the valley, and bitterly
do the peasants curse the machinery that threatens to deprive
them of this source of domestic industry and profit.
The raising of flax has profited by the enlightenments of
science perhaps to a greater degree than any other branch of
agriculture; and in Flanders the new interest in husbandry be
gan with the effort to increase the profits of the linen industry,,
7*

154 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
In Prussia, which constitutes a third of Germany, there were, a
few years since, 246,294 looms, which were used only from six
to eight weeks in the year, when the people could not work
out doors, and 35,877 which were used all the time ; and of
those who work all the year, 24,290, or two thirds of the
whole, live in the country. The rest are to be found in small
cities, working without capital and realizing very small profits.
For damasks and all fine table linens Saxony is most famous,
where a hundred thousand people are engaged in making
linen, and five or six million of dollars worth produced every
year in this quiet way. But so entirely a separate business is
the bleaching, that a great portion of that which is spun in one
place is bleached in another, and thousands of yards spun in
Saxony and Silesia are sent to Bohemia to be woven, and then
returned to Silesia to be bleached,
We have seen linen as fine spun and woven in the cottage-
homes of New England, though the wheels are now nearly all
silenced by the din and buzz of manufactories. But we remem
ber to have heard the farmers complain always, that flax ex
hausted the soil, and in two or three years run out itself which
proves they never learned the art of cultivating it. If it was
permitted to run out in Germany, or to exhaust the soil, what
would become of the people ?
Formerly, some ground was permitted to lie fallow every
three years, and this portion the third year was devoted to
flax, but even this necessity has been overcome, and by a right
preparation of the soil and of the seed, it may be raised year
after year on the same fields without deteriorating. The soil
must be very deeply tilled, and richly manured, and very fine
at the surface, every weed must be thoroughly removed, and a
cold moist climate is better than one which is dry and warm.

FLAX-RAISING. 15f>
But it is in soaking the seed and in ripening and sowing it, that
much of the culture depends, and according as this is done
rightly, are saved or lost millions of dollars. It must be soaked
eight or ten days in standing water, at first changing it every
day, and then every two or three days, and when it has been
dried thoroughly, sown in the evening and allowed to remain
exposed all night to the freshness and moisture of the air, and
covered in the morning.
The flax in order to be of the right consistency must be cut
before the seed is ripe, therefore good flax and good seed cannot
be raised together. Formerly it was a great business in Eussia
to raise flax only for seed, and all other countries obtained their
seed from the Eussians, not understanding why it was better,
and could alone produce good flax. But now it is known that
they have only to leave a small portion to thoroughly ripen, and
their own seed is as good as any, and not so expensive, though
the flax that produces it is thrown away.
We have seen men weaving, and women breaking flax, as it is
called in New England. The machinery is very nearly the
same in all places, but the process varies a little in the southern
districts. A circular hole, some three or four feet deep, is dug in
the earth, with an opening of six feet perhaps across the top, in
which a fire is made. The surface is covered with branches of
trees, and upon these the flax is lain to be dried by the heat of
the embers below ; around this fiery furnace the women stand
with the brakes (we believe this is the English technical
term) and pound the rough, coarse looking stuff, till it is soft,
when others take it and draw it through the hatchcl, switching
and flourishing it about, as wo have seen done in individual
instances before, but where there are a dozen, and the air is
filled with the dust mingling with the smoke, till the figures and

156 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
their implements are only vaguely to be distinguished, one is
reminded of the witches around the boiling cauldron, singing :
" When shall we three meet again,
In thunder, lightning, or in rain."
Whether any of our readers will feel a hundredth part of the
interest we do, in learning how and why things are done, we
cannot tell, but in this we find our principal pleasure in coming
among the people, and in this way only we can understand them.
Their labors are their life, and to describe these will best illus
trate their characters. Here we see literally demonstrated, that
man is condemned to " earn his bread by the sweat of his brow ;"
but where he owns the soil he tills, there is a light-heartedness
and contentment in the labor whicii he does not evince when he
receives even more for what he does for another. There is sad
poverty, and in time of calamity, even starvation, in many dis
tricts of Germany, but there is still the pleasant feeling that he
is lord of the land, which enables him to endure many a burden
which would otherwise be insupportable.

CHAPTEE X.
FAIRS  HOUSEKEEPING  DOMESTICS  ART IN EUROPE AND AMERICA.
It seemed to us impossible for people to transport their
wares, two . or three times a year, so great a distance, build
their tents, and board and lodge in a strange city, and still
make it profitable ; but as political economists say, men do
not continue for a length of time to do what is not profitable,
and as it has been a custom for centuries among the Germans
to hold these fairs, we must conclude it pays in some way,
though they are beginning to be of less consequence than they
were. In the small villages and country places, there are yet
few shops, though one would think they might be established
here and there, and resorted to with less expense, and quite
as much convenience, as attending these fairs and markets
continually. But the housekeeping stores and wardrobes of
the country people are still very simple, and home manufacture
supplies the greatest portion of their wants. The children
look forward to a fair as the children of New England were
wont to look forward to a training, and the varieties of cakes>
toys, pictures, and amusements which characterize these
gatherings, show that children are of vast importance in the
provisions which are made. Signor Blitz is without a rival in
America, but he has many compeers in Germany, and feats of
magic and legerdemain are among the conspicuous attractions 157

158 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
of these holidays. The circus establishes its tent, and comes
each time with " a troupe unrivaled and before unequaled in
agility and marvelous exhibitions," and is througed day and
night. Under another tent, miniature ponies and horsemen are
continually traversing the distance of half a mile in a circle,
and troops of children are waiting for a ride which they get
for a few cents each. Panoramas, dioramas, cosmoramas, and
all the family of ramas, with pictures of every name and degree
of excellence, are collected in their several groups for the
several tastes of these thousands of pleasure-seekers. The same
position is occupied by the same shop or exhibition, year after
year, and century after century, and in many respects a hun
dred years produce scarcely any change in the whole. Some
new things "are introduced, and others perfected, but the grand
fair remains the same. Everything that is bought and sold in
the whole country finds a place here, but in many instances
only a few are shown as samples, and orders taken to be after
wards supplied.
In the business streets, new signs in large letters are hung
out over almost every door, and even families give up their
parlors and best sleeping-rooms to merchants and manufac
turers, who fill them with the productions of their several
establishments. It happened to us to resign our apartments
to a cloth merchant, aus Rheydt, out of Eheydt, a town in
Ehenish Prussia, near Dusseldorf. Eolls of woolen, satin, and
velvet, took possession of our chairs and tables, and upon the
desk were great books of samples, from which those wishing to
buy had only to select, and then decide how much of each should
be sent at another time to their shops. It is becoming tho
custom, also, to employ runners, as in America, to carry and
exhibit these books of specimens, and take orders.

FAIRS. 159
The law fixes the hour of sale, and it is ushered in by
musicians who play and sing through all the streets, and
continue to do so during the three weeks the fa,ir is in session,
receiving a few coppers from the windows of the inhabitants,
like the strolling proprietors of hand-organs in New York.
But the law can be evaded with bolted doors, and we saw
several thousand dollars worth disposed of before a single
purchase was allowed to be made.
From the same little province come many valuable articles.
Ellenfeld manufactures iron, and brass, and cutlery in great
quantities, and twenty-five .different kinds of ribbons, with
silk and cotton goods of beautiful texture, and especially of
beautiful colors. It is here the famous Turkish red is produced
in such perfection, that cloths and yarns are sent from Great
Britain and France to be dyed, and then reexported cheaper
than could be done where they are made.
Westphalia is one of the provinces conquered, and taken
possession of by the French, and was for a little time subject
to Jerome Bonaparte. Here the people were never universally
serfs, but owned the land, and are in modern days remarkably
thriving and enterprising. Nearly every village has its manu
factory, and its buttons, needles, pins, and every species of
cutlery, are as famous as those of Birmingham.
Nothing looks quite so beautiful to us as this Bohemian
glass, which is known the world over, but reaches America
only as a great curiosity and luxury. The Bohemian peasant,
who has come with it, is dressed in Prussia blue, with silver
buttons and sugar-loaf crowned hat, aud appears more like
a Frenchman than German. The glass is most tastefully ar
ranged upon shelves aud tables, and includes articles of every
form and fashion, as well as every color of the rainbow. Tho

160 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
beauty is in the fine and beautiful finish. Prague and Vienna
are the great depots for the sale of it, but it is made in the
villages of the Bohemian forest, and employs thousands of
families who work in the same quiet way, as everything else
is done in Germany, devoting to this the leisure hours that
cannot be employed in a more profitable way.
The same is true of a hundred other different articles of
wood, leather, straw, etc., which it would fill a volume to
enumerate, and many of which we shall have occasion to de
scribe, as we find the people at their work.
How many a ballad we have seen illustrated as these groups,
from a hundred different places, throng the city with their
various commodities, often singing not the words, but some
thing which corresponds to the ditty of the blithe little maiden,
with her lightwares all laden, who came crying :
" Buy a broom !
Buy a broom !
Oh, buy of the wandering Bavarian a broom !"
From the interior aud western parts of Germany, the women
are seen carrying everything on their heads, which they often do
without holding them also with the hands. Large tubs and
baskets, of one or two bushels in size and capacity, are made to
balance upon a little round cushion, which is constructed of
pieces of colored cloth, tastefully arranged, but which must be
very warm and uncomfortable. They say it is much easier car
rying burdens in this way than with the weight coming upon
the arms and shoulders. But from the north and west we see
them with a kind of yoke fitted across the shoulders behind,
and the weights attached to pieces which fall as low as the
hands, and need only to be balanced on each side Often, too,

HOUSEKEEPING. 161
great packs and stacks are borne upon the back, under which
they bend till they become unable to stand upright ; but it is
only women who are thus converted into beasts of burden.
Men use wheelbarrows aud donkey-carts, and nowhere perform
the amount of labor, or that which is so heavy and exhausting,
as the women, and nowhere so early grow old and haggard.
At the north they are better-looking in the first place, aud re
tain tlieir youth and beauty much longer, a difference to be seen
in all countries, between North and South.
In some provinces the shawl is worn as tenaciously as among
Indian women, though never so gracefully as by the children
of nature ; and in Hamburg they wear also lace caps and long
kid gloves. The shawl is of the gayest pattern, and arranged
so as to conceal a little basket, or box shaped like a coffin, and
which is carried on all occasions, in the street, if her errand
takes her only a few rods from her house, because it is her
badge of office, and proof that she has a place in a family, which
secures her from insult. They are a remarkably respectable
looking class, and maintain their several positions with great
pride and dignity. The box and shawl are given to each on
her entrance into service, and her name registered on the
" servant's book," which is kept by the police, who do not give
her permission to enter a new place without a certificate from her
employer, that she is worthy. This is also the custom in every
town, large and small, and may have the effect to make them
careful what they do ; but it is also attended by the evil, that
ladies may, from caprice, dismiss a servant, and refuse her a
certificate, without which she may wander idly about for
months, and become vicious from want of employment. In
Bremen servants cannot engage for less time than six months,
and cannot then be dismissed without a warning three months

162 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
before, unless for very serious ill-conduct. Here they are permit
ted also to have a patch of land to cultivate, and in their leisure
hours raise a little crop of potatoes or flax, which they can
dispose of to their own advantage, and do not anywhere at the
north have so slavish an appearance as at the south, where it
is the universal complaint that they are never to bo trusted)
and where they are indeed treated like a nation of thieves.
Everything is locked and double locked, as thoroughly as'
if they expected to be constantly besieged by robbers. A
German housekeeper is a slave to her keys. She gives out
every article from the store-closet herself, and exactly the
quantity necessary for every compound ; else, she says, it will
be carried off to some lover or friend. What is allowed each
one to eat, is placed upon her plate before the family leave the
table — just so much meat, bread, and vegetables as is judged
sufficient- — so many lumps of sugar given into her hand, and
all the rest locked where she cannot come. The quantity
seemed usually very generous, and we may not be capable of
judging of a system which we have not tried, nor know how
debased a whole class may be with whom we have not lived ;
but we often wonder what would become of the colored slaves
of America if they were subject to such a bondage as this,
where eating and drinking is the great diversion.
The construction of the houses makes many keys necessary,
without reference to the servants. As to economize room is the
important consideration, there is a box, or drawer, in every
nook and corner, and where there is a family on every noor>
and the common staircase open to all who choose to go up aud
down, everything must of course be locked. Each housewife
carries a little oblong basket, eight or ten inches long and
three or four wide-, with a handle, and in this are deposited her

HOUSEKEEPING. 163
keys. We have seen between forty and fifty in one basket,
and almost every one used daily, and some many times a day.
To every room, cupboard, drawer and box, the lady must go
herself, for everything that is wanted in all the multiplicity of
household affairs. Whether the servants are indeed so faithless,
we have no means of knowing ; but we have seen many thus
distrusted, whom we could willingly have taken into service, and
by kindness and confidence so won, that we should have no fears
for the safety of gold and silver, and jewels uncounted and untold.
When food was dealt to them as if they were dogs, we have
seen come over their honest faces the blush of shame and humi
liation, that made us feel for them the same pity and sympathy
as if they had been arraigned for crime, when we knew they
were innocent. The best heart may easily become corrupted
by such treatment, and where honesty and fidelity receive no
reward, or commendation, they will soon cease to be valued.
It is often the case that girls come from the country to the
city to live for a little time in a family, in order to learn a
better kind of housekeeping. They, perhaps, belong to the
aristocracy of their little village, aud have acquired something
of a feeling of independence. They have not been accustomed
to work very hard, as the routine of domestic labor in a farm
house even, is not very complicated or elaborate, and they
enter upon their new life entirely ignorant of the duties they
must perform. One we saw transferred from her free country
home to the dismal atmosphere of a city kitchen. Bright and
blooming she was as a May morning, and as pure as the water
of the village fountain, or the lily that bloomed in the valley
by her side. She was the servant of all work, as the family
could afford but one, and was expected to rise with the sun and
before breakfast to put the parlor and dining-room in order,

164 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
which no American woman would think of having done by a
servant who was cook and scrub besides. All the floors are
unpainted oak, and are wiped with a mop wet in cold water
every morning to take off the dust. The breakfast takes but
little time, as it is only bread and coffee, and the bread is
purchased the night before. After breakfast, the marketing
must be attended to, and sometimes the lady of the house does
it herself, and sometimes the servant, and often both go to
gether. The sleepiug-rooms are to be tidied. Dinner for four
people, with English or American cookery, would employ an
hour ; but with German it requires four or five. It is putter,
putter, putter, the whole forenoon, keeping the servant con
stantly busy, and the lady in constant supervision. To look at
the stove and count the kettles in actual service, we would be
led to expect some four to six courses, with a great display of
luxuries. But when it appears, there is a soup, one dish of
meat and one of vegetables, and all excellent. But to make them
ready, there has been such a fussing and fretting and stewing
as ought to be expended on a hundred dinners ; and every day
for three months, we hear the complaint that " the servant
never can learn to cook — it is strange how stupid she is." But
instead of leaving her to try experiments and make a few mis
takes, relying upon her own judgment till she can think, com
pare, and compound successfully, the lady is continually trot
ting into the kitchen, and by continual fault-finding and severity
completely paralyzes mind and body, so that she is stupefied by
fear. In six months, four have been successively installed in
the same place, and all equally stupid, without her being able
to see that the fault may be entirely with herself. We noticed
this without considering it a characteristic of German house
keepers ; but afterwards read in " Howitt's Eural Life," that

HOUSEKEEPING. 165
English ladies always found the same trouble. The servants
have been accustomed to be followed about aud directed in
every little thing till they have no idea of doing anything with
out being told, and retain always a servile air and manner, and
this we heard from many American ladies, also, who had lived
long in the land.
When the dinner is cooked, it is brought in by the servant,
and she comes to change the plates and take away the remains,
then brings the coffee which she has made in the meantime.
After dinner, the dishes are to be washed, and the kitchen
made tidy; but this is seldom done, because there is a continual
cleaning of something, which keeps everything in a muss,
(when we describe kitchens we must use technical terms). The
stove is so large that it occupies about one-third of the room-
on three sides are shelves, or dressers without doors, upon which
are arrayed the cooking apparatus and the ordinary table furni
ture. Everything copper and brass is rubbed daily, and the
number of these articles is innumerable. They are as bright
as rubbing can make them, and the perfection of neatness per
vades all appertaining to the culinary department, yet there is
still lacking a system that simplifies complicated arrangements,
and relieves the severity of labor.
It seems to be feared that the servant will not earn her
wages, and work which is utterly needless is done and re
peated for the sake of keeping her busy. If there is nothing
else, she is set to washing windows, late in the afternoon of hot
summer days, or to scrubbing floors on her hands and knees,
where we have often seen her till ten at night, and could think
of nothing but a galley slave, chained to his task ; as often as
once in two weeks these horrible oaken floors must be scrubbed,
and three or four hours must be spent upon one ordinary sized

166 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
room. There are two pails of water, a stiff brush with which
the scrubbing is done with soap and sand, and a cloth to rinse
and wipe in the cleaner water. In our pity for the poor crea
ture who was doomed to such drudgery, we exclaimed, " why
do you people in Germany persist in this barbarous custom
of scrubbing floors ?"
" Because we cannot afford to have them painted."
" What a ridiculous reason, when you conform to much more
expensive customs in dress and education."
"But these are necessary, while it is not absolutely necessary
to have carpeted or painted floors."
" I should think it much less necessary to have silk dresses,
and would rather do without a little French or Latin myself,
than enjoy such luxuries while these poor girls must perform
such slavery as this."
But she could not understand that a peasant girl could be
any better employed than in scrubbing and cleaning, though
afterwards she very adroitly planned that it should be done
when it was most unlikely we should see it.
It is merely that they have been accustomed to live in this
way, and go so little about the world, that they do not learn a
way which is better and not less cheap. We have heard so
much about the industry and thorough housekeeping of German
ladies, that we notice much more scrutinizingly than we other
wise should ; and they have heard so much about American
ladies being idle and shiftless, that we cannot help making com
parisons. That German ladies spend more time in the kitchen than
American and English ladies ofthe same rank, is true, but that
they are better housekeepers, or do any more work, is not true.
A young German girl who had been several years in America,

HOUSEKEEPING. 107
remarked that German ladies, at first, could not endure
America, they had to work so much more, but when they
found they were where labor was not degrading, and learned
how to manage, they liked it better.
Men writers have been in German families, and heard the
ladies talk of going down to see to the dinner, and perhaps to
make the pudding, and judging after the fashion of men, that
getting good dinners is all of housekeeping, have concluded
German ladies must be the perfection of housekeepers. But
this same German lady will be waited upon by her one servant
of all work, as no American lady would think of being, will
hire all her plain sewing done, and stares in astonishment to
see a lady make and repair her own dresses. The American
lady teaches her cook to get the dinners alone, if she is so well
off as to have a cook, and has all her work and business so
arranged that she can have it better done by a good superin
tendence than by continually dabbling her own hands in stews
and suds.
The stacks of linen are the boast of Germans aud tlie won
der of Americans, but they are beginning to confess that this
is quite unnecessary, and has been kept up by a very ridiculous
pride. It is becoming the fashion to wash at least once a
month, but more especially at the north, and some families
have the washing done in the house every two weeks, exactly
like English and Americans.
In the old towns, the construction of the houses makes this
almost impossible. There is no place for drying, and no con
veniences for washing or ironing, as these were no part of
family work when the house was built. ' The upper room is
a large open space, with lines, upon which the soiled linen is
hung, and has one or two large chests, in which some of it is

168 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
packed. We confess, we could never get over the feeling that
" pestilence must walk by noonday " in such a house, and the
arrangements for sink-drains and water-closets are still more
repulsive. How refined and cultivated people can live in re
signation to them, we cannot imagine. But the bad con
struction of the houses is not owing entirely to the ignorance
of the dark ages. Houses which are not more than three
years old, and where dwell the highest dignitaries of the land,
have the private apartments opening directly into the parlor
and dining-room, without the cleanliness of water or the de
cency of a screen, aud families who have a house in town and
country, and in summer a large garden, where ladies prome
nade in satin, velvet, and point-lace, do the cooking in a kitchen
so dark, persons can scarcely distinguish each other, and the
door of the privy opening into it, exactly by the stove and
table where all preparations are made, with no other aperture
for ventilation. We have traveled much over American
wilds, and among the most rude of new settlers, and never
found anything quite so barbarous. The good housewives
who cooked here, could speak two or three languages,
and go into ecstacies over paintings and statuary, and dis
coursed and dilated with the utmost self-gratulation, upon the
heathenish English and Americans, who " knew nothing of
art." These incongruities strike us everywhere : the high appre
ciation of beauty in the fine arts, and an utter insensibility to
beauty and comfort in the daily life and family arrangements.
There will often be in the house a fine picture or elegant
articles of china, and the most exquisite little statuettes, while
the table furniture is of the most common kind ; knives and
forks, such as one never before saw used, except in cooking, and

HOUSEKEEPING. 169
table etiquette like that we fiud among backwoodsmen. A
great black loaf will be handed round for each one to cut a
slice with his own knife, no salt-spoon or butter-knife, and no
order in arranging the table. We might possibly find the
same in many American families of the same rank, but we
should not find also, such articles of taste and luxury to feast
the eyes upon.
If some gentleman writer would know the true, unmistake
able test of good housekeeping, let him look at the mops, dish
cloths, kitchen towels and lamp-wipers. These will tell the
story better than fine damask table linen or good dinners, and
if they are all rags and smut he may be sure disorder reigns
through the household. In these old towns, where the houses
are so thicli-set, and a family on every floor, these articles are
exposed to view in the most unfortunate manner for their repu
tation. Along under the back windows are lines upon which
they are strung to dry, and we in this way see the internal
economy of twenty households at a glance, and dripping from
the fourth and fifth stories come the rinsings from the floor-pails
and dish-tubs, of a color and consistency to give no favorable
impression of what they have left behind. We should not enter
into these details if we had not been obliged to hear continually
of the barbarity of Americans. One man has been there and
comes back to say he could not eat, the people were such pigs
at table : a lady has been there and describes American women
as sitting always in rocking-chairs, and never taking the least
interest in household matters, which we have no doubt was true
of many that she saw. They have heard that Americans never
have any household or even personal linen ; and because there
are no galleries of art they conclude we are heathen, and live
like brutes ; while it is true, on the contrary, that there is more
8

170 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
of beauty in art in one American city, than in five European
cities, but it is scattered about in kitchens and sleeping-rooms,
and private apartments, and exercised upon what promotes
daily comfort, instead of being collected in a few halls and
salons, where a few may congregate to admire, while the
masses are walking upon rough boards, and in hourly contact
and association with such coarseness and filth as we cannot re
concile with refinement and cultivation. The houses in Ameri
can cities for which clerks and mechanics pay a rent of five
or six hundred dollars, are arranged with reference to the
utmost comfort and delicacy, and those who occupy them must
feel the refining and elevating influence far more thau they
could in gazing a few hours each week at fine pictures, which
is all the time they would have to devote to them. Yet to the
fine pictures we have no objections, and shall be glad when
wealth and taste enable us to furnish our houses or public halls
with productions of the fine arts. But to say we are behind
Europe in a love of the beautiful, in all that indicates refine
ment, and elegance, and .cultivation, is so far from being true,
that we are fifty or a hundred years in advance, and this con
clusion is one which has been forced upon us by inches, and so
contrary to our expectations,- that we stand dumb with amaze
ment as we contemplate all these things.
But the most northern cities have adopted more of English
comforts, and we find as we leave the south that the wonders
of art diminish. There will be perhaps in each city a gallery
of paintings, but there will not be a dozen, and artists are not
in such abundance. Strange as it is, in an inverse ratio, the
people are more intelligent, and the homes more beautiful. In
Hamburg are a great number of English people, who have
given an English air to the streets and houses, and in many of

ART IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. 171
the farming districts at the north the cultivation is more after
the English manner. The land is not so divided, tho houses
are large, neat and commodious, and hedgerows are blooming
around many a garden and field.
But Bremen is still thoroughly German, yet in the comfort
of her homes far in advance of southern cities. Each family
occupies a separate house, and those of the upper and middle
classes have the genuine air of comfort and neatness in all their
arrangements. The housekeepers are more thorough, and the
cooking on a more modern plan, which consumes far less time,
and is not less palatable. The servants, too, have more self-
reliance, and are treated in a way to give them more self-respect.
In almost every house, even of the mechanics and small trades
people, there is a carpet, and the parlors of the rich have quite
an American appearance. Yet there will be here more articles
of taste than in a Fifth Avenue salon, and an arrangement
which shows more individuality. They do not look so much as
if the upholsterer finished them to suit his own ideas, and never
anywhere have we seen such dainty ^work -baskets as will meet
the eye in almost every lady's parlor, and all manner of taste
ful apparatus for busy fingers. The parlor, too, is occupied by
the ladies when at work, instead of being shut up for callers
and parties, and when comfort and taste are united in a Ger
man home, there can be nothing more truly near to perfection.

CHAPTEE XI.
VALLEY OF THE RHINE  COMMERCE  LUTHER  GUTTENBERG.
An Englishman in ascending the Ehine, soliloquizes after
this fashion : " The Ehine is no doubt a historical river ; but
the political economist reads history in its stream differently
from the scholar and antiquarian. This river has been flowing
these two thousand years through the centre of European
civilization ; yet, how little industry or traffic upon its waters 1
not one river barge in ten miles of river. Is not this the effect
of faulty social economy, of bad government, of restrictive
freedom among the twenty or thirty millions of people dwelling
in communication with this great water-way ? In America,
rivers not half a century old to any human knowledge are
teeming with floating craft, exchanging industry for industry
between rising cities and communities of free self-governing men.
" Is it not a bitter historical satire on the feudal institutions
which have so long reigned on either side of this river? It
flows stately and silently through vast populations of feudally-
governed countries, and like one of its own dignified old barons,
caring little for commerce, industry, and civilization, but sweep
ing in lonely grandeur between noble castles of former days,
modern fortifications, decaying towns, military and custom
house sentinels and functionaries, and beneath vine-dotted hills,
around which the laboring man climbs and toils, and lives as he
1T2

VALLEY OF THE RHINE. 173
did a thousand years ago, without improvement or advance of any
importance in his social condition. Is this the Ehine, the ancient
Rhine — the Rhine that boasts of commerce, literature, science,
law, government, religion, having all sprung up in modern times
upon its banks — this river, with half a dozen steamers carrying
idle lady and gentlemen passengers up and down to view the
scenery, and a solitary barge here and there creeping along its
sides? Truly the American rivers, under the democratical
American governments and social system, have shot ahead, in
half a century, of this European river under the aristocratical
European government and social system, although the Europ
ean has had the start of the American streams by fifteen hun
dred or two thousand years. When Prince Metternich sits in
his window-seat in his castle of Johannisberg, reading in some
book of travels about the Ohio, or Mississipi, or Hudson, all
teeming with the activity and civilizing industry of free unre
stricted men, what may be his thoughts as he lifts his eyes
from the book, and looks down upon the Ehine. It is here
that the American traveler may be -allowed to prose, at long
and at large, upon his favorite topics — the superiority of Ameri
can institutions and government. He may begin his glorifica
tions at Cologne and end them at Basle, without interruption."
We were amused in reading the soliloquizings of a young
Frenchman, made about the same time, and also by a political
economist, to see with what different eyes he beheld the same
objects, and how things were magnified by a different educa
tion and limited observation. He had never been to America
and seen no larger or nobler river than the Ehine, and had
evidently read very little of the Ohio or Mississippi, and their
wondrous commerce.
He begins with the same exclamation : " The Ehine ! the

174 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
girdle and the rampart of Germany, and upon whose borders
she seems, in gratitude, to have accumulated all that she has
of the most precious and the most beautiful — fertile plains,
sombre forests, famous vineyards, laughing and luxurious
valleys, romantic heights, majestic ruins, touching and marvel
ous legends — in a word, all that can please the eye, charm the
mind, and fill the imagination. Let me describe to you this
valley, the most beautiful and interesting in the world — the
most beautiful, thanks to nature — the most interesting, thanks
to the indefatigable industry of its happy people !
" In order to appreciate it we must descend the Ehine, from
Basle in Switzerland to its mouth in the North Sea, and what
traveler, whether economist or pleasure seeker, can pass these
beautiful countries without being struck with their industry,
and these cities, which have been known from the earliest ages
and have enriched the world with their products ?"
He then begins with Switzerland, and dwells upon the fertility
of its valleys ; the hum of busy industry in its shops, its farm
houses and fields, and the pleasant sound of lowing cattle and
bleating sheep upon her hillsides. Her five great lakes, Con
stance, Geneva, Zurich, Villes Forestieres, and Bienne, united by
rivers, the principal of which are the Ehine and the Aar, give
her all the desirable facilities of navigation, and upon them are
floating, in all their glory, 25 steamboats ! with importations
amounting to 1,876,197 quintals.
To connect Switzerland with the navigable portion of the
Ehine are three railroads, one of which passes through Alsatia,
where so much of the raw cotton of America is spun and woven,
and then reexported to be stamped. The finest threads of
France in wool and cotton are spun by the peasantry "among tho
villages of the Vosgian Mountains, a people who speak German

VALLEY OF THE RHINE. 175
but are entirely French in their sympathies. In the revolution
of '48 no entreaties could move them to aid their German
brethren in their attempts to form a united German nation.
They preferred to remain where they were, and with many
other provinces in western Germany, like French laws and
French customs the best.
But we cannot follow our traveler through all his glorifica
tions of this great commercial region, and will go on to
Manheim and Mayence, from which cities commence the
running of steamers and rafts with the exports of the couutry,
to be delivered in Holland and sent across the sea to England
and Eussia, or America.
Holland is without forests, and Germany supplies her with
wood. This is transported in great rafts, and wherever your
eye falls upon the Ehine you see these immense barges laden
with the products of the Black Forest and the Odenwald. It
is said that in China whole villages are seen moving down the
river upon a network of bamboo, and these wood-trains have a
similar appearance. At one extremity are twenty oars, and at
the other twenty-two, with seven times as many rowers. A boat
goes on before to announce the arrival of the train, and sixteen
or twenty other boats carry the anchors and cables. Upon the
raft or train is a complete household establishment, as it moves
slowly, and cannot stop tp dine by the way. There is a little
house or hut, for those who have charge of the anchors, five or
six for the rowers, each of which will accommodate fifty
persons ; then there are the pilots and cooks, with their aides-de-
camp, a kitchen, wash-house, bakery, slaughter-house, magazine
for .provisions, and stables — the whole equipage requiring five
hundred men.
Iu a single voyage one train consumes from forty to fifty

176 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
thousand pounds of bread, twelve to twenty thousand pounds
0/ meat, ten to fifteen thousand pounds of cheese, ten to fifteen
quintals * of butter, eight to ten quintals of salt, sixty to
eighty of vegetables, and from five to six hundred hogs.
heads of beer. And to give a complete idea of the grandeur
of these trains, he adds, that in the tariff bureaux, they value
the stores, anchors, and utensils which do not pay duty, at
six thousand quintals. Every year are transported in this
way from sixty to seventy thousand cubic yards of oak,
and from seventy to eighty thousand of pine and fir ; but
the trains are small at the commencement of the voyage, and
increase from city to city, and at the junction of the different
rivers which contribute from the treasures of the forest through
which they run.
Next he embarks upon " one of those large and magnificent
steamboats which pass every moment in communication between
London, Eotterdam and Basle," and says : " What a spectacle !
What life and animation ! In vain will you seek in any other
part of the world a steam navigation so extensive and active 1
Yet it is only since 1827 that it began ; at that time there were
only two small boats running between Cologne and Mayence.
In one year the bridge at Cologne was raised fifteen hundred
and eighty times for steamers to pass, laden with travelers and
merchandize, and the number of travelers has increased in
ten years from a few thousands to 750,000, so that this great
river may be said to be covered with a floating population, and
along its shores are the evidences of this passage, in the money
they have put in circulation, the impetus given to commerce,
and the influence upon the manners of the people, and the in-
* A quintal ia a hundred pounds.

VALLEY OF THE RHINE. 177
crease of wealth in the cities and villages. One company rea
lized in a year, at a time when there were five others, a revenue
of $70,000 ! and all have transported in a year from 12,000,000
to 13,000,000 of quintals of merchandize. Surely the English
man must have shut his eyes as he passed this way, or else he
had seen things so much more marvelous that it appeared very
trifling, and not worth recording.
" It is not strange that a German should denominate it ' the
river of rivers, the glory and pride of Europe.' Among the
highest peaks of the hoary Alps is the snowy summit of St.
Gotherd ; around him rise many other peaks of fearful altitude
— the Furca, the Vogelsberg, the Erispalt and the Splugen,
but none so high as he. From within this mighty mass of ori
ginal mountains, amidst eternal glaciers and endless forests of
dark pines, springs a stream — a wild, small, hill-torrent, like a
hundred others, from the same source, whicii seems no more
than any of its fellows. It appears to take its rise but to
perish after it has run, like them, a brief and troubled career.
But if the wanderer follows its waters, he will find that, like a
native avalanche, it gathers strength and size and greatness as
it goes, until uniting with another branch from the same source
at Dessentis, in the Grisons, and with a third at Razerus, in
the same canton, it marches majestically plainwards, like a
mountain giant, rushing through the lake of Constance, bound
ing with a fearful leap, over the ledges of rock which intersect
its path at Schaffhausen, flowing by the northern bounds of
Switzerland, and washing the walls of Basle, finally it courses
with untroubled career, thence to the distant northern ocean on
the coast of Holland — this stream is the Rhine, and this its
course — the first river of Europe, and the pride and glory of
Germany." 8*

178 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
These are the reflections of a native of its banks, and we do
not wonder that it is to him surpassing fair and beautiful, a
golden link with diamonds set to bind him to his Fatherland.
To us, too, it is beautiful, and we have reveled in its history,
and the legends which cover every castle-crowned peak upon its
shores, and spread their charm over every hillside and valley,
with not less interest than the hundred tourists who have
described it. But we have also seen the mountains, and lakes,
and rivers of the Western Continent, and to one who has tra
versed the whole length of the St. Lawrence, winding among
its Thousand Isles, and floating on its broad bosom to where it
meets the sea — been struck dumb with awe beneath the cliffs
which overhang the Saguena,y, and stretch away in wild gran
deur among the forests which yet no man hath penetrated —
crossed the great lakes, white with a thousand sails — traced the
Ohio and Mississippi from source to mouth — become familiar
with every wild glen among the Highlands of the Hudson, and
skipped through all the years of childhood in the valley of the
Connecticut, there can be little in natural scenery even among
the vine-clad hills which border the Rhine, to elicit exclama
tions of wonder. Yet we could linger many a week among its
enchantments, and not weary contemplating the beauties which
nature has here so freely lavished, or in listening to the marvel
ous tales which every person you meet, from prince to peasant,
delights to tell. But, like the Englishman whom we quoted,
our special province is among the people, and we must spend
only so much time in castles as will help us to illustrate life in
the cottage. He says there has been scarcely any social im
provement in a thousand years, among the classes we wish to
portray. Here are the words of an old chronicler concerning
them in the fifteenth century :

RANKS AND GRADES. 179
" There are among the German folk much distinction of rank,
and many grades of that distinction. The first grade consists
of the clergy ; the second of the nobles, in which latter there
are several varieties, such as princes, counts, barons, knights,
aud gentle-folk ; the third, of the burghers and peasantry.
" The princes take the first place in honor and in power, for
they have broad lands and a wide extent of territory. The
others take precedence according to their station — counts,
barons, knights, and gentlefolks, but all sit below the princes
of the land. When it so happens that the emperor displeases
the nobles, they absolve themselves from their allegiance to
him, and declare themselves and their followers free from his
rule. This class considers itself not a little debased when one
of its members follows an honest occupation, and descends
either to become a merchant or manufacturer ; also, if he weds
with an ignoble woman, or dwells as a recognized burgher in
any city. They live not in communities, but abiding altogether
in their castles, either on the peaks of mountains or in the
depths of the impassable forests of our land, or in its spacious
solitary plains, they deem themselves wholly independent.
Their chief pleasure is the chase, and it also forms their prin
cipal dependence for food ; the laws made by them against en
croachment on this their privilege, are, therefore, very severe.
They hold that the wild beasts of the forest are theirs, for
their use and gratification alone ; and it is in some places pun
ished with the loss of both eyes, in others with sheer decapita-
tation for an inferior to trespass on their preserves. There is,
however, a permission understood to kill all noxious animals and
useless beasts of prey.
" These nobles live lustily in their castles, eating and drink
ing of the best at will, and they also clothe themselves richly—

ISO PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
especially the women— who are all over decked with costly orna
ments of gold and precious stones, when they go forth, or when
they give a grand entertainment. In their excursions they are
ever followed by a large train of idle people, pertaining to
their households ; and they are known from the common people
wherever they be met, by their proud air and their measured
haughty step. But they mostly go on horseback, however short
the distance, for they consider it unseemly in them, and a
degradation to their state, to walk. Yet will these proud men
not hesitate to set on and rob the helpless wayfarer, and de
prive him of his honest wealth, whenever an opportunity offers
itself to them. If a feud break out between two of them, or
if the one does to the other an injury or wrong, each collects
his vassals and retainers, and then they ravage and destroy
each others lands and property with fire and sword, like great
potentates or sovereign princes.
" The burghers or citizen-folk are considered the lowest in
the scale of honor and rank in the German Empire. Of these
some be subjects of the emperor, and some be the subjects
of the prelates or princes in whose territories they dwell.
Those who serve the emperor directly enjoy considerable privi
leges ; their cities are generally known as free cities of the
empire. Every year they select among themselves a chief or
local ruler, known by the title of Burger-Meister, in whom they
vest the supreme power of the community. His judgments in
all cases of crime or misdeed are based upon reason and the
ancient customs of his class, but an appeal lies from them to the
emperor. " In every great city two classes of citizens are to be met with
— the first, noble born, being generally the younger sons of the
great families of the empire ; the second, the common folk,

RANKS AND GRADES. 181
consisting of mechanicals, manufacturers, and merchants. The
former follow no occupation publicly — neither traffic nor busi
ness of any kind — they style themselves patricians, and mono
polize the offices of honor and profit in the magistracy of their
respective cities ; on the latter devolve all the burden of trade
and all the weight of labor. Though these may acquire great
riches, they are seldom recognized by their noble fellow citizens;
and it is with great difficulty that one of them ever succeeds in
gaining a position among these proud men. They are, notwith
standing, eligible to the highest offices of the magistracy; but
it must be added they very seldom attain to them.
" In Germany, the cities and towns are generally well situated;
either planted proudly on the summit of a hill, or built beside
the course of some broad river, or lying in a rich and fertile
plain, and they are ever surrounded with a thick wall, in soma
cases strengthened by deep dykes ; in all defended by solid
towers and bulwarks.
" But the lowliest condition that be, is, however, that of the
serf or peasant who tills the earth and lives in open villages or
lonely cottages. A wretched life these creatures lead of it.
They hold scant communion with each other, and live with
their families and their cattle all alone. Their dwellings are
rude huts of mud and wattles, thatched with straw. Their
food is black, sour bread, with thin porridge or pulse soup.
Their only drink is water or milk. Their garb is a coarse gown
and a wide straw hat. Their subsistence is derived principally
from supplying the towns with the produce which they raise
from the soil. These poor people never know rest ; early and
late they are obliged to toil ; their existence depends upon
their labor. The greater part of their time is the property of
their lord, who may compel them to work for him as long as

182 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY. /
he lists, without fee or reward ; and the severity with which
they have heen treated, on many occasions has caused serious
insurrections in the country. There is no steel so tempered
that it may not snap ; no bow so tough that it may not
break." It was about the same time that the bow did snap. The
light of the Eeformation exposed the cruelty and corruption of
those they had so long obeyed, and when once rebellion had
broken out, the excesses of the peasantry were reckless and
ruthless in proportion to the blind stupidity with which they
had hitherto submitted. They learned that it was possible for
them also to cast off their chains, and demand rights, which,
if not granted willingly, they could gain by forced and in the
most beautiful districts of the Ehine country, their atrocities
are described as almost incredible, and the whole country as one
scene of carnage and ruin, whilst they were in arms.
The struggle between the bishops, nobles, and serfs, is called
the " Servile War," and the rebels characterized as a rabble
rout ; known at the time by the name of the " Hell crowd."
" They burned and destroyed churches and castles, monasteries
and convents ; murdering without scruple, and driving the
nobles, their masters, fugitives before them in every direc
tion." It did not occur to these bishops and nobles to ask
how came these people to be such " a rabble rout ?" how they
came to be so exasperated, and to feel towards the " nobles,
their masters," such a bitter hatred, and to think it was a deed
of justice and mercy to drive them from the land. A noble
abbess writes to a noble baron, " We cry to you for aid with a
sorrowful heart in the deepest dool, for the evils we have suf
fered at the hands of these wicked men, who rob and plunder
us as they list, and threaten our lives if we offer any resistance

LUTHER. 183
or objection to them." And another noble baron draws a
picture still more terrible in details, " of the frightful devasta
tions of these brutal wretches." Alas, how long had they
cried in vain to bishops, and barons, who had never treated
them .as possessing human feeling, and compelled them to a
life of slavery, for centuries, during which they had been
beaten and murdered for the slightest offences ?
It was in the neighborhood of Mayence, that this rebellion
originated ; but it extended far and wide before it was finally
quelled by the archbishop of the diocese, and his generals, and
half a century elapsed before the country recovered from the
blight which destruction so terrible and wasting had cast over it.
It was upon the northern part of the Ehine valley, and not
upon its immediate banks, that Luther was born ; but there is
some fact or legend concerning him in every city and village,
in every castle and cottage in Prussia, from north to south,
from east to west. In the Protestant districts he is regarded
with an almost superstitious reverence, and in the Catholic, as
a fiend ; and many stories, if true, would prove that he did not
on earth attain unto perfection ; which indeed he never pro
fessed to do. The house in which he was born, and in which
he is also said to have died, is now converted into a free school
for poor children, and there are exhibited his study cap and
coat, some books and other articles, which there can be no
doubt belonged to him. In his biographies he is called the son
of a wool-comber ; but here he is said to be the son of a miner,
and as the town Isleben, not far from Dusseldorf, is in a mining
country, we presume his father found employment in the mines,
as most of the people do at the present day.
The homage which is paid to Guttenburg is universal, and
every tongue delights to do him honor ; but as his birth was near

l!Si PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
a century before, there is nothing so tangible concerning him as
concerning the reformers, and as in his lifetime he was scarcely
known out of Mayence, there is little definite knowledge to be
gained of his habits. The house where he was born still
exists, and also where the first printing office was established.
Archimedes really planned a lever to move the world ; but
Guttenburg had not the least idea that the little types, which
he first succeeded in making movable, were to be the real
instruments by whicii the earth was to be shaken from its
foundation. In his time' very little was accomplished, so far as
the highest object of printing was concerned, and books were
still so expensive that few but princes could own them, and
knowledge had scarcely more circulation for the wonderful in
vention. In all collections of books and antiquities, we see
specimens of the first attempts at printing, and when machinery
had done its work, the pen had still much to do to perfect a
volume. All the title pages and important letters were drawn
by artists, in colors, a work requiring much time and immense
labor, and not for a hundred years were these things done by
a press, though the small letters were nearly as perfect at the
beginning, as now.
Por the peasantry or serfs to read was considered some
thing as inappropriate to their rank, as to live in baronial
halls, and no efforts were made to teach them — they were not
even allowed to learn, till within the last half century. Yet it
is not quite true that no improvement is to be observed in their
condition during a thousand years. From their ranks rose
merchants and mechanics, and when these were formed into
corporations or guilds, they became so powerful that they could
enforce a species of justice, and by them the power of feudal
ism was often curbed if not broken.

FEUDAL ROBBERS. 185
We never had any remarkable reverence for those who dwelt
in castles, and the more we know of their lives, the more we
wonder that so many should still like to boast an ancestry
among their numbers. They were little else than a band of
highway robbers, as our old chronicle remarks, and obtained
their living entirely by oppressibn and exactions. Upon all the
roads they kept agents, or emissaries, to demand of travelers
tribute, which they knew it was useless to refuse, as death or a
dungeon was their only alternative. An archbishop of Cologne
having built a castle, appointed a governor to surperintend it.
On being asked how he was to be furnished with a revenue to
support his household, and promote the interests of his lord ;
the prelate merely observed that his castle stood at the junction
of four roads ! By the plunder of the honest wayfarer, were
the highest dignitaries of church and state maintained.
It was a citizen of Mayence who first proposed a league
among the inhabitants of cities and towns for mutual protection
against these marauders, which resulted in what was termed
the " Ehenish League," and by depriving them of the revenues
they so unjustly obtained, they were forced to desert their
castles ; and the ruins which are scattered over all the hills and
valleys of the Ehine, owe the picturesque state to which they
have been reduced, to the energetic measures of the people, in
depopulating the strongholds of a set of idle vagabonds who
lived by tyranny and rapine.

CHAPTEE XII.
CITIES OF THE RHINE  LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS.
In the histories of the cities and towns upon the Ehine, we
find them in continual warfare from the very first centuries.
The tyranny of the bishops, who were also the highest officers of
state, was resisted by the nobles, and the burghers and trades
people rebelled against both. The three largest towns, Co
logne, Bonn, Coblentz, were built by the Eomans, the last before
the Christian era, and the other two during the first century.
The Germans, whom they conquered, are described by Caesar
and Tacitus, who speak of them as a " well-formed race, with
blue eyes, fair hair, and a bold aspect. From their earliest
youth they were trained to arms, and therefore they were a
warlike people. Religious feeling, love of freedom and chas
tity of manners, were their virtues ; drunkenness, debauchery
and a love of fighting, were their vices." No sooner were they
conquered by the Romans than the Franks coveted their fertile
valleys, and lying between these two great nations, they were
for centuries the scene of their barbarous and desolating wars.
When Attila with his hordes came down from the north, the
Roman yoke was entirely thrown off, and the French finally
became masters of the whole country.
186

CITIES OF THE RHINE. 187
But as we see everywhere else in Germany, there was never
any unity between places only a little distance from each other,
and while Cologne was ever struggling to be free, Bonn was
content with the most abject submission to monarchical power,
and its citizens were ever ready to aid king or prelate in assaults
upon their sister city. Yet from the time of the Eomans until
the French revolution, Cologne preserved a species of liberty.
By Otto the Great, in the tenth century, it was made one of the
free cities of the empire, and in the thirteenth century joined
the Hanseatic league and became one of the most influential of
the confederacy in wealth and commerce. So early as the
fourteenth century, the cotton and silk manufactures employed
eighty thousand looms, and schools of art, painting, sculpture
and design, received the highest encouragement. In 1333, it
was visited by Petrarch, who exclaims, " How glorious is this
city ! What a wonder to find such a spot in a barbarous land.
What dignity in the men, what grace and tenderness in the
women 1" In 1471, the first printing-press was established
within its walls, and the first book printed, and two years later
reprinted in London. Alas I that so much glory and prosperity
should be blotted out by tyranny and superstition. Only a few
years later the city saw thrice expelled from its precincts all
that contributed most to its wealth and grandeur.
First, 80,000 Jews were banished in one day, through the
influence of the Christian clergy, and then the great body of
weavers, in consequence of an insurrection among them, and
1,700 looms burnt in the presence and by the order of the
government. Such blindness and infatuation seem scarcely
credible, when it must be evident that with them would disap
pear an industry which must be a great source of wealth to all.
But they scattered about in other towns, and set up their looms

188 PEASANT LIFE LN GERMANY.
in many smaller places, thus diffusing a benefit which had been
hitherto confined to one, and to this day Cologne has not
recovered from this blight ; but even this was not enough, and in
1618, just before the thirty years' war, all Protestants wore
forbidden to remain within its walls, aud 1,400 houses were
vacated, and all that remained of trade and industry paralyzed
forever. It is now only interesting for what it has been, and is
visited by every tourist to see what remains of the wonderful in
ancient art, of which it contains perhaps more than any other
city in Germany.
In Coblentz, there was the same struggle between the gov
ernment and the people, though never the same excesses and
misfortune. Before the thirteenth century the power was
entirely in the hands of the nobles, consisting of some three
hundred families, who looked upon the citizens as only instru
ments to minister to their aggrandizement. But they were at
length compelled to yield, and admit the tradespeople to share
the offices of state. The artisans at that time were divided
into seven guilds or companies — cutlers, weavers, bakers, shoe
makers, smiths, tanners and vintners. As soon as higher posi
tion was the reward of their industry, there was a marvelous
increase in their exertion, and the city dates from this period
her elevation to the rank of one of the most opulent, and con
spicuous cities in civilized Europe.
The tradition is handed down and still believed by the people
of Mayence, that it was in their city that the vision of the Holy
Cross occurred to the Emperor Constantine, and the field over
which he was marching when it appeared is pointed out. That
the Eoman legions under Constantine were encamped here, there
can be no doubt, and the Christian religion was early preached
here by those who had listened to the preaching of the apostles.

LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS.* 189
The first bishop is stated by historians to have been a pupil
of St. Peter, whicii is confidently believed by many among the
wise and ignorant. That the highest offices in its gift wore
conferred by the Eomish church equally upon the most humble
as well as noble in birth, if otherwise worthy, has ever been its
most redeeming virtue, and the people of Mayence ascribe the
greatest blessings conferred upon their city in government and
laws to one who was the son of a wheelwright. His name was
Willigis, and his reign in the tenth century, the golden era in
their history. Here, as we have elsewhere stated, Charlemagne
was born, and his palace of Ingdheim stood just without its
walls. There is scarcely a foot of ground in the whole of Germany
that is not consecrated by some interesting event, authenticated
by history, and around each deed of valor superstition has
wound a thousand threads, till the tales of genii and giants, of
sage and seer, of knight and lady-love, peasant and priest, cover
the land like a net-work. Among the people, the belief in signs
and wonders, ghosts and hobgoblins, is universal, and every act
of their lives is influenced by some light or shadow which has
fallen upon their path, and which they believe to have been
cast by some supernatural being. Especially is every castle
hung with legendary lore, and to each turret and balcony is
attached the mystic drapery of a tale of love, or the doing of
a bold knight in armor. We cannot dwell long with these,
though they are not the least correct illustrations of the charac
ter of the people.
Ingelheim signifies the angel's home, and it is said to have
derived its name from the peculiar guardian care of the spirits
of the other world over the king who inhabited it. He awoke
three times from a dream in which he had been commanded to

190 » PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
go forth and steal, " Arise, arise !" said the voice, " equip and
arm, and go forth and steal. It is the will of the Lord that
thou steal this night some of thy neighbor's goods. Tarry not
to obey this command, or life and throne may not long abide
with thee. Thus says the Omnipotent." When he had thus
spoken, the angel moved his pinions, and was soon lost in a rose-
colored mass of light.
The story in all its amplifications would fill twenty pages,
but a much shorter version will answer our purpose. Not dar
ing to disobey an angel's words, the king arose and went
forth, muttering continually by the way, " What can it mean,
the whole earth is mine, and yet I am commanded to steal ?
Would that I had never been born ; but I must obey the will
of the Lord. Most severe have I been in punishing thieves,
yet here I am on a thief's errand ! — God help me."
He sought the forest which skirted the domains of the palace,
and permitted his steed to go where he would — considering it
an indication of Providence when he turned to a path different
from the one he should have chosen. When he had gone
a little way, he was accosted by a man clad from head to foot
in steel, black as jet. Plumes of the same sable hue nodded
from his helmet, and the steed he proudly rode was also black.
The two rode side by side without speaking. The king often
attempting to rid himself of his unwelcome companion, by spur
ring on, but soon found it was useless ; the horse he rode was
not less swift of foot than his own, and he at length cried halt,
and challenged the knight to single combat. A fierce contest
ensued, in which the king was victorious, but admiring the
courage and prowess of his antagonist, immediately offered
him pardon and friendship, at the same time asking his name,
and the occasion of his being out at such an hour in the forest.

LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 191
"I am Elbegast," answered the man, and this was all that
was needed to make known his life aud present purpose. He
was a noted outlaw, and the terror of all the country round.
Many a reward had the king offered for him, and many an
effort made to get possession of him and his band. Now here
he was, but without any idea into whose hands he had fallen.
This the king concealed, aud expressed great joy that he had
found so goodly company, and bound on the same errand as
himself. " Where shall we go ?" was the next question, and Charle
magne, to try the loyalty of his new-found friend, proposed that
they rob the Emperor's treasury. But what was his surprise
and joy, to hear the robber swear that nothing would induce
him to lay hands upon aught that belonged to the king.
"But," said he, "I will right willingly repair to the strong
castle of his kinsman, Eggerich von Eggermond, who married
the Emperor's sister, and obtained much gold by his favor.
He is not fit .to live. It would be no sin to take all he has,
and life itself. It is a shame and disgrace that he should be
suffered to thrive and prosper, while better men are oppressed.
Does he not persecute the poor, and plunder the wretched ?
Has he not betrayed many an innocent man to undeserved
death ? Let us thither. The little that we can take from the
riches he has heaped up by the bounty of his sovereign will not
be missed. Let us thither."
And so they bestrode their steeds and rode forward to the
castle of Eggerich von Eggermond.
The king soon evinced that he was not very expert at pick
ing locks and making holes in walls, which led his companion
to suspect his fidelity, but repeated assertions of his honor
silenced suspicion, and they at length found themselves within

192 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
the castle. But Elbegast, who was foremost, was alarmed by
the voice of a cock, just as he was about to enter the sleeping
apartment of the knight, which said that the king was near.
But this information would not have been understood, had he not
previously eaten of an herb, the virtue of which was to enable
those who ate it to understand the language of all animals.
When he listened he learned that the cock was talking to the dog,
and prompting him to his duty. Quickly he returned and told the
story, but the king laughed, and ridiculed his fears, saying he
had heard no footsteps, and seen no indications of princely ar
rivals, and bade him return or they should be too late for booty.
Again he went, but again returned with the same story, and
said, " If you believe me not, taste yourself the herb, and lis
ten." He did so, and sure enough, the cock proved himself
wiser than his companion. But still he was not to be deterred
from his object. He had come at the command of the Lord to
steal, and steal he would. " Go back," said he to the robber,
"and bring gold, and then we will depart." Again he stood
beside the couch of the sleeping knight, and stealthily opened
the strong box, from which he loaded himself with treasure,
and then came to lay it at the feet of his friend.
" Well done," said the king, " and now we will go."
" No," answered the robber, " I will have one thing more —
there is within the most beautiful caparison for a steed the
world has ever seen — a saddle and housings of bright gold —
that I will take, and besides, it is hung all over with little
silver bells, that make sweet music ! Yes, I must have that."
And again he entered, but the first touch of the saddle put the
bells in motion, and awoke the owner. He arose, crying " My
sword 1 my sword I Who handles yon harness ?"
Elbegast quickly concealed himself in a manger ; but tho

LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 193
manger of a castle, like that of the cottage, was not so far
off, but he could hear what was said by the aroused sleepers.
" It is naught," said the wife, " but a dream, or the night
mare's fearful vision, but yet it is now three nights that you
have awakened in the same way ; surely there must be some
thing troubling thy mind — some dark secret clouds thy spirit.
Tell me, I pray thee, what it may be?" With various allure
ments, she at length succeeded in obtaining from him, that
with twelve others he had conspired against the life of the
king, and how the next morning they were to proceed to the
castle arnd fulfill their purpose of taking possession and mur
dering those within.
But the wife did not listen to the plan of destroying her
brother with approval, and exclaimed, " My brother ! — you
will murder my brother ! — your king aud benefactor 1 Nay,
I would rather see you hanging from a gibbet 1 He must know
if I have to tell him myself." But a brutal blow upon the
face, silenced her for a time, and Elbegast crawled to the bed
side and received upon his glove the stream of blood which
flowed from the mouth.
" This," said he, " shall be my witness," and he hastened to
tell all to his companion, adding, " here is the treasure, fly
with it to the farthest recesses of the forest, while I return to
smite dead the monster who plots the life of the king."
" Nay," said Charlemagne, " what is the king to us — are*
we not outlaws — why should we peril ourselves for his sake ?
If he is to. die, let him die ; for us, let us flee." But whilst
saying this, he thought, " God be thanked, I now see why it
was that the angel was so imperative with me. Honor and
glory and praise unto him that liveth forever. But the robber
would not listen to a proposal that left the king in danger, and
9

191- PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
again attempted to enter the castle. But the emperor said,
" Stay, it is far better that you go in the morning yourself and
tell what you have heard, and richly you will be rewarded."
" No ; I can hope for no favor of the king, whatever service
I may do him now. No, I cannot do this ; yet, in some way,
he must be saved." His companion then offered to go himself,
saying, " Well, comrade, be it so ; I will be the messenger to
the king. Flee you to the forest with our booty, and I will
speed me to the palace ; soon we will meet again." So they
parted, and Charlemagne was soon secure within the secret
chamber of his palace, and Elbegast wended his way sorrow
fully to his brethren in the forest.
The next morning, the household and guard were early
summoned to be at their posts to await the conspirators, who
appeared, as the knight had related they intended, and rode
fearlessly into the court-yard armed to the teeth. But they
soon found themselves surrounded and in custody, and Eg
gerich von Eggermond was arraigned for treason.
" It is false," said he ; " who dares say this of me : it- is
false — I challenge my accuser."
" So may it be," replied the emperor; " it shall be settled by
single combat, to-morrow at sunrise. Prepare to prove yourself
innocent, or to be found guilty. God speed the right."
A messenger was dispatched to Elbegast to summon him to
the combat, and again the emperor assumed his disguise to be
the bearer of his own dispatches. With joy the robber learned
he was to be thus honored; for a duel was, at all times, in those
days, an affair of distinction, and permitted only to those of
noble birth — exclusively the privilege of gentlemen. But when
he arrived at the palace, and heard that his opponent was
Eggerich von Eggermond, there were no bounds to his exultation

LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 195
A duel was also then a very grand affair, to which a great
concourse of spectators were summoned, and heralds and trum
pets announced the hour of combat ; and God, who knew with
certainty the guilty and the innocent, was supposed to preside.
Whoever fell, was believed to be guilty, and the victor hence
forth crowned with honors. In a legend, of course, the traitor
was killed, and shouts of applause filled 'the air, and " Long
live the emperor and Elbegast " rung upon a hundred voices.
When the scene was ended, the king again assumed his
disguise and appeared to his friend, who immediately recog
nized him as his companion in robbery, and trembled for his
fate. But he was not long in learning that honor and riches
were to be his reward, instead of disgrace. The castle and
broad domains of the traitor knight were conferred upon him,
and the widow was given him for a wife. The remainder of
his life he was the attached and confidential friend of the king,
and the palace was called Ingelheim, the " Angels' home," in
memory of the celestial visit which saved it and the king from
destruction. There is some similar legend connected with every palace in
which he dwelt, every church and chapel which he built, and
often there is an appearance of some foundation in truth.
Opposite his castle lay the towns of Eudesheim and Winkle,
and it is related that, looking one morning from his window
upon their sloping hills and smiling valleys as the sun shone
upon them with peculiar splendor, he thought how beautiful
a site for vineyards, and resolved to have them planted.
Whatever a king wishes, can be done, and forthwith he
obtained from Orleans the cuttings for his new vineyards, and
in his lifetime saw the hills covered with the most luxuriant
vines. Of the truth of this we have no doubt ; but it is also

190 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
related that his affection for this and neighboring vineyards, in
the vicinity of which he had immense cellars for the deposit of
his sparkling treasures, lives still, and that his spirit still comes
to revel among the scenes he loved so well, and to bless the
soil, that its fertility fail not.
A poet has rendered this legend into verse ; and the cre
dulity which it embodies is to be found among all the peasants
who train the vines which the mighty conqueror planted with
his own hands. THE SILVER BRIDGE.
" On the Rhine — the green Ehine — in the soft summer night,
The vineyards lie sleeping in the soft moon's light ;
But, lo! there's a shadow on green hill and glade,
Like the form of a king in his grandeur arrayed.
"Tes, yes, 'tis the monarch, that erst ruled this land,
It is old Charlemagne, with his sword in his hand,
And his crown on his head, and his sceptre of gold,
And the purple imperial in many a rich fold.
" Long ages have fled since he lived in this life,
Whole nations have perished by time or by strife,
Since he swayed with a power never known from his birth.
What brings his great spirit to wander on earth ?
"He has come from his tomb that's in Aix-la-Chapelle;
He hath come to the stream which he once loved so well •
Not to harm or to blight with his presence the scene,
But to bless the blithe vineyards by Luna's soft-sheen.
" The moonbeams they make a brave bridge o'er the Rhine,
From Winkle to Ingelheim, brightly they shine ;
Behold by this bridge the old monarch goes over,
And blesses the flood with the warmth of a lover.

LEGENDS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 197
" He blesses each vineyard, on plain and on hill,
Each village, each cottage, his blessing doth fill ;
He blesses each spot, on the shore, on tho river,
Which he loved in his life, which forgot he can never.
" And then from the homo that ho still loves so well,
He returns to his tomb that's in Aix-la-Chapelle,
There to slumber in peace till the old year is over,
And tho vineyards once more woo him back like a lover."

CHAPTEE XIII.
VINEYARDS  CULTURE OF WINE, FLAX AND SILK.
Vineyards have been the theme of poets in all ages and all
climes — the " vine-clad hills and vine-covered valleys " have
been described in all their beauty, and wreathed with every
charm imagination could invent, and those who train the ten
drils and press the purple clusters, are pictured in scarcely less
glowing colors. There must be Some ground for a fancy so
universal, yet there could be told many truths that would cast
a little shadow over the brightness.
We were a long time in learning in what the beauty or the
poetry of vineyards could consist. Whenever we went into
the country in the spring, our eyes wandered in every direction
for the vineyards, but when they were pointed out to us we
could see nothing which could gain for them their reputation.
There were long rows of stakes about three feet apart, and
springing from the earth near them, a dry stock, with a few
green leaves attached. For aught that we could see, they
might be fields of beans, and we had really supposed they
were. It was a sad blow to our enthusiasm, yet we did not sit
down content with this conclusion, for it could not be that all
the world had been so mistaken. Yet nearly all summer we
looked and pondered in vain, there was no special beauty that
we could discern. As the foliage increased, it was closely
198

VINEYARDS. 199
trimmed, and the new shoots and tendrils were carefully pruned,
and allowed to climb no higher than three or four feet. But
we had not yet been among the hills, and walked through the
valleys. It is only by looking up or down, through the rows,
that they look so picturesque, and not till the associations of
the vintage are connected with them that they become truly
poetical. What patient, persevering labor is required during all the
process of cultivation, from the first day of spring to the last
of autumn. The snow is scarcely off the ground when the
women may be seen toiling up the steeps with baskets of
manure upon their heads, and little hand-spades, with which to
dig about the roots and between the rows, to fill and spread
the manure.
Often upon rocky eminences a soil is entirely made in this
way, and every particle of nourishment that is needed for the
plants carried by women upon their heads. Often a long row
may bo seen ascending a narrow pathway, with their burdens,
slowly and wearily, and then descending to replenish their bas
kets. Neither horse nor plough is employed in vine culture,
but all is accomplished by the patient labor of the hand. How
early and how late must be their industry, to be in season with
every department.
In the fall, in many places, the stalks are bound to the
stakes, and wound with straw to preserve them from the cold.
In the spring these must be taken off, and the stakes examined
and renewed if broken or decayed — the vines again fastened,
the soil dug and raked, as well as manured, and then kept free
from weeds, which is mostly done by pulling them and carrying
them away, instead of hoeing and leaving them to decay, or
perhaps take root again.

300 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
There are no fences to guard the vineyards or the fields ; and
this we have often seen noticed by travelers, who concluded
from it that the people were wondrous honest, and unruly boys
with light-fingered propensities, not known in this old world.
It is like many other conclusions of those who only pass by,
and know nothing but what a passing glance reveals. As soon
as the fields produce anything that would tempt the thief, or
that it would be an injury to the owners to lose, a watch is
set, and one may see everywhere among the hills and valleys,
night and day, these watchers, who are employed and paid by
government. When the harvests are ripening, a man may not
even enter his own field without permission, as at a distance
the watcher would not be able to distinguish individuals, and
could not be continually called from his post to ascertain.
When any particular harvest is ripe, the police fix the day for
commencing the labor of reaping, mowing, or gathering.
Whilst the laborers are there the watch is not necessary, and
if any one neglects to obey, his field is left unprotected, or he
must have it done at his own expense.
The expense of fences, where the proprietaries are so small,
would be enormous, and indeed quite impossible, and in the
early part of the season it is not necessary to provide against
the intrusion of cattle, because they are all safe iu their stalls.
Boys are the same all the world over, and thieves also, we pre
sume, and the delicious fruits of Germany would be no more
safe here than in other countries, without some sure defence.
We were once walking under a plum tree, and thoughtlessly
plucked one which hung so low that it touched our lips as we
passed. Our companion at the time was a young peasant girl,
and she was frightened beyond measure, looked eagerly around
for the police, who, however, did not happen to see this instance

VINEYARDS. 201
of unlawful plunder. In some royal gardens the plucking of a
spear of grass, or the tiniest flower, is punished with a heavy
fine, sufficient to deter any ordinary person from committing
theft. And no one can complain of such laws, where all royal
gardens are public, and royal parks open to whoever pleases
to walk in them and conduct himself properly. Nothing can
be more free than amusement in Germany. Forests, fields,
aud gardens are open to all, and no other country presents, on
festal days, so orderly and well-behaved companies.
The cultivation of the vine is as old as the world, and its
juicy products form a conspicuous feature iii all histories and
romances that treat of the courts and revels of princes. In
feudal times it was the one great luxury, and the cellars of
these lordly castles were grand receptacles for the fruits of the
vineyard. We have seen in one or two a tun which would
hold 800 ordinary hogsheads, or 283,200 bottles, and in many,
those which would hold half this quantity.
Many districts in Germany are vast vineyards, yet it is not
upon every hill and valley that the vine will grow. It must be
a sunny slope or a sheltered valley, and these must be in a
uniform and genial clime. In the different provinces of Ger
many, where the vine is most fruitful, there are made annually
from six to eight millions of quintals* and in the different pro
vinces of Prussia from fifty to sixty thousand acres covered
with vineyards. From these are produced between one and
two millions of quintals of wine, yet Prussia consumes more
than a hundred thousand quintals of foreign wines !
Bavaria is the most fruitful in vines, and with her whole ter
ritory of nearly 30,000,000 of acres, 120,700 are covered with

* Each- quintal 100 pounds.
9*

202 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
vineyards, and from these are realized 3,000,000 of quintals,
and yet this is not enough for the people. They import from
France annually 20,000 quintals, and the six largest wine-pro
ducing provinces buy annually of France from two to three
millions of dollars worth of wines.
At a congress held at Mayence, by the representatives of
fruit-growers, some years since, there were found to be eighty-
seven kinds of vines, or those bearing different names, and an
effort was made to classify and simplify them, as often there was
no difference in the vines, but they bore the names of the differ
ent cantons or districts where they grew. From all the hills
and valleys of Germany, there were represented fifteen hundred
kinds of fruit. These meetings are something like the agricul
tural fairs of America, but attended more by scientific men,
who only know the theories, and have little or no practical
knowledge of what they discuss. Yet they are very useful,
and have in the course of half a century accomplished much
good. As we have said before, there is nothing like German
and Flemish agriculture. It was the result of a congress, and
the facts ascertained and reported by a committee, concerning
the most profitable agricultures, that Belgium came to devote
one thirty-sixth of her territory to flax, and realizes year after
year, seven millions of dollars from the flax she produces in
cloth alone. There are in this little kingdom two hundred and
eighty thousand three hundred and ninety-six spinners, who
produce annually two and a half millions of pounds of thread,
and gain no more than twenty cents a day, — not so much
since the ' introduction of machinery, and especially the great
efforts of England to monopolize the linen manufacture. Yet
this is said to be the most profitable of all agricultural interests,
and far more so than the wine culture.

CULTURE OF WINE AND SILK. 203
The political and social economist, whom we have often
quoted, says the people in wine and silk manufacturing districts
are always the poorest, least intelligent, and most miser
able of all. The results are more uncertain, and depend on
other thiugs than care and industry. The whole process of
making wine and silk is -more manufacturing than agricultural,
and a bad year, which they cannot foresee, and for which
they can make no provision, deprives them of all their earn
ings. In silk culture, the tending of the mulberry trees, and
gathering the leaves, is all that is argicultural, and this occu
pies but little time. They must earn enough in a few weeks
of labor to support them a year, and the price they are paid
for this labor must vary with the profits of the manufacturer,
which depend on all the fluctuating causes in the commercial
world. It is difficult to obtain land for other branches of hus
bandry in silk-growing districts, and it comes not within the
means of the poor. The buildings, and all the preparations
for the breeding and care of the worms and storing the
cocoons, are on a large scale, like those of the manufacture of
cotton and woolen ; and the face of the country, the dwellings
and the inhabitants, have none of the comfortable appearance
of those where cereals and forage employ the people.
It is very much the same with the vineyards. There are
seasons of failure, and those who depend entirely upon the cul
ture, and the wages they obtain for pressing, transporting,
supplying casks, etc., are, in a bad year, without employment,
and in a wine-growing district have no other resource. In a
good year there is a great demand for labor, and unusual pros
perity, but the next may reduce them to starvation. A little
patch of ground devoted to corn, potatoes, and vegetables will

204 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
be sure to produce something on which a family may depend ;
but vineyards must be owned by large proprietors, who can
afford to lose now and then a year's harvest, and the laborers
have only the dependence of wages for their toil, and when
these fail, have nothing.
Perhaps this may console those who are lamenting that
America is not a wine-growing country. For wine and silk we
must pay dear, but this is better than to see half the country
covered with mulberry-trees and. vines, and a great multitude
starving in their midst. Yet very beautiful are these hills
and valleys over which the vine goes creeping, creeping ; and
not only vineyards, but orchards and meadows, rich with the
waving harvests, greet the eye on many a slope and in many
a vale, where for centuries the patient toil of industrious thou
sands has contributed to their treasures. As vines are mostly
planted on sunny hillsides, there is, of course, a variety and
picturesque beauty all its own in the region -where they grow,
and the borders of the Ehine are the most celebrated for what
both nature and art have bestowed upon them.
The Rhine Gau is called the " Paradise of Germany" and is
formed by a freak of the river, which, as it arrives under the
walls of Mayence, turns suddenly to the left, and from a
northerly takes a westerly course, as far as the little town of
Bingen, where it is impeded by a range of the Taurus moun
tains, and slowly winds round again to the north, forming
between Mayence and Coblentz a perfect semicircle, when it
again flows straight on to the north. Within this little in
cisure, sheltered by the mountains from the cold winds, are
fields and vineyards, and gardens, teeming with a richness and
beauty more like those under Italian skies, and stretching away
in the most luxuriant verdure, as far as the eye can reach, dot-

THE RHINE GAU. 205
ted with villages, farmhouses, and humbler cots, while along
the river range the remnants of old feudal walls, churches,
castles, convents and abbeys, teeming with the legendary lore
of eighteen centuries.
Among them all, the most celebrated is the castle of Jo-
hannisberg, which is situated on an eminence nearly in the
centre of this garden of beauty, and bears the name of the
" Throne of Bacchus," and the Ehine Gau is sometimes called
the Paradise of the same jolly god.
The palace has seen all the various fortunes of the wars and
devastations, flood and fire of the last eight centuries, some
times occupied as a convent, and sometimes as a stronghold for
a besieged army, till, in 1816, it became the possession of
Prince Metternich, being given him by the allies, as a reward
for his diplomatic services during the campaigns of Napoleon.
The vineyards which surround it cover sixty-three acres, and
directly under the balcony of the castle, are the two or three
acres which produce the best wine, which sells for two dollars
a bottle on the spot. It is said not to commence fermentation
until the end of a year, while other wines ferment at the end
of three and six months. The grapes of these few vines are so
precious that those that fall are carefully picked up with a fork,
and the vintage is some two weeks later than in other districts.
To mention all, or the most famous vineyards that radiate
from this, would be to extend our list beyond the capacity of '
our pages, and to depart too widely from our purpose. Within
the limits of the Ehine Gau, and without, far away in every di
rection, castled-crowned hills, valleys and vineyards extend in
endless succession. Near by is the Strahlenberg, and at its feet
the little village of Hattenheim, still surrounded by forests and
impregnable fastnesses, for there dwelt the lords of Scharfesteiu,

206 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
who for centuries were the terror of the haughty bishops of
Mayence. But it is long now since the revelry of kith or kin
of theirs has been heard within the walls. The wine of its
vineyards is not so famous as those of Steinberg, which be
longed to the monastry of Eberbach, which also stood upon
the skirt of the forest. But the good fathers who dwelt there
did not spread abroad the fame of their vineyards, and not till
they became the possession of the Duke of Nassau, did they
come into rivalship with those of Johannisberg, "for," said
the holy men, "it must not be permitted to touch lips pro
fane !" That humanity and civilization have made some pro
gress since their day, is evident from the use to which their fat
livings have come. The abbey has been converted into a hos
pital for idiots, and the broad acres which supported volup
tuous idlers, have a holier mission in ameliorating the condi
tion of the unfortunate.
From Eberbach we pass through a valley rich with every
thing that nature strews with munificent hand — the hills have
an emerald crown, such as can only be woven of the leaves of the
" grand old oak ;" the fields are variegated with the peculiar
culture of German husbandry, the meadows are green with the
waving grass, and the forests are carpeted with a bright, flow
ering moss. Then come the mountain of Rauenthal, from
whose summit we may look abroad upon a landscape which has
few rivals in any clime — the Ehine Gau, with the vines binding
it like a silver ribbon ; Mayence, with its lofty towers, far to
the left; Darmstadt and Frankfort, and, faintly in the distance,
the castle-crowned peaks of the Odenwald ; and still on, the
plains of the palatinate and Ehenish Bavaria. It is like a
picture, from which one is afraid to turn his eye, lest it vanish
as in a dream.

WINKLE AND WINE CELLARS. 207
When we descend, from village to village, we are still in
vineyards, some of which we have already mentioned. The
cellars of Winkle were grand wine deposits of the Eomans,
and received the name of Vinci cella, and the streets still bear
Eoman names. Though a stranger, you will everywhere be
greeted by the peasantry as you pass, who, if near, will say,
" Good morning " or " good evening," and if far off, will doff
their hats, and if you wear one, expect you to doff yours in
return. As they work, and sing, and laugh, they will seem to
you a happy people, and in the midst of such abundance it will
be difficult to conceive that want or misery can have among
them a home.
It was here that we accidentally met a young peasant girl,
who afterwards became our companion in many weeks of travel.
We entered a house to ask for a glass of water, which was
handed us by her ; and finding we did not speak her language,
she spoke ours, which led to her saying she had been two years
in America at school . It would be so strange a thing for a
peasant girl to educate herself in Germany, that she could not
endure the reproaches it would bring upon her, and so went
two or three thousand miles at so much expense, to obtain
that for which American children are sent to Germany. It was
an adventure to awaken our interest, and proved at least that
there was mind and energy in a class of people who have the
credit of being without ambition or capacity.
According to our custom, we asked the privilege of looking
about the premises ; and as we crossed the threshold, she
exclaimed : " Oh dear, how is it possible an American lady can
endure these horrid German ways." We were quite astonished
at hearing a remark from one who had been born and bred
among these same ways, such as we should never have dared to

208 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
make ourselves. Her words referred to things to which we
have made allusion, proving, however fine the public buildings
and galleries of art, there will be found in the homes no
arrangements for comfort, and a barrenness which is heartsick-
ening to one who has for a little time enjoyed the luxury of the
most humble American fireside. We suppose there has been,
indeed, very little change in the mode of life among the people
since Charlemagne and his lordly retainers reveled in yon
castle, and demanded for their wars and their feasts all that
the land could produce.
At Bingen we are reminded of the song which the Hutchin-
sons sing, and which has drawn tears from our eyes : " Bingen
on the Ehine." Well may we credit any story of love and
romance that the poet may locate in so picturesque a spot.
On the summit of a hill iu Hochheim are eight acres of
vineyard, or 4,100 feet, where each foot of the land is valued
at a ducat ! The whole is exposed all day to the sun, and well
guarded from the wind, while a little brook runs near to water
it when the rains of heaven fail, and when they are too
abundant, wooden aqueducts carry off the surplus, and thus
leave it always in the right condition for the utmost fruitful
ness. It was the Ehine Gau that was the scene of the ravages and
devastations of the " Servile war." The castles and vineyards
were owned by proud oppressors, and there came a limit to the
endurance of the oppressed. They had nothing to lose, and
little hope of gain ; but revenge burned in their hearts, and
they thought only to punish their tyrants. Historians speak of
them as exhibiting in this way their zeal for the new religion, and
the leaders of the Eeformation are blamed for the excesses of a
lawless mob. But, as in the horrors of the French revolution,

SERVILE WAR. 209
historians ascribe effects to wrong causes. The murders and
atrocities of revolutionists are crowded into a small space, but
the blood spilt during the reign of terror would not equal that
which was shed during the long and not less terrible reign of
a succession of Bourbon princes ; and the victims who wasted
in dungeons at the command of uncrowned tyrants would not
number so many as kings and their heartless favorites had
doomed to torture and starvation to gratify caprice and a love
of revenge.
" Who may not succeed by appealing to the passions of an
ignorant, vulgar rabble," asks a grave chronicler ; but he does
not stop to ask, how came they to be an " ignorant, vulgar
rabble," and how came they to think it would be doing good
service, to rid the earth of those who ruled over them ? It is
more wonder that they endured so long. We have no lamen
tations to make over Bourbon princes, or the dethronement of
these haughty bishops, and proud barons whose empire was in
the beautiful valley of the Ehine. The peasants of the servile
war gained nothing, and not till two centuries later were kings
so far humbled and made to tremble, that they would listen to
the prayers of the people. Eepublican armies seemed a terri
ble curse while they were marching through the land, but they
sowed the seeds of civilization and human rights, which have
sprung up wherever they trod ; though so oft must they be
crushed by the feet of princes, that they are slow in bearing
fruit.

CHAPTEE XIV.
THE PALATINATE  THE VINTAGE  ST. WERNER-  THE JEWS  NU
REMBERG — WINE DRINKING  GRAPE-CURE.
Below the Ehine Gau lies the Pfalzgraf, or Palatinate,
which is only a little less famous for its vineyards, and scarcely
less beautiful in its general features. It is also famous for one
thing more — its sausages I and the villages scattered among
the Haart Mountains, hold every year, on the first of Septem
ber, a sausage fair. The varieties of this favorite German dish
we have never been able to number. At Bremen, on the
Weser, you have in the whiter, as the greatest delicacy, Braun-
kohl and Pinkel, which, translated, is cabbage and sausage ;
though each is of a peculiar kind, and quite indescribable, yet
we confess, not the less excellent. The brown kohl is, before it is
cooked, a curly-leafed, dark green and purple species of
cabbage, in small heads, and the sausage is very large and
looks like some kind of seeds mixed with fat ; but it is the
grits, or grots, of rye or oatmeal componded in a peculiar
way with meat. They are fried for eating, and the cabbage
is boiled till it is all soft and makes a kind of mush. All the
way from the northernmost to the southernmost limit, we shall
find this staple commodity and table-standby in every variety
of form and color, and all the kinds. and degrees of excellence
into which it can be moulded.
210

LEGEND OF ST. WERNER. 211
Gathered together at this sausage fair, are the peasantry
from all the cantons of the Palatinate, arrayed in all the glory
of their holiday costumes, and holiday spirits ; and the taste
they display upon themselves and their wares makes both
quite irresistible. At night, beneath the canopy which shelters
this unpoetical market place, is held a grand ball, and rustic
feet keep time to rustic music till
" Daylight ushers in the morn."
From Mayence to Worms, it is one continuous garden, and in
this famous city is the most famous wine of all. The vineyard
around the Liebfrauenkirche, produces a nectar which is labeled,
when it is sent forth, and known everywhere as the Liebfraucn-
milch — milk of the Holy Virgin.
In Ehenish Prussia, we find Bacharach the most renowned
for its vineyards, and so long ago as in the twelfth century, the
then flourishing city of Nuremberg, paid the price of its free
dom with four tuns of this wine, to the emperor, and Pope
Pius II. obtained every year several tuns to be drunk on grand
occasions. But its cellars were also the deposit of great quan
tities from the Rhine Gau, with which it must share its honors.
Both have been celebrated in rhyme :
" At Hochheim on the Main,
At Wurzburg on the Stein,
At Bacharach on the Rhine,
There grows the best wine."
Here are the ruins of the grand old castle of Stahbeck, once
occupied by the Princes Palatine, and here we see everywhere
the image of St. Werner, the legend of which has been handed
down for centuries, and is related as follows : In 1287, the

212 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
father of the sainted boy lived in Bacharach, and was a very
godly man, whose devout life offended an old woman who was
his neighbor, and who was probably more offended that he did
not allow his family to associate with her. In revenge. she stole
his little son, and sold him to some Jews, who she knew would
be glad of any victim upon whom to requite the tortures they
were everywhere receiving from Christian people.
In the vaults of a large house near by the river, they held
their annual feast, at midnight, to be in less danger of dis
covery. The little boy was placed in their midst, and to the
inquiry, what shall be done with him ? many voices cry out :
" Crucify him ! crucify him !"
" So let it be," said the old man, who stood among them as
high priest aDd judge.
Immediately a black curtain rose, and exposed a cross with
many implements of torture. It fell again a few moments, and
when it was raised the next time, the little boy was nailed to
the cross, with his mouth gagged to stifle his screams, while
slowly one by one every vein in his little body was opened, and
every ingenious torture inflicted that could increase his anguish.
When death put an end to his suffering, the body was secured
in a sack filled with stones, and thrown into the middle of the
Ehine. But instead of sinking, it floated upon the surface, and
the next morning a fisherman saw a little white hand stretched
out as if imploring aid. He immediately communicated the
intelligence, and soon the river was covered with boats pursu
ing the object, which could not be distinctly recognized, and
which, to their surprise, they saw floating up the stream. They
followed it till it stopped near where the old woman lived,
approached the bank, and by a sudden rising of the river,
was thrown at her feet, as she came with the crowd to learn

THE JEWS  NUREMBERG. 213
the cause of the excitement. The hand pointed to her, and
need it be said that all believed it to be the finger of provi
dence pointing out the guilty. She was arrested, confessed her
guilt, and was executed. Every Jew in the place was also
apprehended, and as the body of the boy was laid out in the
church, every one was compelled to come and place his hand
upon it, and tortures applied to make him confess his guilt.
Wonderful to relate, the veins bled afresh at the touch of the
murderers, yet only one could be brought to confession. But
this did not save those whom God had evidently doomed to
destruction, and all who participated in the guilty deed were
hanged, and the rest banished.
The child was canonized, and a church built to commem
orate the event ; and St. Werner receives the homage of all
devout Catholics who pass this way.
If we could listen to the legends of the Jews, what an array
of guilt would appear against Christians ; but we do not need
traditions to tell us they have been punished for their monstrous
crimes towards this outcast people. In how many cities was
their persecution and banishment the death-blow to all industry
and commercial prosperity. Yet there are places still where they
are not allowed to set foot. In some cities, one or two streets
are permitted them, which of course are crowded to suffocation.
In this year (1858), Frankfort, for the first time, bestows
upon them some of the privileges of citizens, and Bremen has
allowed them only within a short time to live and breathe with
in her walls.
It was with the expulsion of the Jews, that the decay of
Nuremberg commenced. To gratify the narrow' prejudice of
the trades and guilds with whom they were supposed to inter
fere, they were driven forth and forbidden to sleep within the

214 PEASANT LDJE IN GERMANY.
gates. The same stupid prejudice repulsed the Protestant
weavers, who came as exiles from France and Flanders, and
when Protestantism was in the ascendant, no Eomanist could
become a citizen and own property under its protection. So
it has been reduced from the most wealthy and influential of the
ancient free imperial cities, to the most unimportant of provincial
towns. Though its freedom was purchased with the wine of
Bacharach, it was not the less freedom, and Nuremberg has
been called the cradle of German liberty. Here resided the
emperors, and sat the imperial diets. In the seventeenth
century her trade extended over Europe and Asia, and the
most useful inventions and important manufactures owe
their birth to her enterprising citizens, so that it became a
proverb — " Nuremberg's hand
Goes through every land."
But now there is no trace of her former grandeur except in
ruins of proud castles and fortifications, which tell a sadder
story of decaying energy and spirit, than of walls and monu
ments. She is now the great toy mart of the world, which may
indeed not be so insignificant an honor as at first seems, inas
much, as the amusement of children is not the least important
among human occupations. But it might well be shared with
others among a great people .
In one place, where the Ehine flows through a wine-growiug
district, there is a large stone in the middle of the river, which
the peasants tell us has the marvelous benevolence to indicate
when there will be an abundant harvest. But, as in most other
superstitions, the philosopher can find a natural cause for what
seems miraculous to the ignorant. The stone appears only in
a dry season, when of course the river is low, and a season just

THE VINTAGE. 215
dry enough to lower the water to the point of exhibiting the
stone is most favorable to the fruitfulness of vines. But to the
credulous inhabitants of these borders, it would be quite use
less jto explain away a supernatural intervention. Unbelief is
not among their sins, and like the Indian and the Norwegian,
the amusement of their long winter evenings is to tell the tales
which have been handed down from father to son, from century
to century, of the signs and wonders, and miracles, which have
been done in their midst.
In most places, the vintage commences about the 12th of
October, and in the districts where it ripens about the same
time the day for commencing is designated by government, as
on that day the watch must cease.' The announcement is made
by the ringing of bells a week previous, accompanied by a for
mal notice from the police. The evening previous, the bells are
again rung, and early in the morning they give out a merrier
peal at the hour the vintagers are to commence, and soon they
may be seen issuing forth, not in their best, yet in holiday cos
tume, singing as they go, with baskets upon their heads and in
their hands, till the streets are thronged, and the hill-sides and
valleys covered with troops of happy people, whose hearts one
would not think had ever been burdened by care or sorrow. And
this is a sight upon which eighteen centuries have looked, and
the only one, perhaps, which has not varied through all the
changing dynasties, from the bright autumn days when Caesar
sat in his palace at Spire, and contemplated it ; through all the
years of devastation by barbarian hordes — in the dark ages,
when bishops, and monks, and priests exercised a stern rule, yet
milder and better than that of those savage chiefs, inasmuch,
as it substituted for brute force the curbing of the spirit ; dur
ing the dawning of still brighter days, when Charlemagne

216 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
brought order out of confusion, and erected a still higher
standard of law and honor ; through the mysteries of the
Vehmgericht, or Secret Tribunal, which filled the land with
terror, and made the dungeons of a hundred cities echo with
the groans of innocent and guilty victims — until the Eeforma
tion stirred all the nations up to strife, and for a century de
luged a whole continent with blood ; and popes, aud princes,
and people, learning to respect the opinions of each other, a
peace for once filled the earth which did not every moment fear
the fierce war-whoop and the tramp of armies.
Whether Eoman or Gallic legions reveled in yon castle-halls
— whether pope, or prince, or prelate, waved the sceptre from
its proud turrets — whether imperial or republican armies
marched through the land, the vineyards lay ever smiling and
peaceful upon the hill-sides, and the mountains echoed the laugh
of happy vintagers, for the time indifferent alike to the fortunes
of friend or foe.
Bread and wine were the food upon which all depended, and
though palaces were demolished, and cities and villages destroyed,
the harvest must remain untouched, for when it failed, famine
and pestilence overtook the victor and vanquished, and made more
fearful havoc than the sword. We are, therefore, looking upon
a sight which has varied little through all these changing times,
and the mode of gathering the purple clusters must be nearly
the same as when the daughters of Judea were admitted among
the grapes and pomegranates on Canaan's shore. Here, as
there, a stone or tree alone marks the divisions between the
possessions of different individuals, and each knows his own
little field with an instinct like that of the shepherd, who can
call his sheep by name.
From the summit of the highest peak to the bottom of the

THE WINE PRESS. 217
lowest valley, they echo back their songs, and coming and going
all the day are the files with their well filled baskets, which
are in some cases deposited in large vats in the fields, and in
others in these prosy times, carried to barns or granaries to un
dergo the process of pressing in mills like those in which apples
are ground, and often the same are used for both purposes.
But this destroys half the poetry of the scene, so we shall con
fine ourselves to the more primitive modes.
When the principal harvest is gathered, it is the custom to
invite friends to glean what remains, but any one may partake
in the toils and pleasures of the vintage who will labor for the
privilege of eating as many as he wants during the day ; and
there are few, we imagine, who would not be willing to stoop to
such labor for such a reward !
In old times it was the universal custom to tread the grapes
upon the spot, and this is still practised in many provinces, and
this we saw with our eyes. Into a large flat tub they are poured
after being stripped from the stems; and naked feet, which have
been washed in the clear stream which gurgles through the
valley, commence the tramping, and over them the rich juice,
in anything but limpid streams, is seen to flow 1 What a dese
cration it seems of things beautiful, if not divine. And not at
all would any one be tempted to tarry long at such wine ; and
not at all does it look as if one would ever be in any danger of
looking at it long though it is indeed red.
Sometimes the grapes are pressed by pounding them in small
troughs by an instrument exactly like that which washerwomen
use, and in all cases, when it is extracted, it must stand for
some time to settle, and is then poured into the tuns, hogs
heads and barrels, which have been cleaned and made ready as
they were wont to be in New England for cider. But not
10

218 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
like cider is the wine, most pleasant and innocent when it is
new. How little some lecturers upon temperence know what
they say when they talk of fermented and unfermented liquors.
It is strange indeed that grapes should be so delicious and
beautiful in the clusters, and the juice only a few days ex
pressed so disagreeable and deleterious. Not until after it has
fermented is it possible to drink it ; but, judging from our expe
rience with apple juice, and the testimony of those who know
nothing about the matter, we took a very generous swallow of
new wine, and being about to repeat it, a friend exclaimed,
" What are you doing ?"
" Why, drinking new wine to be sure, why not ?"
" You will learn if you try it. Do you not know that half a
glass will make you so dizzy that you cannot walk ?"
" To be sure not ; how should I know, never having seen any
new wine before ? but I have always supposed that it was harm
less before it was fermented."
" After it is fermented you may drink as much as you please,
aud the older it is the milder and less hurtful you will find
it." But having tasted, we did not care to repeat the experiment ;
already our eyes were dim ; and besides, it is far from being
palatable, having a strong bitter taste, like some kind of herb-
drink. When the tuns are filled, they are placed in the cellars,
and not for six months or a year does one think of opening
thorn. Each tun is labeled with the vineyard and date of its
contents, and the longer it can remain untouched the more val
uable it becomes.
It used to be the custom to dance upon the butts when they
were filled, and quite a cotillion could be formed upon one, such
as filled the vaults of old castles ; and now one is usually taken

WINE DRINKING  GRAPE CURE. 219
to the field, and when it is filled, is wreathed with vines, and a
blooming maiden, converted for the time into a naiad by a
crown of garlands and a dress of leaves, sits upon it and sings
whilst the others sing and dance around her. When the vin
tage is over, a ball is celebrated in every village, and enough
very old and very good wine is drunk to send them reeling home.
To one who has been accustomed to see this precious fruit of
the vineyard only at the tables of the rich and on rare occa
sions, it is almost painful to look upon the reckless manner with
which it is wasted in every inn, and on every table, even among
the poor. In the regions where it is produced, it is to be had
everywhere for eight cents a pint, and in the village inns the
peasantry are to be seen at all hours sitting at the long
wooden tables with quart and two-quart bottles, and pint and
half-pint tumblers before them, a junk of black bread in the
hand and a pipe in the mouth, drinking and smoking, eating
and talking, as if these were the only business of life. But
famous as they are, we do not like the Ehenish wines, they are
not so pleasant and delicate as the French, and indeed many
of them we could not distinguish from New England cider —
they are certainly not a whit better.
In a description of the vintage we must not omit the grape-
cure, which is a grand remedy for all manner of diseases, and
does sometimes perform marvelous cures. People go to spend
the vintage season where they can procure grapes in abundance,
and eat many pounds a day as long as they last. The blood is
said to be thus wholly renewed and purified, and surely no
physician could prescribe a more agreeable remedy, and one
which wc should think would almost tempt people to be sick.
The grape-seeds and sticks which have been pressed are
dried, being first cut into oblong squares, about the size and

220 PEASANT LIEE IN GERMANY.
form of bricks, to be used for fuel. We have seen thousands
lying upon slats arranged one above another in sheds built for
the purpose, and when ready they are piled away and sold
for so much a hundred, at a price which makes them about a
cent a-piece. Turf is cut in the same form, and acres and hun
dreds of acres of heath supply hundreds and thousands of fam
ilies with all the material they have for fire during the long
winter. The leaves, too, are all raked up in the forests, and
every stick by the way-side is carefully garnered by the women
and children, who may be seen all summer, when there is no
more imperative labor, with their sickles, their rakes and their
baskets, upon every hill and in every valley, gleaning and trans
porting what in America is left for time to destroy, but what in
Germany is life to millions.
We lingered until a November snow covered all the hills, and
there was no longer trace of life or beauty, where we had traced
the progress of the tiniest spire of grass and the first bursting
bud and leaf through all the gradations, from fresh opening
life through maturity and perfection to decay and death. Bat
where shall we find words to tell of the happy memories which
we bring away, and which will be to us a well-spring of joy
through all our pilgrimage in whatever lands we rove. We have
seen many happy homes, and hearts and minds, on whicii
nobility was stamped with nature's impress, and had we been
admitted as familiarly to the palaces of this fair land, are sure
we should not have found the sterling excellence that has glad
dened us in a hundred peasant cots.

CHAPTEE XV.
THE ODENWALD  CHURCHES  FUNERALS  BALLS  SMOKING 
DRINKING!  WANT OF POLITENESS— IMMORALITY — MARRIAGE AND
BETROTHALS. Not less famous than the valley of the Ehine are the moun
tains and forests of the Odenwald. Here feudalism had her
strongest fortresses, and here her institutions took firmest root-
Here are scattered more thickly ruins, that tell of the days of
old, and every valley and hill-side teem with traditions which
mark the footsteps of centuries. Every conqueror from Caesar
to Bonaparte has marched through its valleys, and the walls of
these proud castles have echoed to the revelry and execrations
of a hundred armies, as success or misfortune induced them to
flee to them for refuge and shelter.
The high road from Darmstadt to Heidelberg is called the
Bergstrasse, or Mountain-road, as it lies all the way at the foot
of these castle-crowned peaks, which present a succession of
undulating hills and lofty mountains, once dark with the dense,
impenetrable forests, but now covered with vineyards, or varie
gated with the garden husbandry which we have often de
scribed. The mountains are on the left as we journey south
ward, and on the right stretch far away the fertile plains, rich
with the golden harvests. It was on a summer morning, just
after a gentle shower, that we first beheld them, and like a
221

222 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
vision of fairyland or some dream in Eastern fable, they came
upon our view. It is here that an Italian is said to have ex
claimed : " Oh ! Germany, Germany, how much more beautiful
art thou than Italy 1" and surely there can be nothing more
beautiful in that sunny land. It was here that we first noticed
the difference between German and American agriculture, and
began to wonder how such results could be produced. It
seemed to us the earth must groan with its abundance, and not
only every hill and valley, but every rock, was made to bring ¦
forth fruit. In the fields of grain the stems stand so thickly,
that the same extent of soil must bear two or three times the
quantity we had ever seen before, and it was the same with
rows of* vegetables, with beans and peas, and turnips — with
everything that was good for food for man or beast — the soil
never seemed to complain of exhaustion.
The Bergstrasse is said to have been made by the Eomans,
and to have borne the name of Via Strata, meaning a way con
structed by art, and everywhere are found the relics of the
mighty legions who camped in the forests where now have
sprung up villages, smile the vineyards or wave the harvests of
the honest peasantry, who toil still to feed armies that live in
idleness upon the fruits of their industry.
It was in one of the brightest of the sunny nooks which
nestle among all these mountain passes, that we took up our
abode, and from which we made excursions to observe rural
life in the Odenwald.
Many writers have affirmed that no traces of the famous god
of the Scandinavians are to be found in southern and interior
Germany, but they had not lived among the people, and listened
to the traditions that have come down through centuries, of
the days when their fathers worshipped idols, and smiled at tho

ODENWALD  CHURCHES. 223
superstitions which still remain, that could have originated
among no other than an idolatrous people.
The name Odenwald is believed by those best versed in eth
nology to be derived from Odin, though some perceive in it a
derivation from the word Ode, meaning wild, and others from
Od — Jupiter, the god of the Eomans, and others from Otto ; but
there is mention of the name before there was an emperor of.
Germany, and he must, therefore, resign this honor. Others
would ascribe it to the expression, O dn Wald — Oh, thou
fcrrest ; but there can be little doubt that the whole forest
was once consecrated to the deity, whose altars may be traced
in all these northern climes, and the ashes of which are not yet
entirely swept away. The nominal religion is Catholic, the
ceremonies of which are practised with a simplicity and single-
heartedness that command our respect, and iu all southern
Germany the priesthood exhibit very little of the pomp and
parade which we have been taught to expect as the universal
accompaniments of their order. If they are endowed with
riches, they must be expended on something besides personal
comfort and luxury, or in tho architecture and decoration of
their churches. These are simple in the extreme, except in a
few instances, where they indulge in stained windows and an
expensive organ. The floors and seats are always bare, and
the doors always open, as the Catholic church is the place
of prayer at all hours of the day and week, as well as on
Sunday. Service is held every morning at early dawn, and
whoever wishes the quiet of an hour alone with his God, can
enter, and be sure no profane intruder will interrupt his devo
tions. This seems to us a very proper use of a church, and
more in accordance with one's ideas of the worship of an ever-
present Deity, by daily and hourly dependent creatures, than

224 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
to keep his house shut, except on Sundays, and then in so luxu
rious a condition that only satin slippers can feel quite at home
upon its velvet carpets.
Funerals in Germany are almost universally in the morning,
and sometimes ere it is scarcely light. We have often during
an early walk met the sable train, and can always tell the
rank of the deceased by the equipage and appointments.
Among the Catholics there is a service at the house of mourn
ing and at the grave, the same as in America ; but among
Protestants there is often none — not even a clergyman present.
The friends and those who are to bear away the coffin assemble
at the time designated by the family, and if others not invited
wish to pay their respects, they wait in neighboring houses or
in the street, till the procession moves, and follow to the grave.
The pall-bearers are appointed by the state, but paid by the
family, and are of three ranks. The first attend upon the fune
rals of persons of distinction, and may also attend on any occa
sion, if those who employ them are willing to pay the price,
which is double that required for those of the second rank.
Much of the pomp and state of such occasions is passing away.
Formerly a sort of arch was raised over the hearse, and hung
with black, and from the top drooped long sable plumes, while
four or six horses drew the carriage, also covered with black
cloth, hanging to the earth, and with plumes upon their heads.
But even dignitaries are not often seen in these days attended
by so much pomp. Officers of state must employ the first rank
of pall-bearers, who wear long black cloaks, and ride in car
riages, with equipage to denote their rank, but others may do
as they please.
In Hamburg the friends do not accompany the corpse to the
grave ; but sixteen hired mourners attend, who are dressed in

FUNERALS — BURYING GROUNDS. 225
black, with plaited ruffs round their necks, curled aud powdered
wigs, short Spanish cloaks and swords. But now only the rich,
and those who wish to make a display, are seen in this style, as
it is expensive as well as ridiculous. Among the Catholics we
have often seen six, eight, and ten clergymen, some in white
robes and some in black, preceding the hearse, on foot, and
several young girls walking behind, with flowers and wreaths
which they strew upon the grave. In the churchyards, all
summer the monuments are hung with wreaths, which friends
place there, and women making them and offering them for
sale are sitting by the gate. When it becomes too cold for natu
ral flowers, artificial ones supply their place. The cities of the
dead are thus made pleasant ; but we have seen no cemetery
that compared iu beauty of position and charms of natural
¦ scenery with Mount Auburn or Greeenwood. The one at
Frankfort is said to be more beautiful than Pere la Chaise.
Yet it exhibits only a level surface, and very little variety in
the arrangements. All that is executed upon marble of course
surpasses infinitely anything to be found in the New World ;
and much more money, time and labor are expended by the
state and by individuals, in adorning and rendering attractive
this and every resort of the people.
In the country burial grounds there is one portion allotted
to the aged and married, another to the youth, and another to
the children. Hideous looking images of the Saviour, the Virgin
and Saints, are erected at every corner, and also along the
streets, which would be sufficient to disgust one with the thought
of ever seeing them,. if we really believed in the resemblance ;
but the people look at them with spiritual eyes, and cross them
selves reverentially whenever they pass, though laden with
boxes and bundles, and in the midst of the most uproarious
10*

226 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
mirth. It is only in Protestant districts that infidelity prevails
The Catholics here are not less devout than they were before
Luther and Calvin awoke, and they do not seem to be in any
danger of renouncing their faith.
The festivals connected with the church are a pleasing fea
ture in peasant life, and a distinctive characteristic of the Catho
lic provinces. One we often heard called the " feast of conse
cration," though we could never learn exactly what it meant.
It could not mean the consecration of the individual churches,
as the celebrations occur all in the autumn, and therefore must
have reference to something in common with all, and may reach
back to the primitive ages and the promulgation of Christi
anity. We heard one day, from our room, the singing of many
voices in the street, and on looking out saw a long procession,
stretching as far as the eye could see, of men, and women, and
children, bearing flags, and dressed in holiday costume, with
books in their hands, from which they were singing loud and
clear the hymns for the occasion, and wending their way to a
chapel upon a high hill, where service was performed by the
bishop, who travels a circuit to be present in each village at
this festive season.
The men were upon one side of the street and the women
upon the other, and it must be at least two miles that they walk
to the chapel, besides passing through' the principal streets, sing
ing ever as they go. Everything in Germany begins and ends
with a dance, and the church celebrations are not an exception.
Every village inn has its ball-room, the best finished and most
pleasant room in the house ; but the ball itself strikes us as
the most repulsive of any feature of peasant life. Very fre
quently they occur on Sundays also, and begin early in the
afternoon, with two or three fiddlers for musicians. The smok-

BALLS  SMOKING  DRINKING. 227
ing and drinking commence at the same time, and in a few
hours the room is dark with the clouds from the fragrant weed,
the wine is standing in dirty pools over all the floors and tables ;
the men are stupified, and all are heated and reeking with per
spiration, presenting a most disgusting and heart-sickening"
scene, yet their feet never weary — they dance till night, and
then till morning.
But we have attended balls where the assembly consisted of
merchants, officials, and respectable mechanics, and at which
gentlemen of the highest rank were present as spectators, and
the room was also filled with smoke to suffocation. The gen
tlemen walked about between the dances with cigars in their
mouths, puffing without ceremony into the faces of the ladies,
and spittiDg upon the floor, without a seeming thought that
they were doing anything contrary to the most gentlemanly
deportment, as indeed they are not as it is here understood.
No German imagines tobacco smoke to be disagreeable on any
occasion, and in the most refined circles, after tea the cigars
are lighted, and the puffing kept up for hours, where the ladies
are elegant, accomplished, and dressed in the most recherche
style. If they walk in the garden it is the same, they smoke,
smoke, smoke ; cigar lighters are placed upon the dining-table
in hotels, and no where in Germany are there salons provided
for ladies. There is no common room for the meeting of either
gentlemen or ladies except the smoking-room ; and ladies ia
hotels are not expected to linger after dinner, or spend the
evening where gentlemen can enjoy their society. We hear
this often lamented among themselves, but it is the cus
tom, and there is no such thing as changing a German cus
tom. The reason Germans adhere to the balls and dances so tena-

228 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
ciously is, that it is the only way in which gentlemen and ladies
are allowed to meet ; the ball-room is the only place, among
high or low, where Cupid can lawfully practise his profession,
or any kind of acquaintance be formed that may lead to love
and matrimony. So the girls are longing continually for the
balls. After having been invited many times to tea, and met
no gentlemen, we asked, if they were never invited on such
occasions. " No," was the answer ; " if we invite gentlemen
a great heavy expensive supper must be provided, that is so
much trouble, and costs so much that we do not like it. Be
sides, gentlemen do not wish to come, they had rather go to the
club-room and drink and smoke ;" and when we saw the supper,
which a lady thought it necessary to prepare, because three or
four gentlemen were to be present, we did not wonder she did
not care to do it often, and concluded they were more trouble
than comfort.
A German lady had remarked, that she often received polite
ness from Englishmen and Frenchmen when, she was traveling,
but never from a German, unless his attentions degenerated into
insulting gallantry. When we saw their mode of life, and how
little gentlemen could associate with ladies in a pleasant and
delicate way, we remarked : " It is not strange they are not
polite, they have no opportunity of learning politeness. They
are not taught to look upon women in the light of companions
and helpmeets, but merely as the instruments of supplying
their animal wants — of cooking them suppers."
A lady playfully remarked concerning her little daughter a
year old, that she believed she would be an authoress, she was
so fond of pen and paper, at which the husband and father was
almost ready to annihilate her, for harboring an instant the
thought, that his daughter could ever become a thing so

MANNERS  WANT OF POLITENESS. 229
despicable 1 Yet he was intelligent himself, rich, and traveled,
but never thought it necessary for women to know any of
these things.
There is not so much maneuvering in Germany to get daugh
ters married. It is more fair play, and is better on the whole.
A mamma makes no circumlocutions in asking young men to
marry her daughters, and as soon as they are in business for
themselves, they say they are regularly besieged. All this wc
take down from the lips of German ladies, for we should not
venture such remarks upon our own limited observation. A
gentleman who had lived sometime in New York, and become
accustomed to meeting ladies in those pleasant conversational
parties, or of calling on them freely to spend an hour in an
intelligent and rational way, returns to find it terribly stupid
to be confined entirely to the smoking-room, and to talk of
business all the evening as well as all day, or else not talk at all.
" Oh dear !" he exclaims, " I would like to run in and spend
an evening with a family, it would so agreeably pass away the
time, but then I do not wish to marry one of the daughters,
and I could not call twice before the mamma would consider
me bound to come to this result."
But in the ball-room they are free. Each young lady must
be accompanied by a matron, but when there they dance and
talk with whom they please, and those who cannot walk in the
street together, or see each other in their homes, without scan
dal, may stand with their arms around each others waists half
the evening. When not dancing, the gentleman keeps his arm
around the lady with whom he has last waltzed, till it is time
to commence again. These customs are the same among high
and low, with prince and peasant, in the castle and in the cot
tage. A young man of the peasant class tells me that there

230 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
is no respect paid to women among them — they strike a woman
just as quick as they would strike a man, and as we have seen,
impose upon her double burdens. If under any circumstances
favors are to be shown, the men receive them.
The young girl whom we met in Winkle, and who became
our traveling companion, told us many things we should scarcely
dare repeat, and should not expect to be believed. But she
said the reason of the immorality among young girls was, that
they were kept under this restraint without being told the reason,
and secluded from temptation without knowing why, and when
obliged to go into the world to take care of themselves, they
have no moral strength. She said, in one town, where she was
in the spring, after her arrival from America, there was a con
firmation in her church, and three hundred girls were to be
confirmed, who were from fourteen to sixteen years of age, and
when the examination came only sixteen could be admitted to
the church by this holy rite ; all the others were, at this early age,
fallen women. We could scarcely believe our ears, and should
not have credited the statement if we had received it from one
who belonged to a different communion, but our informer was a
member of the same church, and a most earnest defender of her
faith. It was in the same village that we afterwards heard
a bell ringing through the street. On looking out, we saw a
man patrolling the town with this singular music, and she said
it was the custom through all this province when a young girl
had gone astray from rectitude, and had concealed her sin
instead of confessing it to the priest as required, for the police,
as soon as they ascertained the truth, to take a bell in this way
and ring it through the town, calling the name of the guilty one,
and proclaiming her fall. One would think a woman needed
no such herald to proclaim her shame, especially when no

IMMORALITY  BETROTHALS. 231
means are used to ascertain her accomplice, but this is the way
of the world where men rule.
Wc remarked to a lady that in the country in America, among
respectable families, these misfortunes seldom happened. " Why,"
she exclaimed, " and here so often 1" But the unfortunate are
not hurled down to infamy so irrevocably as with us. Ladies
in cities who need nurses, prefer this class, and they have no
difficulty in finding employment, and cases are known to occur
of girls wishing to make this their profession, and voluntarily
passing through the degrading ordeal which alone can fit them
for it.
In some provinces at the north, the law requires that the son
who is to inherit the farm, shall also be a father, and in these
cases marriage is not consummated till a child is born, and a
woman must not expect to be made the lawful wife who is not
first a mother. But in this case there is no danger of desertion
and disgrace ; but on the contrary, certain preservation.
In all places where there is a regular betrothal, the law com
pels marriage, unless a marriage has been consummated with
another without the knowledge of the parties concerned. If this
happens, and the one first betrothed becomes a mother, the
father must pay a certain sum every year till the child is fourteen,
towards its support. But however frequently this may be the
fate of women, however numerous her companions in misfortune,
and though all above her are kind enough to pity and for
give, it is not the less a life-sorrow, the shadow of which dark
ens all her future path. One we knew whom we saw daily
performing her duties with a quiet industry and faithfulness
that betokened her one among a thousand, and in all her
deportment and dress displaying a refined and delicate taste,
which is seen among few born ladies. After many weeks, wo

232 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
heard her story, which was also one among a thousand, in a
different sense, and need not be repeated. The lady with whom
she lived delayed for many weeks to tell her she had heard of
the marriage of her betrothed, as she knew the blow it would
be, and when she did at last as kindly as possible, she said in
telling us, tJie effect was the same as upon a lady. The poor girl
swooned and was for hours insensible. When she recovered
from this, there followed days of weeping and then a long severe
illness, during which life hung by the frailest thread. She had
been a merry-hearted thing, though never wantonly gay ; but
never since has she been seen to smile. In America she would
have been cast away, and could not again hope to earn an
honest livelihood. But in this case the lady was only the more
kind, though as high-toned and with as good principles as any
could have been, who from education or . custom would have
acted differently. The girl did not lose her place and feel the
weight of scorn in addition to her misfortune, and this, with
many other instances which came to our knowledge, led us to
ask, has scorn and public censure the effect it is intended they
should exert in promoting morality ? A noble-hearted woman
will suffer enough though the world should kindly say, " neither
do I condemn thee ; go, and sin no more." If misfortune dooms
her to irretrievable shame, and whilst the bitter sting is in her
heart, she must also be trampled in the dust, and evermore be
condemned to a life, from which she revolts not the less, because
appearances are against her, who is to blame that she must
swell the number of lost ones ? Leniency may be carried too
far iu Germany on the whole, but it is also true that in America
it is not carried far enough. In tod many instances it is thought
to be not much matter what the life of a poor peasant girl is,
or what her sorrow, yet there are many ladies like this, who

MARRIAGE FOR MONEY. 233
make a distinction between weakness and corruption, and by
judicious counsel, and kindly sympathy, bind up the broken
heart, and heal the wounded spirit.
At least it seems to be proved that proclaiming her through
the streets by a town crier does not diminish the numbers who
follow her example, as in the town where occurred these two
hundred and eighty-four cases, in one year, this had been for
centuries the custom, and the population was not five thousand.
But we are quite sure that if a different kind of social life were
allowed, and men and women could see each other upon terms
of friendship, and for mutual intellectual improvement, there
would be less secret intriguing in high circles and in low.
Yet a great proportion of poverty and crime may be traced
directly and indirectly to the unjust laws, and injudicious requi
sitions of the guilds. In the case we have mentioned, mar
riage would very soon have followed the betrothal ; but the
young people lived in a small village where luxuries were few,
and the trade of the young man was that of the finer depart
ment of ca-binet-making. He had been made master workman,
but could not be allowed this position in any other, place, and
could not therefore earn enough by his labor to acquire the
sum the law makes necessary before marriage is allowed. If
he removed to another place to work as a journeyman he must
buy his citizenship, which was also impossible with his means.
So they waited in hope of some better fortune, and the lady
with whom the young girl was at service, was just about to
offer them the money to enable them to begin, when she heard
that the young man had yielded to the temptation which so
often besets them, and married an old woman who offered him
her deceased husband's establishment, if he would marry her,
and thus he, with all others who do the same, doomed himself

234 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
to a life of degradation and misery for the sake of labor and
bread. We knew one instance where a young man had married, in
this way, a widow with one child, in order to acquire the right
of citizenship and the position of master workman in a large
town, and after her death wished to marry again, a young girl
who was not a citizen of the place, though she had lived there
several years. But her means did not allow her to pay the
sum, which is two hundred and fifty dollars, and before he
could marry her he must pay this, and also deposit a certain
sum for the support of the child of his former wife, and
another, to make sure that he had a competency for his new
housekeeping, as the state in its parental wisdom and kindness
will not allow people to marry without the certainty of a pro
vision for a family. All this required so much that both
together, with the generous assistance of friends, could not
make up the sum, and so they were obliged to give up the idea
of embarking their fortunes together on the sea of life. In
such instances it is very common for fathers to say, if you will
marry my daughter I will pay the price, and though the
daughter has never seen the man to whom she is thus offered,
she is sold without scruple, and thus made what the law and
the world call respectable.
That hundreds of children are born every year, for whose
maintenance no one is responsible, is known and permitted ;
but people cannot be allowed to wear the badge of respecta
bility without paying the state so much money, though we
presume they do not frame the statute in these words.
Nothing procures the right of citizenship but. money.
No parents of any position are citizens of any principality
in Germany, without paying for it; and they may spend

CITIZENSHIP  PASSPORTS. 235
their lives there, and their children be born and grow old
there, yet neither they nor their children's children arc citizens
without the price. An Englishman, in his travels, met a young
man who had been some years in America, and returned for a
little time to sec his friends. The police, the passports, and
all the trammels of social life, seemed to him a thousand times
more intolerable than ever, and he exclaimed : " It is
better to be dead in America than alive in Europe;" and every
European who goes there thinks the same, notwithstanding the
bluster they make, and the fault they pretend to find for the
sake of magnifying their importance.

CHAPTEE XVI.
THE ODENWALD  TOBACCO RAISING AND SMOKING  BLACK BREAD
 COSTUMES — GAMES  LEGEND OF EMMA AND EGINHARD — WILD
ANIMALS — BEETS AND BEET SUGAR  HABITS AND HEALTH — ¦
LANGUAGE AND CUSTOMS.
The valleys of the Odenwald are watered by the Necker,
which flows through them for thirty miles, before it reaches the
plain near Heidelberg, where it has been described a thousand
times as a " tiara of diamonds set in emerald," and where it is
indeed the mirror to one of the loveliest landscapes human
vision is ever permitted to behold. From the hill-tops, the
Ehine may be seen, too, winding away in another direction,
and the whole country, upon both rivers, a garden under
such perfect cultivation, as few among Americans bestow upon
the choicest parterre. There are a few vineyards ; but neither
vJnes nor fruit trees are so much attended to as in other parts
of southern Germany, though the climate is sufficiently genial;
because the people wish a more certain dependence. Cereals
and vegetables do not so often fail of producing a sufficient
quantity to support life ; but a bad season will destroy grapes
and fruit to such an extent as to cause a famine. Tobacco
flourishes luxuriantly and in the fields looks very rich ; but is a
dismal sight in the autumn, hung over all the roofs and sides
of the houses, black and shriveled, to dry and become fit to
be made into quids and quids. A fastidious American gentle
man says it bears no comparison with that which is grown in
231!

STEAMBOAT CABIN SMOKING. 237
Havana, and he would as soon smoke dried cabbage as German
cigars. The difference in the price indicates either a difference
in the article or in the country; the one selling for five dollars
a thousand, and the other for fifty. We only wish they were
beyond the means of any, as only by empty purses can men be
driven from the disgusting habit of smoking and chewing the
filthy weed. An American also remarked : "he wondered the
women did not all look like bacon, they were so obliged to live in
smoke." While another ungallantly replied: "he thought
they did." How they endure it, is perfectly inconceivable. It
became necessary that we should be shut up in the cabin of a
river steamer, one cold autumn day, and in the same room were
fifty men, pipe in mouth. Not being able to breathe, we pushed
back the window a few inches, and seated ourselves in front to
catch every breeze and annoy others as little as possible. But
the first time our eyes were turned away a gentleman took the
opportunity to shut the window, and did it so softly that we
had no suspicion of the agency by which it was done. For a
little time we tried to endure it, but being nigh unto choking,
we at length ventured to admit the air again, though by a
much smaller aperture, when another gentleman called rudely
out, " Madam, we cannot have the window open, shut it im
mediately." But not being accustomed to obey so implicitly,
any lord of creation, we remained quiet, with open mouth in
c lier to catch every particle of fresh air, or water that should
kindly enter. But soon the steward entered, and the gentleman
requested him to shut the window. He politely replied that
the lady preferred it open. They said, " no matter for the
lady, we want it shut." An American gentleman had sat by till
now ; but fast asleep. The buzz awoke him, and without the least
suspicion of the cause of the commotion, he rubbed his eyes

238 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
and opened the window; quite innocent of any intentional offence,
only expressing his surprise that we could sit there in the smoke.
But before he had finished the words, the before-mentioned
gentleman laid rude hands upon him, and commanded him to
shut the window. Not being exactly wide awake, and having
no idea of what had passed, he shook off his assailant rather
roughly, and a serious affray was the consequence; which the
captain was called to settle, and to say also that no window
could be opened in the cabin. We had no inclination to resist
lawful authority, and therefore submitted to sit the rest of the
day in a room as densely filled with these horrible fumes as any
room devoted entirely to curing hams is allowed to be, and
here sat several ladies working embroidery, and in great amaze
ment that we should be disturbed by such a trifle. These
gentlemen were not Baucrsleute, but merchants, lawyers, and
physicians, astonished beyond measure that a lady should think
of interfering with the comfort and wishes of men.
In some places an attempt is made to raise Indian corn, but
we have never seen any that deserved the name. A whole field
will sometimes have only one or two ears upon a stock. They
either do not understand how to manage it, or the climate and
soil are uncongenial, though we cannot tell why this should be.
They use it only for geese and pigs. The great staple is rye,
which they think is cheaper and more healthy, but a Frenchman
who pretends to a chemical and practical knowledge of husban
dry, says wheat can be grown as cheap, and is far more nour
ishing. It will take a long time to convince Germans that he
is correct, for they adhere as tenaciously to black bread as to
tobacco. These huge black loaves are seen everywhere, and
nowhere in Germany is it the custom for the baking to be done
in the family. In the country villages there is one grand oven

BLACK BREAD  BAKING AND WASHING. 239
to which all transport their loaves after having kneaded them
at home. Carts are seen at all times going through the streets
loaded with this commodity, piled in like so many stones, and
about as hard. The form of the loaves is oval, about two feet
in length, and of corresponding breadth, and the color that of a
brown Indian crust. The bread is always sour, because to make
it very light, it is permitted to stand fermenting till it is honey
comb. Among the peasantry and common Burger the great
loaf is placed upon the table, morning, noon and night, for each
one to cut a slice till it is gone. To our taste it is horriblo
stuff, which we can in nowise swallow. But the wheat bread
is as universally good ; from north to south, from east to west,
we have never seen it otherwise, and this is both kneaded and
baked at the bakers, and always wet with milk. It is light
and sweet, with a rich nourishing taste. An American writer,
traveling in Germany, laments that American housewives do
not equal the Germans in making bread, and does not seem to
have learned, all the time he was here, that German house
wives do not know half as much of bread-making as American.
Never a particle do they make. What a relief to these
housewives must it be never to be obliged to bake, and then
never to be obliged to wash 1 Would they not think in New
England it were Paradise, indeed, never to have in their kitch^
ens the muss occasioned by the meal, and dough, and heat, the
parade of tubs and suds and slops attendant upon the duties
of Monday and Saturday, to say nothing of the extra occa
sions, when there must be an extra parade. What an easy time
they would think they had, and never think help necessary in
parlor or kitchen, and with their nicely constructed domiciles,
painted floors and papered walls, they would certainly be able
to do all the work, and have much time to play. Thirty or forty

240 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
loaves are baked up at once, but there is a continuous eating,
which requires a continuous array of dishes, and washing of
plates and cups, though the ceremonies at table are simple
enough. In all the houses of the middle classes there is a
round table standing always before the sofa, in every room.
Upon this the cloth is laid, among a great proportion of them
five times a day, or perhaps at ten in the morning and four in
the afternoon the white covering is dispensed with, and at these
hours the meal is very light. Among the peasantry the table
is long and square, and stands before a bench, both being im
movable. The Burger perhaps drinks wine in the forenoon,
and the Bauermann beer, but coffee is never dispensed with by
either, at breakfast and after dinner. Supper among all classes
is at eight or half-past, summer and winter, and is about the
same as a New England breakfast. The peasantry of the Oden
wald live a great proportion of the year upon black bread and
potatoes, indulging in meat only at weddings, Christmas, and
church consecration feasts, and are said to average a longer life
than any others in Germany, the number of those who live to
the age of sixty, seventy, and even ninety, being not few but
many. The ancient costume of the meu was a long dark blue
coat, with rows of blue or bright buttons, and when they could
afford it, for grand occasions, of silver, with the three-cornered
hat that is still retained by court officials, but it is beginning to
disappear, and the common dress of the laborer, as seen in all
other lands, to be adopted in its stead The women, as among
the Indians, yield more slowly to innovations. Their caps are
still ornamented with beads and ribbons, plaited like combs,
made into enormous bows, to stand out from each side of the
head. The peculiar head-dress of each district is retained
long after every other part of the peculiar costume is given up ;

GAMES  EMMA AND EGINHARD. 241
and self-denial of every other kind practised, that they may be
able to purchase the ribbons and ornaments for this.
We have found two or three games and amusements strik
ingly like those of the Iroquois. One which is practised by
the Indians at their New Year's feast, and among the peasan
try of southern Germany at Christmas is, for two men to dress
themselves, one to represent winter, in straw, moss, and ever
greens, and the other as summer, in ivy and fresh garlands, and
go from house to house begging. When nothing is given them
they steal if they can, but this must be done with the greatest
stealth, as it is an everlasting disgrace to be caught in the act,
though all is in sport. It seems to us a remarkable coincidence
that there should be exactly the same game among these two
different people. Also, when in the long winter evenings they
gather round the light of the resin torch, which is still the
chandelier of the American Indian and the German peasant, to
listen to the stories of the aged men of the days of old, the
histories, sagas, and traditions, which have come down through
a hundred generations, if they vary from the truth or the form
which has been repeated by all before them, in order to add
interest to their tale, they are never forgiven, but looked upon
with distrust and dislike ever after. Tliese were in former days
their only chronicles, and if not preserved with correctness
were of no value. So said the Indian aud so says the Odeu-
walder. It was to a little village among these wilds that the daughter
of Charlemagne is said to have fled with her lover, from her
father's vengeance. She wished to marry the secretary of the
king, which, of course, was to descend from her rank, aud
when their liaison was made known, the one was threatened with
death and the other with the scarcely less terrible living death
11

242 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
of imprisonment within the convent walls. But they succeeded
in making their flight, and rested not till within the darkest re
cesses of the forest of the Odenwald, where they took up their
abode in a rude hut, and lived by daily toil unknown, and yet
content, for seven years. Then, according to the fashion of
traditions, the great emperor passed that way on his return
from a hunting excursion, and entered a hut to ask for a cup
of cold water. Immediately he was recognized by the daugh
ter, who hastened to prepare for him the refreshment which he
needed. When he seated himself at table what was his sur
prise to find before him his favorite dish, which only his Emma
had known how to prepare for him. He looked up and knew
at once that her hands had provided it for him now. She read
her pardon in his eye, and fell upon his neck, where the hus
band and disgraced secretary found her on his entrance. It
need not be added that complete reconciliation followed, and
the happy pair were taken home to live again in the palace.
A cloister was built by them where the cottage stood, to com
memorate their sorrow and their joy, and the place still bears
the appellation of " blessed spot," which words were uttered at
the time by the king in his transports at discovering his long
lost child.
In these days the hunter is almost deprived of his sport
among the fastnesses which once afforded inexhaustible supplies
of game to the royal parties that spent days and nights within
their shades. Foxes, wild cats, weasels, squirrels, hares, and
rabbits, are still plenty, but not a bear has been seen since
1622, when the last one was killed at Darmstadt, and the last
wolf in 1841, and it is more than two centuries since they have
found a beaver.
But the hunting of wild cats and rabbits is % privilege still

GAME AND GAME LAWS. 243
of only royal and noble families. For a peasant to shoot a
squirrel would be a crime in royal eyes, as great as stealing a
cow, and if the punishment corresponds, they will not often
venture upon such sport. It is not many years since a poor
man was confined in prison eighteen months in the kingdom of
Hanover, iu darkness and solitude, for an offence to which he
was probably driven by starvation. At the end of this time he
was brought forth and commanded to confess his guilt. Upon
his remaining silent, the thumb-screw was applied, and after
repeated applications and hours of anguish, he was forced to
confession, and it was that he had stolen a cow !
A forest-master and game-keeper are kept constantly upon
the alert, to watch the woods, on account of the animals and
also the trees, and no bird of the air or four-footed thiDg, nor a
tree or shrub without permission, is at the service of the poor.
But the forest-master is sometimes known to wink at the crime,
if a peasant takes a hare or rabbit, or bit of wood, because he
lives among them and knows their poverty ; but they are
taught, and really believe it to be a crime, and therefore do not
often hazard their lives by such an offence. They gain their
bread by the sweat of their brows, and though so poor and
toil-worn, seem content. Their love for their mountains is like
that of the Swiss peasant, and their songs tell the yearning
of their hearts for home, when war and famine drive them
forth. But they know nothing of the freedom of the Swiss
mountaineer, and their cottages do not exhibit the neatness
and thrift of the Swiss peasantry. Their homes look always
filthy to an Englishman or American ; the women have the
coarse ways and habits of the men, and no conception of the
tidy, comfortable cottage of the American farmer or English
peasant. It cannot be otherwise when the mothers and daugh-

244 PEASANT LDJE IN GERMANY.
ters are in the field, where you see them without bonnet, cap,
shoes or stockings ; sunburnt and old at thirty, though at this
age they get so dry and tough, that they look afterwards
always the same.
The shelves for the dishes are in the kitchen, and always
open to all the dust ; a bed in every room, and pigsty and sta
ble under the same roof. Seldom any are so well off as to have
an extra set of cups and plates for company, and that which
they use, like that of the middle classes in cities, is the common
white ware, which is seldom in these days upon the table at all
in America, but kept for baking purposes. But you never see
a pie in Germany, and not often a pudding. If there is any
cake, it is like the bread purchased at the baker's, and never
good — a New England housewife would not think it fit to eat,
If you enter a peasant's cot unceremoniously, they will ask you
to take a cup of coffee, and with it a piece of bread, which,
like them, you must dip in the cup before carrying it to your
mouth. This way of eating bread and coffee is also universal
among all classes. It will be placed upon the table without
cloth or other service than cup and saucer, pewter or
German-silver spoon, and your fingers. But to this you are
welcomed in the same way as to the venison of the Indian,
and commit an unpardonable offence if you refuse, though you
may already be full.
Among the lower order of burghers, Sauerkraut and salad are
the almost every day accompaniments of dinner and supper ;
and these, with cheese made of sour milk, and sour bread,
cause a peculiar smell in all their kitchens, which often creeps
out and indeed permeates the dress and fills the air, .so that
sourness is the universal perfume.
The peasantry sell everything they raise and everything they

FARMING ECONOMY. 245
make, not even indulging in the luxury of Sauerkraut except at
feasts. Every inch of ground is made to produce something,
and sometimes the same soil nourishes two or three successive
crops. After everything else, thoy realize a good harvest of
turnips, and dig, dig, dig from April to November. Besides
the cereals, tobacco, potatoes, and turnips, they have cabbage,
colewort, lucerne, rape, saintfoin, poppies, hemp, and black
turnips. Buckwheat is raised extensively at the north and
south, though it is Buchweitzen, buckwheat, from its resemblance
to the beech nut. Poppy seeds, besides being made into opium,
are boiled and eaten like sago, not a stock or leaf is wasted.
Everything that can be cut green is used to fodder the cattle,
and children are everywhere seen washing the weeds and all
refuse that cattle can eat. They gather the leaves and moss
in the woods, and pick up every stick or dried branch that can
serve for fuel. The lupin is raised extensively for manure, and
considered to enrich the land better than anything else, and
will grow in all climates. Besides these are the hop fields and
the beet fields. The former seem almost as extensive as the
vineyards, and did we not know they were hops, would look
almost as pretty. Beer is even cheaper than wine, a bottle
costing only one-fourth as much as a bottle of wine, and that
which comes from Bavaria is considered the best. But it is
everywhere the common beverage, and to be had in its whole
some, unadulterated state. Yet too much can be drunk of it
even then, and those who indulge too freely are most blowzy
and stupid-looking beings.
Beets have been cultivated for the last thirty years very
extensively for sugar. We find always in the most humble
peasant's cot the best of loaf sugar, when sugar is used at all,
for their coffee. In southern Germany it is generally beet-

246

PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.

sugar, which is whiter than any other, and one, two, and three
cents cheaper a pound, but considered not so sweet, and there
fore not so cheap on the whole. But in Austria a great pro
portion of the population are entirely ignorant of the use of
sugar, and in Bavaria there are consumed on an average, only
two and a half pounds a year by each individual, and of course
this must indicate that half of them never taste it at all. The
use of sugar is considered one of the evidences of a higher
civilization, and if it is to be taken as a test, Austria and
Bavaria are the lowest in the scale, or about the same as
Eussia and Turkey. The Turks use scarcely any, as they never
put it in their coffee, and know not the use of tea; and the serfs
of Eussia are scarcely more degraded and destitute of all that
modern civilization considers necessary to human beings than
the masses of the Austrian population. They know almost as
little of the use of money as they do of sugar. In the same
year that Austria consumed 33,000,000 pounds, China con
sumed 1,000,000,000. And America is many millions in
advance of any other. The table which we consult was made
several years since, but the ratio continues about the same, and
as it gives at a glance a better idea of the condition of the
people than any description, we transfer it. It indicates the
average quantity consumed by each individual, at that time,
in a year :

England, .

20 pounds

Denmark, .

6 pounds

Ireland,

4 "

Sweden,

3 "

France,

5i "

Norway,

3 "

Prussia,

5 "

Spain,

6 J "

Bavaria,

2} «

Portugal, .

5 "

Switzerland,

6

Italy,

2 "

Belgium, .

15 "

Austria,

2J "

Holland, .

14 "

Russia,

1 "

SUGAR. 247
The difference between England and Ireland is the same in
sugar as in everything else, but in some of the other instances,
where it is made, more is consumed than among people of nearly
the same condition, in other respects, who must import a lar^e
proportion of all they use. But though it is not a necessity
like bread, it is a luxury people deny themselves only when
compelled, and we involuntarily judge a family to be comfort
able in other respects if they can afford sugar.
A great proportion of that which is imported brown, is re
fined after its arrival, by which the greater tariff upon white
sugar is avoided, and the expense lessened. But great effort
is being made to produce all the sugar they consume, as not
only the beet, but also the vine, the melon, the maple, and maize
can be grown in different parts for this purpose. Of these the
beet is the most important, as it is valued not only for its sac
charine properties, but for the amount of forage it furnishes,
which, as we have said before, has become for the last twenty
years the absorbing subject of consideration among the agri
culturists of Germany. It is said to enrich the soil by the
invisible contribution it makes, and to afford three times as much
nourishment for cattle by its leaves, as the same surface devoted
to hay. Then from the sale of the root to the sugar manufacturer,
twice as nluch money is realized as from the sale of the quantity
of barley which can be raised on the same ground ; and greatly
as the cultivation of the beet has increased, and the quantity
of land devoted to it enlarged, the amount of cereals has not
in consequence diminished. They have occupied less space, but
by enriching the soil with the greater quantity of manure fur
nished by foraging plants, they increase the quantity per acre.
Those which are red outside and white within are considered
to produce most sugar, and next the white and yellow, and

248 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
those which are small more in proportion to their weiglt than
the larger. Analysis discovers in the beet twenty-nine different
materials, the principal of which are water, fibre, crystalized
sugar, oil, gum, coloring matter, ammonia, lime, and oxide of
iron, though all these may not dwell in the living plant. There
are also twenty-five kinds of beet roots, which produce from
eight to ten per cent, of sugar. The soil must be very rich and
deeply tilled, and a cool or temperate climate is better than one
very warm. We see that in tropical climates, the plants which
produce sugar are nourished by the air, and in temperate, by the
earth, and the beets which grow in colder climates are sweeter
than those which grow in warm climates.
It is said the sweetest grapes do not produce the most sugar,
but from twenty to thirty pounds of raw sugar are made from
a hundred pounds of juice.
The maple is not so profitable in Europe for sugar, as any
other tree or plant from which it is produced ; on an average,
only four ounces, and at the most only two pounds, being made
from a hundred pounds of juice, and to boil and perfect these
hundred pounds they burn forty thousand pounds of wood 1
The maize, in the climate and soil adapted to it, produces the
same quantity and quality as the cane upon an acre of ground.
The brown sugar produced from the melon is simil&r to that
from the cane, and the cultivation not so expensive as the beet
root. From these facts, we must conclude that sugar will become
more and more abundant, especially in the countries where it is
made from the beet, which is in other respects so valuable an
agricultural product. The sugar beet is most cultivated in
Baden, but is spreading fast through all Germany where the ch
mate and soil will admit. The gallons of wine to each individ

HABITS AND HEALTH. 2-19
ual average many times more than the pounds of sugar or meat,
both in France and Germany, and cannot be so nourishing.
Nowhere among the peasantry is meat an article of daily food,
while in New England the farm laborer thinks he is very ill-
used if he has not meat three times a day. In America, enough
food is wasted every year to support the family of the German
peasant, as they live, half that time. But the universally ac
cepted idea, that the average health of the whole people is
greater than in America, is not confirmed by inquiry or obser
vation. The women of the cities do not look so pale and thin,
but color and flesh are not always indications of health. The
proportion is so great that you are inclined to think almost
every person you meet is afflicted with salt-rheum or scrofula,
so covered are their faces with a dreadful humor, and the usual
infirmities of humanity do not seem to be less common. The
delicate bloom and beauty for which American women are so
renowned, is certainly very scarce ; but one reason of this is,
that wine and beer are used much more habitually, and must
necessarily give to their skin a coarse texture, and ruin a fine
complexion, if it is originally possessed. We have often heard
American women give this as a reason for never indulging in
wine, that it would make them look so coarse.
The proportion of persons who are from birth or infancy de
formed, or who never pass the physical stature of children is
startling. In the cities one cannot walk without meeting one
at every few steps, and in Dresden and some other large towns,
statistics give the proportion as one in every twelve. In Amer
ica these are very rare, and then as the result of accident,
rather than inherited disease. In our intercourse with women
of the higher and middle classes, we hear quite as much
complaining, and should not conclude we were among a pecu-
.11*

250 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
liarly healthy people, from anything we see or hear. Among
the peasantry we can hardly judge — they grow old so young,
and their labor so disfigures them. In city and country, among
the peasant girls, we are struck with the beautiful glossy hair,
which almost every one possesses, and the neatness with which
it is combed and braided. It is evidently their peculiar pride,
but where it is the custom for them to carry water, hay, manure,
and everything upon their heads, they become bald upon the
top very young, by the incessant friction of the pail and bas
ket, and cannot keep it so neat. Those who work in the field,
and yet have not the harvest labor to perform, seem very tough,
but so often they look forlorn after attaining to middle life, that
we cannot help thinking the severe toil of the field and the house,
together with the exhausting penalties of womanhood, destroys
their constitutions, and before life's pilgrimage is half done
dooms them to the grave.
The language of the Odenwald is said to be middle German,
though we do not exactly know whether this means half way
between high and low German or not. But every district has
its dialect, and those separated by a forest, a river, or a moun
tain, can scarcely understand each other. Instead of saying
Grossvater for grandfather, they say Herrche, and for Grossmutter
Frache. On the prairies of the west we have heard German
wives call their husbands He, when speaking of them, present
or absent, instead of speaking their names. This is the way
the Indian woman speaks of hers, and in no way can be induced
to speak his name, considering it disrespectful. In the Oden
wald the women reiterate continually Er, he, when talking of
their husbands. And the men say mei old, when speaking of
their wives. This too we have heard often in America among
the descendants of Germaqs who spoke English — except that

LANGUAGE AND CUSTOMS. 251
they add another word and say, my old woman, and sometimes
merely my woman. There is about the same difference in all
things' between the different German tribes, and their descend
ants, as between tho different tribes of American Indians. In
some respects they are the same everywhere, and there will
always be found some things peculiar to each.
Like the Indian too, the Odenwalder is very suspicious of
strangers, and very tenacious of his old customs, that have been
handed down from his fathers. But towards those whom
he knows to be friends, he is cordial, communicative and
obliging, and among those, who have almost every one a son or
brother in America, we were in no danger of being treated with
coldness. Our great trouble was that each one expected us to
know his friends, though one was in New York and another in
Wisconsin. In the family in which we were, four had gone to
the New World, and were all so prosperous, that their letters
were always filled with glad tidings, and the intelligence of the
family concerning our country was much beyond that of many
fine city people, who would consider themselves two or three
ranks superior. As usual, they had the strong love of the Ger
man for their fatherland, but a bitter hatred of its tyrants.
Very kindly they felt towards the people among whom their
children had found home aud friends and fortune, and in all our
travels we have not found nobler hearts, united to that intel
ligence which always liberalizes, and never in our lives experi
enced more genuine and heartfelt kindness, which causes us to
turn ever to that little spot as one of the brightest and sunniest
in Germany.

CHAPTEE XVII.
WASHING — SAUERKRAUT  HOUSE FURNITURE  HOUSEKEEPING —
GIRLS GOING TO AMERICA — SCHOOL SYSTEM AND SCHOOLS —
PAPERS  MASTERS — EDUCATION OF GIRLS.
After the vintage and the harvest are finished, commences the
house-cleaning and the preparations for the grand wash, and dur
ing October, one may see everywhere the lawns and the grass-
plots covered with the snowy linen, and long lines, forming miles
of net-work by every dimpling brook, and under every green tree.
The harvests of linen are protected the same way as harvests
of wheat. During all the washing season, men. are employed
night and day to watch the grounds ; but are in this case paid
by the families instead of the government, and receive a cent a
wash ; but each expects the articles under his supervision to be
so arranged that he can attend to several at a time, else this
small sum would not pay. If one family is so unfortunate as to
occupy the green alone, the watchman will not remain upon the
premises unless they will pay him the price of several. If they
do not choose to do this every article must be taken in at night,
and hung out again in the morning. It is a curious sight, those
throngs of busy women with great tubs and baskets of wet
cloth, wending their way to the brook, where they may be seen
with bare legs and feet, bare heads and bare arms, sousing and
splashing in the cold water, then ringing, and shaking, and snap
ping and " hanging out to dry." What a laughing, and giggling
252

WASHING. 253
and gossiping among so many merry-hearted maidens, and then
how clean and nice those piles of fine linen as they are gathered
in heaps upon the yet green grass. The washerwomen go from
family to family during all the autumn, and in every one they
commence their operation, at exactly twelve o'clock at night.
From the great chests in the garret, where it has been collect
ing for half a year, the family bring the linen and deposit it
in the washroom, provide the soap and lye, get the tubs and
kettles in readiness and retire. At the appointed time, enter
these weird sisters of the suds, and begin their task, which is to
pour hot lye all night, draining it off as it cools and heating it
over, till everything has been thus two or three times saturated
with this boiling decoction; afterwards they are rubbed accord
ing to their necessities, rinsed and dried. If the running brook
is near, the finishing touch is given in its limpid stream. So
great pride have they in these stacks of fine linen that they
sometimes borrow, and even sometimes hire, a quantity of a
neighbor to fill their lines. This is their wealth, as fine dresses
are of other people, or fine furniture, and those who pass by
ask of the watchman or the maidens, whose wash is that ? If
it is wondrous large, and the quality wondrous fine, it becomes
the subject of village gossip, and those who possess it are set
down as rich and thrifty housewives, as some whom we know
are considered rich who have given great entertainments with
borrowed china and silver.
We inquired particularly concerning the expense, and learned
that for six in the family, two days will be required to finish the
wash. They pay the women eighty cents a day, and must give
them plenty of coffee and substantial food, and with this and
the lye and soap and extra fire, they reckon a six months' wash
ing to cost about three dollars ! But a lady in the city told us

254 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
that she had her washing done in the house every fortnight,
rather than send it to the bleachers, because it was cheaper.
It took a washerwoman two days, and she paid her twenty cents
a day, and she of course found the soap and extra fire herself,
and one of her servants assisted during the whole time. If she
sent it away, those who took it charged for these, and it
amounted to more on the whole. But three or four dollars is
certainly a very trifling expense for a six months' wash. Where
I happened to be, a woman came in to do the starching also,
and assist in the ironing, which was not included in the sum we
mentioned. The country linen is mostly what in New England is called
home made, and worn unbleached till it becomes white by con-
continued washing. It is also coarse compared to that of the
manufactories ; but wears a life time. During the autumn and
winter, the little spinning wheel is the constant inmate of the
family-room of peasant and burgher, and we have also seen it
in many a city parlor, where the ladies sometimes have it made
of ebony, and the cup to wet the thread, of silver, and upon all,
gay ribbons adorn the distaff, and a gay-colored paper or cloth
binds the flax to keep it clean and smooth.
There must, of course, be great numbers of articles where the
washing is done so seldom, and this species, of wealth seems out
of all proportion with everything else. But notwithstanding the
wealth and the poetry, we cannot help considering it a filthy
custom, which will certainly vanish before the light of civilization.
Another grand operation is the making of Sauerkraut for the
winter's use. For this they do not use cabbage alone, but also
beans, and. sometimes turnips. Whatever the vegetable may
be, it is first washed, trimmed, and if cabbage, cut in fine slices,
and placed in a great barrel or tub ; first a layer of salt, though

SAUEREJJAUT — HOUSE FURNITURE. 255
not in great quantities, and then a layer of cabbage, till it is
full ; but during the process the persons pack it tight with
great pounders, so that it is very solid, and then covers are
placed upon the top, kept down with heavy stones. Thus a
fermentation is produced which gives it an acid taste, and
when rightly done and carefully kept it is not disagreeble to a
strange palate, and one may soon learn to like it. When
we heard the process described, we could not help thinking the
appellation, we heard given it by an Englishman, correct.
He said it was nothing more nor less than rotten cabbage ; but
when we saw it, all unpleasant impressions were removed. It
was clean and wholesome. In the city, few families make their
own, but buy it of those who prepare it in large quantities for
sale. When it is not rightly done, and fermentation is carried
beyond the proper point, it is neither good nor healthy, so it
becomes a nice art to make Sauerkraut* We have no doubt it
was among the favorite dishes upon the table of Charlemagne,
and very likely was made by the Germans of the days of Attila.
In Frankfort it is the regular Friday dinner for all the people
during the winter, but in the country it comes much oftener, as
do also the boiled beef and salads for which they are so famous.
Yet there is the same importance given to the cookery, and
housekeeping talked of with the same ideas of the wondrous
capacity it requires to perform its operations. One would think
* The regular cook-book receipt for making Sauerkraut is the following : " Take
whitehead cabbage, cut out the thick, hard veins, and silt it as fine as possible. For a
half-barrel take seventy pounds, or about thirty-five large heads of cabbage, one pound
of salt, a quarter pound of cummin, half an ounce of turmeric or saffron ; mix these
with the salt, and as the cabbage ia packed, strew it upon each layer, and from time
to time use the pounder to press it tight. When the barrel is full, place it in the cellar,
cover it with large cabbage leaves, place a board upon the top, and upon this a heavy
stone. It must stand fourteen days before it is fit for use, and what is taken out for din
ner must be all eaten or put back in the barrel, as it is not good if it remains In the air.''

25l! PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
that all the mysterious compounds might be learned in a week
that are manufactured in the course of a year ; yet we hear a
girl of eighteen say she knows nothing yet of cookery, but will
learn before she is married. Her sister has done the cooking
six years, ever since she left school, at fourteen, and how she
could go in and out every day and not learn herself, we do not
understand. Every day without exception we have boiled beef,
sometimes potatoes, and sometimes cabbage, and sometimes tur
nips. Occasionally a piece of fried veal or pork, and black
bread. The table dishes are pewter, though one of common
white earthen is given to the boarder or guest, as being more
genteel, and the serving the same as everywhere else — that is,
each one serves himself as he needs. If it is a burgher and not a
peasant family, the house is large and commodious, all the un
occupied rooms are neat and in good order, and the unpainted
floors scoured to perfect whiteness. In the parlor is a sofa of
hair-cloth, and in front of it the table covered with a fine red
cloth, two bureaus; and cane-bottom chairs. Upon the bureaus
is the usual array of knicknacks which we see in every Ger
man parlor, being the gifts of Christmas, birth-days and name-
days, little earthen men and women, all manner of designs in
porcelain, china cups, and baskets of embroidered cards.
Upon the walls in every room are pictures, and the ceiling
over-head is painted in fresco, as it is everywhere among all
classes above the peasantry. We have asked in some families
the expense of these frescoed walls, and been told that in very
ordinary houses, this alone costs from twelve to twenty dollars
a room. It is very pretty, and in a sleeping room serves to
amuse one who must lie in bed during the hours of day ; but
for ourselves we should much prefer a carpet for our feet, or
many other comforts which this money would purchase, if the

HOUSEKEEPING. iit»7
condition of our finances did not permit us to indulge in every
luxury. In the dining and family room, is a piano which is
treated very much as if it were a deal table, covered with all
manner of trumpery, soiled with dust and the drippings of
tallow candles ; yet here has been educated one musician, now
a composer, and of considerable reputation, in America, where he
has been several years ; and here is another learning the same
art, who is yet but eight years old, and performs the most
difficult pieces of Mozart, and plays the organ every Sunday
in church, though his little feet cannot reach the pedals. The
spinning-wheel and piano keep time together, and the knitting-
needles are everywhere. The girls are not ta-ught music, be
cause it would be considered a branch of education beyond
their sphere in life, though one has a decided taste and talent
for it. It is only necessary that girls should know how to
keep house, and among those with whom they must associate,
to manifest an ambition for anything else would subject them to
envy and reproach that would make any acquirement or ac
complishment a thorn. But the parents have recovered from
such narrow-minded views, and we have often noticed when we
met a family who had children in America, that they were
more liberal, and infinitely more intelligent than others of the
same class. The long letters which are allowed to contain what
newspapers dare not say, enlighten them, and in time prove good
means of education. The housekeeping to which the daughters
must sacrifice everything else, requires but little of their time,
and certainly requires but a very ordinary capacity, and among
good housekeepers in England or America-, would be called
very far from excellent, as would be the case almost anywhere.
It is the custom in the cities for the young ladies to be sent to
practise a year with the cook of some large hotel, several hours

258 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
each day. When we ask why they do not learn at home, they
answer that they do not have all kinds of cooking going on
there, and besides, the servants do not like the trouble of them.
But others say that those who serve their apprenticeship in this
way learn only the higher departments, and when they have to
attend to the daily wants of a small private family, are as
ignorant as if they had not learned at all. In these cases the
daughters take no interest in family affairs until they are done
going to school, and are strangers to every duty of household
economy. But after they have become young ladies, they
spend a year in fitting themselves for housekeepers. Often
when a young lady has become betrothed, you hear it said she
has gone to spend six months, or a year, in learning to cook.
This is certainly better than not to learn at all ; but if they
were to practise a little every day at home, during their
girlhood, they would become better fitted for all the duties of
the household. It is this great parade and talk of the Ger
man ladies, about their housekeeping, that has given them
the renown of excelling all others. We know very many
ladies in New England who have never talked an hour in their
lives about their household duties, and yet have them performed
to perfection ; who employ the same number of servants as
German ladies of the same rank, and have better dinners and
much more tasteful and well arranged tables, without ever
cooking themselves. To say that a lady who is able to have
servants must cook herself, is the same as to say the President
of the United States must be his own secretary, in order that
his penmanship may be well executed. He is expected to
have a head that can comprehend the duties of many depart
ments and see that they are well filled, but not to perform the
labor himself.

GIRLS GOING TO AMERICA. 259
We hear the same talk about learning to sew, and girls
eighteen aud twenty have not yet learned to cut shirts and
drawers, ahd go to their mothers every few minutes to be shown
how to turn corners aud fit different parts together, which wc
have seen done by American girls of thirteen, without thinking
it was any great accomplishment. But all America is judged
by what travelers see at hotels in New York. It is the univer
sal belief in Germany that American children are not required
to obey their parents, but go and come night and day, exactly
as they please. A great proportion of those in New England
would be glad if this were somewhere near the truth ; but there,
as here, the fault lies in a. different direction — in too severe a
discipline, which ruins more children than excessive indulgence,
or perhaps it would be more correct to say the discipline is not
of the right kind.
It is very amusing to hear a German mother talk with her
daughters about matrimony. On learning that two of her girls
were to be sent soon to America, we asked, " What do you ex
pect them to do there ?"
" We hope they will get married. There is little prospect
that they will here, young men are so poor ; and we have no
dowries for our daughters. Besides, five hundred young men
have gone from this town to America, and five hundred more
would go if they had the means."
We hardly knew what to answer, as we were well aware that
plenty of girls were in the same anxious suspense the other side
of the water, though they would not so frankly acknowledge it.
But we find no fault with this frankness, and do not think the
mothers or daughters who talk in this open way of what they
hope and plan, are less delicate than those who, in similar cir
cumstances, would think it necessary to deny that they ever

260 PEASANT LIFE TN GERMANY.
thought of marrying, or had any wish to, knowing all the time, as
does every one else, that they are speaking falsehood. But the
fault is, that they are taught no other way of living. We ven
tured to tell them it was possible they might not get married
there, but if they would learn music or anything else thoroughly,
they would find no difficulty in taking care of themselves, and
labor would not be any degradation to them. It had never
occurred to them to fit themselves for teachers, as all the coun
try schools are taught by men, and a woman would be thought
as much out of her sphere in the schoolroom as in the forum
in Germany. We have visited many of these schools, and
thought how infinitely bettor off would be the little ones with
some gentle-hearted woman. But where more young men with
a university education are waiting for the teacherships than
there are places to be filled, and have no other way of earning
their livelihood, and no practical knowledge of anything in life,
it cannot be expected that they will allow women to become
their rivals.
The school system is everywhere the same, as each govern
ment has adopted that instituted by King Frederick William
III., when he ordained that the people should no longer be serfs;
and provided for their education. His intentions were evidently
good, though there is a little inconsistency in teaching people
to read, and then forbidding them to exercise the power when
they have acquired it, and even this seems quite unnecessary,
where neither books nor papers are within the means of the
people. Had they full permission to read all they could get,
they would be little injured by knowledge, so dear is everything
printed in this land where printing had its birth. The present
king of Prussia, in his premature old age and imbecility, has
placed more restrictions upon the liberty of the press than any

SCHOOL SYSTEM AND SCHOOLS. 261
of his predecessors, requiring every colporteur who passes
through his dominions to be searched, lest some opinion dispar
aging to tyranny should find its way among his subjects.
The school books are as carefully pruned as the newspapers,
from anything tainted with liberalism, and are of course, very
simple in their contents, as all the children leave school at
the age of fourteen. Some teachers seemed eminently fitted
for their duties, and the children well instructed in the rudi
ments of arithmetic, geography, drawing, and natural history,
which is all that is attempted. Music is taught scientifically,
and the notes always furnished of all that is sung. But it is
also required that sewing and knitting be taught, and the first
hour of every afternoon a woman has charge of the school, or
of the girls, and they are busied with every description of
needlework. The discipline was very much after the old fashion of cuffing
and knocking, and the schoolrooms small and ill ventilated.
The children assemble at seven in the morning in summer and
leave at eleven, and from one to three in the afternoon. They
read in concert, and recited the multiplication table, which to
our ears was very amusing. Zwei mal zwei sind vier. Elf mal
zwei sind zwei und zwanzig. It seemed impossible it could be
correct, but when we repeated it in English they laughed so
inordinately and were so incredulous that we could only con
clude habit alone at fault. There is a superintendent in every
district, who visits the schools at stated seasons, and one hap
pened in whilst we were present. He listened to their exercises,
and said some pleasant word to each, exhorting them all at the
close to diligence and obedience. Our companion at the time
was the young girl who had been educated in America, and we
could not help wishing she could exercise the office of teacher,

262 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
for which she showed herself so well fitted by the assistance
and explanations she rendered those who would listen to her.
But knowledge did not add to her usefulness or happiness in her
fatherland. Every day some gossip came to her father to say
how he had ruined his daughter by allowing her to study, she
would never be a good housekeeper and never get married, and
while she had elevated herself above the rank in which she was
born, she still could not step out of it, and however intelligent
or ladylike, she could not be received into one above, because
she was born a peasant. Every day she wept bitterly to go back,
where she was free to become what she chose, and where
society allowed women so many more privileges, and placed no
barriers in the way of any.
The schools we visited were in Catholic districts, and once
also a priest came in, who examined and encouraged the
pupils to diligence with not less seeming interest than a Protest
ant clergymen, and in no respect that we can discover, does the
state of education differ among those of one creed or another,
or the intelligence of the people.
We were present when a family in this city received a letter
from a son and a brother, who had been some years in America,
and having lost his wife, was urged to return to his friends.
He said " No, never ; this is the land of my adoption and the
land of my choice, and here I have friends whose worth you
cannot imagine ; who have been kind to me in poverty and
sickness, and who would be parents, brothers, aud friends to
my children were I to die. I would not be guilty of placing
them under the care of a German schoolmaster, to suffer as I
did when a boy. No ; this is the land of their birth, and I
shall not take the responsibility of removing them from an
atmosphere of freedom to one of tyranny and slavery." The

PAPERS — EDUCATION. 263
lady who received it said it was true the teachers were despotic
and unfeeling ; but our inference would be that it was the
same with them as with every other official who was not ac
countable to the people among whom he labored, the parents
of the children where he taught, but to some far-off power,
whose ear could not be reached but by emissaries, and who
was not likely to listen to complaints against servants who
were faithful to him and endangered not his throne.
There is little to stimulate ambition among the peasantry.
They do not see any particular benefit of knowledge, and care
not to exert themselves to acquire what brings them neither
pleasure nor other reward. It is rare to see a book of any
kind in their houses, and few of them can afford even the little
Zeitung, about a foot square, which the cities furnish. Fami
lies in the city, who indulge iu many other luxuries, do not con
sider a paper within their means, as necessary to their intelli
gence ; while families of the same means, or less, in America,
would take two or three. In southern Germany, we saw no
children's papers, and could not learn that any existed, except
two or three in Hamburg and Bremen. When we expressed
our surprise at this, a lady was equally astonished that such a
provision should be thought at all necessary for children, who
had to go to school and study, and had no time to read. There
are very respectable scientific and literary periodicals for the
learned ; but nothing like a newspaper exists in the whole Con
federation. Postage is so high that few can afford to write letters, and
paper also is beyond the reach of the poor. In England, cheap
postage has done more than all the schools towards educating
the people. In Germany, the police force the children into school
against their will. In England, they are left to do as they

261 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
please ; but since they experience a benefit which every day
gladdens thousands of hearts, in the penny paper and penny
letter, nothing more is needed to spur them to exertion which
can prepare them to avail themselves of these blessings.
Girls in the city leave school also at fourteen ; but after that
time have "masters." A young lady came to board in the
family where we were, in order to be educated. In our sim
plicity we asked if she were going to school ; at which the
lady who was to have the care of her was almost insulted, and
replied : " Young ladies do not stay in school in Germany,
till they are married." Upon which followed quite a stormy
debate between us, as we could not understand why it was any
more degrading to attend school than to have "masters."
She said the girls in Germany learned mathematics and physics.
I asked if she supposed they did not in America ? She said,
to be sure, she had always heard that those who wished to
educate their daughters in these branches, sent them to Ger
many ; that there were no masters capable of teaching such
things among us. We thought of President Day, and Davies,
and Loomis ; but our knowledge of the language was not
equal to instructing her in the common items of newspaper
intelligence, with which she would have been familiar, if she
had been in the habit of reading them. But though she was
very profound in mathematics and physics, she was very igno
rant of all common and practical knowledge, and really
believed the almanac-maker could predict the weather with
certainty. The process which the young ladies go through in
being educated, is like everything else where there is no free
dom of thought and speech, and where there can be very little
use of knowledge. It is a mechanical process, which is a great
weariness to the flesh without sufficient compensation.

EDUCATION OF GIRLS. 265
A gentleman went to America to make his fortune, and
settled in a western city. After many years, he returned to
Germany, to educate his children, saying it was impossible in
the United States, anywhere, to give them advantages.
"Masters" were not to be obtained at any price, and neither
are they in Germany, except in the cities. No family, two
miles from any university, town or capital, could give their
children anything more than a common school education, which
is nowhere so good as in America, unless they have tutors in
the family for each branch. We know a young lady who
had at one time nine " masters," and many American girls here,
whose tutors cost more than their board, clothes, and all other
expenses. Yet it is possible for a family to take up their
abode in the region of a university, and educate half a dozen
children with less expense than could be done in America ; but
they must live very quietly, and be content with poor lodgings
and simple food, such as" they would not be contented with in
America.

12

CHAPTEE XVIII.
DIVISION OF LAND — TAXES  HABITS OF LIFE — BRUNNEN — VILLAGE
LIFE — SCENE AT THE BRUNNEN  A MEETING AND A MARRIAGE.
Where the land is owned in small proprietorships, the
continual subdivisions among large families reduce them at
length to very narrow limits, an evil, for which, however,
there seems to be no remedy, except a return to the old
law of inheritance, making the oldest son or child heir of
all, to which no people will ever submit after once having
tasted the independence which even a little bit of land confers.
In England the land is still possessed by about six hundred
families, while in some parts of Ehenish Prussia there are six
thousand new divisions every year 1 and the whole is divided
into more than twelve millions of parcels, some of which con
tain scarcely an acre, and some only twenty rods, and are con
sidered large when of three hundred acres in extent. A pro
prietor must pay the amount of sixty dollars in taxes in order
to be entitled to hold the office of provincial deputy, and
scarcely five hundred proprietors pay this sum. Many pay not
more than a dollar, and some parcels pay not more than a
penny a year. Many of the landowners have not so much
money, and live not so comfortably as those who work upon
the large farms of England and Scotland for daily wages, yet
they would not exchange situations. All the toil that is
2G6

DIVISION OF LAND. 267
expended upon a potato patch is so much money at interest.
It improves the land, which every year increases in value, and
is a certain dependence in case of sickness or calamity. A
much larger number can be fed and clothed from the profits of
the s,ame soil when owned by many than by few ; but it is
impossible with this constant division for a few to become rich,
or that there should be any material improvement in the condi
tion of the whole. They live from year to year, and from
century to century in the same way. All are upon an equality,
as we have seen in Norway, and there is nothing to create
rivalry and competition. In Germany this is one great cause
of emigration. When the father dies, and the farm must be
divided, the share of each is so small, that one or two are
induced to sell out to the others and seek a home in a new
country. But to pay the money, the one who remains must
make great sacrifices, and will not, iu many years, be able to
add comforts to his house, or improvements to his land, and
is therefore little better off for the increase of its dimensions.
We find, too, in low as in high life, marriages are often con
tracted between those whose lands join, and " How much will
her father give her ?" is the question of the peasant as well as
the prince when his heart is inclined towards a pretty maiden.
Many practise self-denial, and devote their lives to the severest
toil, in order to lay up for their daughters a dowry that shall
tempt a husband ; otherwise they will never get married.
Yet it often occurs that farms are sold for debt, and often that
a drought, or hailstorm, or sickness, or fire reduces these small
proprietors from poverty to wretchedness, and the hammer of
the auctioneer is heard in front of a humble cot, where a bed,
a few chairs, some kettles, a cow, and a pig are all that can be
set in array to tempt purchasers. What becomes of those who

268 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
are thus deprived of their little all— an all that was so little—
we hardly know. They disappear, and, like all the unfortunate,
are soon forgotten.
The taxes are nearly the same in all other parts of Germany *
as in Prussia, and are imposed upon journeymen according to
their earnings, and upon all trade according to the profits.
Besides a poll-tax of one dollar upon every man — even the
lowest day laborer — every person must have a license to open
a shop of any kind, and also a school, and no person is allowed
to trade or teach without permission, and must pay for the
license. There is the tariff upon all foreign goods, of course,
and also a tax upon all home-made — upon salt, paper, lard,
home-made spirits, malt, home-made wine, and upon tobacco-
leaves — a tax upon meal, and license necessary to grind it — a
tax upon meat, and license to slaughter. One-fifth of the clear
annual produce of the land goes to government, except in case
of privileged nobles, who pay only one-sixth.
The taxable population is divided into four classes : 1st, the
large cities, which are nine in number ; 2d, small towns, which
are 132 in number ; 3d, all towns of more than 1,500 inhabi
tants ; and, 4th, all small towns and country. Then the people
are divided into six classes, who pay a household tax according
to their position, the highest four dollars, and the lowest one
groschen. The personal tax is paid within the first three days
of every month, and if not paid at that time, is increased.
The meal tax includes all kinds of grain, beans, peas, etc.,
and no quantity under a hundred pounds can be ground. The
tax upon each hundred pounds of wheat is about thirty-six
cents, and upon the same quantity of other grain about twelve
cents. The tax upon one hundred pounds of meat is one
» Austria Is never Included when we speak of Germany, unless particularly specified.

HABITS OF LIFE. 260
dollar. The tax upon trade includes all kinds of business, mer
chants, millers, innkeepers, ship-builders aud masters, handi
crafts, etc. But position and preferment are not conferred
according to success in any business. The merchant may get
rich, but this will not bring him to any greater honor, or elevate
his social position. He may enjoy his wealth, but his hav
ing shown skill and energy in one department of life, is no
reason for elevating him to another, which would increase his
social influence. Everything is done by the police to prevent
the servants and lower order of mechanics and tradesmen from
changing their calling, or in any way elevating their position,
and all the way up it is the same. All who fill offices or hold
government places must be educated with reference to them,
and kept as a class apart from the people. A father who has
sons asks them when they leave school what trade or profession
they will follow, and when they have chosen, it is for life, how
ever unfit they may find themselves for the duties they may be
called to perform.
That there is so little advance in what pertains to comfort in
their homes, may be partly ascribed to the habits which tho
men form in barracks, where they are all obliged to spend three
years. They learn to practise neatness and order in some
respects, but must live in a very coarse way, as regards per
sonal comfort and gratification. Their beds and tables are of
the rudest kind, and the mess is served out to them with the
coarsest utensils. They become accustomed to coarse, rude
things, and when they have homes, do not feel the necessity of
better. They have, perhaps, frequented galleries of fine arts,
and become amateurs. They have lounged in public gardens,
a.ud learned to admire fine music and fino ladies, but fine arti
cles for their sleeping-rooms, and upon their tables and floors,

270 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
they do not miss themselves, and their families do not, of course,
having never been provided with them.
The cafes, where the gentlemen meet to smoke and talk
about business, are usually very handsome in cities, and the
railroad depots and all public buildings are on a grand and com
modious scale, and though we have philosophized upon it so
much, we still marvel and wonder how they can consider these
so necessary, and be so content with the dark alleys and stair
cases, and bare walls of their own domiciles.
Another reason why they remain from century to century the
same is, that they go so little abroad. All summer they
migrate from watering-place to watering-place within their
own borders, where they see nothing new. Those of the north
find their own houses and way of living much in advance of
those of the south, and from the Ehine to the Volga there is
little variation. Those who compose the court circle in every
principality are a class by themselves, and no degree of wealth
or merit entitles one to be admitted within its precincts. There
is nothing to excite the ambition of those below to become in
manners or style of living like those above, as the barrier is
impassable which separates them. But an English author says
the manners of the nobility are in no respect superior to those
of the bourgeois. It is impossible to tell a lordly baron from a
dealer in merchandise, whom he despises, by anything in his
conversation or deportment. His instincts are no more refined,
and in the gratification of his daily wants he exhibits no higher
standard of taste than those several grades below him, accord
ing to society's definitions of rank and titles.
Thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars had been
spent in Berlin upon architecture and art before they thought
to have aqueducts and sewers, so that beneath these fine stamps

BRUNNEN. 271
and palace windows were continually running most filthy and
offensive streams, over which an Englishman wonders that even
men of bronze and marble do not hold their noses. It is only
within four or five years that this nuisance has been removed,
and not till long after the Croton aqueduct had brought the
blessed fountain to every house in New York. Which is, on the
whole, the noblest work of art, a statue or an aqueduct ? But
in all the country villages of southern Germany there is the
most generous provision for cleanliness in the ever-running
streams of water. The Brunnens — they will linger forever
among our pleasantest associations with country life in Germany.
It was. in the early golden autumn days that we found our
selves in a little inn of one of the most beautiful of the rural
districts of the Duchy of Nassau. The first sound that greeted
our ears was the music of the running water, mingled with the
happy voices of children, the que-qua of ducks, the squawling
of geese, and the lowing of kine. We looked out, and there it
was, indeed, the Brunnen, which has been immortalized by
Goethe, and serves for warp and woof of a thousand stories
for those who weave romances from real life among the rural
scenes of their fatherland.
There is first, a great reddish brown stone reservoir with
two large stone troughs, extending from each side, full of clear
water. From the centre rises a large square pillar, from the
front of which proceeds the stream, never ceasing in its flow,
and several inches in circumference, which falls into the basin
below, and makes the only music perhaps of which the ear
never tires. From grooves at the ends of the troughs the
superfluous supply is carried off, and finds its way into neatly
paved drains upon each side of the street, which we can trace
for half a mile, when the streams are lost in a running brook

272 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
that winds in a silver thread through green fields and luxuriant
gardens. It was noon when we first cast a hasty glance upon the
scene, and then, as every day afterwards, the cows were driven
down to drink, the oxen and the horses came from the field
and slaked their thirst in the crystal fountain, the maidens
came to fill their pitchers, and the children stopped to splash
their naked feet upon the stones. We can never forget the ex
hilaration which thrilled us as we looked upon this Village scene.
The village itself is far from pretty, having been built in
those dark days when everything was dingy and dark. The
houses standing close together, and close to the streets which
are narrow and gloomy, with miserable rough pavements, that
give you the feeling that you are walking upon thorns, and are
every moment liable to a misstep which may send you head
long. But we are quite inclined to forgive the stupid people
who built the houses and made the pavements, having seen the
Brunnens, and enjoyed the beauty of the fields and lanes.
Here we are reminded of New England, and in many a valley,
and upon many a hill-top might easily imagine ourselves at
home ! Oh, how beautiful I It is the time of the utmost per
fection of every thing in nature, and before even a leaf or green
blade is tinged with the symptoms of decay. The principal
features of rural life must be everywhere the same. The fields
must be ploughed, the seed must be sown, the harvests
gathered wherever " oats, peas, beans and barley grow."
" The mower whets his scythe,
And the milkmaid singeth blithe,"
and the " cow-boy whistles as he goes," very much in the old
world as in the new. But —

VILLAGE LIFE. 273
" The little boy that tends the sheep
Under the hay-cock fast asleep,"
is not to be found just here, though far to the north and far to
the south, we have seen even him, for in those parts may be
still found large tracts devoted entirely to grazing, and the
little boys and girls who attend school in the autumn and win
ter, go forth in the summer with the shepherd's crook, and
wander all the day among the hills. Here are no lowing kine
or bleating sheep, because it is more profitable to keep them in
the stalls. But there is the ploughman plodding wearily on
his way, and more wearily we think, that his plough is a cum
bersome thing, and the carts jumble and rattle over the stony
street in a more lumbering fashion, because they are heavy
and unwieldy in their construction, and the hoes and shovels
must be of themselves a weight. What a curious sight to see
women with these implements upon their shoulders, or goad-
stick in hand, calling " haw buck, and gee hci," for we presume
these terms " like love and beef-steak, are the same in all
languages." They are in costume, too ; but what a costume 1
a petticoat, and shirt with short sleeves, with suspenders across
the back — no stockings, shoes or coiffure. This is their every
day working gear. On Sunday morning they may all be seen
wending their way to the village church, in a neat dress, which
partakes more of Parisian fashions, and a pretty shawl, with
the prayer-book in their hands ; some with bonnets and some
without. There is something of the quiet air of a New England
Sabbath, though nowhere in Germany is it recognized as holy
time after morning service.
The chimes of this village church ring through, the welkin
with a peculiar sweetness, and we afterwards heard were
scarcely equalled by those of any cathedral. We heard them
12*

274 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
first when roving far away in the valley, on Saturday evening,
when the sound of the mill-wheel was hushed, and the " tired
laborer hied him home," when the birds had ceased their war
bling, and no other living sound broke upon the stillness. Our
companion that evening, was a young Catholic girl of the village,
and at the first note of their solemn peal, she knelt down and
crossed herself, and this did every one whom we saw, whilst
they were ringing. Neither religion nor education prompted
us to a similar manifestation of devotion, but there came upon
our spirits a softer tone, and a thousand sweet associations came
springing up to give mellowness to our feelings, and " bid the
silent tear to flow." Yet; —
" It is not grief that bids me moan,
It is that I am all alone."
On Saturday afternoon, the children who are " let loose from
school," or rather the little girls, are employed in cleaning the
streets, and before sunset they are all neatly swept, the stones
around the Brunnen are newly washed, and the Sabbath rest
has already commenced. Early in the morning we hear again
the chimes, and when we look forth there is no sign of toil ; but
a well-dressed, quiet throng, going up to the house of God.
Again at eleven they answer the same summons, and a few go
again in the afternoon ; but this is not required. It is a holi
day, and walking, riding, and paying visits, are among its privi
leges ; but though we. have walked the whole circle of the vil
lage, and rode many miles in the surrounding country, we have
seen nothing that is offensive. In some hall or hut, we doubt not,
there is a village dance, which on Sunday or other day, would
strike us as revolting ; but we must enter in order to be trou
bled by it. In this little town of perhaps two thousand in-

BOENE AT THE BRUNNEN. 275
habitants; there are also four public gardens, where are seats
and tables, and in the house adjoining, wine and beer for those
who wish to buy. Many assemble here to drink and talk ; but
all is orderly, and a few are strolling through the fields. But
we hear no sound of mirth or revelry, and all have a decent re-
respectable look, that inclines us to class them above the lower
orders of peasantry to be found in many other places. Some
of the new houses in the suburbs have something of the plea
sant cottage air, which is seen among the German population
of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. But, however old and dingy
the habitation, flowers may be seen blooming in every window,
and in every room there will hang rude pictures, gaudy with
the bright red and yellow tints, which please the eyes of
children. How soothing is this "Sabbath stillness 1 How sweet the
rest and leisure to the weary.
On Monday morning, the first souud. that greets our ear is
the blacksmith's hammer. The day has scarcely dawned, and
we look out to see how a little village in Germany wakes up.
It is not long before the hay-makers and harvesters are out, the
mill-wheel is splashing in the stream, the geese come waddling
to the rill, and all is busy life and bustle again. All day it is
one continuous throng of women to the Brunnen. They come to
fill their krugs or jngs, which are of stone, and large enough to
hold a gallon or two — sometimes with large tubs of vegetables
to wash, especially great quantities of lettuce and cresses, which
are soused in the troughs, and rinsed a dozen times without
reference to the quantity of water, where it is furnished by a
stream that might turn a mill, and sometimes they wash them
selves, and the little ones, with round, red rosy cheeks, that
waddle along holding by the mother's apron. Often she carries

276 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
an infant in her arms, a pail of water upon her head, and has two
balancing themselves by her dress. We have won the glances
of a bright-eyed little boy by dropping him a kreutzer, and the
mother gives us a friendly greeting, being flattered like all
mothers, by the preference we bestow upon those she loves bet
ter than herself. What a place for gossip, what a retailing of
all the news and scandal a village can furnish, as they meet,
sometimes two and sometimes twenty, every half hour. How
well we understand the pictures of the poem, and the romance
as they whisper, and hush, and look slily round. Goethe had
looked upon just such a scene when he wrote those lines in
Faust, where two girls met to fill their krugs, and one who
needs no evil tongue to sting her heart, and make her blush
for shame, is accosted by the other with a look and word that
are like the dagger's point :
" Lieschen — ' Hast thou heard nothing about Barbelchen ?'
" Gretchen — ' Not a word-: I go so little out of doors.'
"Lieschen — "Tis fact; Sybilla told it to me herself to-day. She's
played the fool at last, and so end all her fine lady air3."
It was to just such village beauties that Goethe himself
professed the love he did not feel, and made the vows he never
meant to keep.
What a rendezvous it is for lovers, too, so well they can
plan a meeting, speak in low accents what the splashing krug
shall drown to other ears, and steal away
" As light of wing and gay of heart
As Eden's garden bird."
At noon, as we said before, the cows are driven down to
drink, and the laborers return from the field," one and all stop
ping to get a draught, or to perform their ablutions at the

A MEETING. 277
fountain. The water itself is like silk or velvet to the skin,
and gives a clear hue to the complexion, and is also sweet to
the taste. We cannot learn who supplied these aqueducts, and
have no idea how long they have flowed, but it was some good
genius that thought to bestow such a blessing on the poor.
Brunnen masters are appointed in every village to see that
they are kept in order, and at certain times they are cleaned,
and new overseers take the place of the old. Then there is a
feast, for which the children go through the village and collect
eggs, which they lay upon green leaves, in a basket ornamented
with field flowers, till evening, when they are roasted, and a
great supper is given.
It was by this same Brunnen that we stood with the young
peasant girl who had been our companion in all our summer
journeyings, when a young man happened to stop there, too,
for a glass of nature's nectar. We were speaking English
without a thought that he would understand us, when a smile
betrayed that it was no strange language to his ears. His
answer to our inquiry revealed that he, too, had been in
America. " And why have you come back ?" we asked.
" Come back to get a wife," he said.
"But could you not find such a commodity in America,
that you must come so far and spend so much money to
obtain it ?"
"Yes ; but I wish to be sure that she is respectable, and we
never know what those may be whom we find there. I cannot
tell what sort of home they will make till I know what sort of
home they have left."
And so we learned that he had been seven years on a west
ern prairie, to which he went a penniless youth, and became

278 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
able to spend several hundred dollars in returning to the land
of his birth to gladden an aged father before he should lay his
head in the grave, and awake the voice of gladness in the cot
of his youth, before it should be made quite desolate by the
grim messenger before whose ruthless scythe all men must fall.
But here he had been three months and had not yet found a
wife. " There were not so many pretty girls," he said, " at
the Brunnen now a-days as there were before he went away."
But we could not help thinking the change was owing to the
different ideas of beauty which he had formed, and as they ap
peared in their working dresses, and went through the dusty
street with the water dripping from their heads to their feet,
he could not believe a " neat handed Phillis " could be found
among them, though in his boyhood, at the Brunnen or in the
village dance, they had seemed only bright-eyed and merry-
hearted maidens, to whom his boyish love made no objection.
But now he was no longer a peasant boy nor a peasant man,
but a citizen of a Eepublic, where he could become a man of
wealth and influence, and no one would ask in what rank he
had his birth. His ambition had evidently experienced a little
of the mushroom growth which would be natural from a
sudden transition to freedom, and a wide field of hope and
promise, but it was evident that the spirit of young America
had been infused into the sluggish blood of the German youth,
and industry and energy would not fail to obtain what he had
learned were their sure reward on prairie soil.
But I began to think, from the stolen glances of a pair of
dark eyes, that I was in some danger of seeing my little maiden
transported, and with a friendly invitation that he would call
and see me before he returned to my fatherland, I said good
bye.

A MARRIAGE. 2 t \)
Not long after we had returned to the city, he fulfilled his
promise, but we were not flattered with hearing that my polite
ness had given him courage to come. We had not mistaken
the purport of those glances, and now he would know if there
was any reason why he should not win the heart of the " blue-
eyed Mary," whom he had concluded would make exactly the wife
he had come so far to find. It was a conclusion which did him
no evil in our eyes, and we could not deny that he had used
his eyes to very good purpose. Our selfish interests would have
prompted us to bid him go elsewhere ; but as we had often
thought ourselves, what a nice, thrifty little housewife she
would make, if transplanted to some vine-trellised American
cottage, and what a bright blooming flower she would be her
self in an atmosphere of freedom, we could not be guilty of
saying " nay," though it would be the greatest affliction we
could experience in a strange land. She was pretty, with the
bright fresh hue of innocence and health, and three years in
England, and three years in an American family, where she
had experienced the kindness of friends, had developed her in
telligence beyond that of many a fine lady, and in no bred and
born lady did we ever meet more refined and delicate instincts.
During days and weeks of daily intercourse we had found her a
companion invaluable for what she could tell us of her people,
and to be trusted to any extent with untold gold. We had,
therefore, only to say, she was worthy the love of any prince
of the land, and still we knew that in her own she must ever
remain a peasant. If he could prove his title to claim so pre
cious a jewel, to be intrusted to him and him alone, a thousand
miles away, he was at liberty to try his skill in winning her
love. The days of courtship we will pass by, though it was not
the least among our unexpected pleasures to share the confi-

280 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
dence of two young loving hearts, and be admitted to all their
secret counsels while passing the happy seasou of preparation.
The betrothal took place in the peasant father's home, where
we saw him place his hand upon the youthful heads and give
them his hearty blessing, and for the wedding we assembled iu
the salon of an American consul, who performed the ceremony,
as the American law requires, in considering it a civil contract,
when a clergyman of the independent Lutheran church joined
them in holy matrimony, as is customary, in consideration of
its being a religious bond. A pleasant party of many who
knew and loved her, assembled to offer their congratulations,
and present some testimonial which should secure her a welcome
in the " land she was going to."
No peasant girl would think herself lawfully married without
a wedding dress, a wreath, a dance, and a feast. Our little
apple-blossom bride appeared in a cloud of white muslin which
might have graced a princess, and for the dance they repaired
to their village home. After a few festal days, which were cele
brated in true German country fashion, we saw them on the
ship which was to bear them to "loved New England's shores,"
and waved a last adieu to all we had then learned to love
among a strange people, feeling with the bitterness of the first
pang, what it was to be alone.

CHAPTEE XIX.
THE BLACK FOREST — POSTILLIONS — FARM-HOUSES  FOOD  WOMEN
AND COWS — WINDMILLS — A GERMAN YANKEE  PORCELAIN
STOVES  A MOTHER, BUT NOT MARRIED  BRAIDING STRAW — ¦
CLOCKS — THE TAX-GATHERER — INNS  BOARDING-HOUSES.
Twenty years ago, when Howitt wrote his " Eural life in
Germany," in describing his trip to the Black Forest he says :
" Our postillion wore a light yellow jacket, cut like a foot
soldier's coat, turned up with red, and the seams corded with
red. Under the left arm he carried a horn, and at his back the
tassels of the horn-belt stood out like two great cauliflowers
dipped in red dye, which go surging and bobbing in corres
pondence with the motion of the carriage. When it is wet or
cold he put on a great coat, but the cauliflowers are pulled
up and stick out at the back of the neck. His boots are a part
of his trousers, the leather commencing about half way between
the thigh and knee — a black glazed hat with broad white brim
and a heavy whip completes the costume."
One cold foggy morning, we hastened at an early hour to the
station at Freiburg, and entered exactly such an Eilwagen as
he also describes, which is a narrow oblong coach, hung high in
the air, with black leather top and yellow wooden bottom,
divided into two compartments as entirely distinct as if they
belonged to separate carriages, in the first of which are seats
for four, and in the second for two, with no means of communi- 281

282 PEASANT LIFE LN GERMANY.
cation between. The fog was so dense that we did not at first
see the postillion, or anything else three feet from the window,
but when a long hill obliged him to descend from his " high
estate," there he was, to be sure, with his yellow coat and cauli
flowers, exactly as he had been for half a century, and perhaps
for a century and a half, or ever since the Thirty Years War.
The mass of flesh and blood within must now and then be re
newed, and in this case it could not have been long since there
was a change, as the youthful, chubby face indicated a form
which had not been many years in such harness. But the pos
tillion has an identity distinct from the man, and the coachmen
as a class have so marked a physiognomy, and a uniform exactly
to correspond, that we have never been able to distinguish one
from another, or call any man by his name. When one dies,
another takes his place, wears the same coat and hat, and cracks
his whip with the same gusto. And these whips make exactly
the same music, whether flourished in Prussia or Bavaria, on
the Ehine or the Danube, by one hand or another.
What the country was through which we were passing it was
impossible to tell for many miles, so closely was the misty cur
tain drawn before our eyes. But we knew from the books of
a hundred tourists that we were in the Hbllenthal, or Valley of
Hell, as we enter it immediately after leaving Freiburg, where
it is a wide plain bordered with gentle hill-slopes covered with
vineyards, and arrive through it upon the banks of the Dreysam,
a small but pretty stream which plays a thousand freaks as it
coquettes with the wild flowers that bloom to the very edge of
the water, upon the greensward, and sputters and frets in pre
tentious anger as it bounds over the moss-grown rocks that
impede its course.
The curtain was lifted just as the scene in its wildest grand-

THE BLACK FOREST. 283
eur broke upon our view, and never did we come so near going
wild ourselves. How many a story of genii and giant, ghost
and hobgoblin, sage and seer had we read, the actors whereof
dwelt in this same valley, and had for their haunts the recesses
of the Black Forest. In our childhood, the idea had possessed
us that the people were also black, and were given only to dark
and terrible deeds, and we are not sure that we had entirely
overcome our fears in venturing among them. At its termina
tion the vallq^ becomes very narrow, and then pile on pile rise
the rocky heights, covered with a verdure that is indeed black,
though it is mostly of the fir tree, and so thickly the branches
are interwoven, that it seems impossible that a bird can find
his way in and out. Yet we heard many a clear note that
assured us of their freedom and of their happiness, but we could
well believe any tale of robber, thief, or murderer that took
refuge in so impenetrable a forest. But now the clearings have
broken the spell of the darkness and solitude that reigned so
long, and the farm-house and the harvest field that from dis
tance to distance lie scattered among the hills, relieve one of
all terror, though there are still miles and miles of wilderness,
and the mountain gorge frowns not less wildly beneath the thick
masses of sombre foliage, that cling in tufts along its summit.
Though we do at length find ourselves at an incredible height,
we can scarcely be said to have ascended, for the road winds
round and round till it forms three terraces, one above another,
making the rise so gradual that we should have no idea of the
dizzy precipices we have- passed if we could not look down upon
them when safely arrived at the top. Here they call it the
" Kingdom of Heaven," or Himmelreich, though we do not see
any particular indications of its being a heavenly region,
but we have certainly struggled through a long narrow way,
though it was not straight, in order to reacli it, and may well

284 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
rejoice that we are safe. Far away we see the peaceful lake of
Titisee, into which the Dreysam flows, upon which the now cloud
less sun is shedding a flood of golden light, and soon begin again
to descend, though not to any great depth. Our destination is
a little village in the heart of the Black Forest, and here we
soon find ourselves quite at home among the happy villagers,
and where the surrounding country reminds us of the farming
districts of many parts of New Hampshire. In the village the
houses are scattered about here and there with-it regularity,
and most of them are very neat looking; some are cottages two
or three stories high, and with green blinds to the windows. To
each is attached a garden or greensward, and everything indi
cates the thriving aud comfortable condition of the inhabitants.
The farm-houses are built like those in Norway and Switzer
land, a balcony running all around under the projecting roof,
which has very steep sides, and is thatched. The miniature
representations carved in wood, which find their way to Amer
ica among the toys for children, are correct as far as the form
is concerned, but time, and wind, and weather, have sadly
changed the real domicile, which is almost black ; the balcony
is filled with all manner of old trumpery, the manure yard blocks
up one side, and the wood yard the other, and the upper room
beneath the roof is filled with smoke, which escapes slowly
through little apertures at the sides. In this room are hung
the beef and hams to be cured, the peculiar construction being
for this purpose. Here they are spinning wool from a distaff,
as linen is spun, and this is the only kind of wheel they use
for any purpose in southern Germany, Switzerland and Italy.
But they cannot reel off a fourth part as much in the same
time as from the great wheel used in New Eno-land.
Here we shall be offered nothing but bonny-clabber for break
fast, and at ten o'clock, -if wc wi.sh for luuch, we may have black

FOOD  CHURNS  COWS AND WOMEN. 2S5
bread and potatoes, of which all partake. To do the work of
the field and the house there are four men and four maidens,
but though the maidens help the men everywhere, we never
see the men assisting in any household work, never saw a
man carry a pail of water, or make any burden lighter for those
who have to work out doors and in, day and night.
But the farmers in this region are only peasantry, and not at
all like some who may be found far to the north, with intelli
gence and refinement. At dinner we have pork aud potatoes,
at four o'clock potatoes and coffee, and for the last meal in the
evening potatoes and milk. The only cheese we have seen made
in Germany is the little round ball in the palm of the hand,
of sour milk, which is known in America as Dutch cheese, and
made now and then as a curiosity. They cannot afford sweet
milk for cheese, but the butter is much more yellow and sweet,
than in Nassau and Darmstadt, where it is white and never
salted. Nowhere in city or country, in middle Germany, did
the butter seem palatable, but always thin and insipid. But
among the grazing districts of the north, it has the genuine
golden hue, and rich taste ; and here also, where the cows are
allowed to wander over the hills. But Swiss and English cheese
are everywhere to be purchased of ample proportions, green,
yellow, and variegated.
The old-fashioned dash churn and the barrel churn, exactly like
those used in New England, are everywhere, from north to south,
and east to west. A hundred times we have seen some Frau or
Madchen turning or splashing the dash on some back piazza or
in the yard, as we have seen a hundred times in New England.
The butter is worked upon a board with a wooden spoon, and
made into balls, and no difference can we discern in shape and
dimensions from those from which we have cut slices all our

286 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
life; so we conclude there is an instinct in butter-making, as in
many other things, which we find the same the world over,
however widely apart may be the hands by which it is spatted
and pressed !
In Eussia and all middle Germany cows are yoked to draw
the plough and the cart, as oxen and horses are elsewhere.
The yoke is fitted to their foreheads, and with their heads all
labor is performed. We alluded to this peculiarity to a young
peasant, who said, " Yes, cows and women have to do a good
deal with their heads in this country ;" and these two facts led
a lady to exclaim, " she should not like to be a cow or a wo
man in Germany." But in the southern part the cow is treated
more like a fine lady, and chews her cud leisurely in. the field
or at the stall.
Upon this farm are 14 oxen, 12 cows, 2 horses, 6 sheep, 4
hogs, 8 pigs, and 8 hens, besides 11 yearlings. There are also
five goats and several rabbits, which run about freely with the
chickens. As we enter Germany from the north, the first curious object
that meets the eye is the picturesque windmill, with its long
network wings, that are adjusted to the different points of the
compass, according to which way the wind blows, and turn the
little wheels within that grind the corn and sift the meal.
They do not accomplish so much as those which go by steam
or " water-power," but one may hope they will be left to the
landscape when a more modern apparatus for making flour has
taken their place. But in the interior the mills are after the
most approved American models, as this was found necessary,
in order to compete with England in the manufacture of this
article, and we see therefore in the rural districts large, sub
stantial brick edifices, with all modern improvements for the

A GERMAN YANKEE. 287
miller's business. Further south the old-fashioned waterinill is
still perched upon every little cascade with its companion the
sawmill, which may often be seen from the road converting the
tall trees of the forest into " building materials," and making
sad havoc with the " monarchs of the wood."
Very little wheat is raised, though we cannot tell why, as
the bread of wheat flour is no dearer than that of rye, and both
only from two to three cents a pound. Potatoes are eight
cents a bushel, and apples ten and twelve. But they know
nothing about good apples in Germany, though they will not
believe it ; yet where they have such delicious grapes, pears,
peaches, and pomegranates, we do not see any particular neces
sity for their claiming also the best apples.
Coffee is eighteen cents a pound, and sugar twenty-two ; yet,
if we enter a peasant's cot, they will offer us a cup strong as
lye, and feel hurt if we refuse. Among all the villages in this
region the women are employed in braiding straw, and also in
making and polishing different parts of the clocks and watches
for which the Black Forest is so famous. We had not ex
pected to hear a word of English here, but we are scarcely
seated by one of those great porcelain stoves when an old gen
tleman accosts us in our native tongue, which he speaks very
well. We ask him how he learned it, and he said, in true
Yankee parlance, " When I was a young man I went to England,
you know, with a bt of clocks and watches to sell ; you know
we only partly finish them here ; then, you know, one goes and
sets up in London, where we put 'em together, you know, and
sell 'em." If an Englishman had heard out colloquy he would
have been greatly horrified, and quite sure nothing but a Yan
kee ever talked that way ; yet this murderer of the king's Eng
lish had never before looked upon an American. We have the

288 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
honor always to be taken for an English lady ourselves, and
though we are particular to give our residence as America, not
being at all ashamed of the land of our birth, yet they will
often set it down as England. But it is a little gratifying that
the twang does not betray us I We were amused, sure enough,
to hear it in all its force from a German, who spent six years
in England, where they profess never to admit their noses into
partnership with their tongues when talking. This is done
only in Connecticut and Vermont !
What curjuus objects are these great porcelain stoves, some
white, some cream color, and some blue I When we first saw
them in hotels, by the way, we thought they were movable
closets for china and other table furniture. In the room where
they stand there is no sign of fire or door for wood or coal, but
they are adjusted to the wall, and open into the hall, so that
the same chimney serves for the necessary masonry of any
number of stories. We have seen them in palaces twelve feet
high, prettily ornamented, and furnished with shelves and
niches for statues and knicknacks. This one before which we
sit is six or eight feet high, and raised a foot from the floor to
allow space beneath for an aviary, which contains some twenty
or thirty canary birds, who have a warm and equal tempera
ture, and hop about as merry as if in their own sunny cliine.
There are also two or three cages in different parts of the room,
with smaller families of the same genus, all being raised for the
market. If we enter any twenty houses at random we shall
see the same.*
The stoves are made in different pieces, and baked like other
articles of potter's clay, and then cemented together. When
whole they are veneered with a fine dompound, and painted.
* In all Southern Germany the raising of canary birds to sell is a great business.

A MOTHER, BUT NOT MARRIED. 289
Wc saw them in their embryo state, in company with all man
ner of pots and pans, in the raw material, placed over a slow
fire that will require a week to harden them. The expense of
the cheapest is about twenty dollars, and of the finest, forty,
fifty, and sixty. Cooking stoves are sometimes made of them,
and give a very neat appearance to the kitchen. When once
thorougbly warmed, they remain so half a day, and do not re
quire such constant attention as those of iron, and give a more
agreeable atmosphere.
On the floor by fhe stove, a little child is playing, and we
ask a pretty looking young woman if it is hers. She says
"Yes," and looks as gladsome as any young mother with her
first-born. A little while afterward our young companion asks
for her husband. " Oh," she said, " I have none."
"But I understood this was your child ?"
" Yes, it is, but I have no husband."
There was nothing more to be said, of course, but the little
one seemed to be the pet of all, and grandfather and grand
mother fondled aud kissed it as affectionately as if a golden
ring glistened upon the finger of their daughter. When the
young girl who was with us had become familiar with them,
they told her that a few years ago, when a maiden thus be
came a mother, she was obliged to have a paper pinned to her
back, and to stand on the church doorsteps whilst all the peo
ple passed in, then to take her seat apart from the congrega
tion, whilst the priest reproved her. The fashion of wearing
the hair, as in Scotland, is different among the -married and un
married. Virgins have it in long braids down behind, but the
married woman fastens it beneath a coquettish little cap, wliich
is made of embroidered silk, or cloth of gold and silver, and
worn upon the back of the head with pendant ribbons a yard
13

290 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
long. A mother must assume the cap, whether she be wife or
not, and to deepen her shame, the priest sometimes obliges her
for many weeks to wear straw braided in her hair. Some pun
ishment that all could see was inflicted upon many other kinds
of offenders, it being the decree of the Church. But these cus
toms are becoming obsolete. It was never evident that such
punishments deterred from sin.
We heard here for the first time the "Wokl bekomm's — 1
wish thee wdl," which the author of " Home Life " mentions as
having greeted his ears on the shores of the Baltic, when he
happened to sneeze, and afterwards were often favored with the
same salutation when experiencing the same affliction. Instead
of good morning and good evening, they say, " God greet you,"
and the shaking of hands is the same everywhere. We often
see husbands and wives bid each other good night in the same
fashion when leaving the company, and when we all meet in
the morning the greeting is the same. If we ask for a pin,
when it is handed us we must smile, or some evil will follow.
We were one day sitting quietly at our work when the servant
ran in, saying, " Madam, did you call ?" " No." " Oh, what
will become of me !" she cried ; " I have heard the death call
— -I have heard the death call 1" and with her hair streaming
down her face and neck, she ran wildly about, proclaiming that
she should die — she had heard the death call. We afterwards
learned that it was a common superstition, that if one heard or
imagined he heard a voice, he was sure it was the angel of
death summoning him to judgment. But this we have heard on
the coast of Cape Cod, and many others of a similar kind.
It is rye straw of which hats aud bonnets are made, and it
is bleached by being exposed to the dews of night for a fort
night ; but it must be carefully watched, as rain will ruin it.

BRAIDING STRAW  CLOCKS. 291
When ready for use it is carried to a great room, where it is
sorted, and cut for braiding. Only a few are employed in the
factory, as those who braid and sew take home the straw, and
receive so much a yard when they return it. One girl can
braid twenty yards a day, and earns eight cents. When they
are sewed they are thrown into a great cauldron and boiled ;
and if to be colored, are boiled in the dye — afterwards dried
and ironed, which is done by men. In the room where they
hang to dry, I could not have breathed ten minutes, for the
steam and heat, and felt a severe pressure on the lungs for a
day or two, though I remained not more than a minute ; yet
here those who attend them stay, from seven till twelve, and
from two till six. In the great store-rooms they are piled by
the hundreds of dozens, according to their degrees of fineness,
aud there are also boxes of the most beautiful straw flowers
of all colors and varieties, delicate wreaths and bouquets
wrought by these same peasant girls. The leghorn hats are
braided in Italy, and sent here to be sewed and shaped. But
the form in which they are transported to the milliners' shops
of every country, is exactly that of the sugar-shovel of the
Quakers, from which they are fashioned a la mode. Some of
the finest Florence braids worth thirty and forty dollars in the
manufactory. What will they be when they get across the
Atlantic, and who will be willing to pay such a price ? As
with flax, the straw in order to be of the right consistency,
must be cut before it is ripe, as then it would be too dry, and
break. The crop is therefore good for nothing but for the
straw-dealers, and must monopolize a great surface of the
earth. Clocks are cheap and plenty in Germany. Here, where they
are made, a good time-keeper may be bought for two dollars.

292 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
But there are also many nice ones with Parisian bronze, gilt,
and marble stands, and glass covers, that are expensive. Each
person makes a separate part, and all the mechanism is finished
in four or five days. From this one factory two hundred and
fifty are sent every month, and they have more orders than
they can supply in three years.
We everywhere hear the people of the Black Forest spoken
of as " good," by which is meant that they are kind-hearted,
well-meaning, and honest people, which was verified by all the
observations we made among them. The owners of the straw
and clock factories, reside in the village as a kind of gentry,
and live like the mercantile class, in their families. There is a
reading-room in the inn, with a goodly number of German
Zeiiungs, and scientific publications. Two or three persons
speak English, and many speak French. The priest and some
of the men of higher intelligence meet every evening to prac
tise in these languages, and talk of what is going on iu the
world. We have never seen any indication that the Catholic
clergy of Germany discourage intellectual cultivation, although
the governments are in no wise anxious to have their people be
come enlightened.
The villages included in the Black Forest, belong to the
Duke of Baden, and he supports the clergy, instead of their
receiving, as formerly, a certain sum by direct taxation of the
people. The tax-gatherer arrived whilst we were there, and
sitting at a table in the inn, with a great book, in which were
written all their names, open before him, the people came and
paid the money, saw it credited to their account and departed.
He looked as if he had collected taxes all his life, and probably
had. His eyes were as cold, and his face as hard as the
Gulden he looked on with so much indifference. Not a muscle

INNS, AND FARE. 293
of his face moved from the time he came with empty coffers,
until he trudged away with some ten thousand dollars under
his arm. Every one was ready with his money, and during the
hours of business, they came aud went, looking sometimes sor
rowfully, but without hesitation, till the last dollar was de
posited, and not a word did we hear during all the three days,
except when each one spoke the name to which he was to
credit the amount. We thought, " kings are men of wondrous
power as well as wondrous riches."
It is so seldom that a lady of any nation alights in such a place,
that whoever finds herself the exception to this rule, is looked
upon as an object of wonder, if not admiration, in all the
country round. At the principal inn, we found much difficulty
in obtaining bed and board. They could not understand how
a lady could be traveling for any good purpose, though on all
the thoroughfares in Germany, or anywhere else in Europe, a
lady with only her servant may be seen every day, and it is
quite as conventional as to have a baggage-master. But we
insisted that we must stay, and they must accommodate us. So,
after a solemn conclave had been held, and long deliberations,
they concluded to allow us ; and in no other place, in a hotel,
city, or country, had we so good rooms, so good food, so kind
attentions at so reasonable a rate. The " lady of the house "
was a peasant-bred woman ; but dignified and lady-like, and
her husband a refined and gentlemanly man. Neither they
nor their children could be guilty of anything coarse or rude, or
unfriendly, any more than knight or princess. We dined every
day at the public table, and before we left had visible jproof of
the influence of a lady's presence among gentlemen* or un
cultivated men. Their toilettes and deportment were essen
tially, modified, and could all the inns of Germany be modified,

294 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
or rather modernfied, and provided with ladies' salons, where
smoking was not allowed, and conversation made both com
mon and proper, gentlemen would soon lose their boorish
renown, and learn to look upon women as companions and
helpmeets in something besides eating and drinking.
At no place said we farewell with more regret, or heard a
more cordial " God bless you," when we departed.
The whole system of inns in Germany is disagreeable for the
traveler. Everything is done by the piece, and thus it is im
possible to know beforehand what a week or a month will cost,
for, in a strange land you cannot be acquainted with market-
prices, and will be as likely to order the dearest as the cheapest
food. This also varies greatly in different places. But every
where in the country, comfortable rooms and board are much
dearer than in the country in America — much dearer, too, in
the cities than in the cities of the same size at home. People
who study economy can live as cheap in one place as another,
and we know families who live more comfortably in New York,
even, on eight hundred or a thousand dollars, than any family
can live in Germany for the same money. The people who
come to Europe to live, in order to economize, are strangers
and do not care for appearances. They rent- apartments in a
street and building, such as they would not enter for any pur
pose at home, and live upon coarse food. Service is, indeed,
cheaper ; but this and everything else has doubled in the last
five years. But in all the smaller cities of America, families
live prettily and more comfortably on the same money, than
families of the same rank do here. We have paid from seven
to eight American dollars a week in a small country inn,
where our room was small and insufferably dirty, our food
literally boiled beef and cabbage. In a place of similar pre-

BOARDING-HOUSES. 295
tension in America, one may have for two or three dollars at
most, a beautiful room and the fat of the land.
It is not the custom of hotel or boardinghouse-keepers to pay
their servants at all. All who come must pay for the service
they receive, and find it charged in the bill ; but besides this,
one must give Trinkgdd — drink-money, as a fee. They say the
money thus charged is all put together and then divided among
the servants ; but if this is done, they receive enormous wages,
out of proportion to everything else in Germany. No person
believes any such division takes place. For a week's very
trifling services we have paid a dollar and a half or two dollars
Trinkgdd. Where we boarded a month or three months, we
have it in our bill, with candles and coffee, though we had
no extra service. If you engage board for so much, it means
only food and rooms ; what the servant does in preparing your
portion of the dinner, and making your bed is as separate as if
she came in from another house to perform so much labor.
Candles are extra, and never in hotel or family is there a bit
of soap. This you must carry with you, wherever you go,
and if you have any little commission performed it is also
extra. We have been often charged for depositing a letter
in the office twelve cents, when the servant had only to go
across the street. All these things are, of course, included
in every bill in every country ; but if you are told the
whole amount in the beginning, you know whether they are
within your means. We have found in some cities the cus
tom that when a family of wealth and distinction give a party,
all who accept are expected to give a Trinkgeld to the servants
on leaving, and have known many stay at home because they
could not afford this demand upon their purses — at least the

296 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
amount that it would be in the course of six months or a
year. But while we have found such meanness and fraud, and exac
tion, we have also experienced much generous kindness. With
one lady we took up our abode, with the express stipulation
that we should pay only when there, and when absent in our
wanderings, as we must often be, our things were to remain
and no charge be made. We remained on these terms several
months, and in the most friendly relationship with our hostess,
who belonged to an "old family," and considered herself a
high-bred lady. Once we gave up our room to accommodate
her, and lodged a long time with bugs and spiders, that she
might be able to add to her income and pleasure, and when we
left, found in our bill a charge for the time we had been absent
as well as present, and purposely handed to us at so late an
hour that there was no time for proof or parley. We must
pay or lose an advantageous journey. We had not slept one
night under her roof without being conscious that fleas
were also our companions, as this is one of the penalties of
living with old families, that the fleas and bugs are as old as
they, and as tenacious of their privileges.
The next time we preferred those not so high-born, but
truly high-bred, and experienced a generosity and kindness as
unexpected, and a friendliness we do not often meet among our
own countrywomen, and do not suppose that unkindness or
exaction, on the whole, is more frequent in one country than in
another. Yet it is true that " to bear one another's burdens "
is not so common in Europe as in America ; for, alas 1 they are
not so often called upon to aid the exile and stranger,
and practise self-denial for the good of others. They are taxed

BOARDING-HOUSES. 297
to support the poor, but their sympathies are not called out so
continually. This we saw alluded to and lamented in a Ger
man paper, while it said that people were too prone to suspi
cion, and cared not to aid a person till it could be proved that
he had come to misfortune by no evil deeds, and was not in
need of assistance, because he had been extravagant. In the
same article they bore testimony to the manner in which all
were received on American shores, and a friendly hand ex
tended to all, without inquiring of their worthiness till it could
have time to prove itself. Societies for all benevolent objects
among ladies are the exception in Germany, and not the rule,
it being considered more womanly to stay at home and em
broider, than to thread dark alleys to discover and alleviate
suffering. Miss Sieveking is the Mrs. Fry of Germany, but there are few
out of Hamburg, the immediate scene of her labors, that take
any interest in her appeals, and many among the educated
ladies of other cities that never heard her name. The terrible
fear of becoming still more indifferent in the eyes of men, who
now look upon them as only fit to minister to their wants,
deters the women from going out of this sphere which their
lords have prescribed for them, and only by showing how
well they can cook and mend, can they hope to get hus
bands, and without husbands, alas 1 what a deplorable con
dition 1
Ladies who have the best means of knowing, and no motive
for misrepresenting their country, say family happiness is very
rare in Germany. Marriages are so often mere arrangements
of convenience, and where women can do nothing else, they
enter upon family duties with so little idea of their require-
13*

298 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
ments, thinking only to get a home and support, that it is
impossible the result should be otherwise. A German lady
who had been in America, said she wished all the men could go
there to learn to be husbands ; but the women must also learn
to be somewhat different, before any special exhortations or
examples will change the men.

CHAPTEE XX.
AGRICULTURAL FAIRS — COSTUMES  GARDEN FESTIVALS.
We were in Freiberg at the time of the semi-annual fair,
but saw only a repetition of what we have described else
where, except that the costumes were those of the south more
than the north, and many we had not seen before. At the first
glance one seems to be among a horned race, so peculiarly is
the coiffure of the women arranged. The hair is combed
smoothly behind the ears, and brought to the top of the back
of the head in a twist, which is surmounted by a bow of black
ribbon four and five inches wide, each bow standing straight
out from the side eight or ten inches, with ends fringed with
gold or silver reaching a little beyond. It was a great mystery
to us how they could be kept in their places without lopping,
till with quite unlady-like scrutiny we had peered among them,
and ascertained that some were starched, and some were lined
with stiff paper or canvas, that kept them in no danger of
wrinkles or tumbles.
The dress is a bodice of silk, or some fine stuff, cut square
in the bosom, and the front crossed with different colors. The
petticoat of green or red flannel, very full, and plaited with
very fine plaits. All through the villages of the Black Forest
we saw this petticoat, but with different bodices and other
coiffures. The Vieslander, near Hamburg, has a petticoat some- 299

300 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
thing similar, but with larger plaits, and, like this, reaching
little below the knee, but with a blue stocking instead of white.
Some of the men have also a white stocking, the trousers com
ing only to the knee, with velvet vest, and long coat of the
same. In some districts at the north the costume has gradu
ally disappeared, because too expensive; and in these cases,
very evidently, was once that of the ladies of the court. Upon
the Elbe and Eyder, among the Freisians, a servant girl is not
considered respectably dressed unless she has a frontlet or thin
clasp of gold across the forehead. In Buckeburg, the petticoat
is of the finest scarlet broadcloth, striped with ribbons, and the
boddice of black velvet. Around the waist, the chemise is
brought out in a puff, and the sleeve is also visible to the
shoulder. Around the neck is a broad velvet band, worn tight,
and ornamented with buttons of gold and silver, or anything
pretty within the means of the wearer. It is one of the pret
tiest of all the different costumes, and also one of the most ex
pensive. They deny themselves everything else in order to
acquire all that pertains to a full dress. Yet many cannot
afford it, and gowns of modern date are taking their place.
The men wear long linen coats and straw hats, which measure
a yard in diameter across the brim.
But the Altonbergers, near Leipsig, are the most comical
looking, their skirt being of many colors, and fitting from the
waist to the knee almost as closely as drawers, and is yet but
one piece.
An agricultural fair in Germany is in many respects a more
showy exhibition than can be produced in America. One
which took place near Carlsruhe, which is the residence of the
Grand Duke of Baden, will give an idea of all, where a similar
nttempt is made at a grand exposition. Upon a large platz in

AGRICULTURAL FAIRS  COSTUMES. 301
the depths of the Hartzwald, or forest of the Hartz Mountains,
were tho preparations for the fete, where the most conspicuous
object, upon approaching, was a graceful pavilion constructed
for the occasion, the covering being of white linen — for it was
to shelter royalty — and the pillars, knotted trunks of oak and
fir, wreathed with vines and flowers of every hue. Around the
lawn was a wide promenade; and when a salute of three guns
announced the arrival of the royal cortege, the throngs of
peasantry that had come through the forest in every direction
from all the different provinces of the duchy, formed themselves
into a procession behind the long file of carriages that composed
the court; and when they had marched three times around
with music and flying colors, the royal carriage stopped in front
of the pavilion, before which the Grand Duke and his suite
alighted, and the multitude arranged themselves in groups
around the long tables which covered the square, loaded with
the productions of each province.
But not only the dominions of the Duke of Baden were repre
sented, but troops from the Odenwald, the Verstewald, the
Valley of the Ehine, and the Palatinate, could be recognized
by their several costumes, and in the procession the women,
maidens, and little girls, were the first after the royal party
and members of the scientific congress, not only gay with the
many colors of their national dress, but crowned with wreaths
and bearing flowers. There were the broad petticoats and
variegated bodices of the Brisgau; a long row of yellow-
painted straw-hats, with the dazzling hue a little relieved by
sprigs of green, from another district of the Black Forest; and
in striking contrast, a troop of young girls from the Swiss
Cantons, with a straw hat of a more coquettish form, the little
red petticoat more jauntily worn, and set off by a snowy-white

302 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
apron. More lightly, too, they trip on their way, and we
therefore fancy have lighter hearts.
After the maidens came the young men, not as fanciful, but
not less distinct in the characteristics of the land where they
dwell. First, the peasantry of the valley of Kinzig, with thick
heavy boots and stout grey roundabouts. Then those whose
toil allows a lighter costume and gayer mien, and which we have
before seen among the extensive hop-fields of the Palatinate.
They are followed by the shepherds of the Black Forest, walk
ing side by side with the miners of swarthy tint. Each group
exhibits in its march, that for which his district is most
famous. One is leading a spirited horse, with gay bridle ;
another a yoke of fat oxen. Some are holding aloft sheaves of
wheat, others clusters of grapes, and still others, strings of
vegetables. There are flocks of sheep and herds of swine, goats
from the hills, and herds from the valleys, and representatives
from all the feathered tenants of the farmyards. One might
have thought Noah had opened not only the windows but the
doors of the ark, and let all that were within go forth.
Before the pavilion was erected a " triumphal column," con
structed by a fanciful scaffolding, covered with branches of fir
and cypress, and hung from top to bottom with every species
of grain and fruit aud vegetable which the duchy produces.
What melons, what peaches, what pears — what a temptation,
those ripe and purple clusters, and with what exquisite taste
has all been arranged, so that the sombre and green come in
pleasing contrast with bright and mellow hues.
How much more honorable and more gratifying must be a
sight like this to any king or potentate, than so many men
armed with spikes and bayonets, cultivating and exercising the
basest instead of the noblest passions of the soul. Yet we could

FAMINE IN SILESIA. 303
not help thinking it would be well for the Grand Duke of
Baden, or Wurtemberg or Hesse Darmstadt, to see these gay
and merry troops under less favorable circumstances of toil and
privation, exhibited in their homes. It is difficult to imagine
groups like these can ever be cold or hungry, or suffering for
food ; but though the land is filled with plenty, it is only the
tables of the kings that have always enough. In every pro
vince there are occasionally scenes like those described by
another, as having taken place in Upper Silesia, in 1848. "In
the autumn of 1847, their potatoe crop failed. This was almost
their entire dependence for food during the winter, and the
other harvests were this year not so good as usual. They were
obliged before winter, to resort to roots, and mingle chalk with
their meal. When winter came it was with unexampled sever
ity, and the year 1848 opened on a scene of suffering and des
titution in Upper Silesia, such as the world has seldom witnessed.
Men wandered starving and haggard in the streets, grasping
food where they could find it. Corpses lay unburied by the way
side. Houses were filled with the dead, and no one knew it,
and the officers of the government, who forced open the doors,
not unfrequently found the famishing wife in the arms of the
husband, who had perhaps been dead for days. All that is
disgusting, heart-sickening in human misery, was experienced
by thousands and tens of thousands, in this Prussian province.
The Catholic clergy labored incessantly among the sufferers,
and the ' sisters of charity,' were known not seldom to have
slept in the snow while going about to help the starving. But
all aid was of no avail. As the spring came on, td the horrors
of famine were added the raging of a fearful pestilence, caused
by the unburied dead, and the foul nourishment on which the
inhabitants had lived. The priest was swept away with the

304 PEASANT LIFE TN GERMANY.
sick whom he would relieve, and even the immense establish
ments for feeding the people, erected by the Catholic clergy,
were of little use. The whole population were so weakened and
hopeless, that the highest wages could not induce them to
labor, and they could hardly make the necessary exertion to
receive the food which was offered them. The government for
a long time paid no attention to the complaints which were
made, and it was not till in some districts one-fifth, and in others
nearly half the population had perished, that it deigned to con
tribute its aid."
By one who assured us it was true, we were told that once
the king set out to visit this province, that he might see for
himself if the reports were correct. But first ho sent a messen
ger to apprise the people of his coming, and commanding that
they should appear in their holiday dresses to greet him as he
passed in the streets. Those who had strength obeyed, as no
command of the king is to be resisted, without danger of worse
punishment than famine. They were also commanded to sing
and cheer him. When he saw them in gay attire, and heard
their voices in loud chorus ring through the air, he exclaimed,
" What a happy people ! I had not thought to see such com
fort and happiness in all my dominions." So he returned to his
palace to revel in luxury upon the flesh and blood of his sub
jects. The burdens of taxation are so great, and their poverty
so wretched at all times, that only a little additional misfortune
reduces them to starvation.
We were reminded of this visit of the king of Prussia to his
starving people, as we looked upon this ducal cortege in the midst
of the gay peasantry and agricultural plenty. Here is enough,
and to spare; but it is not those who toil who enjoy the fruit of
their labors, and the failure of a crop in Baden or the valley

GARDEN FESTIVALS. 305
of the Ehine, produces consequences for which they cannot
provide, and from which they cannot recover in many successive
years. Still we must not depreciate the labors of the men of science,
who have done much to insure good husbandry, and certain re
sults which cannot fail to be of some advantage to the peasant,
though the largest profits fill the coffers of princes. In many
cities there are voluntary associations for distributing prizes to
those who produce the best flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and
the exhibitions of these are very attractive and beautiful. The
flower festival is held in April, when all the gardeners from
the surrounding country bring from their greenhouses and
conservatories what they have been able to grow to rare perfec
tion, and ladies and gentlemen contribute from their private
stores what will serve to adorn the festival. We saw one of
these in a northern city. The hall was very large, and all
around against the walls, half the height, upon a sloping mossy
bank were arranged the flower-pots, in a manner to place their
contents in the most favorable light, and give the cheeks of the
pale and rose-tinted beauties the best rehef. A richer display
of gold, green, and scarlet we never beheld, the children of
every country and clime. The floor of the centre of the hall
was covered with moss, and here and there, in groups, a bed of
roses, of hyacinths, of tulips, of cactus, in every phase of bud
and blossom — little knots of shrubbery — vines woven in most
graceful tracery, tall trees shading the delicate garden chair,
which the maker has placed here also to exhibit in its most
favorable hght, and upon little tables are vases and little moss
beds arranged in dishes teeming with the same luxurious
beauty. Around this bed a bank of earth, covered with turf,
is raised, upon which flower-pots are set so thickly that one

306 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
can only see a continuous line of variegated leaves and petals.
In one corner are early radishes, cucumbers, turnips, and cab
bages, not less ambitious of attention and reward. In every
flower-pot is perched upon a little stick the name of the flower,
its price, where it was raised, and by whom owned, and when
any one is sold this is added to the items of intelligence. The
gardeners stand by their several groups to give information
and make sales, but nothing is removed till the exhibition
closes. The medals are arranged in a glass case with the
names of those to whom they are awarded. In the summer
there is a similar exhibition of fruits, and in the autumn of
vegetables, when flowers only appear to vary the scene, and
there is no occasion -out of the common course in Germany,
where flowers do not grace the board, not a spot of earth upon
which the tiniest violet can bloom, that is not made to produce
one. This society was commenced by a few gentlemen uniting to
form a httle capital, which increases by others joining as they
become interested, and by what is taken in entrance fees at the
door, twelve cents each being the price of admission. There
are now several hundred different societies for the promotion
of agriculture in the states denominated the Zollverein, or
states united by a Tariffverein, and to these belong several
thousand members, all in correspondence with each other, and
meeting often at different places for discussion upon all subjects
relating to agricultural interests. All that science can do is
brought to their aid to analyze soils and discover the chemical
nature of grains and fruits, with reference to their adaptation
to each other, and those of all ranks unite heartily in the
work. Some are private associations and some are supported
by the government.

GARDEN FESTIVALS. 307
In Darmstadt an experiment was commenced many years
since of forming a class of thirty or forty peasant youths a
year, to be taught by the " Grand Counsellor of the Forests,"
belonging to the royal domains, at the expense of government.
He delivered a course of lectures upon the nature of soils, and
the best methods of agriculture, and gave them lessons in
drawing. Each class enjoyed the benefit of his instructions
three months, and the first year his success was so great that
he was astonished, and before the members of a scientific con
gress said : " Do not think that to be born a peasant is to be
born without capacity ; I have proved the contrary. Out of
forty pupils only one has failed to answer to what was expected
of him. All the others have exceeded our hopes even." In
the course of time, as these young men are scattered about the
country, there must follow very beneficial results, though the
knowledge they acquire in so short a time is, of course, very
limited. When they have experienced the benefit in an im
proved condition they will make exertions for self-improvement,
and a new generation will be still more thoroughly imbued with
the spirit of enterprise and progress.
But the efforts of one of the members of the royal family
of Austria seem to be attended with still greater blessings
among the Tyrolese and the inhabitants of the Styrian moun
tains. The Archduke John, one of the youngest of nine bro
thers and sisters, and therefore very far removed from all hopes
of wearing a crown, turned his ambition into a different chan
nel, and devoted himself to the humbler sphere of agriculture
and manufactures. Very early he selected a rural retreat
in the country, far from Vienna, and by associating with the
people, and taking an interest in their affairs, gained their love
and inspired them with a desire to emulate a higher life. He

308 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
spent a year in England, and traveled over all his own country,
in order to improve himself, but his movements were never ap
proved by his family. " Yes," said his brother the emperor,
" John is a very brave man, a very brave man, but he has one
great fault : ' what he should not do he does, and what he
should do he does not.' " In all the French war he is conspicu
ous as the leader of armies, and especially as one of the be
loved leaders of the brave Tyrolese, who would not yield even
at the command of their king, but choosing a general from
among themselves, defended their country to the last moment.
The rifle of Hoffer, not less skillful, nor less brave than a noble
man, is preserved among the curiosities in the house of the
Archduke John. When the war was over, he returned to his
rural life, and married a wife from among the people, with
whom he has lived happily during a long life, and who has
been his helpmeet in his labors for their good. He has founded
many agricultural societies, which have introduced a better
husbandry among the Styrian peasantry, and any calamity
which befalls them, from fire or drought, fails not to move his
heart to pity and his hand to help. Very beautiful is the de
votion of these people to their benefactor, and this instance of
daily association of the high-born with the lowly, proves that
respect for the one does not diminish while the heart of the
other is softened and filled with sympathy by a knowledge of
the character and wants of his dependents. Often he assumes
the peasant costume, rambling freely among the mountains,
talking with them by the way, and supping with them at the
village inns. To his royal relatives he exhibits a vulgar mind
by these habits, but no other member of the family has, for a
century, shown a capacity for anything but brutal tyranny,
while to him the intricacies of science and art are familiar, and

ARCHDUKE JOHN. 309
the prosperity of the empire has been more promoted by his
devotion to the study of men and mechanics than all the others
have accomplished together. At Gratz he established, in 1812,
an institution for the encouragement of everything relating to
science, arts, and manufactures, and where are collected speci
mens of the mineral and agricultural products of the whole
country. It is called the Johanneum, from its founder.
Near Brandhof, the residence of the Archduke, are the iron
works, which also originated with him, as iron is the staple
article of Styria, and all the improvements made in other coun
tries are introduced immediately into his manufactory, where
the royal cannon are moulded, and the principal steam-engines
for ships aud railroads are produced. Very gladly would the
people of Styria aud the Tyrol throw off the iron yoke of Aus
tria and constitute themselves into an independent govern
ment, and many fears have been entertained that the prince, so
popular among the people, might attempt to put himself at the
head of such a movement, but it does not appear that he has
any ambition for that kind of power. In the revolution of
1848, he was in favor of annihilating Austria, Prussia, and all
the separate governments, and astonished the courts as well as
people, by being the first to cry out, " No Austria, no Prussia,
but one united fatherland." The liberal party looked to him
as their hope, and when they did not succeed he was obliged
to bear some of the blame ; but his home is in the hearts
of the people, who have lost none of their affection for
him. Now he is like a patriarch among them, being " old and
well stricken in years," and they look to him as a father, of
whose kindness and parental care they are sure in prosperity
and adversity. His has been a life full of good deeds, while
his kindred who have worn the crown and waved the sceptre,

310 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
have done little else than stain their hands with the blood of
the innocent. What magic can there be in power, that so
many should prefer it with its load of crime and guilt, to a life
of peace and love ?

CHAPTEE XXI.
AMUSEMENTS CONTINUED  A PASTOR'S WELCOME  A VILLAGE RAIS
ING — MARRIAGE CONTRACTS  WEDDINGS  GOLD AND SILVER
WEDDINGS — BIRTH-DAYS — NAME-DAYS — GAMES.
There is probably not a week in the year in which some
festival does not occur. Every unusual event is converted into
a fete, which in other countries is passed by as of no conse
quence. An ordination in America is an occasion of assembling
together, and the people verily rejoice ; but in Germany there
is a great expression of this joy besides. It was our good
fortune to accompany a village pastor and his family, in the
north of Hanover, when they went to take up their abode in a
new place, and be ordained over a new people. We did not
expect any demonstrations of welcome on our arrival ; but had
scarcely entered the village, when a troop of boys and girls
issued from a side street and screamed at the top of their voices:
"They are coming, they are coming!" and then they arranged
themselves on each side of our carriage, and taking off their hats,
bowed and cheered us all the way to the place of our destina
tion. On reaching this, we were escorted through a high arch,
erected for the occasion, of evergreens, and flaunting with
flowers and ribbons. Before this we alighted, and walked
beneath the gay canopy to the door, over which, upon the
outside, and over every window, was a wreath suspended by a
811

312 PEASANT LIEE EST GERMANY.
gay ribbon, to crown a semi-circle of white paper bound with
scarlet, upon which were texts of scripture, or words of poesy,
that spoke of welcome and joy.
Within were corresponding words and devices ; the floor was
strewn with a carpet of green, decked with roses, and all around
were trellised vines and bouquets of flowers. As we had come
somewhat earlier than they expected, the supper was not ready;
but great loaves of bread lay upon the table, joints of meat,
chickens, vegetables, butter, cheese, and all that could be
needed for a hearty meal. The elders and their wives wsre
there to greet us, and all at our service, upon whom we might
call for any attention. It was indeed a welcome to gladden a
pastor's heart, for all had been done by the villagers in the
most cordial sincerity and love.
On the Sunday succeeding, was the ordination, when the
church was also decorated. The ceremonies were similar to
those in America, except that the clergymen were in robes.
A sermon was preached; the solemn laying on of hands, the
right hand of fellowship, and the final blessing were the same
that we have often seen. But the pastor is expected to give a
dinner afterwards, and have at his table the assisting clergy
men, the elders, aud any other strangers he may choose.
Ample stores are provided, however, by the people, and ample
service given by the village youth and maidens, who afterwards
serve themselves to what is left.
A village raising is another festive scene. When a house is
finished, all except the roof, and that is ready to place upon
the walls, all the principal families are invited to witness the
ceremony, and partake of a feast, to which each guest must
contribute. When the rafters are joined, a man ascends to
the highest point with a large wreath, with which he crowns

SPINNING CIRCLES. 313
the united spars, and then making a speech, takes a bottle of
wine and hurls it to the earth. If it breaks, well and good ;
but if not, no luck will come to the house or its owners. The
man who bears the wreath is followed by a long procession,
who wait till he has fulfilled his commission, and receive him
with shouts as he descends, when all proceed to the table,
where they eat, drink, and are merry for many hours, and then
a dance closes the scene. The empty barrels tell in what con
dition they must reach their homes.
When a baby is born among the poor, the village matrons
are expected to call and fill the mother's cupboard with good
things, to last till she is able to attend to it herself, and when
she first appears at church, thanks are offered for her recovery.
During the winter, spinning circles are held two or three
times a week, first in one house and then in another, till all
have been visited, when they begin again. Each maiden's
wheel is carried by her loverj who accompanies her, and sits
by her side during the evening, with his elbows upon his knees,
a little pipe in his mouth, and knitting-work in his hand, with
which he keeps as busy as she with her distaff, unless he stops
to give her a kiss now and then, which she does not take at all
amiss. The pastors' wives sometimes try to interfere with
these spinning circles, which do not always end as decorously
as they begin ; but they find it, on the whole, better to permit
them to meet openly, .as otherwise they will meet secretly,
and in less proper and more dangerous ways. It is some re
straint upon them, that when they come to be married they
are not allowed to wear a bridal wreath unless they pre
serve their purity, and we saw the pastor on one occasion,
when it was evident the wreath was unworthily worn, take a
handkerchief and spread over the head of the bride, thus
14

314 PEASANT LIFE LN GERMANY.
publishing what perhaps few besides would have observed.
In some provinces, when the father goes to register the birth
of his child, being asked the date of his marriage, as he
always is, and finding the birth too soon, he is compelled to
pay a sum to government. Yet all this seems on the whole
to be of little use; as a lady tells us, who bas lived many years
in a northern village, that she seldom knew a wedding where
the wreath could in all honor appear.
Among the wealthy peasantry, a marriage is sometimes agreed
upon by the parents, when the children are infants or very
young, in order to unite lands or other possessions, after the
manner of princes, and in these cases of betrothals without
their consent, the children obey, and cases of infidelity are very
rare among married peasants. Before and during a betrothal,
they suffer no discredit for any degree of immorality ; but after
marriage, are disgraced, if not strictly upright. It often hap
pens that several children are born before the parties are old
enough or in a condition to marry ; but when they are; it takes
place with the same ceremony as if the wedding had preceded
the children.
A wedding at the north, in the primitive style, is a grand
affair. In every village is a man whose special office it is to
carry wedding invitations, which he does on horseback with a
long staff buckled to his side, hung with ribbons of every
color of the rainbow, a large knot of the same in front, his hat
gay with long streamers, and his horse's head and tail in corres
ponding array. This is the uniform of the person who has the
office, and is kept sacredly through many generations. He sets
out in gay spirits, stopping before every door, calling aloud to
those within to come forth, when, in rustic rhyme, he tells his
errand, endeavoring to be as humorous as he can, and they

WEDDINGS. 315
offer him a glass of brandy, to keep up his spirits and sharpen
his wits. Before he has delivered a hundred messages, how
ever, he is apt to get somewhat dull. Every family is re
quested to bring their own knives and forks, and spoons, and
where servants are kept, they also are expected to come. If
the wedding is among the poor, a present must be offered, and
in this way many obtain their means of going to housekeeping.
Tho bride is escorted to the house of her lover by a cortege,
consisting of the bridesmaids, who sit with her in the carriage,
where also are her bed and spinning-wheel, with the distaff
adorned with gay ribbons. Four horses draw the carriage
with ribbons fluttering from their heads, and in front ride the
bridesgrooms on horseback, with flowers and bows in their but
tonholes and hat-bands. The bride enters her new home with
great ceremony, where she is greeted by the company already
assembled by drinking her health, when they all proceed to
church, where the pastor awaits them. The form of marriage
is the same everywhere, and like that of the Episcopal church.
If they are not able to furnish themselves with rings, they
exchange a piece of coin instead, and thus their troth is sealed
and they are pronounced husband and wife. The schools are
not in session on a wedding day, as the schoolmaster must be
invited, and the children are all allowed to be spectators, and
the young men shoot with guns, both going and returning from
church, making a great noise.
When the procession returns the dinner is ready, and has
been the same at every wedding- feast for a century. The pastor
and family, and any others who are not peasants, have a sepa
rate table, with plates and knives for each person. But all at
the wedding-table are not furnished with these luxuries, but help
themselves with their fingers or each other's forks and spoons

316 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
directly from the dishes, which consist invariably of soup, boiled
ham, boiled rice with sauce, and roast veal. On the pastor's
table is also roast duck, made particularly excellent in the eyes
of the people by being strewed with sugar and cinnamon 1
The festivities continue three days, but the pastor and
schoolmaster only attend the first, and on the third all are so
weary that they retire early, and are not very many.
The dance commences soon after the dinner, during which
every man must dance with the bride, and the groom with every
maiden, and at the end of every figure or waltz each must pay
a few cents. The most interesting ceremony is that of stealing
the garter off the bride, which must be done by one of the
young men ; but, knowing this beforehand, she places it very
low, and when it is removed, the husband must redeem it with
money. Then her shoe is passed around to receive any volun
tary contributions. They dance all night, and in the morning
sleep upon benches, or chairs, or tables, for a little while, and
then dance all day and all another night.
In the Black Forest we attended a wedding, where the
parties were Catholics. They came from a distance to the
hotel, and walked in procession to the church, the men on one
side of the street and the women on the other, preceded by
six little girls of seven years of age, dressed in white, with
wreaths upon their heads, and long sashes. High mass was
performed, and burning candles placed before the bride.
When they were ready, the father of the bride led her to the
altar, and the young man was led by his father. When they
met, they knelt upon a cushion, side by side, and the priest read
the service. When he attempted to put the ring, upon the
finger of the bride, he dropped it, which excited a great com
motion among the people, as it is considered an evil omen.

GOLD AND SILVER WEDDINGS. 317
They formed a procession, similar to the first, to return to th e
inn, where the bride was greeted with kisses and congratu
lations for half an hour, when they drank coffee, and departed
to their new home, where the feast and dancing were the same
as we have before described.
The anniversary of a wedding is observed in some way by all
ranks, but a lady told us that when the marriage was not
happy, it was not a very pleasant custom, and that she never
once mentioned her wedding-day in the twenty years she
lived with her husband. But we knew a silver wedding ob
served under very curious circumstances. The parties had
lived together pleasantly enough for many years, and had
several children, when the husband, who was a very sentimen
tal man, fell in love with a very sentimental woman, and left
his wife and children a long time, to live with her in platonic
friendship, but as the prince to whom they were subject would
not consent to a divorce, at length they removed to a distant city,
and were married. When the twenty-fifth anniversary arrived,
the husband and father returned to his first wife and children,
to celebrate the silver wedding, which was attended with all
the ceremonies usual on such occasions, and seemed to pass as
joyously as if they had not been separated. A silver wreath
is worn by the wife, and a silver buckle by the husband, friends
are invited, gifts presented and congratulations offered. When
they had passed a week together they separated again, as
amicably as they had met, perhaps not to meet again till the
golden wedding, which occurs on the fiftieth anniversary, when
they wear a golden crown and golden buckle, and children and
grandchildren become part of the festive circle.
In Saxony, the wife may divorce her husband for infidelity,
as in other countries the husband may divorce the wife. Big-

318 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
amy is a cause of divorce, and desertion on either side, or
any attempt on the life of the other by either party, or any
disgraceful crime that is punished by imprisonment. There is
a case now pending in Hanover, where it is under discussion,
if the husband may open letters directed to his wife, if he sus
pects her fidelity. It was decided in one court that he might,
and the accused wife appealed. The decisions of the higher
court are not made known. When the wife divorces the hus
band for infidelity, he can have none of her property, and she
retains the children, while young, but he may have them when
older to educate, if proved that he is better able, but both
parties are allowed to see them, unless likely to be a moral
injury to them.
It is curious that in Prussia the laws were made more strin
gent concerning divorce lately, in order to promote morality,
and in Saxony relaxed to promote the same end.
Birthdays are also among the honored ones, and we said to
an elderly unmarried lady : " You cannot be so sensitive in
Germany about telling your age as they are in other countries.
If any anniversary is kept, all must know your age."
" And why not," she said, " why should I be ashamed of my
age ? I am fifty-two, what matter is it who knows ?" But
we were told by others that they often attended birth
day festivals, year after year, without knowing the age of the
person whom they congratulated. It was a question never
asked, and a subject never alluded to. It was not necessary
to know exactly how many years one had lived, in order to
wish them still many more of happiness and love. Presents
are a part of the ceremony on all occasions. We came down
one bright spring morning to the breakfast-room, without
knowing that it was the birth-day of any one in the house. The

BIRTHDAYS  NAME-DAYS  GAMES. 319
walls and windows were festooned with green, the table was ar
rayed in flowers, and loaded with toys, and arround were hang
ing various articles that told distinctly enough in whose honor
was all this. A door, the upper part of which was glass,
separated this room from the nursery, aud soon we saw a little
head with silver curls appear, crowned with a wreath of shin
ing leaves and rosy buds. What a shouting of merry voices 1
Then came the nurse with her little charge dressed in white,
with another wreath about her waist. How she clapped her
little hands as she was seated in a high arm-chair, converted
into a Naiad's bower, by an arch of green, and wreaths of
moss and ivy, and placed at the table. She was only two
years old, and did not at all appreciate the new hat and cloak,
or dress, but was immediately absorbed in trying to feed a pair
of sugar twins, that were perfect representations of a living
German baby in swaddling clothes. They are rolled up like a
mummy, and we never laughed so heartily as when we first saw
one in such a plight, with its little woman's cap tied close
under its chin. We had never quite appreciated a birth-day
festival till we saw this.
Among Catholics name-days are also observed, that is, the
day on which they are - christened, but we were present only
once where this occurred, and it was then the mother of a
family who was honored. Wine was sent her from her aged
parents, far distant, to drink on the occasion, and had been
sent every name and birth-day since her marriage. We had
a sumptuous dinner with a few friends who brought gifts. In
the evening, games were played, and the children danced.
Cards,%games and puzzles, may be seen upon every German
table, and we were never anywhere that they were not the
amusement of the children, on Sunday and other holiday even-

320 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
ings. This is a strange sight to an American, and many a dis
cussion we have had with the parents concerning it. They say
always, it is better to afford them innocent amusement at home,
than to have them sighing from weariness, and longing for for
bidden pleasures. The children look upon cards as upon toys
of any other kind, and use them in the same way. In answer
to whether it does not lead them to a taste for gambling, they do
not think there is so much danger as when they are concealed
and prohibited at home, for they are sure to learn by stealth
when they go into the world, and become more excited in this
way than when practising it always as an innocent amusement.
But in all these things we cannot judge.
The pleasant and oft recurriDg festivals we like. They fill
the home with joy, and scatter over all life's- pathway those
happy memories which give to the darkest some brightness,
and to the bitterest cup some sweetness, and no pilgrimage
through this world is in danger of not being sufficiently weary.

CHAPTEE XXII.
COSTUMES — WOMEN WORKING IN THE FIELD — LODGINGS AT AN INN
— KITCHEN WORK— RECIPE FOR PRESERVING FRESH FRUIT 
CHIER MAKING — TILES  CARTS  WOODEN UTENSILS  APPLE-BEE
— SAUSAGES  FOOD  CHIMNEY-SWEEPS  TITLES  ETIQUETTE OF
CALLING — BETROTHALS.
It is curious that in some peasant districts the women adhere
as tenaciously to the hat as the 'Indian women, though in
no other respect do they don men's attire. But not at all
times are they so becoming as at the fair, where they serve to
give variety, and in gala dress did not seem out of place. We
have seen those happy-looking wives and merry-hearted maid
ens, bearing the burden and heat of the day in the midst of
their toils, and learned that those we saw before were not only
holiday costumes but holiday smiles.
In the Black Forest, where a new road was being cut
through a mountain, and for miles the hill must be dug out,
we saw droves of women, with those same painted straw hats,
breaking stones with an iron martel upon the highway, and
other droves filling the wheelbarrows with dirt, and filing off
in a long row to empty them into the valley. Besides the hat,
their costume was a coarse petticoat like the frocking of the
New England farmer, and a sort of jacket of the same ; often
no stockings or shoes, or if- they have, so coarse and hard
that they seem to be more painful to the feet than the stones.
In the region of Bremen, or Hamburg, we have seen whole
u .- 821

322 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
troops of people with the sabots, or wooden shops, which are
great clumsy things carved from one piece of wood, and go clat
tering at every step. In the south we noticed none but leather ;
but they are too costly to be worn every day, and so these
poor women tramp from morning till night, barefooted upon
these sharp stones, doing the labor that, in America, is only
performed by the lowest class of Irishmen. Their dress and
appearance reminded us of the negro women upon southern
plantations. What must the homes be which are arranged
and sanctified by such women, and what the children, nursed
and cared for by such mothers ?
In some places a kind of a higher class is formed by those
who do not allow the women to work in the fields and on the
roads ; it was in such a family that we spent a little time
during the apple-gathering and cider-making period, in the
autumn. They kept the village inn ; but on a road that did
not bring them a throng of customers from foreign parts.
The father was, in appearance and manners, like the better
class of farmers in New England, and the wife and daughters
also very similar to those we should find in the same position
at home. And, alas, we must say the comparison goes farther.
In both cases when they arrive at a kind of independence, it is
the man alone who arrives at ease. Being no longer obliged
to work in the field, he only exercises a kind of supervision
over his affairs, working a little every day if he chooses, and the
remainder of the time smoking and chatting with his customers.
As usual in German inns, there is no place where a woman
can sit down and be decent or comfortable, except in her room,
and here we took all our meals. The rooms for guests
were furnished with the usual quota of long wooden benches,
placed against the walls, and the long wooden tables in front—

A GERMAN INN. 323
and never made more cheerful by cloth or napkin. There might
be seen at every hour of the day also, the usual quota of wine-
bibbers and beer-drinkers, munching black bread, and smoking
and gossiping, as if these were the great objects of life.
We asked for a room with one bed, but were obliged to take
one with two, and when we came to pay our bill, found wc
were obliged to pay for two also, though only one was occupied.
It was made up with special care for our comfort, and consisted
first of a thick straw bed, as foundation ; upon this, at the
head, a large solid straw pillow, made upon the principle of an
inclined plane. Then came another hard bed, but a little softer
than the straw. Now, the snowy linen sheets, and two feather
pillows, upon which it would be impossible to sleep except
in an upright position. Upon these were placed two feather
beds, each half a yard in depth, so that from the top to the
bottom, the whole measured two yards. In many peasant
houses that we have seen, the guest-chamber is furnished
with a ladder upon which to climb to the top of the bed, and
we should certainly have needed one here if we had thought
of finding repose upon such a mountain ; but instead of this
we spent half an hour removing the several layers, until the
proper height was reached for our convenience. We did not
have to make our bed but it was considerable labor to re
make it ; but we could not think of asking any change in the
arrangements, as this would destroy the beauty of the bed,.
which is everywhere made up as high and round as possible,
iu order to look well in their eyes. How it is possible for
people to preserve health, sweated and sweltered every night
by such a process, we do not understand, and they wondered
not less how we could sleep in any other way. The only other
furniture of the room was a deal table ; upon which every even-

324 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
ing was set a bowl of fresh water for our morning ablutions,
and a tumbler filled with the same for our mouth; with each day
a clean towel, and three times a week all the linen of the bed
renewed, which was a luxury we never found elsewhere, and in
no city oftener than once a month.
We had furnished ourselves with chocolate, knowing it could
not be purchased so far in the country, and had, every morning,
sweet milk, and the usual good bread, with two eggs, for
our breakfast. For dinner, boiled beef and black bread, after
a soup which was only the water in which the beef had been
boiled, sometimes a pickle, and perhaps for dessert, a piece of
fried pork, or liver, with potatoes. For supper, chocolate and
bread, but others had a hearty meat-supper, at nine o'clock, in
the common room. The mother and daughters worked all the
day in the kitchen and dining-room, and when we have looked
out very early, we have seen the wife washing floors and sweep
ing the street in front of the house, looking weary ere it was
dawn, while her gude man slept. The daughters were very
pretty, and dressed like New England girls of the same rank,
having wholly discarded the peasant dress. They allowed us
freely to enter the kitchen, and initiated us into all the opera
tions of dairy and pantry, and this we found all German house
wives willing to do.
It was, as we said, the busy time of the year, and those who
went to the fields, came home, with carts laden with apples,
pears, and nuts, which were deposited in bins for the several
purposes to which they were destined. What we call in
America English walnuts grow here in great abundance, and
taste, when green, very much like butternuts. The bark is
peeled off and dried for fuel, and the nuts put away in heaps,
for the children to crack around the winter fire ; but among

FRUIT  HOW PRESERVED. 325
the poorer families, they are carried to market, and exchanged
for articles more necessary to life.
The cider-press stands in the great barn floor, instead of
having a house by itself, as in New England, and occupies only
some feet of space, being turned by a man instead of a horse.
A half tun stands to receive the expressed juice, in the taste
of which we perceive no difference from that we were ac
customed to sip upon the philosophic principle of suction,
through a straw, and which we see children doing in exactly
the same way here. In the kitchen there is a scene, too, cor
responding exactly to the one exhibited in a New England
kitchen, whilst the cider is making in the barn. A great kettle
hangs in the fire-place, behind the stove, filled with halves and
quarters of apples boiling in the liquid, which their brothers
have furnished, and when it is done it will be cider apple-sauce,
such as American housewives put np for the winter, and which
keeps good here, as there, till spring. On the stove is another
kettle with pear-sauce, prepared in the same way, but sweeter
and richer ; and around are various small earthen pots with
stews and sauces of a different kind. We have seen in the
summer, a way of putting up fruit and berries, which we never
saw before, and hope shall not be considered descending to
insignificant particulars in transcribing a few recipes from a
German cook-book, as it was not in the cook-book alone that
we learned them.
Many times in the winter we were regaled with fresh straw
berries and fresh gooseberries, and- when summer came, learned
how they were thus preserved :
Take unripe gooseberries, clip the stems and blossoms, be care
ful not to cut the skin of the berry, and put them in a clean dry
wine-flask. Take a large kettle and cover the bottom with hay,

326 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
then place the flasks so they will not touch each other in the
hay, and so supported that they will not fall ; corked, but not
tight. Then filling the kettle with cold water, set it over a hot
fire, and boil till the water has entirely evaporated, when the
kettle must be taken off, but the flasks allowed to remain in
the hay till morning. Then seal them tight with rosin, and
place them in the cellar, in a lying posture. After eight days,
turn them and cover them with sand, and when they are taken
out for use they are good as when bottled.
Gooseberries are also prepared by clipping them in the same
way, wiping them with a cloth, and putting them in a dry flask,
sealed tight ; thus, no sugar is used till they are put upon the
table. All plums, berries, and fruits are prepared in this way,
and need no attention afterwards, being in no danger of fer
menting, much labor and expense are saved, and as a relish,
they are better than when preserved in sugar. Sometimes tin
boxes are used instead of glass, and then they are soldered by
the tinman, but afterwards placed in hot water, to be sure to
develop any air-holes that have escaped notice. We have
seen a hundred of them in one store closet.
Not only apple sauce, and pear sauce, and plum sauce are
stewing upon the stove, but a dozen pots of sour milk, which is
taken, after the cream is removed, and put in a warm place till
it becomes of the right consistency to mould into the little
Dutch cheeses we have mentioned. They cannot afford sweet
milk for cheese. To a housewife's work there is no end in one
country or another, but in a house where the women do all
these things, and work also in the field and on the highway,
what a life of slavery they must lead I
On the steps which lead out into the barn we hear the
churn-dash splashing, and as we go to see, the noise of the

FARM LIFE  TILES. 327
flails in the granary strikes our ear, so we go there to see also.
The bundles of rye are strewn upon the floor in no different
fashion from that to which we have been accustomed, but there
are three men threshing instead of two, and they keep time not
less exactly, but the motion of each is slower, and the music
of the strokes a little different on this account. The flails are
square instead of round, and heavier than those which the ma
chines have everywhere superseded in America. The threshing
machine we have not seen in Germany. We have also visited
the brick yard, where the process of moulding and burning the
clay is very similar to that in America, but either the material
is not so fine, or they do not work it so long to make it soft
and smooth. The bricks, when finished, are coarse and rude ;
but though houses are built of them in city and country, they
are always covered with stucco, a kind of plaster, which may
be made of any color, and admits of various species of orna
ment. With time it becomes dingy, and iu all old towns, gives
a peculiarly antiquated appearance to the walls. In America
the climate would not admit of this species of finish, and we do
not know why it is adhered to here instead of using paint, un
less that paint would not cover the rude bricks, and the bricks
can be made in no other way.
In the country, the first peculiarity that strikes one in the
houses, is the roof covered with tiles instead of shingles. The
process of moulding and baking these is similar to that of making
the porcelain stoves. They are made of coarse potter's clay,
which is either red or black, according to the coloring matter
they use. It is in the marshy districts that they find the right
kind of earth and stone for the mixture. The tiles are in the
form of shingles, only a little wider, and placed upon the roof
in the same way, one above the other. In the olden time the

328 PEASANT LIFE TN GERMANY.
peasants' houses were everywhere thatched with straw, and
this is used still among the poorer classes, being much the
cheapest material. But farmers and those who wish to pro
cure the benefit of insurance, must pay so much more where
the danger from fire is so great, that it becomes cheaper in the
end to use the tiles, and they last much longer than shingles.
They have. been so long used that they have given an individu
ality to the German landscape, of which the artist avails him
self to give effect to his sketches. When they are new they
look neat and pretty, but become quite black with time and
weather. So also does the straw, whicii we still see upon some
old farmhouses, with high peaked roof, and the 'eaves coming
down almost to the earth. After a few years they are black as
mud, and look not so well as black shingles or black tiles.
We do not see anywhere the pretty wagons which in Amer
ica are deemed necessary for going to church and pleasure
rides. On holidays the women and children are piled into the
hay carts, with scarcely less ceremony than the corn and pota
toes, and acting upon the principle of conforming in all things
to all men, aud when with Eomans or peasants, doing as they
do, we have enjoyed whole days of sight-seeing from village to
village in a cart that furnished us with no better seat than a
rude board placed across from side to side, upon which it re
quired all our moral and physical strength to preserve our up
rightness. But the cart is by no means so graceful an affair as
the one used in America. The sides are a rude ladder, and
the bottom rough, heavy boards. Underneath hangs a basket
with hay and other provender, " swinging as we go," and when
we stop, is tied under the horse's nose to strengthen him for
further efforts. To get in we climb over the wheels, and to get
out, jump near half a rod ; but not in coach or carriage had

WOODEN UTENSILS  APPLE-BEE. 329
we ever such genuine enjoyment,, with sometimes only a peasant
youth, and sometimes a peasant youth and maiden for our
companions, now stopping to chat with a Frau at her spinning-
wheel, a damsel at the brook, or a boy raking hay. Here and
there upon the doorsteps are men and women weaving baskets
of rushes. " For green grow the rushes 0,"
by every stream ; and wherever there is a water-power, it is
made to serve some purpose, either to the blacksmith or the
cooper. We have been quite enchanted with the variety, con
venience, and neatness, ofthe wooden articles in every comfort
able dairy and kitchen. An American housewife would scarcely
know the use of many of them ; but would feel very rich were
she once supplied. They are made, like almost everything else,
by the peasantry in their leisure hours, who receive the different
articles from a factory in an unfinished state, or make a begin
ning which the machinery must perfect. Thus are produced
the wooden spoons, forks, knives, ladles, skimmers, boxes for
flour, salt, spice, and fruits, that enable one to have everything
very handy, and yet secure from dust, and give such a nice
Iwusewifery look to cupboard and storehouse.
The huskings, so characteristic of American harvesting, we
do not see in Germany, as the little Indian corn that is raised
makes no such gatherings necessary. As we have elsewhere
said, it is only the pigs and geese who luxuriate upon this ar
ticle; but the apple-bee, for cutting and drying the winter's store,
exhibits the same features, and the long pairing that can be
turned over the head three times without breaking, when it
falls gives the maiden the initial of her lover's name as correctly
in one land as the other, and never yet did we see a woman who
had not consulted this oracle I

330 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
When it is time to kill pigs and salt meat, which must be
done before Christmas, all the paraphernalia for butchering,
trying fat, and making sausages, is not less imposing, nor less
disagreeable, and for children is not less a grand gala season,
among one people than another. But in Germany sausages are
made every month in the year, and we have counted thirteen
different kinds, with as much difference in the taste, as between
meat when fried, baked, and boiled. Several kinds have in
them a mixture of meal, wheat, or rye, or oats; and some are
smoked after being stuffed, like dried beef, and so thoroughly
cured in this way, that they need no cooking in order to be
palatable; some are mixed up with warm blood right from the
animal, and considered thus greatly enriched; some are a mix
ture of liver and fat, with salt, pepper, and other condiments;
others are made of smoked meats, with white bread, and but
ter, and spices, and it has lately been ascertained that horse
flesh is to a great extent used in their composition. During
the festal week of Pfingsten (Whitsuntide) 1857, several thou
sand pounds were served out to the people of one city in the
form of sausages and salt beef. We only marvel how they can
afford to slaughter horses for this ignoble purpose, as they
seem altogether too precious and beautiful to be food for man !
If we were sure the sausages had nothing worse in them, we
should eat them with a better relish than we sometimes do.
There are many of them especially designed to be eaten with
Butterbrod, in the form of sandwiches, and to be found every
where at restaurants and merry-makings, upon steamboats, and
at railroad depots.
In Southern Germany we seldom have bread and butter
placed upon the table separately, but already spread, and with
slices of smoked meat or sausage between. Ham is eaten iu

FOOD. 331
the same way as dried beef, or cut into little bits half an inch
square, and placed upon bread. To us it seemed like eating
raw meat, and we could by no effort succeed in swallowing it,
to the great surprise of those who esteem it a luxury. The
head and feet of pigs are converted into the compound every
where known as souse, or head-cheese, and not at all different
from what we have always seen it. But a kind of sausage is
also made of the same materials.
We have never seen what in New England is called a boiled
dish, consisting of boiled beef, pork, tongue, and all garden
vegetables. The boiled beef is eaten alone or with bread;
afterwards come the vegetables, and never more than two
kinds, with perhaps rice. They have a way of making turnips
very savory, cutting them up after they are boiled, and stewing
them iu a rich gravy. We have seen boiled, but never
baked beans, which would certainly be an acquisition to their
bill of fare, if they could be convinced of it.
Coffee is the common beverage among the poorest peasantry;
but with the West Indian Mocha they mix burnt barley, oats,
and a great deal of chickory. At breakfast, when they merely
eat bread with it, they use no sugar, even when they are able,
and having seen how little sugar is used any way, we must
know that most of the coffee is drank without it, and some
times without milk.
Hot bread of any kind is out of the question where it is all
purchased at the bakers, and they do not know the use of soda
or saleratus in city or country. We once asked a lady for a
grain of soda, and she had not the least idea what it was, or
what could be its use, and had as little idea of custards. No
where, in town or country, have we seen this delicious mixture
of butter, milk, and eggs.

332 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMAN!'.
Fishing or angling is not so common a sport in Germany as
in other countries, but in the rivers, fish are very plenty and
good. Many years ago salmon were so abundant in the Weser,
that the authorities of Bremen were obliged, or rather felt
obliged, to make a law forbidding families to give it to their
servants more than twice a week, not considering it healthy to
eat it oftener, which they were in great danger of doing when
it was so cheap. The last few years it has been so scarce, that
the richest families could not afford it, and enough for a course
at dinner cost several dollars. Within a few weeks twenty
thousand have been put in the river, which may soon oblige
them to make another law for the health of servants ! So
precious is every spire of grass, that farmers do not like the
angler upon the borders of their streams to despoil it, and in
the large rivers nets ensnare the victims by thousands, as
they do on the shores of the Potomac.
Chimney-sweeps are not the least curious of German insti
tutions, and are, like all others, government appointments.
When we first met them we thought they were negroes, they
are so thoroughly black from top to toe; but soon learned
they were not so from nature's coloring. They cover them
selves closely, leaving only the eyes and ears free, and carry
with them the machinery of their office. Two and two they
are usually to be met, and seem as entirely a race apart as
colored people are in America. We never saw them speak
ing or spoken to, but with slow and measured tread, entirely
absorbed in their meditations, they march around, entering
each house at the time appointed by the police, and sweeping
the chimneys at their own discretion, the occupants never
being consulted in the matter. They give notice in time for
the stoves and fire-places to be cooled, and but very little

TITLES. 333
time is required in the operation. The brooms and scrapers
have very long handles, and the chimneys are so constructed
that they reach through a narrow aperture and bring down
the soot without filling the room, though they look pretty
thoroughly covered with it themselves. In large and small
towns it is the same — the chimney-sweeps are a part of the
governmental corps.
Sleighing and sledging are not among the amusements of the
peasantry, though favorite sports of the higher classes. They
have wood to cut and draw, and chop, but so many other mate
rials are used for fire, and wood is so dear, that this is not so
importaut a part of the winter's labor as among the farmers
in America. The heath must be dug in the summer, and every
patch of wood is owned by king, or duke, or noble, who has a
forester to guard his possessions, and treasure the princely
revenues which accrue from the sale of timber, wood and brush,
on his domains. We are here reminded of the curious custom
-of giving to the wife of a man who bears a title, the same with
a feminine termination. The wife of a forester is the Frau For-
esterinn, the wife of a general the Frau Generalinn, and of a
consul the Frau Consulinn, the last syllable answering to ess in
English. However humble the office, the title must be used
with not less ceremony, from Madam Privy Councilleress, to
Madam Day-book Keeperess. The German language abounds in
compound words, formed by adding to the beginning and the
end of the original. This becomes very amusing in addressing
titled ladies, converting a simple woman into Frau Oberconsis-
torialdirectorinn. Mrs. Directress of the upper Consistory
Court ! and must all be repeated every time she is addressed,
or you commit an unpardonable offence. A merchant's wife, on
registering her name at a watering place, was asked if she had

334 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
no title. " No," she said : " I am simply Frau G  ." " But
you must have a title, it will bring you so much more consider
ation." Still she declined assuming honors not bestowed, but
still the man persisted, and finally set her down as Frau Ober-
appdlationsrathinn, by which she was afterwards called. One
would think titled people would become of little importance
among such an army, but it is only those who have some sort
of government office who can sport a title, and there remains a
still larger class without this distinction. In the free cities,
merchants, and those of their callings, may be elevated to the
highest offices, but when there they remain for life. Senators,
representatives, and judges are never removed, unless for crime,
and being human they are very apt to prefer their own interest
to that of the people, aud forget those with whom they were
once on a level. In Frankfort-on-the-Maine, there are three
men who officiate as Burgomasters in rotation, and which shall
serve is decided by shaking three balls, black, white, and red, in
a sack, and drawing them by chance. The oue who happens to
get the white ball is Burgomaster for three years, and the next
three, and so on, as long as he happens to get the right ball.
There is no new election from among the people till one dies,
or is deposed for some special offence.
The customs and peculiarities of the higher classes do not
come within our special province, yet may now and then illus
trate the condition of the lower, from whom they are separated
by so broad a gulf. But the broad gulf of ceremony sepa
rates all Germans from those of other nations who may come
among them. The etiquette of England and America, which
requires that a stranger bo sought by the inhabitants in whose
midst he comes, is exactly reversed in Germany. If one has a
letter of recommendation he must go and present it, which

ETIQUETTE OF CALLS. 335
seems very much like saying : " Here I am, and now of course
you cannot avoid receiving me," and is so disagreeable a cere
mony that many stay a year without presenting a letter, and
thus of course stay a year without making a single acquaint
ance. A young lady residing in a family can never receive
a call or an invitation unless the family choose first to take her
round to the houses of their friends. In that case she would
probably find them very cordial, and very glad to see her, and
afterwards experience their hospitality and kindness. But if
she happened to be in a family where deep mourning made it
unconventional for the family to pay visits, or for any worse or
better reason they chose not to do it, and though the friends
and acquaintances of the family call often and know she is there
quite alone, and in a way to make it impossible for her to see
anything of society or amusements, they take no notice of her,
and never imagine they seem unfriendly, or that she must feel
strangely desolate thus left to herself. In the same instance in
England or America there would be greater effort to pay her
attention ; all within the circle of the friends of the family would
call and be sure that she did not feel neglect from the peculiar
circumstances in which she happened to be placed. We knew
a young lady thus situated, and for five months no human being
manifested the least interest in her, and during all that time she
entered but one house in the city. In another city the family
took her to all their friends, and she was afterwards treated
with the utmost kindness and consideration. We sometimes
asked if there was no such thing as inducing people to abandon
so barbarous a custom, and they always replied, " no such thing
as inducing a German to abandon any custom." The fashion
able hour for calling is between twelve and one, and it would
be quite dangerous to presume upon the forgiveness of any

336 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
genteel family if they should be surprised by a friendly call at
any other hour. Then the ladies are sitting up for calls and at
no other tine may be in fix, and of course it may happen that
few are a^ home, but this we could never consider any great
calamity, as a card answers all the purposes of such a call where
there is only time to see how people are dressed, and ask " how
they find themselves." If it is summer, you do not find your
self in a very agreeable temperament, unless you are among
those who " keep a carriage " to ride on such hot summer days.
But the finding of the people before yon can ask them how
they find themselves, is still more disagreeable. Nay, seldom
is the name upon the door, and upon every floor there will be
a family. You knock upon the first one you see, and some one
calls out "herein" — come in. You open the door and see two
or three people, who look up in great astonishment, wondering
who you are. You ask if such a family lives here, they tell you
" nein, oben," no, above. You ascend another staircase and repeat
the same experience, and after three or four, you find those
you seek. Often the staircases are dark and dirty, as it is the
duty of each family only to attend to one. In the suburbs of
the cities, the modern houses of the wealthy have highly fur
nished and elegant entrance halls and staircases to correspond
with the interior, and we have seen the ivy creeping upon the
bannisters and over the walls. Where there is only one family
in the house, the outer door has a bell attached to it, which
rings when the door is opened. The parlor is usually on the
second floor. Whoever calls, finds his way to the room he seeks,
though on the way he will perhaps see two or three heads
peeped out at different doors to learn who has entered. From
some of them he learns where to go, and when he reaches the
salon, knocks, and hears " herein," which he obeys by walking

ETIQUETTE. 337
in, and whoever is there rises to receive him. We never knew
any one to open the door, though there might be half a dozen
children with " nothing else to do."
They are under the impression in Germany, that there is no
politeness or ceremony of any kind in America ; but most well-
bred Americans would be amazed at the little there is in Ger
many. A lady told us how disturbed her husband was at tho
ill-manners of the people in hotels at table. She had the idea
that all Americans ate very much like pigs. When we came to
sit at the same gentleman's table, we wondered how it could
disturb him if they did, as there was not the slightest order or
ceremony observed towards guests, or towards eatables, by
those around him. Each one put his own knife in the butter,
and the children reached this way and that, and arose out of
' their chairs to help themselves, in a manner we had never seen
in barbarous America. Children with unwashed hands, day
after day, and week after week, handled the bread and cheese
without mercy, and now and then dipped their fingers in the
molasses and drew them over the table-cloth to their mouths,
and this at the table of a gentleman, who held the highest posi
tion a gentleman can hold in the land. Yet the same children
would be punished, if they failed to say " good morning" and
" good night," on rising and retiring.
Not the least amusing characteristic of German etiquette is
the custom for men to kiss each other. We have often seen,
in the public street, and in depots and upon boats, two aged,
bearded men, express their love for each other in this way,
bestowing a kiss upon each cheek, and sometimes an additional
one upon the lips. We thought it very ridiculous, and quite
disgusting at first, but when we came to reason with ourselves
upon the matter, and ask why not ? why should not men kiss
15

338 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
each other as well as women ? we had no answer, and do not
intend to waste any logic in proving to them or any one else
that it is not a fit and comely way of manifesting their affec
tion ; but when each has to remove a pipe from his mouth
for the purpose, and stroke away the long moustache, we could
not help thinking sweetness no part of the ingredient of such
kisses. Among the upper classes, the announcing of a betrothal is
a formal ceremony attended with manifestations that strike
one as having no lack of the honey of life. At a dinner party
given in honor of one soon to be a bride, there were present a
young gentleman and lady, who, during all the time, had com
ported themselves with the most becoming dignity, without any
appearance of special interest in each other. When the din
ner was nearly finished, the father of the young lady arose and
said he was happy to announce to the assembled guests to
whom he had the honor of speaking, that his daughter was
betrothed. The young man then arose and greeted her, her
health was drunk by all, and then the two seated themselves
together, and commenced a series of the most ravishing
caresses, which are never seen in other countries but in the
most private circle. Those who are betrothed are expected at
all times to practice the same, and on all public occasions to
devote themselves entirely to each other, with arms entwined,
and "kisses long and sweet." We see no objections to the
custom, but were curious to know if the same publicity of en
dearments continued after marriage. " Oh, no," said the lady
we asked, " they are not continued either publicly or privately.
We always know a married pair in company by the distance
they keep from each other, and those who are betrothed by
the proximity."

BETROTHALS. 339
In Saxony and some other provinces of southern Germany,
the bridal dress is presented by the bridegroom, and arrives in
a little basket adorned with ribbons and flowers, which the fair
one uncovers, to find dress, veil, wreath, shoes and stockings,
all in the most recherche style and arrangement, but there is
nothing to indicate that crinoline is considered necessary I

CHAPTEE XXIII.
AMUSEMENTS  PALMERS — SHRINES  MARIAZELLE — MARIA TAFEL —
BLACK LADY OF ALTOTTING  ST. WENCESLAUS — EASTER MONDAY
IN VIENNA  WHITSUNTIDE IN FRANKFORT ON THE MAINE —
CONFIRMATION  CHRISTMAS.
The festival days are so many in Germany that we are not
sure that we shall be able to number them or call them all by
name. In the Catholic portion of the country, where we
mostly sojourned, they come much oftener, and are kept much
more scrupulously than among the Protestants at the north,
where peculiarities, especially in the cities, are fast disappear
ing, and English manners and customs taking their place. To
some we have already alluded, as the Feast of Consecration,
which occurs in every Catholic village once a year, and in each
one on a different Sunday, and belongs especially to the Catho
lic church. One sees very often in traveling a little chapel far
away on a hill, so secluded that it is difficult to imagine whence
the worshipers come, if it be its purpose to accommodate
those who meet for prayer and praise. But we soon learn that
they do not mind distance. There is a winding path that leads
to the top of the hill, and on any festal day a long procession
may be seen wending their way, in the performance of a kind
of pilgrimage, to a spot they believe to have some peculiar
recommendation as a place of worship. We may also some
times see two or four weary-looking wanderers, with a bundle
340

PALMERS  SHRINES. 341
hanging upon a stick across their shoulders, on their way to
some far distant city or church, or consecrated spot, in accord
ance with the spirit of the old Crusaders, or rather of the
ancient Palmers, who enlisted not in the wars, but with staff
and often with naked feet, traversed thousands of miles to offer
up their devotions, or ask some favor which they hoped to
procure, because of the penance they had performed. The
land is full of legends of these Palmers, who were often princes
in disguise, or knights hoping for a glimpse of their lady-loves
as they knocked at some door and begged an alms or night's
lodging, which no family, high or low, was at liberty to refuse.
Young maidens, also, performed a pious service by washing
their feet, sore and travel-stained ; but we do not know whether
they followed the example so far as to wipe them with the hair
of their heads. Yet it was then and is still the custom to
gather sweet-scented herbs, to soak in the water which is to
bathe the feet of guest or stranger, and fair damsels hastened
with nimble feet to pluck the most fragrant leaves and roots,
to soothe the pain of those who were termed holy wanderers,
and whilst they prepared and applied them there was ample
time for words of recognition, for vows of unchanging fidelity,
and sometimes for more tender protestations of endearment.
Every Catholic country has its shrine, which is resorted to
by kings and nobles even at the present day, and in all the pro
vinces are many of less importance, which are repaired to by
the people on all occasions, when they need special aid or for
giveness. The one most distinguished in Austria is called the
Mariazdle, and is situated in the midst of the Styrian moun
tains ; and to it the inhabitants from every part of the king
dom come in throngs, from May till September, and even
amidst the snows of winter, it is not quite deserted. In Vienna,
at tho time appointed for the pilgrimage, a notice is affixed to

342 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
all the church doors, and those who would join the procession
exhorted to be ready, when, amidst the ringing of bells and the
fluttering of banners, a pious, and at the same time joyous
group is seen in every street, which, as they proceed, becomes
a grand procession, and few sounds are more impressive than
the chant of a band of pilgrims on their march, as it comes
upon the ear amidst the lonely solitudes of the high Alps,
among cliffs and precipices. The simple peasants of Austria
and Bavaria are no mean choristers ; and the deep melody of
their voices, the solemness of the scene, and the earnestness
of the manner of those who thus raise the hymn in the grand
est temple of the God of nature, serve to increase the effect
which it produces on the mind. It is not difficult to believe
those sincere who engage in these exercises of piety.
But some of the after scenes are similar to those which
attend the camp meetings in the woods of America. The inns
in the neighborhood are quite insufficient for the accommoda
tion of the multitudes, who are obliged to resort to the primi
tive bed of our first parents, and be covered like the "poor
lost children of the wood," on whom the robins took pity, and
buried in leaves. Those who are able to find a lodging and to
pay for it, must still be content to share a bed with another,
and perhaps with half a dozen, and thus, indoors and out, the
high and low, the rich and poor, men and women, are mingled
together in most unceremonious and most unaristocratic asso
ciation, and their songs and revelries in the end are very dif
ferent from the hymns and ejaculations which are heard as
they set out.
A certain number of villages unite for one procession, that
which each shall join being designated by the church, so that
eighty are formed during the summer, and the number of pil
grims during a season often reaches 100,000. Many of them

MARIAZELLE  MARIA TAFEL. 343
have some malady, of which they wish to be cured, and believe
the intercession of the Virgin will avail with Him who heals
all diseases. Mariazdle is translated, " Mary in the cell," the
image of the Virgin occupying a small chapel, which was ori
ginally a rude cell built by a priest who came among the people
in the eleventh century, to preach and to teach. Afterwards
a margrave of Moravia, in the twelfth century, being
troubled with the gout, and warned in a dream, that if he
would make a pilgrimage to "Mary in the- cell" he would be
cured, repaired thither with his wife and was healed. In grati
tude he built over the image a stone chapel, which still remains.
The image itself is said to be seven hundred years old, and is
of the rudest description, being of lime-tree wood, and painted
black, and only eighteen inches high. She is seated in a chair,
holding the infant Saviour in her arms, clothed in the costliest
stuffs, and glittering with jewels and gems. The pilgrims
walk about on their knees, and always in the direction of the
sun. The gifts of those who make offerings and sacrifices are
hung around, and are gleaming with gold, and silver, and
diamonds, from empress, prince, and peasant, who purchase
with them indulgence and forgiveness for the past or permis
sion for the future.
In another village, in a different direction, is a shrine, de
nominated Maria Tafd, or Mary of the Little Table, concerning
which the tradition is, that upon an oak tree stood an im
age of the Virgin, and beneath the spreading boughs the
peasantry of the surrounding country were accustomed to
assemble once a year to pray for an abundant harvest, and
enjoy a feast at a stone table. But though surmounted by au
image of holiness and power, the oak did at last fall to decay,
and a peasant passing by, thought it an unsightly thing, which

344 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
it would be doing good service to destroy. But when he lifted
his axe for the purpose, instead of hitting the tree, as he in
tended, it fell upon his foot. On looking up he saw, for the
first time, the image, and now knew he had committed an act
of sacrilege. But his penitence procured him the pardon of the
Virgin, and her prayers the healing of his wound. A church
was afterwards built upon the spot, and is now the resort of
thousands of pilgrims annually, who have faith in " the inter
cession of the saints."
In France the most noted shrine is that of Notre Da,me, in
Marseilles, to which all who are disposed to make pilgrimages
in that country wend their way; and thousands who cannot
visit her there, carry her image with them, that they may bow
before it to say their prayers. In the ships of the Mediterrar
nean, it may often be seen in the cabin of the captain, with a
lamp and burning incense before it, as a protection against the
fury of the winds and waves. We have often seen in America
the celebration of St. Patrick's day by the Irish, as this is the
Patron Saint of Erin, and in their own land the pilgrimages are
made to his shrine. In Spain they throng to St. James of
Compostclla, and in Switzerland to " Our Lady of Einsie-
deln 1"
In Bavaria may be seen the Black Lady of Al totting, and the
Shrine of Nepomuc in Prague, the latter being more expen
sively decorated than any other in the world. There are said
to bo thirty-seven hundredweight of silver upon the shrine
alone. The body of the saint is inclosed in one of crystal, and
this is inclosed in one of silver, borne aloft by angels nearly as
large as life, of the same solid material, and four others, sus
pended in the air, weigh nine hundred and ten marks of
silver. Here may also be seen the chapel of St. Wenceslaus,

OUR BLACK LADY OF ALTOTTING. 345
the patron saint of cattle, not only in Bohemia, but all south
ern Germany. His image is almost as common as that of
the Virgin, in little nooks by the wayside, upon the balconies
of the stables, and in the churchyards, and, like them, also
hideous to behold. But the chapel dedicated to his saintship
is inlaid with topaz, amethysts, and other precious stones.
Alas, how much money is devoted in Germany to honoring
the dead, that should be expended upon the living !
But Our Blade Lady of Altbtting seems to have been the
longest an object of devotion, as her spiritual empire upon
earth dates back to 696, and the gold, gifts, and frankincense,
that have been poured out a her feet, bear the names of kings
and potentates, from Charlemagne and Otto to Pope Pius VI.
Here, as at Mariazdle, the Virgin and child are both black,
without its derogating at all from the homage that is paid them.
They are covered with gold, silver, and brocade, diamonds,
and other costly gems, testifying to the sacrifices with which
the rich and powerful have been willing to purchase her favor,
and still thousands come from the most distant parts of the
kingdom to keeel at her feet.
One can easily imagine what gala scenes these festive throngs
must make, and give to the countries in which they take place
the appearance of a perpetual holiday, which we cannot help
believing, also, might be spent in a more profitable way.
Another annual festival is that of Easter Monday, but this
is also observed among Protestants, and especially in Eng
land. It has been more than we could do to learn the fast days
and feast days of all the year, and their times and seasons;
but Easter begins in April, and on Easter Sunday begin the
holidays. Those who do not go to church at any other time,
may be seen there at this and on Easter Monday ; the gardens,
15*

346 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
salons, and promenades, are thronged with pleasure-seekers.
But more especially is this festival observed in Vienna, when
the Prater, the largest park belonging to tho city, exhibits a
scene of gaiety and finery not elsewhere to be seen. From the
highest to the lowest all come forth; the emperor in his robes,
and the peasant in his rags. Every variety of regimentals,
of every nation under heaven, gleaming swords and waving
plumes, are mingled iu one grand cavalcade.
The Prater consists of little islands formed in the Danube,
which break its course and divide it into many small streams,
which wind round and round, finding their way as they can
for nearly four miles, before they unite again in the broad flow
ing river. There are avenues and promenades and drives in
numerable, with sunny nooks and coquettish shadows, little
forests for shelter, and broad gardens for pleasure, coffee-houses,
restaurants, and everything man can devise for amusement.
But the peasantry are not to be seen as a part of the promiscu
ous crowd. They form a separate assembly, upon a different
part of the same grounds, but where they are not less free to
enjoy themselves in their own way. Theirs is called the
Wurste Prater, because the staple article of sale and consump
tion, as we have seen to be in many other places, is sausages —
Wurste. One might think it a regular sausage fair, and it is
nearly the same upon every Sunday and other holiday with them.
There are a hundred booths hung with all possible forms and
varieties, and one continuous stream of smoke from the pans of
frying sausages. Every peasant you meet will have in his hand
a piece of black bread and sausage, and these will be the con
tents of every plate, with a pot of beer by its side; all around
upon the grass are groups in families or in cliques, and beneath
temporary tents, dancing in one, a juggler and his wondering

WHITSUNTIDE. 347
congregation in another, a circus in the distance, and laughing,
singing, and chatting, everywhere.
Those of high degree may be seen wandering through these
merry crowds, and often partaking of the humble fare; and
deer from the neighboring park come fearlessly up to be fed
from the hand, and in the evening the hunter's merry horn sum
mons them to their evening meal, when a whole herd, not less
graceful nor beautiful than the fair ladies of the garden, may
be seen playing and ambulating upon the greensward. In the
evening, fireworks make the whole one brilliantly illuminated
scene, and not till far into the night have the princes returned
to their palaces, the villagers to their humble homes, and the
moon is left to reign supreme over the stillness which it seems
almost sacrilege to break, when she sits in her queenly beauty
in the blue vault of heaven.
Still more general and more merry is the festival of Whit
suntide, which occurs six weeks after Easier, and continues two
days. It is the only occasion during the summer when every
description of labor ceases, and every laborer is free ; and this
is the same in England and all the Protestant countries of the
north, as well as the Catholic countries of the south. It is the
universal holiday, and is observed very much like the Fourth of
July in America. Whole cities empty themselves into the
country, and the thoroughfares iu every direction are thronged
with crowds in carriages and on foot. The rail-cars are filled,
and the fields and forests are alive with the gay multitude. It
was in Frankfort-on-the-Maine that we first looked upon the
scene. Two miles from the city is a large open Platz in a forest,
filled with seats and tables, and made beautiful by all the in
ventions of art. Eestaurants and coffee-houses are near, and

348 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
every day, from May to October, may be seen a goodly number
of city idlers, and upon all Sundays a crowd leisurely sipping
their coffee, walking and chatting in the open air. But on
Whitsuntide there is an immense concourse, and some of the
features of the festival reminded us of a grand muster, as they
were wont to be held in America. Hogsheads and barrels of
beer are standing here and there under the trees, and the fau
cet turned for all who would refresh themselves at such a foun
tain. Tables are loaded with all manner of good cheer, yet so
dense is the mass of living people that it is almost impossible
to move. The pleasure of making one in such a crowd we
could not well understand, as it was hot and dusty, and no
provision possible for the comfort of such a multitude. Yet it
is one of the festivals of the Church, and must be kept ; and
among the peasantry of the surrounding country, not to go to
the Forest on Whitsuntide, would be a great neglect of venera
ble and sacred institutions. A lady remarked that they would
sell their beds and go without food for a week, rather than fail
of the means to come from far and near on this occasion.
Frankfort professes to be a free city, and is governed by a bur
gomaster, instead of a prince or duke, but not less stately and
lumbering is his equipage as it rolls along the great Strasse.
There, too, is the carriage of the Eothschilds, black as jet, the
horses also black, and liveried servants in black with gold
bands, appropriate insignia of such a master. But there are not
here, as there are certain to be at an American muster, drunk
enness and coarse revelry, noise, and angry confusion. Wine
and beer do not have the same effect in this climate as in that,
and the police are more numerous, more watchful, and much
more feared. Wbateyer of pleasure they find is enjoyed

CONFIRMATION. 349
quietly, and at eventide they begin to disperse, leaving the
old woods grand and still, as if no mirth had ever echoed among
their solitudes.
In the country, and among the peasantry everywhere, they
dance around the May pole at Whitsuntide, as in England on
the first of May, and maidens awake in the morning to find
their windows and doors hung with wreaths of evergreen and
flowers, signs of their lovers' truth. Not one, but many poles
may be seen in every village, dressed from top to bottom, and
also little arbors in front of every door, called lovers' bowers,
iu which they sit and sing, or dance and play. They seek
everywhere, for this occasion, birchen boughs, and if the festi
val comes and the leaves of the birch are not yet green, there
is great lamentation, and if there is only the slightest appear
ance of green upon the twigs, they are preferred to all other
trees of the forest to hang over the windows and adorn their
rooms. Connected with it is also the sport of making wreaths
of nettles, which are sometimes placed in beds, or slyly thrown
upon those who slumber too late in the morning. At Easter
the children make themselves merry by hiding eggs in the
grass, when there is a great hunt for them, and great glee
when they are found.
Though not among the feasts, yet as an important occasion,
and celebrated with special ceremonies, that of Confirmation
cannot be excluded. It is the law of the state in every em
pire, kingdom, principality, and dukedom, that all persons
must be members of the Church, and, somewhere between the
ages of fourteen and sixteen, every child must be confirmed, and
thus received into full communion. Three years previous to
this period, the pastor of the congregation where their parents
attend worship, commences a course of religious instruction,

350 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
which is only continued on Sunday afternoons during the first
year, but in the two succeeding years, two or three times a
week. The catechism is the first book of study, and afterwards
the Bible, with which they become very familiar, being obliged
to commit a great portion to memory, to compare texts, and
repeat those of the same import in different parts of the Old
and New Testaments, and tell quickly the chapter and verse
where every one is to be found. This catechizing is the same
in Catholic as in Protestant provinces, but Catholic children
are expected to come to the confessional at the age of
eleven. The knowledge of Scripture is quite wonderful among intel
ligent children, but before they can be confirmed they must all
repair to the Superintendent among Protestants, and to the
Bishop among Catholics, to be examined as to their fitness ;
and if he thinks them still too young, or without sufficient ap
preciation of what is required of them, they must wait another
year. In cities, and among the higher classes, the dress for
the occasion must be either white or black, and is usually
black. When we were present there were thirty or forty girls,
all in white muslin, without bonnets. The church was dressed
with green and wreaths of flowers, and especially adorned
about the altar. The clergyman stood within a railing, and
called the names of each, first the girls and then the boys,
placing his hand upon the head of each, and repeating the
words of consecration. The parents are required to be pres
ent, and usually the friends and acquaintances make great
effort to be present also. If they receive the communion the
same day, they must dress in black, as no one can partake of
the emblems in any other color. But in the country, where
the peasantry have a peculiar costume, they are allowed to re-

CHRISTMAS. 351
tain this, but whatever dress is worn at this time, and always
at the communion, must be kept for this only, and not dese
crated by common use.
No one is permitted in the whole country to practise any
profession, or work at any trade, or enter upon any business
whatever, even making cigars or selling pins, who cannot show
the testimony of his pastor to his having been confirmed ; so
that it is to him like his passport or certificate of citizenship,
and gone through as he pays his taxes, or serves the required
period in the army. Often they never afterwards commune or
enter a church, and in Prussia have the utmost hatred to the
government that requires of them such hypocrisy.
Among the girls it is the passport to young ladyhood and
its privileges. Before they are confirmed they are little girls
in short dresses, but immediately afterwards assume the long
skirts of woman, go to balls, and commence dancing and
" chatting with the beaux." It is therefore the much-desired
and longed-for period, and looked upon merely as what intro
duces them to gaiety and happiness. Of balls and dances we
have spoken sufficiently elsewhere. They are the one grand
and never-failing amusement in all Germany, merely because
they are the only common ground of meeting for boys and
girls, men and women, to become acquainted and make
matches. Yet above all stands Christmas as the grand national fete,
and though it is celebrated in England, and now, to some ex
tent, in America, it is only in Germany that it is universal, and
the love of its festal joys woven into the hearts of all the people.
This is the home and heart fete, to the pleasures of which
the old never become indifferent, and which the young welcome
with a delight which has no equal. Yet the churches are not

352 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
trimmed in Germany on Christmas -day, as in England and
America. There is public service, but it is not made more
especially attractive on that day than any other. The peculiar
attraction is at home.
In cities a Christmas tree is erected in every dwelling, how
ever humble, and we cannot understand how so universal a de
vastation of the forests every year does not become a serious
evil. They are of all sizes, from three feet to twenty in height,
and as the forests are not common property in Germany, every
one must be paid for, and costs from twenty-five cents to three
dollars, according to size, and also according to the price asked
for them by government. But sometimes families who live
far from woods, and cannot afford to buy a tree every year,
plant one in a large box, which in the summer is allowed to
stand out doors, and in the winter is removed to the cellar,
being brought forth only upon Christmas week. The manner
of trimming it and making all the arrangements is similar
everywhere, in some respects, and yet varies in every family ac
cording to the means and taste of the individuals. In the
south, too, there are some essential differences from anything
which is done in the north. It is not always observed on the
same evening, but any evening during Christmas week, and in
families, first in one house and then in another. We hap
pened to pass from the extreme south to the extreme north
during Christmas week, and so observed the peculiarities among
many people.
In the southern cities little booths make their appearance
again upon the Platz, as in the time of the fairs, and are filled
with all things beautiful and fair to look upon, with things curi
ous, and things monstrous, and things meant to be divine.
Everywhere are to be seen little stacks of what appear to be

CHRISTMAS. 353
stick-brooms of dark brown, or black color, tied in the middle,
and making a stiff brush at both ends. What special mission
have these at a Christmas festival ? They are for the Pdz-nick-
els to punish disobedient children.
A long time before Christmas, usually the first week in
December, there enters a messenger into every dwelling, who is
the especial terror of all the children, not only because his
whole aspect is terrific, but also because he seems to be
acquainted with all their lives, and to know whether they have
been good and obedient, and therefore deserving of a merry
Christmas, or whether they must be punished by having no
gifts, and be condemned to solitude during the time others are
happy together. At the north he is called the Knecht Ru-
precht, and is considered to be the messenger of Christ, sent by
him to make these inquiries and promises. To those too young
to understand that it is all a farce, he is looked upon as a gen
uine prophet, and what he says either fills them with the great
est joy or causes them the greatest sorrow. Among many
families the custom is given up, as the children are so fright
ened, that serious consequences sometimes follow, and it is
seldom that a child for any fault is deprived of his Christmas
pleasure. On Christmas eve a good prophet comes in the form of a
blooming maiden, dressed in white, who sometimes pronounces
forgiveness to those whom Pdz-nickds has condemned, and in
obedience to her command the door opens and exhibits to them
the little world of treasures that have been prepared. The
Christmas tree that we saw was fourteen feet in height, and
eight in circumference. The last thing before the door opens
is to light the candles, which are only three or four inches in
length, and of all colors, suspended by slight threads to the

354 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
twigs. Besides these, are little silver balls aud spangles, with
every variety of toy and knick-nack, all of bright colors.
Under the tree was a miniature landscape, formed by moss and
trees of liliputian dimensions — mountains in the back ground, a
valley and meadow, a silver brook, and little hills. The prin
cipal feature was a stable, and in the manger the Christ child
with the mother, and Joseph watching by. -Far off are the
shepherds on their way to fall down and worship him, and the
star gleams above that guides them to the spot. In the gar
den leaps and sparkles a little fountain, and horses, cows and
sheep, are browsing in the fields. Our words may help the
imagination to picture the scene, but a description can give
but a faint impression of the reality.
Through the centre of the room is a long table covered with
presents for the little folks, and standing by the walls are
smaller ones, with something special for each. When the three
hundred lights, and two thousand spangles shed their radiance
over all, it is a fairy land, and we can scarcely believe we are in
the ordinary world. But the clapping and dancing and singing
of the children are still the most beautiful of all. One little boy
runs all around, kissing everybody, not at all knowing what
he is about, only that he is thus relieved of his excess of exhil
aration. " Oh, what a beautiful Christmas, what a beautiful
Christmas I" he exclaims, even after he is asleep, when weariness
and slumber cannot restrain him from clapping his hands for
joy- Nuremberg is the great toy mart, as we have said, and
nearly all that is especially fine and beautiful has come from
there. Upon the table may be seen a Swiss village compre
hending in the area of a square yard all that one sees in
a veritable Dorf. The houses are perfect in their construe-

CHRISTMAS. 355
tion, and iu the stable and cow yard the hay and straw are
strewn about as if veritable animals were there, the loft is filled,
horses are in the stalls, the curry-comb hangs over head, the
bucket to give them drink, and the stick broom to sweep the
floor. In another direction is a forest and a hunting scene, with
stags and hounds in full gallop through the woods. In the
distance a fortress just scaled by the enemy, and on an open
field a battle, the men being made to shoot and to run by curi
ous machinery, just as the flash of arms fills the air with smoke.
One little boy finds himself in a suit of armor, another in regi
mentals, and for all, are added also, articles of dress, dolls and
baby-houses for the girls, and more costly tokens of love or
charity for their elders.
Is it the same every year, we ask ? The same, with sufficient
variation for surprise ; but the peculiar joy is always the same,
for it comes to the parents freighted with remembrances of
their own happy childhood, and in many houses may be seen a
glass-case with shelves, upon which are arranged the gifts of
years, or enough to mark each season, and call up the past
with its hours of love and pleasure. In one we saw the
first toy the mother received in her infancy, and now she had
by its side the first over which several children had crowed with
delight. For weeks before all are busy with their secret preparations,
and each one receives something that is wrought by the hands
of the giver. ' But not the least pleasant characteristic of
Christmas time is, that the poor are universally remembered.
Every family of good position has one or two for whose joys it
cares on this occasion, and whose homes are brightened with

356 PEASANT LDTE IN GERMANY.
gifts from generous and loving hands. Some who are rich give
in Christmas presents, of all kinds, thousands of dollars, and we
knew a person who bestowed fifteen thousand in charity in one
year. Iu Hamburg, which is one of the richest cities of Ger
many, half a million of dollars are sometimes spent in this way,
which we must think is carrying it to excess.
Among the peasantry, a Christmas tree is never used, and
they do not give presents. They have a dinner which is the
best of the year, and at which they have for variety white
bread, though not always, the same in other respects as it is
in England, and always a dance in the evening. In some
provinces there is service in the church very early in the morn
ing. In a small village in the kingdom of Hanover, we arose
at the summons of the bell, at five in the morning, and were
rewarded by one of the most curious exhibitions we have seen.
Every person entered carrying a lighted tallow candle, and the
clergyman's family, and some others of a higher class than pea
santry, bore one in each hand, or had them carried by their
servants. In this way the church was lighted, and when all
had assembled, we saw every woman and young girl in uniform,
which was a dress of dark stuff and a fine lace cape or a sort
of under kerchief, coming down to a point in front with a
double ruffle round the neck, a little lace cap of the same, and
a white apron. How perfectly neat and pretty they looked ;
but wc marveled to see so fine lace upon people whose sur
roundings in every other respect indicated the greatest
poverty. Then we learned that this little town was famous
for the manufacture of this article, and had supplied many
a dress and kerchief for the queen and royal ladies of Eng
land. It takes the little leisure time of many years to make

CHURCH SERVICE. 357
what they wear themselves, and they provide it especially
for their confirmation, and only wear it on this occasion, at com
munion and Christmas. The same articles arc often handed
down through many generations.
When the church service was finished, each one blew out
his candle and retired.

CHAPTEE XXIV.
AMUSEMENTS CONTINUED  OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY — CHANGE OP
MANNERS IN THE NEW WORLD  PEASANT MANNERS IN THU
RINGIA  FEAST OF THE GRASKONIG OR GRASSKING  WEDDING
FESTIVITIES  COSTUME — UNIVERSAL FONDNESS FOR SPORT —
INQUISITIVENESS — PENURIOUSNESS.
Nothing amazes the people in Germany more than that we
are able to live without all these amusements. " You have no
holiday but Sunday," exclaims a lady, and when we tell her
this is a ho-ly, and not a hol-y-day, she is still more amazed.
"Why, what can you do all the afternoon and evening,"
asks a young man, " if you do not ride, or walk, or dance ?"
Alas ! we should hardly dare to tell them how Sunday is spent
with us, any more than we should dare to tell Americans exactly
how Sunday is spent here. " And you have no festal days ?"
asks an old lady. " Only Thanksgiving and the Fourth of
July." "But that is a national celebration, and not a feast
for God." We could hardly prevent a smile as we answered,
there seemed to be little thought of God in the way they kept
Sunday, or other festal days. " Oh, yes," she said, " we go to
church in the morning." Yes, and the more we see of them,
and talk with them, we are sure they are really pious and
devout. Their faith is not less orthodox than that of Ameri
cans, and as great a proportion, perhaps, are sincere and heart-
renewed Christians. That they differ about the manner of

OBSERVANCE OF SUNDAY. 359
spending Sunday evening, and in many other things, is not
proof that their religion is not sound. They will tell you on
good authority that Luther danced on Sunday, and joined
heartily in all the sports of which they are so fond.
Having heard the origin of these feasts, and seen how they
are inwoven with the life of the people, and associated with all
the events of their history, we also see them in a different light
than when we merely looked on, knowing and thinking no far
ther than the present moment, and wondering, as every one
must, that a whole people, old and young, should enter so
heartily into sports that the children of other countries consider
almost too trivial for their amusement. The parents and grand
parents relate around the fireside the stories which have come
down to them for centuries, and thus the links are kept un
broken of a long chain of family and national history, as
precious and glorious to them as the deeds of our fathers at
Bunker Hill and Saratoga.
It is not less remarkable that when they go to America they
give them all up. The chain is broken. They cannot worship
in the same church, cannot dance on the same green. They
have now a new world and life before them, — a new future to
make for their children. They have also enough to employ
their minds and energies, in learning about the new government
in which they are so proud to feel they may take a share, and
in teaching their children the responsibilities of their new posi
tion. They remember the fatherland with the deepest rever
ence and affection; but it would only be a farce for a village here
and there, or a few families to try to keep up the enstoms of the
old world upon the prairie and in the wilderness. We often
hear it spoken of by their friends, how strange it is they become
so soon Americans in every thought and feeling, and so attached
to their new homes. But being now quite thoroughly acquainted

ITS

360 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
with both worlds, we do not wonder at all at the love they bear
"to the land to which they go ;" and no less do we wonder at
the love of all her children for the fatherland, which they
leave. The tone with which every German speaks this one
word has in it a depth and meaning which no other lips can
convey, which, perhaps, no other heart can exactly feel. It
has more than once brought tears to our eyes. How long they
have been a people — how long they have lived upon the same
soil — how much they have suffered for themselves and others,
all tending to root their hearts to every hill and valley, rock
and fern. Our fatherland I we do not wonder it is so dear.
Yet it is true that many of the old festal days are no longer
observed even here, that a new life is springing up among the
people on their own soil. Each revolution disturbs the old
order of things and awakes them from their dreams. Espe
cially did the turmoil of 1848 demolish forever many a festal
board and many a long-cherished monument of other days.
Eailroads, steamboats, and telegraphs also have an influence,
though they operate much slower here than elsewhere, because
they are all government machines, which the people cannot
wield for themselves. By various causes they have been re
duced in half a century from three hundred to thirty-five differ
ent states, and never themselves give up the hope of one united
fatherland. Yet the districts where quite distinct customs
obtain are still as many as two hundred, and there are still to
be observed as many, perhaps more varieties in dress, that
give to those who wear them something peculiar and charac
teristic. In the observation of feasts there is a general resem
blance, and yet in each little Gau or county there will be some
thing entirely its own, which is with reluctance given up, and
which others do not seem disposed to adopt.
The same is true of the dwellings. While there are four

MANNERS AND COSTUMES IN THURINGIA. 361
principal forms — north, south, east, and west, there are also
slight variations, though these are by no means so numerous as
those of dress and merry-makings. Iu the east, among the Scla
vonic population, the houses are square, and have out-houses
separate, small, for each separate purpose. In the Black Forest
we have seen the great overhanging roof, shutting out all the
light as well as air, and the cattle, sheep, and pigs, a part of
the family. In the Thuringian forest they stand mostly apart
from each other, with a little garden, a'May tree around which
to dance, a well with an old " oaken bucket," if upon the plain,
and an aqueduct and Brunnen, if upon the hill. Within is the
family room, the kitchen, the stable, one or two sleeping rooms,
and the open place under the roof. The great porcelain stove
is the soul of the house, around which, summer and winter,
day and night, gather all joy and all life. It warms the cattle,
who nestle at its back ; the dog and the cat, who creep beneath ;
and the family, who form a circle around. Cages for birds are
hanging before the windows and upon the wall, aud in the
spring a wire coop is made beneath the stove, divided into
compartments for the chickens, goslings, and little pigs, who
come too early to be warmed by the sun, having the gift of
foresight, we presume, that tells them it matters little among
their hospitable masters whether they make their appearance
at one time of the year or another. Notwithstanding this in
congruous multitude there are a neatness and order which are
not to be found among some other clans. The wooden tables are
scoured to snowy whiteness, and the copper kettles and pewter
spoons dazzle upon the walls, where they hang from little
wooden shelves with holes just large enough to admit each
handle. Under the little looking-glass hangs by a string the
family comb and the almanac, and the days of the month and
16

362 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
week are kept with chalk over the door. As we have said
elsewhere, these are the manufactories for the toys that supply
all Christendom ; and here each member of the family is busy
all winter upon whatever is suited to his capacity. Close by
the stove hangs the bellows, and against the wall stand long
wooden benches, which serve instead of chairs. The Thurin
gian is said to unite all the best qualities of north and south,
being remarkably true-hearted and hospitable, reflecting and
diligent, yet entering with zest into all scenes of merriment; as
one of their authors expresses it, " there is ever a deep
thought in their heads and ever a light song upon their lips."
They are the richest in sagas and superstitions, and, besides the
usual great festivals, have many peculiar to themselves.
On Christmas eve they wend their way in solemn procession
to a pyramid of stones which has been erected upon the top of
a hill, each with a torch in his hand, and singing Christmas
songs. After a few times marching around the pyramid, they
all cast upon it their torches, and return singing from a book
by the light of candles and lanterns, musicians accompanying
them with their instruments. At twelve o'clock at night all
the bells of the city or village ring in concert, then all the
people sing, alternating in this way three times, when a dance
closes the solemnity.
In Pfingsten week is celebrated the feast of the Graskonig —
Grass-king — in one of the oldest market towns, in consequence
of a legend which relates that Boniface built here the first
chapel, and to work a miracle in favor of the truth thrust his
cane into the earth, which immediately became a wonderful
and beautiful green tree. The festival commences by dressing
a youth in green poplar twigs, with a wreath of flowers upon
his head. He is then placed upon a horse, preceded by two

WEDDING FESTIVITIES. 363 .
riders with white staves, in Sunday dress, and near him two
youths to guide his horse. In this way, followed by musicians
also upon horses, they go through the principal streets in the
midst of a crowd of spectators. First they stop before the
hall of justice, then at the doors of the nobility and wealthy
burghers, and receive gifts. Afterwards they proceed to a
neighboring mountain, where the Grass-king is lifted from his
horse and stripped of his green robes, when every one hastens
to obtain a twig, believing that if it is planted upon a flax
field there will be an abundant crop.
The wedding festivities are something different from those
we have before seen, though from these, too, there are few va
riations. Among all the peasantry of the north will be found
the grand cavalcade we described, with some slight provincia]
additions. In the Thuringian forest and middle Germany, eine
grosse Hochzeit — a grand wedding — is after this fashion : The
betrothal must take place a half year before, in order that the
necessary preparations may be made. One ox, many pigs,
and a whole flock of poultry, must be fatted for the occasion.
Eight days previous, the kitchen and pantries exhibit a scene
something like those in New England the week before Thanks
giving. The beef must be slaughtered, the chickens must be
picked, barrels of beer brewed and brandy distilled, and all
manner of cakes and pastry made, though we never see any
thing exactly like a pie in Germany. In these preparations
the parents of both bride and bridegroom participate, and all
the near family relations.
The first time the bans are published in church, the bride
appears in her wedding dress and wreath. The school-teacher
of the village invites the guests, except the god-parents, who
must be invited by the bride. On entering each dwelling he

364 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
must exhibit a pocket handkerchief, with a bunch of rosemary,
which the bride has given him, as the badge of his office.
If the invitations are given on Tuesday, it is understood the
wedding festivities will last from five to six days ; if on Thurs
day, only from three to four days. The first is the true wed
ding day, as on that the marriage ceremony is performed.
Early in the morning appear before the door of the bride four
musicians, to play what is called their morning blessing— a
sacred song, repeated on all such occasions — and then follows
a dance. Afterwards the guests assemble at breakfast, which
being finished, all go together at eleven to church, amidst the
solemn ringing of bells and the performance of music. The
bride with her wreath and bridal shawl, and the bridegroom in
his whole new suit from top to toe, a great bouquet upon one
arm, and on each side the bridesmaids. Then come the parents
and god-parents, with their remaining guests, each with a new
handkerchief and bunch of rosemary, which they receive from
the bride. The procession is closed by an old woman, carrying
a sack of little cakes, very dry and hard, that she rattles out
among the crowd. Service is first performed, and immediately
follows the marriage ceremony. The bride accompanies the
bridegroom to the altar, keeping as close to him as possible,
with her eyes almost shut, in order that the people need not
say she is looking about for another husband. On leaving the
church, the bridegroom gives to the surrounding guests each a
piece of silver or copper, and amid the same band of music
they return to the house, to partake of the wedding dinner.
Several tables are laid, at the first of which sit the bridal pair,
and at the last the musicians, who are expected to play and
not eat. At the beginning of the meal the school-teacher says
grace, and after it is finished, all join in the song, " To God all

WEDDING FESTIVITIES. 365
thanks be given," which seems to be in Germany a sort of na
tional hymn, heard on almost every festal occasion. The dinner
is, first, rice soup, then beef with horse-radish, a ragout of beef
and pork, a sort of soup of maccaroni, the universal cake with
Zwetchen, which is washed down with copious draughts of bran
dy, then Ricebrei, which is a sort of pudding of boiled rice and
stewed apples, mashed fine together, and lastly, salad with
hard-boiled eggs. A slice of each roast, of each sausage, and a
piece of a certain kind of cake and four fritters, are placed be
fore each person as a wedding package, to be carried home,
which is taken in a basket, immediately after the singing of the
song. Once a plate is passed for a collection for the Church,
the musicians, the cook, the maid who washes the dishes, and
the waiters. After dinner begins the dance, during which the
beer glass circulates freely. At midnight coffee is served, and
not till daybreak do they cease.
The second is called the gift day, because the principal cere
mony is the giving of gifts. At eleven in the forenoon a soup
is eaten, after which the bride and bridegroom seat themselves
at the table, with a clerk, who records each gift and the giver's
name. First is the Kissen, or pillow of the god-parents, so
called because originally they gave only a feather pillow with
the coverings. Now they put a dollar in the plate standing
upon the table, and some gold into the hand of the bride, in
the midst of many Gluck wunschen — prayers for long life and
happiness — after which both stand up, and with tears in their
eyes, express their thanks, and in a full glass the health of the
god-parents drink. The same ceremony is repeated by each
guest, and of course must require many hours. The dinner is
then finished, each one taking a portion away, as the day be
fore, only not so much, and dance and sport finish the evening,

366 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
when many return home to permit others to come, that all may
share in the Hochzeit feast.
The third is called the fools' day, as it is entirely given to
games and sport — riddles and jokes — one of which is, to draw
each other on a wheelbarrow, over stocks and stones, and fill
the whole country with shouts and laughter. The fourth
is only a little different from the preceding, and the fifth is the
trotting day, upon which they all trot homewards, to spend the
next day in sleep and idleness.
One cannot help marveling how they can afford so much
time for merriment ; but as no people work so hard, or accom
plish so much, it must be presumed the time is not mis
spent. The costume among the Thuringians is almost as various as
the shadows upon their hills aud in their valleys. They are
still subject to masters, instead of owning the little bit of land
they till, and where this is the case changes are not so frequent.
In rainy weather the women may be seen with a great mantle
of brown linen, which covers them from top to toe, and which
in sunshine they roll up and carry under the arm, seldom going
out without it, as their climate is as fickle as other skies in
April, and they are liable at any time to be surprised by a
shower. In the eastern parts, the old men wear small-clothes of
leather, long dark cloth coats, with bright buttons ; shoes with
buckles, and three-cornered hats. But the youth have one
uniform dress throughout Thuringia — high boots, cloth small
clothes, green or blue jacket, and a light cloth cap. At their
work, the men are often seen with a white or blue shirt over
their jackets. The women, as elsewhere, retain more tena
ciously the peculiarities of the olden time, and the cap is the
article they put off, or change last. The foundation or crown-

FONDNESS OF SPORT. 367
piece is often of silk and velvet, with genuine gold and silver
ornaments, with ribbons in great bows and knots, and streamers
falling down behind. Real Brussels lace, too, forms the
border. Sometimes the whole is surmounted by a plume, with
great knots of ribbon upon the top. On ordinary occasions,
a turban is wreathed about the head, with the grace of an
Indian princess, the ends falling at the side. The dress is
the full, many-pla.ited skirt of cloth, bordered with a different
color, and the bodice in front variegated.
In the fields the women wear a curious little cap-shaped hat,
with green ribbons and rosettes. Very coquettishly is this
donned by young girls.
The burgher class retained a peculiar dress longer than
almost anywhere else, and were always to be seen in church,
with gold or silver caps, bordered with rich lace, and gold or
"white ribbons ; white neckerchief and white stockings ; black
apron and black shoes ; a large silk cape, pointed before and
behind, and trimmed with lace ; and over all a heavy blue
cloth mantle. Brides of all classes must wear this mantle
during the marriage ceremony, and one often descends through
many generations.
It is a favorite diversion of young ladies in cities, at wed
dings or parties, to procure the costume of past ages, and
assuming, as far as possible, manners to correspond, appear as
princess or duchess, or other titled lady, for an hour, to the
infinite amusement of the company. They look so curious and
outlandish that it seems impossible they could ever have been
worn. Yet, some only half a century old are as unlike the
modern mode as those of the year twelve hundred. There is
no class of people in Germany whose religion prompts them
to frown upon sport, and the aged never lose their relish for

368 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
fun. We lived some weeks in a quiet house, with two old
ladies, of whom one had been married and lost her husband in
early youth, and the other was betrothed and lost her lover
about the same time. They had a large house, and took board
ers for a week, or a month, or a year, and always endeavored to
have a few young people, in order to keep themselves fresh and
bright. They were intelligent, refined and dignified ladies, but
the young men and young girls felt not the least restraint in
their presence ; if there was an excursion, a sail on the river, a
wedding or a dance, they were expected to go, and in every
thing that could make an hour pass gaily after the work was
done, their hands were not less ready than the maiden of six
teen. To " hdp " they had always one or two, who were be
trothed, and wished to spend the six months previous to mar
riage in learning to cook. They were sometimes girls of noble
families. All the forenoon they were in morning-gown, long
apron, and little white cap, cooking and serving, as merry as
larks, but diligent and attentive to their work. Their hands
and arms were as large and red as those of any cook, though
their faces were beautiful, and their manners entirely lady-like.
As the tea, like the breakfast, is little more than a roll and
butter, they had not much to do after dinner, as there were also
a man and maid-servant for the drudgery. In the evening they
were therefore free, and when a walk or party did not engage
them, they were always planning something for sport at home,
like dressing an image and placing it in some young man's
room, knowing he would come home about dark, aud entering,
would think a lady sat by his window. Or, dressing themselves
in antique fashion and getting up theatricals, all laughing and en-
joying themselves, as a similar American family would not think
it proper to do more than once a year. We do not see that it

SOCIAL LIFE — CURIOSITY. 36!)
derogates at all from the respect the young pay to the old, but on
the contrary, preserves it. The " old ladies " are never consid
ered in the way, never the least damp upon their youthful exuber
ance. "When they work hard they must play," the old lady said,
" and as long as they keep within the bounds of what is right
we do not wish to restrain them." In other respects their cha
racteristics are very similar to those of New England women.
Living within a very narrow sphere — neither by enlarged read
ing nor traveling, seeing much of the world, they become nar
row-minded, suspicious and censorious. Everybody must fol
low exactly their rudder in all things in order to be right, and
observing only from their own chimney corner, their judgments
are very apt to be clouded by the smoke and dust around them.
Our young companion, who had just come from England, was
often in a fret, because she said they were so neugierig, so curi
ous and inquisitive, and we have since been annoyed by the
same, and heard it quite as thoroughly ridiculed and con
demned among themselves. What a string of questions they
will ask concerning one's grandfather, great-grandfather and
all the preceding grandfathers. Why we go here, and why
we don't go there. What we are doing, and what we intend to
do, with plenty of advice about what we should do. Yet all this
we have heard from the same class of women at home, and
have found women in Germany above such pettiness — liberal,
enlightened, and polite. Frederika Bremer thought it was
very green for Americans to ask her continually " how she liked
America ;" but in this very old world, we have scarcely met a
person who did not ask us the same question with regard to
Germany, and quite as sensitive they are about the reply —
quite sure they are in all things perfect, and an author who
does not say so may hope far as little favor in their eyes.
16*

• wO PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
But it is our experience in all lands, that dreadfully good
people are not always the best. Those who make the greatest
parade of their piety, wisdom, or virtue, are not always sure to
exhibit true godliness, in its simplicity and truth, in their lives.
Those who think the highest and almost the only Christian
duty is, to exercise watchfulness over others, might, with good
grace and much profit, turn their eyes within, and analyze the
motives whicfoJprompt their charitable criticisms and reproaches.
There are multitudes of people in America who think it
wicked to dance, and indulge in various diversions, to whom
it has never occurred that it is wicked to fret, or mope,
or be guilty of all uncharitableness. A little amusement
would divert their minds and so lighten their hearts that
they would be infinitely better fitted for devotion, be much
happier themselves, and make those around them far less
miserable. We have found in Germany, as elsewhere, that women
thrown upon their own resources, and obliged to calculate for
themselves, calculate much more closely than men, are more
exacting and less generous. No position more surely develops
all that is disagreeable in a woman's nature, and makes her
what the world calls masculine, than one which obliges her to
fill, in a household, the station of both man and woman. For
this she deserves our pity, not our censure. Many in this posi
tion profess an infinite contempt for a lady who is obliged to
write for a living, because it brings her into the public arena
usually occupied by men. But a woman engaged in literary
pursuits will not become so masculine in a lifetime, as one who
occupies a man's position in a household will become in a single
year. The peculiar characteristics of the latter, however, mov
ing in her small circle, will scarcely be known outside of it,

SOCIAL LIFE. 371
except to those who deal with her in transactions that the
world considers in all respects womanly; and so, if she be dis
honest, mean and exacting, her faults will be ascribed to her
nature, and not to her position ; while they may, in truth, be
owing to both.

CHAPTEE XXV.
MINERS AND LACE WEAVERS OF SAXONY — FARMERS OF SCHLESWIG
HOLSTEIN, OF WESTPHALIA, AND OLDENBURG, AND OF NORTH
ERN PRUSSIA  SUPERSTITIONS  AMBER FISHERIES — COSTUMES —
DUTCH SETTLERS ON THE VISTULA  ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S DAY AT
BERLIN  PFINGSTEN.
We have once or twice alluded to the wretched condition of
the poor lace weavers and mine diggers of Saxony. Not with
in the limits of Germany proper are there any other dwellings
so miserable, any other people so destitute of all the comforts
of life. Among the Erz mountains, travelers go to view the
wildest, most grand, and picturesque scenery, and in their re
gion are some of the most frequented mineral baths. Erz is the
German for ore or mines, and in the heart of these mountains
lies one of the greatest sources of Prussia's wealth. The habi
tations of those who descend into the earth to bring it forth,
are of mud, lined with moss or turf, and covered with boards.
Something like isinglass is used for windows, but they are all
patched with paper or stuffed with moss. If they have pre
served a bedstead through many generations, there will be one
still in the cottage, but otherwise we shall find only straw with
out covering, upon which they throw themselves with scarcely
more ceremony than pigs. A wooden chest and a few stools
complete the furniture. Yet this is more thickly populated than
any other district. Three or four families live under one such
roof, the dividing lines being chalk, instead of a stick of wood,
as with the Laplander. Here dwell the weavers of linen, those
8T2

MINERS AND LACE WEAVERS. 373
who make lace, and here are also made great quantities of
wooden ware. There is no end to their industry, no relief to
their labor. Like those we have seen in the vine districts,
they carry earth and manure for miles to cover the naked
rocks, in order to make them fruitful, often to see the whole
result of their labor swept away by the first tempest. Oats,
flax, and potatoes are all they try to raise, and these must be
harvested where the chamois scarcely ventures to climb. In
the winter they are almost buried in snow, which falls in such
masses that during a single night every window and door is
stopped, and they must make a hole through the roof to go
forth. Drifts are heaped in every direction, twenty to thirty
feet deep, through which they do not attempt to make a path,
but like the Indian and the Laplander, glide over the tops upon
snow-shoes. Among these mountaineers sledging is a favorite
amusement, and sliding down kill, not only what the children
like, but what they are obliged to do, if they will go at all !
Like all who dwell among mountains, too, they love their
rocks and dells, and whilst always wandering in other lands,
are forever longing to return. With their packs they are seen
in every clime — men, women, and children — and from oldest to
youngest are busy in some species of handiwork. Little boys
make lace and embroider muslin, till their hands become too
hard and stiff, and they cannot afford even a woman or child
to rock the cradle. The Indian mother and the Laplander
consign their little ones to the winds to lull them, but here the
waters perform this motherly office. By a simple machinery,
little wheels or paddles connect with the cradle, which are
turned by the dashing stream, and as well by the music as the
motion the little ones are hushed to slumber. Where a water
fall is foaming upon every cliff and in every crevice, it is not

374 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
difficult to get all the cradles rocked, even in this strange fash
ion, and even when children are more plenty than chickens
and pigs ; but it is a funny sight to see a cataract rocking and
singing a baby to sleep.
Scarcely a mouthful of anything but potatoes passes their
lips during all the yea.r, and this without butter, or any condi
ment but salt. The women, therefore, spend very little time in
cooking. The shuttle and the bobbin keep their hands in un
ceasing motion, while the hammer and the pickaxe keep time
in the depths below. Yet the festal days do not pass unheed
ed. For Christmas they manage to get a sausage and a salad,
an oil lamp, and a few knicknacks, and the echoes tell of happy
hearts, if it is true that only those who are glad can sing.
The long winter evenings are spent by the young men in woo
ing, and the old men in telling of the days that are past, and
so wanes the lamp of life ; and who shall say there is really
less happiness in the hut than in the palace ?
Yet a pleasing contrast to these are the great farmhouses at
the north, and in spite of our philosophy, we cannot help asso
ciating happiness with physical comfort.
As we have elsewhere said, upon what are called the marshes
of Schleswig Holstein, there is neither prince nor noble,
though one of their historians has said that the earth — composed
of noble dust — is made of the corpses of those that have been
slain in the struggles for freedom. Now they are a peasant
aristocracy, but with no gradations of rank among themselves,
The labor which they hire is performed by the poor Jutlander,
who comes in summer and returns to his hut in wintofv. They
are farmers, and though they work hard, it is upon thek own
free soil. The youngest son is the heir to the parental es%ite,
and the others must be provided for through marriage, like/the

FARMERS OF NORTH GERMANY. 375
sons of nobles. The house is usually but one story, very long,
with red tiled roof, and imbedded in shrubbery and flowers.
Tall trees and forests are not natives of the soil, but wide ex
tending plains of wheat, rye, oats, and barley, and in some dis
tricts hundreds of acres devoted to herds, from which are
driven forty or fifty thousand in one autumn to Hamburg
market, and sent from there over the whole earth, in the form
of smoked and salt beef !
The gala dress of the people is the richest and costliest, and
in their great comfortable rooms are found the luxurious furni
ture of the cities. On the eastern side of the peninsula, which
includes the little spot called Angeln, there is the true English
culture, the farmers being surrounded by the blooming hedges,
and producing the best butter and cheese in all Deutschland.
Here the eldest instead of the youngest sons inherit the original
estate, which must be preserved whole through all generations ;
but if parcels have been since purchased and added, these may be
shared among other members of the family. Here the stables
and outhouses are separate from the dwelling, and the milk-
room is often a great cellar by itself, with enough room above
ground to admit of windows and air-holes, that there may be
free circulation. Here, upon shelves, in great flat, wooden
pans, each with a red stripe around the top, the milk is set for
the cream to rise, and from which the thick yellow mass is
daily removed and churned, a horse being made to turn the
dash. In Westphalia and Oldenburg, the stately oaks and elms,
the long avenues of lindens, with the thick groves of beech
and birch, give the Hof a more princely appearance, as we
have elsewhere described. Here the magpies chatter among
the trees, and the kingly stork builds its nest upon the roof.

376 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
Hew solemnly he flaps his great wings as he descends from his
high estate to seek his food upon the earth. What does he
eat ? Frogs ; and how stately his steps and keen his glance,
as" he wends his way to the marshy pond, to seize his prey.
The graceful swan is sailing on the surface, and ducks and
ducklings of every hue are paddling their way to shore.
In the great family room the fire is never permitted to go
out, except when the head of the household dies, and then it
must be kindled by the new heir. " Take a place by my fire,"
is the phrase of hospitality to all who come, as one very
similar was with the Indian. In some places the bridegroom
must take the bride in his arms and carry her three times
round the great kettle-hook, as in this way will be inspired a
love for her new home.
Among some of the peasants of the northern part of Prussia,
are burial customs resembling those among the Indians. As
soon as a person dies, the window is opened that the spirit
may have free egress, and yet a piece of money is placed in the
mouth to supply its wants, either by the way or in the other
world. In the coffin the Indian puts a bow and arrow, and
some maize, and the German peasant, a bowl and spoon, the
comb which belonged to the deceased, and the hair last combed
from his head. Among others, they sing half the night before
the burial takes place, and from seven in the morning till two
in the afternoon, then eat pea-mush and drink brandy, after
which they accompany the corpse to the grave, singing by the
way, and believing the more they sing the happier the spirit
will be in heaven. In this case each relative deposits some
thing in the coffin, a piece of his coat, or shirt, or necker
chief, and a lock of hair, with a flask of brandy.
When a child is born, it must not be wrapped in any per-

SUPERSTITIONS. 377
sonal apparel, lest its morals be injured. Before it is washed,
if a boy, it must be set upon a horse, which is brought into
the room on purpose, and if a girl, the little hand must be
made to clasp a churn-dash, the propensities of each being
influenced for life thereby. Whilst it is being washed, a piece
of money is repeatedly whirled about in the tub, which will
insure to it future wealth. One would think they would speedily
be cured of this superstition in their miserable poverty. The
first swaddling-band must be the bridal ribbon of the mother,
and fhe first dress must be of something old, else the child
, will wear out its clothes fast all its life. That it may not be
carried off by pigmies before it is baptized, a leaf from the
Bible is laid under its pillow. When the mother carries it to
be christened, she reads by the way in the Bible, and prays
whilst watching it, then it will early learn to read, and to
further the same object, the father places some written or
printed sentences among its clothes. A boy and a girl cannot
be baptized with the same water, as the girl will thereby have
a beard, and the boy be morally injured. When they return
from church, the father takes it in his arms and runs with all
possible speed over the threshold, as this will make it nimble.
To enumerate the superstitions of Germany, would be to
write volumes. There are blue spirits and grey, black spirits
and white, naiads in the woods, and mermaids in the streams ;
pigmies in the earth, invisible messengers in the air, and fairies
under every green leaf.
It is within our remembrance, in New England, to have seen
cows bewitched, and we have seen them bewitched in the same
way here, and the same charm used to restore them to health.
Children are frightened by white ladies in the churchyard and
black ladies in the forest, and no event of life is so trifling that

378 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
it is not influenced by supernatural interposition. The beauti
ful story of the Amber Witch would have no improbability
among these people, and, indeed might be true of itself. Had
we not read that simple story, we might not have thought of
the Bernstein, or amber fisheries, on the coast of the North and
East Sea, where men, women, and children stand amid the
foaming waves till their clothes are frozen to their bodies to
catch every particle of the bright shining mineral which the
tide or storm floats to the shore, though learned men think
they have discovered it to be, not a mineral, but the heart of a
tree which belonged to the antediluvian world, or a time
almost as ancient. Thousands of pounds are caught in a year,
of which the most beautiful specimens may be seen iu the
museums of Berlin. As the reward of their labor depends
entirely upon chance, if one is more lucky than the rest, he will,
very likely, be accused of being a favorite of the witches, as
was the poor little girl who, against her will, found her apron
filled, she scarcely knew how, every time she went upon the
beach. It is a more perilous and laborious life than the fishing
for fishes, and in these latter days is not so well rewarded. But
not more attached are the Swiss to their mountains than the
fishermen to their bleak coast and the music of the winds and
waves upon the far-off sea. The villages where they live, and
their cots, have a pretty and neat appearance, that is not found
among those of similar means further inland. The streets are
not paved, and the houses have but one story, but the roof is
of tile, and chimneys convey the smoke away, which is not the
case only a little farther south among the peasantry. The
walls are of brick, sometimes painted, and sometimes having
only the balcony ornamented with stripes, to correspond with
similar ornaments upon the doors and windows. The panes of

DWELLINGS AND COSTUMES. 379
glass are large, and either clear or stained in bright colors
and the frame of iron work, clean and glistening like that upon
a ship of war. A pretty fence surrounds the house, inclosing
also a flower-bed, a vegetable garden, and a few fruit trees.
All is so prim and neat, one cannot help thinking thoy are
now and then washed by the waves ; and within, it is certain,
busy hands have scrubbed and scoured. The floor is white,
and in the walls are the berths, like a ship's cabin, and all tho
fashioning of the ceiling and carved work is after the same
model, and with great taste and elegance, being wrought in
winter during the leisure hours of the sea-faring man. The
mantel ornaments, instead of being porcelain, are shells, curious
bones, and dried fishes, as the instruments with which they
gather them are the line and net, instead of the spade and
plough. Their trade is also with fish. With it they buy their
bread, their butter, and clothes. The women take care of the
garden, and sometimes cultivate a bit of land. But the fisher
man lives upon the sea.
Their dress is only peculiar in form, the color is brown and
grey — a broad jacket with buttons of cocoa-nut shell, or black
horn ; home-made drilling or ticking small-clothes, two pairs
over one another, and over these, white linen fishing pantaloons,
reaching halfway to the ankle, so wide that they look like an
apron ; black stockings, and shoes bound with leather, and a
round hat with broad brim.
The women wear first, a white linen cap, and over this a
black cone-shaped cap, stuffed with wool, and coming low upon
the forehead, which, upon the married women, is trimmed with
ribbons, and left plain upon those of young girls. Over this is
yet a straw hat. The chemise has no sleeves, but over it is
worn a jacket of finer linen with long sleeves. The bodice is

380 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
of home-made cloth, embroidered and ornamented with gold or
silver threads.
This is also the dress of the peasants of Pomerania, Eugen,
and other adjacent islands, and the customs of all are nearly
the same. Over every door is a sign called the Wahrzeichen —
true sign — which indicates the condition and occupation of the
owner — a fish or an anchor, a spade or a cross, triangle or
ring, each knowing the sign of the other as well as if it were a
written name.
Here if a maiden or widow has property in her own right,
she has the privilege of choosing a husband, and making the
first proposition, which, being conventional, by law and custom,
is of course proper. Both the parents of the bride and bride
groom contribute to the expenses of the wedding, and the
bridal train proceeds to church in the manner we saw in the
Black Forest, forming two lines, till they reach the church door,
where they unite and greet the bride. After the ceremony the
men return to the wedding-house, but the bride, bridesmaids,
and women go to another, where they are greeted by a speech
from one of the women, over a mug of warm beer. Towards
evening a pistol is fired before the door, when one of the offi
cials of the day enters, bringing a can of beer, which is
passed around in the midst of another speech, when they all
return together to the house of the bride, where the dinner
awaits them, during which the bridegroom sits at a table among
the women, and the bride at another among the men.
In some places the door of the house is fastened when the
bridal train returns from church, and must not for a long time
be opened. After a while some one comes with a loaf of bread
and a jug of beer, from which the bride, then the bridegroom
and each guest must drink, before entering, and bite also a bit

BRIDAL CUSTOMS. 381
from the loaf of bread, which is not eaten at the time, but
preserved as a charm. Iu other places the bride must stand
upon the hearth before the fire and taste of everything in pot
and kettle before it is served. The token of betrothal is a
hymn-book instead of a ring, which is carried about on all pos
sible occasions, and certainly is not so convenient a testimony
to her honor as something that may be worn upon the finger.
Among another tribe or clan, after the marriage ceremony,
the young men give the bridegroom a few strokes with a whip,
that he may know how good it is, and spare his wife a similar
pain ; then he brings her beer and bread, as a sign that he will
henceforth provide for her. She must not visit her parents
after the wedding, till she has been to church on the following
Sunday, else she will not prosper in her married life.
Among all the German and Dutch colonies in other parts of
Europe, they preserve their own peculiar customs and way of
life, instead of adopting new as they do in America, and incor
porating themselves with the people. Those who went from
Holland were in many cases burghers and knights, and as their
means permit, they keep up a kind of ceremonious stateliness,
after the manner of their ancestors, and in accordance with the
feeling of the Dutch burghers of New York. With them a
wooing is still after this fashion. When a young man and young
woman have ascertained in that silent way " more eloquent than
language," that they have the special preference for each other
necessary to the holy state of matrimony, the young man makes
the first formal demonstration by mounting a steed duly saddled
and bridled by the coachman, and himself duly equipped by a
valet, to ride to the house of the bride.* He must also go on
* In Germany, this appellation is giren before marriage, instead of afterwards, as
in England and America.

382 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
Tuesday or Thursda-y, as these are the lucky days. When he ar
rives no one meets him at the door. He must tie his own horse,
and enter alone, experiencing the most distant and formal recep
tion, which he does not seem to consider a bad sign. When
he leaves no one accompanies him to the door. Eight days
later he goes again in the same manner, also on Tuesday or
Thursday. But this time he is greeted at the door, his horse
is taken to the stable and fed, and he remains till evening, en
tertained with the best the house affords. This is taken that
he is considered one of the family. A few days later the be
trothal takes place, which is a ceremony almost as grand as
the weddings among the peasantry, the bridegroom being trans
ported to the house of the bride, in a carriage with four horses,
with new harness, and polished in the finest manner, a new
suit of clothes, and servants in livery. In this manner they
pay the betrothal visits, in Germany, among the higher
classes. When persons are betrothed and are ready to have
it known among their friends, they take a carriage and
pay visits, often in these days only leaving a card, with their
names in betrothal proximity engraved thereon, and in little
different form from a wedding card.
The bans are published the first Sunday after the betrothal,
and three weeks later, on Tuesday or Thursday, is the wedding,
in the greatest possible state. On one occasion it is said the
cake was brought from Dantzic in a wagon which not less than
four horses could draw, and six hundred flasks of wine were
drunk !
These settlers live upon the banks of the Vistula, where, like
their ancestors in Holland, they converted a marsh into the
most productive meadow, elevating the land where it was neces
sary, building dikes, and opening drains, till they made for

DUTCH ON THE VISTULA. 333
themselves the most beautiful, as well as the most fruitful
valley in all the country. The houses are wood, with thatched
roofs, and balconies supported by pillars, with large gardens
inclosed by fences. The barn, stable, and family rooms, are
under the same roof, and near by, the baking room, granary
and room for the carriages, harness, and other apparatus per
taining thereto. The floors of the house are polished with
wax ; mahogany furniture, and often a piano, are reflected in
the tall mirrors upon the walls. The doors are of carved oak,
and upon the dressers gleam silver coffee-pots, gold and silver
goblets. In the kitchen the tin and copper are in the greatest
abundance, and polished to brilliancy,
The cows are washed every day, and their tails done up in
papers, or what amounts to the same, coiled up and bound to
little polished rollers, which is indeed a funny sight. But they
look so clean one would be quite willing to invite them to dine,
or share with them a lodge. The floor is strewn with coal
instead of straw, and so supplied with grooves, and little rills of
running water, that the delicacy of the most fastidious is not
so troubled as in some of the palaces occupied by human
beings. Everywhere the harvest feast is celebrated by leaving a little
bunch of wheat or oats standing upon the field, around which
they dance, the maidens being crowned with wreaths, till one
of the reapers cuts the last stem, when the whole is carried to
other sheaves, and the feast closed in the house, with dance, and
song, and wine.
In Hamburg, the children from the orphan asylum make a
happy gala-day, by being crowned with wreaths, and marching
through the city, stopping at each house to demand alms, col
lecting much more than they would if they went in rags, or

384 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
than if the same were demanded by old ladies or policemen.
In several kingdoms and duchies, the annual almanac is
published by the government, and the proceeds of the sale
devoted to the support of the orphans, no private person being
allowed to prepare an almanac.
To enumerate and describe all the festivals, as we have said,
would be impossible, and there is a sameness about them that
makes it unnecessary. The scene which the Prater near Vienna
exhibits at Easter, may be seen in the neighborhood of almost
every large city, on some day during the year. In Berlin, it is
on St. Bartholomew's day (Aug. 24), when the whole city pours
forth, prince and peasant, old and young, rich and poor, merely
because it is an old festal day, and they will rejoice. The
celebration has no connection however with the events which
took place in France on that day. It seems to be by accident
that the Stralauer Fischzug occurs exactly at this time, and
it was a long time before the people knew themselves in
what it originated, but at length learned that the fishermen of
the place were accustomed on that day to devote the proceeds
of their labors to the pastors of the villages, and a prince one
morning amused himself with their labors. Ever after it became
a festal day. Many have an origin as simple. Until 1848 the
carnival was celebrated at Cologne with scarcely less pomp and
pleasure than in Eome. For a time during the political trou
bles, it was prohibited, and has never since attained to its for
mer magnificence.
At Frankfort-on-the-Main, Pfingsten, is the one universal
holiday, and at Munich, the great October feast, instituted in
honor of the marriage of one of their princes. On this occasion
the people come from every part of the kingdom, and there is
the appearance of a great fair. Stalls are filled with fine cat-

PFINGSTEN. 385
tie, all the products of agriculture, fruits, flowers — what they
have spun, and what they have woven, being brought for exhi
bition and sale ; and racing, betting, shooting and wrestling
are to be seen everywhere. In every city, town and village, are
singing and musical societies, which have been gradually estab
lished in the last three centuries, and these are continually
holding anniversaries, and still more general are the shooting
companies. In America the whole country would be one scene of drunk
enness aud revel with so many occasions for excitement, drinking
and dancing ; but either because they are so accustomed to
them, that they do not get excited, or because they are not
so excitable, or from some cause we cannot divine, the people
drink, and sing, and dance, the year in and the year out,
without so much noise and hurrah as is to be seen on one
Fourth of July.

17

CHAPTEE XXVI.
EDUCATION IN GERMANY — INVENTION  ARTISTS  THE GERMAN ELE
MENT IN THE UNITED STATES  EMIGRATION-  PICTURE OF A
GERMAN FAMILY PREPARING TO GO TO AMERICA.
In a voluminous work upon Germany, published the last
year at Gotha, the author congratulates himself and his
countrymen that no other country in the world is so advanced
in every species of culture — no land where all classes, from the
highest to the lowest, are so well educated — no land where
so much pains is taken to elevate the people 1 On an average,
there is only one in every hundred who cannot read and write, in
some states only one in ten hundred, and in some none. In the
whole country there are four hundred gymnasiums, and twenty-
four universities, and in the universities eighteen thousand stu
dents. In Prussia alone, are three hundred and eighty-two insti
tutions for orphan and neglected children ; all of whom are
taught to read, and write, and cipher. In 150 cities are public
libraries, and in no other land has the book-trade attained to so
much importance ! there being 2,650 establishments ; of which
Leipsic has 150, Berlin 180, and the whole of. Austria 190;
and the number of works from German authors, which appear
annually, is from 8,000 to 10,000. Another author says
these are nearly all works of imagination, as it is the imagina
tion of Germany, which is the most fruitful, and works of this
kind in which the people most revel. A great proportion are
3S6

EDUCATION — INVENTION  ARTISTS. 387
children's books, and this species of literature is superior to that
of any other country. Yet, among the masses of the people, it is
impossible to buy books, and as far as reading is concerned,
they might almost as well have never been taught. There is
only one in a hundred who cannot read, yet not one in a
hundred ever thinks of reading, or has an opportunity. The
author had not been in every land, and had no idea of a truly
intelligent, reading people. The newspaper is a far more effi
cient educator than the spelling-book, and of this they know
nothing. He says, also, in no land have been so many inventions and
discoveries, and no one will think of denying to them, great
thinkers, great philosophers and inventors. To the capabilities
of the people, we deny nothing. What a glorious people they
would soon be, could they once get rid of the yoke. But this
one thing it seems impossible for them to do.
Guttenburg, Herschel, and Kepler, all the world knows, were
Germans ; but it is not so well known that a Holstein school
master discovered vaccination, and that among the Hartz
Mountains, a kind of railroad was first used. Wooden bellows
first blew the flames in Thuringia, and the spinning-wheel was
first turned in Brunswick. Porcelain was first made by a Ger
man, the clarionet invented, and the coloring of the beautiful
Prussian blue. The first correct theory concerning the rainbow
was, by a German ; the motion of the comets, and the discovery
of the spots upon the sun. The air-pump and the barometer owe
their origin to the same class of earnest thinkers. Here was
drawn the first map of the moon, and finished the first tele
scope; the burning-glass and microscope; the ear-trumpet and
the organ ; wood and copper engraving ; lithography and
stenography ; the tangent, in trigonometry, and the hanging

388 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
compass ; besides many which are too well known to need
enumerating. The drying and compressing of vegetables was a German
discovery, and is a great business, not less useful to others than
profitable to them. They are so prepared as to occupy the
least possible space, and keep any length of time, making it
possible for ships to have good vegetables in any climate, and
upon the longest voyage, and all people to have comfortable
food during all the year. In two or three instances, these
discoveries were made- by what are called noblemen ; but most
of them by men in humble life, as is true of many of their first
artists and musicians. It is related of Mozart, that he offered
himself to a lady of rank, and she scornfully replied : " You
aspire so high." He answered : " You shall one day look up
to me." Which she lived to do. Dannecker was the son of
the Duke of Wurtemburg's groom, and his first labor, cleaning
stables. Next door to them lived a stone-cutter, who was
continually troubled by finding his blocks of marble all scrib
bled over with designs and pictures. When the Karl's school
was founded in Stuttgard, the poor stable-boy went to the
Duke and asked permission to go. After inquiry concerning
him, he received permission, with the assurance of aid and
protection if he proved worthy. His progress was, every day,
a marvel to his teachers, and at fifteen he bore away the honors
of the school. While there he became acquainted with
Schiller, whose head he afterwards chiseled, to the immortal
honor of himself and friend. The Ariadne upon the tiger,
from Homer, seems to us the most graceful and beautiful of
anything we ever saw in marble. Hans Sachs, the poet, was a
shoemaker. Eauch, the sculptor, who has recently died at
Berlin, was originally a brick-mason, and afterwards valet to a

EMIGRATION TO AMERICA. 389
count. When he became a greater man than the court noble,
he was one day invited by him to ride. During the drive he
remarked : " I rode with you once before ; but perhaps you
do not remember it ?" " No, indeed, said the count ; when
could it be?" "When I was a boy; but then I rode behind
the carriage instead of at your side." He is said to have
resembled Washington, in personal appearance, so much that
he might easily have been taken for him.
We might fill a volume with such anecdotes, but we have
already passed the line within which we limited ourselves, and
must find a place to stop, for in these days of speed, people
tolerate long books scarcely better than stupid ones ; or if one is
long, are sure to think it stupid.
Having for a year and a half very diligently studied the Ger
man people, we are ready to say " good speed to every ship
load that sails across the water." They will not be all
worthy people, as so many from any country cannot, but the
greatest proportion will become so, and even those that gov
ernment and friends pay for going, to get them out of the
way, have some inducement to reform, and are quite as likely to
become good as to remain bad.
It is infinitely amusing to see the importance given to them
at home the moment they get " on the other side" (this is the
phrase most common among the peasantry in speaking of
America). " The German element," says the author above
quoted, " takes rank next to the original Yankee, and in
some states exceeds it. It was even to the German Bauer
democracy that America owed her independence I They were
the first to shoulder the gun — they were the bravest and most
enduring of Washington's soldiers !" How strange, how
true, and yet how lamentable that those who do so much

390 PEASANT LDTE IN GERMANY.
for other countries can do nothing for their own. Here the
Bauer caste are spoken of exactly as northern people are in the
habit of speaking of negroes ; but when they get to America
they are the greatest credit to their own land, and the bone,
sinew, and glory of ours.
The Hessians whom the English king bought qf their prince,
and who were obliged to go against their will, gave, at that
time, to the whole fatherland a bad name, but even they tried
to redeem it afterwards by deserting in troops to the Ameri
can side, or offering themselves as servants among the German
settlers. The whole number who emigrated between 1815 and
1854, was 1,800,000 ! In Frankfort-on-the-Maine, in 1682,
was founded the first company for sending colonists to America,
the " Auswanderer Gesellschaft, called the " Frankfort Land
Company." Those who first went under its auspices settled
Germantown, in Pennsylvania.
During a famine in Germany, in 1709, Queen Anne gave free
passage to all who would go, and thirty-five thousand availed
themselves of the opportunity, and from this time, driven by
war, oppression and famine, there has been a continuous stream.
A few now and then return, says our author, but it is with the
loss of their national feeling. The fatherland is-not to them
what it was. No, and we advise the kings and princes to see
to these few who return to live, and also to those who only
come back for a few weeks or months. For though they can
not speak loud, for fear of imprisonment or death, their whis
pers are mighty instruments of evil to palaces and thrones.
They speak to some purpose, because they have seen the prac
tical working of things. They deal not in dreams and hypo
theses like the philosophers and students who have only specu
lated upon freedom in their closets. Every father, mother,

GOING TO AMERICA. 391
brother and sister, believes what is related to them at the fire
side by him who has been long absent, who has prospered him
self, and sent them money to make them comfortable, and now
comes with stories marvelous as fairy tales, of the strange
land in which he has been. We have often thought, too, as
we have read the letters of those Auswanderers, that they were
like so many trains of powder, running in every direction
through the land. Far more dangerous are they than any
thing a poor colporteur may have in his pack, and there is no
nook or corner of Germany now into which they do not go.
The picture of a family breaking up and going to America,
will perhaps not be an unpleasant one with which to take leave
of our readers. We have seen many, though all were not ex
actly like the one we give. Many, when they have sold all
they have, possess scarcely enough to get there ; and in these
days the great family wagon only takes the little party to the
nearest railroad, instead of all the way to the sea coast, and
they must dine in a much less poetic and picturesque manner
than when they tied their horses in the shade of a clump of
oaks, made a fire, and boiled the soup, while the children
danced on the green. But now, as then, they manage to spend
very little for food by the way, and often even find t/iemselves
upon the ship. Of luxury and ceremony they know nothing.
Those who only see them whilst emigrants think them misera
ble, filthy, and degraded, when perhaps they were almost beau
tiful in some snug little cot, and will be again, when they build
another on the prairie.
We translate the following from one of their own popular
authors : *
" It was on a beautiful spring morning in the month of May,
* Franz Hoffman.

n92 PEASANT LTFE IN GERMANY.
that Father Emanuel Wackerman, sunk in deep meditation,
walked up and down beneath the shadow of his own vine and
fig tree, in tho little garden behind the cottage. The head,
white with the silvery locks, fell low. upon the breast, the
hands were crossed behind, and the deep blue eye, which, in
spite of age, had lost none of its brilliancy, rested upon the
earth. " On the table, which stood in the little arbor, lay a paper,
with "a great seal, and near it the morning journal.
" A long while stood the old man by the table, looking first
at the letter and then at the paper, and then continued his
walk. " It was such a morning as one sees only now and then, even
in the beautiful spring. The trees were in their richest green ;
a thousand flowers bloomed upon the cleanly weeded garden
beds, and opened their chalices to the morning sun. The birds
hopped in the branches overhead, and filled the air with their
melody, and the painted butterfly sipped the honey from the
dew-laden rose, resting a moment upon one, and then winging
her way to another far distant on the bright parterre. All re
joiced in this golden light and balmy air except Father Eman
uel, who had no eye for what was life and glory to every other
living thing.
" What had so oppressed his usually glad and joyous spirit?
It was his custom to leave the house early to walk in the gar
den, but it was to refresh himself with the beauty and rejoice
with the glad children of spring, and lift his heart in gratitude
to the Giver of all this good. Now he seemed not to hear a
bird or see a flower, and the motion of his lips betrayed a bur
den instead of a happy spirit, while he still acknowledged his
many blessings.

GOING TO AMERICA. 3! )?,
" And these blessings were indeed many. Father Emanuel
had house and farm, garden and meadow, field and fern. He
was the richest man in the village. Two fine horses stood in
his stable, a flock of sheep of finest wool grazed in his pasture,
and in his coffer was ever a mite to bestow upon the poor who
knocked at his door.
" But these were not his best riches. These were his family
— his brave son William, Anna, his true and loving wife, and
their children, Ernest and Frederic, two beautiful boys, and
the little Maria, who was within a few days of her tenth birth
day. Upon these hung his soul, to them his heart clung as
the richest of all earthly treasures. The grandmother, the
wife of his youth, had gone to the Father in Heaven, but in
undisturbed love and peace lived he with the family who were
pious, industrious, and honored.
" When the sun had risen a little higher in the heavens, the
garden door opened and presented to him the happy faces of
Ernest, Frederic, and Maria, come to say the accustomed
'good morning' to grandfather. Usually this arrival was
very welcome to Father Emanuel, and filled him with joy, but
to-day he greeted them with a sad smile, that cast a shadow
over their fresh open countenances. He pressed a kiss upon
their rosy lips, said a few friendly words, and then, instead of
showing them the flowers, and talking with them, silently
stepped aside to be alone. The eldest ran after him and said>
'What is the matter, grandfather? you do not speak to us;
have we displeased you ? '
" ' No, oh no, my children,' said the grandfather, while he
tenderly patted the cheek of the beautiful boy ; ' you are brave
and good, and I am quite satisfied with you, but I have some
thing to say to your father ; go and call him, and be quiet
17*

394 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
away whilst we speak. Eun, dear children, and my blessing
and love be with you.'
" The children, quieted by these words, ran to the house, but
when they had gone the grandfather murmured : ' Poor, dear
children, how will they bear being transplanted to a strange
soil ; and yet what can happen to save us from this fate ? Is
it not better to forsake all earthly goods than to sacrifice the
health of the soul ?'
" Again sorrowfully shook the grey head, and the old man
walked with quicker step up and down, till his son appeared.
" A fine stately man was William. Energy and manliness sat
enthroned upon his brow, over which fell the hair in light brown
locks. His form betokened remarkable strength, and his well-
burnt hands showed that he used this strength well. For a few
minutes he remained quiet, before the father observed him ;
then he said : ' Here I am, father : you wish to speak with
me, but perhaps I have come too soon.'
" ' No,' said the old man, ' I must indeed speak with you,
and it cannot longer be put off. See, upon the table lies a
paper, read it and tell me what you think.'
" William seated himself upon a garden chair and began to
read. From time to time his brow grew darker, and his lips
compressed, and when he lifted his eyes again to the paper he
exclaimed :
" ' This is, indeed, most unrighteous and hard to bear. What
shall we do, father ?'
" ' Tell me first your opinion, my son. Speak openly, con
cealing no thought for fear of my judgment. In so important
a matter we must think only of what is right.'
" ' True, father, this is also my opinion. The government

GOING TO AMERICA. 395
wishes that we change our faith or leave our country. Is not
this the substance of this unhallowed message ?'
" ' Yes, my son 1' answered the grandfather, ' and which will
you choose 1 Consider well before you decide.'
" ' B'ather,' answered William, 'there is nothing to consider.
The Bible says : " He who will not take up his cross and follow
me is not worthy of me ;" and also, " I am the light of the
world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will
have the light of life." Father, I am ready to leave all as God
has commanded.'
" ' But do you not forget, my son, what you will have to leave ?
Home, friends, house, farm, garden, field, and meadows, which
you have made fruitful by hard work, and watered with the
sweat of your brow.'
" ' I forget it not,' answered William, with quiet earnestness,
'but I remember that the Saviour said: "He who forsakes
fatherand mother in my name, will be rewarded a hundred-fold."
If we leave our possessions here God will' still remain to us.'
" ' But your wife, your children,' said the grandfather, ' have
you thought how hard it will be for them to separate from all
they love and hold dear ?'
" ' Not from all, father. God will remain, and you and I.
I know my Anna, she will think with me and not wish me to
do otherwise.'
" ' Well, then, well, my noble son,' exclaimed the grand
father, and pressed him to his ¦ bosom, ' your faith is mine, and
I doubt not that in the struggle with right and duty, it is good
to think not of earthly possessions. So, then, we will be stead
fast and strong in the faith. God is over all, and especially
will he be with us when we place our dependence upon him
with love and hope.'

396 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
" ' And which way shall we go ?' said William.
" ' Where else than to the land of freedom — to the United
States of America — where all are free to worship God as their
hearts wish. Shrinkest thou from the long way over the
sea ? Forget not, my son, what is written : " Not a hair of
your head falls without my notice." God can protect us on
sea as on land.'
" ' And yet, father, you have not encouraged the emigrant in
seeking a strange land.'
" ' No, my son, when from selfishness and the thirst of gold,
one turns his back upon his fatherland. But this is not what
tempts us. If we stay here it must be with burdened con
sciences. If we go, God is with us to be our guide and shield.'
" ' But perhaps we can find a refuge nearer ; it is, indeed, sad
to go so far across the great deep.'
" ' Yes, but what security have we more in one place than in
another ? To-day we are driven from here, and next year from
there. Why subject ourselves to such harassing circumstances ?
What matter, here or across the sea ? — God is everywhere. We
must sacrifice much in selling our land, and if we buy again in
this country must give a great price. No ! to America — there
are forests and fruitful fields within our means, and with indus
try we leave a goodly inheritance to our children and children's
children. Their affections are not so deeply rooted here. They
are young and a new world will soon be their home, and
strangers their friends.'
" ' Enough, father, enough. I will not think of myself when
my children are concerned. Guide us and we will follow.
May God give to them all he has destined to me. To work,
and strive, and suffer, to open to them a future, is for me
enough. To me the labor, to them the reward. I will sow

GOING TO AMERICA. 397
that they may reap ; and my true wife will say the same. Her
love for the children is not less than mine, and what is for their
good will she be ready to do. No distance will be too far, and
no path too rough and stony. Guide us and wc will follow.'
" ' Yes, with full trust,' exclaimed the clear, glad voice of
Anna, who had heard the last words, and came smiling near.
' Yes, father, to thy hand and God-fearing heart we fearlessly
trust our destiny.'
" ' Good and excellent woman,' said the grandfather, ' but
you shall not follow me blindly. I rejoice in thy love and
trust, and hearty good will ; but you must hear all and judge
for yourself.' Here he related to her all which had passed, and
what portended.
" A silent tear rolled over her cheek, but then she lifted the
dark blue eye, and with firm voice and spirit said :
" ' Hard, indeed, it is to leave our home, but harder to be
separated from God and our faith ; yes, this is impossible.
You have not deceived yourself in me, William ; I follow you,
and God will give me strength to be a true and faithful wife,
and devoted mother to our children. We leave earthly goods,
kind and sympathizing friends, all dear and valued treasures,
but we will find others across the sea, and the most precious
of all, we will keep our faith in God. If we forsake not him,
he will forsake not us. Let us go, then, in peace and hope.'
" ' I knew this was what you would say,' said William, press
ing her to his heart, and the grandfather placed his hand upon
their heads saying : ' It is decided — we remain steadfast in the
faith. — Amen.' And the old, peaceful smile curled the lip of
the grandfather ; they pressed each other's hands and returned
the house.
"Quickly spread the news through the village that Father

398 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
Emanuel, with all his family, would cross the seas, and it was
a sad knell to many hearts. Those who had not the same faith
had still for them the sincerest regard, for their honest indus
try, uprightness, and friendly, interest in their toils. Many tried
to persuade him from his purpose, and some resolved to accom
pany him when they found him firm.
" Soon was everything arranged. The house was sold, and
' truly the Lord is with us,' said father Emanuel, as he placed
the shining gold thalers in the coffer. ' The labor we have
bestowed upon our land has brought its reward. Both house
and land were purchased at their full worth, when it was evi
dent they needed no improvements. If God continues by us
we may look forward quietly to the future. But let us not
linger, dreading what can't be avoided. Partings are sad, but
are not made less so by delay. I have engaged a wagon and
two horses, that we may take with us to the new world a
few things that have been dear to us in the old ; now choose
which they shall be, but only the most necessary and most
valued, that the wagon may not be overladen.'
" But, oh ! how many there are from which father and mother
and children think they cannot separate, or at least, with heavy
hearts, must leave in the old home — the old chair in the corner
by the stove ; the great chest filled with the treasures of fine
linen ; the big table by which the grandfather played when a
little boy ; the old clock, blackened with the smoke and dust of
half a century ; the little wheel on which the dear grandmother
had spun many a yard of fine linen ; the oak settle, which had
afforded rest after so many weary hours, and so many, many
others to which were linked the sweetest remembrances. Alas !
how could she choose — the whole household would she have liked
to pack intp the wagon. But though the wagon was large, it

GOING TO AMERICA. 399
would not hold a fourth part, and not a tenth part could be
permitted to go. The grandfather still shook his head, ' too
much — too much, although to his heart they were not less
dear, and when he took from the wagon many things and put
them back into the house, a tear fell from the eye of mother or
children in sorrowful resignation.
" But the children indeed, what would they not have taken
with them ? Friz brought all the playthings, though they had
long ceased to be used. The great rocking-horse was tugged
down from the garret, and Maria brought her dolls and cooking
apparatus, and picture-books. The last the grandfather per
mitted to pass, but the others must be returned to the lumber-
room, at which the children cried heartily.
" ' That which is useful first,' said the grandfather, ' play
things will be found as plenty on the other side over the sea. We
have all to sacrifice something, and must not allow the heart to
be heavy. Ah, but what have you there ? Books — I thought
there were already enough upon the wagon, Maria ?'
" ' But these are my school books, the singing-book and the
Holy Bible,' answered the little one, shily, fearing to be sent
back again. But was pleasantly surprised to hear, ' The Sing
ing Book and the Holy Bible : yes, hand them here, they are the
most needful of all our possessions. Hand them here, they shall
have the best place, if half the goods must be unladen to receive
them. Give me the Bible, my child, it is our great treasure,
and will be to us the richest consolation in our new home. Here
it shall rest, that we may also have it handy by the way ; and
now enough ; the wagon is full, not an inch more for anything.
In the morning we can take our seats, and commence the long
journey.' Many things still stand around which they would
so gladly take, and the young wife lingers with the hope of

400 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
securing room for at least a few. But the grandfather still
says ' no,' and they enter mournfully the half-empty house.
" ' Now all is ready,' said Father Emanuel, ' we have only
to put the horses to the wagon in the morning, and take our
places. Courage, children, courage. Lift up the head, my
daughter, and look to God for consolation. He will guide us
through the dark valley,' if we only put our trust in him. Take
courage, there is yet a sadder leave-taking than any we have
had yet, a more painful farewell to say than to house and farm.
You understand, my daughter, and you, William, and the child
ren. Ah, yes, you have thought of it as well as I.'
" Well did all understand what the grandfather meant — a
visit to the peaceful churchyard, to look once more upon the
green mound which inclosed the remains of her, whom they so
loved in life, and who was not less dear in death.
" They went. The grandfather first, then William with Anna,
then Frederic with Maria, hand iu hand. Silent, thoughtful, they
wended their way, not through the public street, for their feel
ings were too sacred to be exposed to the gaze of the indiffer
ent ; but along a side path where a green hedge concealed
them from view.
" The sun was almost behind the hills as they reached the
quiet churchyard, but the golden beams still played among
the branches of the cypress and linden that shaded the grave.
Across the blue vault of heaven swept the rose-tinted clouds,
and a light evening breeze whispered among the branches.
Silently gathered the litttle circle around the remains of the
sleepers in this holy place — it is the grave of the grandmother
— and by her side are her parents, the three hillocks blooming
with the fresh flowers of spring. They knelt together, the
grandfather uncovered his grey head, and clasped his hands in

GOING TO AMERICA. 401
prayer. Their tears fell like dew-drops upon the perfume-
exhaling petals, and gleamed like diamonds in the setting sun.
" They remained long in this humble posture. The grand
father rose first, and lifted his moistened eyes to heaven,
'Farewell ye glorified ones,' said he, with a voice trembling
with suppressed emotion, 'farewell, never more can our feet
tread this holy spot, where you rest in peace ; but we know that
your blessing descends upon our heads as you look down upon
us from above. We must leave your terrestrial remains, but
our thoughts will still linger here, and your glorified spirits
will accompany us to the strange land — the strange distant
land to which we go. We separate from your honored dust,
but not from your imperishable spirits, whose holy presence my
soul ever feels. Farewell, and peace remain forever upon this
holy dust.'
" With trembling hand, then the grandfather plucked a flower
from each grave, and pressed them to his heart. Then turning,
with one last lingering look to the sacred relics, all wended
their way homeward. It was indeed a sad parting, but though
deep grief troubled their spirits, a holy peace filled their hearts.
" Scarcely was the morning dawned, when the household of
the grandfather was astir. The father and son busied them
selves in the stable, fed and harnessed the horses, and made all
things ready for the journey. The mother dressed the children
and prepared the breakfast for the last time in the old home.
During the meal no word was spoken, for the hearts were too
full ; but when it was finished the grandfather said : ' It is
time. If we would leave the village before the neighbors are
up, to spare our hearts the- pangs of more farewell words, we
must not linger. All is ready. Children come.'
" ' Only one last look through the house where we have so

402 PEASANT LIFE IN GERMANY.
long lived in prosperity and happiness,' begged the mother ;
' yet once more, that the picture of the old home may be deep
printed in my soul.'
"'Good, good!' said the grandfather, 'that is a longing
of the heart which I also feel, and we will go together.'
" Thus they wander through every room and chamber from
top to bottom ; visit the kitchen and the store-room, and lastly
to the honeysuckle-bower in the garden, where they had spent
so many glad evening hours. Secretly the mother plucked a
root from the earth, a charm, and put it in a little flower-pot
that she had concealed in her satchel. ' This,' thought she,
' will be a sweet remembrance upon the sea, and in the far off
new home.' But she had not done it so carefully that Wil
liam, her husband, did not observe her — ' Eight, dear Anna,'
said he, ' this will indeed be a charm, and shall be nourished
to become another bower, to bud and blossom in the wilder
ness, and remind us of our love in the old home.'
" Now all was ready. They took their seats in the wagon,
and only the man-servant and maiden, who remained to serve
their successors, were by to speak parting words.
" ' Farewell,' said Father Emanuel to them, ' many thanks
for your love and good wishes. Eemain upright and true, and
the blessing of God will attend you.' Now clasping the reins,
he said : ' Forget us not, as we will keep you in kind re
membrance. Opon the door ; part we must, and no longer stay.
Farewell, all, and God be with you.'
" ' Farewell, Father Emanuel ; farewell, young master ;
farewell, dear mistress Anna ; farewell, dear, dear children,'
cried they, and reached their hands for a last fond grasp.
Then said the grandfather — ' Go on,' and the wagon rolled
through the great gate.

THE PARTING. 403
" Already, the day before, had the grandfather bid the neigh
bors good bye, and wished not the pain of saying the words
again. All appeared to be slumbering quietly ; not one did
they see by door or window as they passed, and he said, ' It is
well. God bless them all. Before they awake we shall be far
away.' " But the grandfather had not rightly appreciated the love
of the good neighbors. They had well marked the prepara
tions for an early departure, and had been long up to make
ready for the last farewell. The last few houses of the village
lay in a wood, through which the wagon must pass, and here
had they all assembled : young men and women ; old men and
little children ; and as the emigrants approached, came rushing
out, and so filling the street that the horses were compelled to
stop. " ' Oh, my good friends, and dear neighbors,' said the grand
father, ' this is too much — it is not well ; you make still more
bitter the parting hour.'
'"No, no; that will we not,' said a grey-haired peasant,
coming near. ' We will see you all once more, that we may
wish you joy and peace on life's pathway, and the blessing of
the Lord, which you so richly deserve. We shall keep you in
good remembrance, and think of you with love, for you were
at all times a true, kind, and upright neighbor. It is with
deep sorrow that we see you go, and long will your absence
make a void in our village and in our hearts. But we know
that necessity compels you to go forth, and blame ye not. God
be with you, Father Emanuel ; God be with you and yours I
May he bless your departure, and your arrival with rich mea
sure, so that you may find in a new land, all blessings and
happiness from which here you must flee. Farewell all, and
in our hearts and prayers we will remember you.'

104 PEASANT LLFE IN GERMANY.
" ' Thank you, dear friends and neighbors,' said the grand
father, with deep emotion. ' Thank you for all your kindness
and love. Often shall our thoughts turn to you, and our
prayers ask the blessing of God upon you all. Farewell, and
God be with you ; gladly would I have spent with you the
remainder of my days ; but we are called and must go. Fare
well, all, farewell ; if we meet not again on earth, may we
hope to meet above to part no more. Farewell, dear neighbors
and friends — once more let us shake hands, and then we
must go.'
" All gathered round and stretched out the hand, which was
silently pressed, and wet with tears, when the wagon moved
forward, and the villagers returned to their homes."
We need not tell of the arrival of the emigrant, to American
readers, though the author makes the new home more at
tractive than the old, nor describe the homes of German settlers
scattered all over the western prairies ; but we are sure none
will read this picture without feeling for them a more kindly
sympathy, and bidding them a more kindly welcome. The
mixture of the German and the American element, makes the
best compound for republican citizens, and when their children's
children shall come back to the Fatherland, with spirits born
and nourished upon free soil and by free air, the dry bones of
these crumbling dynasties will awake, and the tocsin of freedom
ring the death-knell of tyranny once and forever.

APPENDIX.

Appendix A. — (Page 55.)
BARON VON STEIN.
Henry Frederick Chakles vom aud zum Stein (of and at Stein) was born
in 1757 at Nassau on the Lahn. His father was one of the higher and older
nobility, who held immediately of the empire, an independent lord in his
own domain. The baron was intended by his father to enter the service of the
imperial government, and was sent flrst to Gottingen to study public law and
history, and then to Wetzlar, the seat of the imperial chamber. In 1780, he
entered the Prussian service as director of the mines of Westphalia, at Wet
ter. In 1784, he was ambassador at Aschaffenburg.
He was then made President of the Westphalian Chamber, in which capa
city he continued until 1801, when he was called to Berlin and made minister
of finance, and of trade, and commerce, by Frederick William III. He held
this office until 1807, and then resigned it soon after the battle of Jena, iu
consequence of some differences with the cabinet. But he was a man whose
services in that emergency could not be spared to the state. He* was called
back by the king in the summer of the same year, and made prime minister.
After the battle of Jena, not Prussia only, but the whole of Germany, lay
prostrate at the feet of Bonaparte. The nations were broken, crushed, bleed
ing, helpless. How to raise Prussia from its supineness, and infuse vitality
into the lifeless mass of the people was the problem to be solved. Here was
a task worthy of the best talents and best efforts of the foremost man of the
times. Stein saw that the weakness of the nation lay in the slavery of the
people, and he boldly applied the remedy. By a single decree, he converted
a nation of serfs into a free people.
But Stein's sentiments were revealed to the French by an intercepted let
ter, and Napoleon, who watched and controlled every court of continental
Europe, directed him to be removed, and give place to Hardenberg. Stein
was banished to Prague, where he lived until 1812. He then went to St.
Petersburgh, having escaped the vigilance ofthe French spies and police.
Stein came with Alexander to Germany in 1813, and was present at the
405

406 APPENDIX.
battles of Lutzen and Bautzen. During that year, he held the office of
Supreme Director of the Interior Central Board of Administrators of the con
quered provinces of Germany, until they should be finally disposed of by a
general congress. But with the congress of Vienna and the Holy Alliance,
he had nothing to do. He held diplomacy and compromise in sovereign con
tempt. He had done his part to awake the people from their slumbers, to
organize and animate the league that accomplished the overthrow of Napo
leon, and the emancipation of Germany.
In 1816, he retired to private life, and was no more heard of in connection
with office and government. He died at Coppenberg, in Westphalia, a favo
rite residence, on the 29th June, 1831.
Stein's opinions, measures, and character, deserve to be better known. It
•has been the policy of the Prussian government, since 1816, to suppress all
publications partaking of his spirit, illustrating his measures, and promoting
the reforms and progressive improvements which he initiated. He was
vexed and pained at the reaction which commenced at Berlin, under the in
fluence of the bureaucratists and court minions, who, after others had fought
and won the battle of freedom, again crowded into their old places, and pos
sessed the ears of the king.
Frederick William was a good, kind-hearted, well-meaning monarch, facile
in his promises, but without strength or resolution in performance. He
falsified nearly all his pledges. He delayed and postponed the promised
reforms. The constitution, so often just ready for promulgation, was never
perfected. He could not give up his cherished absolutism. Since 1815, the
ministers of the king have done everything to make the royal word a mockery
and shame. Books have been prohibited, imaginary conspiracies have been
suppressed, professors have been deposed. Luther has been banished, the
free exercise of religion trammeled, and the expression of liberal opinions in
politics sternly repressed.
Stein, although a high born nobleman himself, speaks of the native princes
"as dastardly poltroons, who, intent only on their own preservation, and
deaf to every feeling of honor and duty, seek safety in their heels; or titled
slaves and bailiffs, who, with the substance and the life blood of their sub
jects, purchase a few years' lease of a beggarly existence." He adds that
among them " every sort of extra Vileness, weakness, and low sneaking self
ishness prevails."
The reforms introduced by Baron Stein, and their results, are very briefly
and clearly stated by Alison in Chapter 48 of his History of Europe :
"So clearly were his ideas formed, and so decided his conviction as to
the only means which remained of reinstating the public affairs, that he com
menced at once a vigorous, but yet cautious system of amelioration; and,
only four days after his appointment as minister of the interior, a royal decree
appeared, which introduced a salutary reform into the Constitution.
" By this ordinance, the peasants and burghers obtained the right, hitherto
confined to the nobles, of acquiring and holding landed property, while they
in their turn were permitted, without losing caste, to engage in the pursuits
of commerce and industry. Landholders were allowed, under reservation of
the rights of their creditors, to separate their estates into distinct parcels,

APPENDIX. 407
and alienate them to different persons. Every species of Blavery, whether
contracted by birth, marriage, or agreement, was prohibited subsequent to
the lllh of November, 1810 ; and every servitude, corvee, or obligation of
service or rent, other than those founded on the rights of property or express
agreement, was forever abolished. By a second ordinance, published six
weeks afterward, certain important franchises were conferred on municipa
lities. By this wise decree, which is in many respects the magna charta of
the Prussian burghs, it was provided that the burghers should enjoy coun
cillors of their own election, for regulating all local and municipal concerns ;
that a third of the number should go out by rotation, and be renewed by an
election every year ; that the council thus chosen should assemble twice a
year to deliberate on the public affairs ; that two burgomasters should be at
the head ofthe magistracy, one of whom should be chosen by the king, from
a list of three presented, and the other by the councillors; and that the
police of the burgh should be administered by a syndic appointed for twelve
years, and who should also have a seat in the municipal council. The admi
nistration of the Haute Police, or that connected with the state, was reserved
to government. By a third ordinance, an equally important alteration was
made in favor of the numerous class of debtors, whom the public calamities
had disabled from performing their engagements, by prohibiting all demand
for the capital sum till the 24th of June, 1810, providing, at the same time,
for the punctual payment of the interest, under pain of losing the benefit of
the ordinance. Thus, at the very moment that France, during the intoxica
tion consequent on the triumphs of Jena and Friedland, was losing the last
remnant of the free institutions which had been called into existence during
the fervor and crimes of the Revolution, Prussia, amid the humiliation of un
precedented disasters, and when groaning under the weight of foreign chains,
was silently relaxing the fetters of the feudal system, and laying the founda
tion, in a cautious and guiltless reformation of experienced grievances, for
the future erection of those really free institutions which can never be estab
lished on any other basis than those of justice, order, and religion."

Appendix B. — (Page 57.)
FEUDAL SYSTEM— SERFDOM.
Some knowledge of the feudal system is necessary to enable tho reader to
comprehend the present condition of Europe. It must not be supposed that
the feudal system was a regular political organization, like a constitutional
government of modern days, or that it was a system of laws like the Code
Napoleon. Indeed, that state of society called the feudal system can hardly
he entitled to the name of system. It was different in different ages and dif-

408 APPENDIX.
ferent countries. It was one thing in France, another in England, and still
another in Germany. It was greatly modified in one country and another by
conflicting and counteracting influences, such as ancient laws, manners, cus
toms ; and everywhere it had to encounter the open or secret hostility of the
Papal church. In fact feudalism never existed as a harmonious system. It
never had any fixed arrangement of parts, any established order, but every
where presented strange incongruities and glaring inconsistencies.
It very nearly resembled the patriarchal society of the times of Abraham,
or the tribal associations of Arabia, or the clanships of Ireland and Scotland.
All the members of a tribe or clan claimed descent from a common ances
try, and bore a common name, as Clan Campbell, or Clan Connel, and stran
gers adopted into the tribe were bound to intermarry with the clan, and to
take its name.
The district of territory occupied by a clan was considered common pro
perty, and the shares were subject to distribution according to the discretion
of the local chieftain. It is nearly certain that such was the form of govern
ment among all the aboriginal tribes of Europe. The accounts left us by
Cassar in his Commentaries, and Tacitus in his Germania, and by geographers
and historians of the Roman Empire, justify this inference. The Germans
and the Normans, in their invasions of western Europe, brought with them
the remembrance of their clanships. In the distribution of the conquered
countries, however, the principle of the family and property union was ne
cessarily conformed to the altered circumstances of the victors.
The emigrating warriors were from different clans, and the lands to be
divided and shared were of larger extent than their deserted homes. The
family connection was sundered and could never be revived. In the place of
it associations were formed by chance or design, or imposed by force.
Dominion imposed by force was the element of the feudal system. It did
not spring at once into complete existence, but was of gradual growth.
Wherever the system prevailed it was based solely on brute force.
The social influence of feudalism can be best understood by considering the
position of the holder of a fief, and the state of society by which he was sur
rounded. The baronial castle is the prominent feature in the landscape. It
is situated upon some rock or inaccessible precipice, fortified so as to resist
the attacks of rival barons, insurgent vassals, or royal power. It is garri
soned by favorite dependents or hired soldiers, ready to attend their lord to
war or to the chase. In the neighborhood of the castle is the feudal village,
a rude collection of hovels, occupied by the serfs who cultivate the baron's
estates. They are not bound to him by any moral or political bond. He
treats them as vanquished aliens; he despises their occupation, and hates
industry in every form. They know little of the domestic habits of the castle,
and he nothing of theirs. His power over them is absolute— he gives them
laws, fixes the amount of their rents and taxes, punishes them for real or
fancied offences, permits or forbids the accumulation of property, and is often,
from sheer ignorance, or unintentionally, a tyrant. Out of his contempt for
industry and husbandry, and in order to enjoy the noble pastime of the
chase, he establishes sanguinary laws for tho preservation of game, without
regard to the interest of the serfs, interfering with their means of subsistence,

APPENDIX. 409
and their ability to avert the exaotions to which they were subject, for per
mission to till the ground. His utter disregard for the rights and sufferings of
his vassals, his forest law's and game laws, by which their means of subsist
ence were sacrificed for mere sport, preoluded any kindliness of feeling be
tween the baron and his vassals. The latter felt that they were the sport
and victims of the caprioious will of irresponsible tyrants. Hence the intense
hatred with which the rural population throughout Europe regarded their
feudal masters, and hence the fierce and fearful retaliations exercisod by the
insurgent peasantry during the middle ages.
The feudal baron had no friends except his wife and children, his domestics
and military retainers, and these also constituted his sole society. He was
generally at feud with his neighbor barons, and at variance with the royal
power. He was an independent chieftain within his fief, which was a state in
itself. He administered justice, levied taxes, and made laws. True, he ac
knowledged a superior lord or suzerain, to whom he was bound for homage,
allegiance, aud military service ; but the performance of these duties de
pended upon the power of the suzerain to enforce the obligation.
Some authors have described feudalism as a system of mutual rights and
duties, with graduated ranks from the monarch down to the meanest vassal.
In some countries the organization was much more complete than in others ;
but it was nowhere perfect. The main principle of feudality was at war with
unity and order. The lords of fiefs, who were at the same time sovereigns
and owners. of the land, never yielded more than a personal service to their
suzerain. Each was to the other an ally or an enemy, and in all cases wholly
independent. Homage was a characteristic of nobility. Peasants could not
do homage. Every owner of a fief was a gentleman, and the equal in rank
of every other, although it comprised but a few acres of land. The greatest
lord was quite willing to hold a fief under another less wealthy and powerful
than himself, and in return to do him homage and fealty. Even kings held
lands and jurisdictions under their own subjects. Even the oriflamme, the
national standard of the kings of France, was originally the banner of a small
barony, for which the kings were vassals to the abbey of St. Denis. William
the Conqueror held his Duchy of Normandy as a fief of the kings of France.
Kings were only regarded as members of the feudal aristocracy, and royalty
only as the fief on which the rest depended.
In Germany royalty was stubbornly resisted for ages. Austria was for cen
turies only a union of several distinct nationalities under the suzerainty of the
Hapsburg family.
The several states stoutly maintained their independence, and refused to
become amalgamated into one nation. Austria, Bohemia, Carinthia, and
Hungary, are as 'distinct now in laws, manners, customs, and language, as
five hundred years ago. Prussia is a modern kingdom, not yet two centuries
old. It is now only fifty years since the peasants have been emancipated,
and feudalism abolished. The old spirit yet exists in the descendants of the
feudal families. In France, feudalism all but annihilated royalty. The great
lords treated with the crown on terms of equality. It was not till the four
teenth century, that the crown obtained a decided preponderance.
William the Conqueror introduced feudalism into England. He parcelled
18

410 APPENDIX.
out the country among his followers, but he took care to reserve to himself
such a share of the plunder as to give him an unquestioned supremacy. Be
sides, he violated the feudal rule, and required all the feudal lords to do him
homage and fealty ; in the form of homage from one lord to his vassal, he
inserted a claim saving the homage and fealty due to the king. He retained
in his own hands more than a thousand manors, the lordship of all the great
towns, the right to nominate all the great officers of state, and for the admin
istration of justice. He did not grant to his vassals whole counties as was
the case in France, but gave them lands in different counties, so as to divide
their possessions and diminish their power.
In France, the feudal aristocracy defied, and overrode the monarchy, and
the king and the people coalesced for mutual protection. The result was an
arbitrary monarchy, which crushed out the spirit of the nobility, and enslaved
all alike. The revolution of 1792 was the uprising of a people, who could
no longer bear oppression, and were not fit for freedom.
In England, the Norman aristocracy were compelled to unite with the Saxon
people, to protect themselves against the power of the crown. The result
was the annihilation of royal authority, and the early extinction of feudalism
and serfdom. The first instance of such a union was under the usurper Stephen,
the second under the tyrant John, from whom the barons exactedMagna Charta
at Runnymede. The wars of the Roses, in which two rival branches of the
royal family strove for the crown, came near extinguishing the Norman race
in England. The people did not care which party won the bauble for which
they were fighting, but were glad to see them worry and destroy each other.
So far back as the year 1290, the parliament of England enacted a law, called
the statute of Quia Emptores, which prevented the creation of any new, or
subordinate fiefs and throttled feudalism almost as soon as it stepped its foot
on English soil.
In Germany, however, the system obtained a strong foothold, and has ex
isted with slight modifications down to the present day. The petty duke
doms, margravates, and principalities of Germany, have resisted the whole
force of the monarchical tendencies of five centuries, and still exist in form as
they did in the time of Otho the Great. The French revolution, and the ava
lanche of Napoleon's armies, awoke the German princes to a sense of their
weakness, and the German people to a perception of their rights.
The aristocracy of Europe still cling to their titles, and worship the dead
past. But the people, the long despised peasants, the laboring classes, are
slowly gaining knowledge and power. Education, limited as it is, under
censorship, and guided by government teachers and royal rules, is surely,
though not rapidly, elevating the masses, and fitting them to assert their
natural rights.
It will be interesting to inquire into the actual condition of the peasants,
during the long ages in which they have been the servants of their feudal
masters. Let it not be imagined, however, that serfdom was peculiar to the feudal
system. Slavery has existed in some form, since the earliest records of his
tory. The Egyptians held slaves. The Patriarchs of the Bible held slaves,
bondmen and bondwomen. The cultivators of the soil, and the house ser-

APPENDIX. 411
vants of the Assyrians and Persians were slaves. The free citizens among all
the states of Greece were hardly a tenth part of the population. The same
remark is true of the Romans. Prisoners of war were universally sold into
slavery among all the nations of antiquity. The Gauls and the Germans in
the days of Ciesar and Tacitus, owned slaves. Indeed slavery has been the
condition of agricultural and mechanical laborers in all ages, and among all
people, unless perhaps, China may be an exception.
In the days of Charlemagne, the feudal system was not yet known. We
read, that he gave his friend Alcuin broad lands, upon which there were
twenty thousand slaves. In his time, as always before, prisoners of war
were made slaves. He himself, took captive, and transplanted whole nations
from their native seats to distant countries, and made slaves of them. After
Italy had been conquered by the emperor, and many rich fiefs bestowed upon
the Boman Pontiff, a violent controversy arose between the popes and barons,
the latter accusing the former of winking at, and making a profit out of the
slave trade carried on between the Jews and the Saracens of Africa. The
Jews were the money brokers of the middle ages, as well as the slave deal-
era. It is more than probable that they encouraged the invasion of Spain by
the Moors, and of France by the Normans, in revenge for the persecutions to
which they were subjected by the intolerant Christians.
Wherever Charles extended his conquests, he acquired more lands to bestow
upon his courtiers and great men, who merely valued their vast estates for
the number of slaves upon them, and the income that could be derived from
them. His conquests reduced to slavery millions who had before been free
men, and every country that was reduced by his arms was enfeebled by com
ing under his sway. He ruled over a vast empire, in which he himself sowed
the seeds of dissolution. It fell to pieces at his death, not so much through
the imbecility of his successors, as the inherent weakness of the social
fabric. His battles and slaughtering campaigns, his devastations of whole
countries by fire and sword, his repeated invasions to quell ever-recurring
rebellions, his confiscations, his charters to towns, churches, convents and
monasteries, his gifts to bishops and barons, his edicts and laws, and his capitu
laries to regulate the government of the crown lands, all had not the slight
est reference to the rights and interests of the people, but treated them as the
merest chattels, and left them not only without liberty and property, but with
out hope.
The four centuries succeeding Charlemagne were, throughout Europe,
marked with disorder, turbulence, violence and bloodshed. There was no law
hut that of the strongest. The feudal system grew out of this confusion. It
was during this time that the numerous castles that bristle on every mountain
height and defensible steep, were erected by the feudal lords for purposes of
self-protection and general plunder.
William the Conqueror was the first prince whose power held in oheck the
turbulent and independent spirit of the nobles. In. his own youth he had
witnessed the worst scenes of lawlessness and brutal ferocity. His tutor and
favorite councillor was murdered in the room where William was asleep.
The murderer, in his turn, was slain in his bed without form of trial. His
dukedom was rent and torn by quarrels, robberies, and assassinations. A

412 APPENDIX.
conspiracy was formed to dethrone and kill him. In his twentieth year he
had to fight a battle against his rebellious vassals. To subdue them he made
use of the sword, poison, and the assassin's dagger. He was merely the chief
savage of the brutal clan.
A brief account of one family will exhibit the manners and character ofthe
nobility for four centuries in all Europe.
William de Belesme, Count of Alencon, surnamed Talvas, for some unknown
reason had revolted against Duke Robert, William's father ; but being closely
besieged in his castle, he was forced to surrender at discretion. The Duke
would not grant him pardon until he presented himself before the army with
naked feet and head, a saddle on his back, and a bridle in his mouth, as a
beast for the duke to ride. This degradation broke his heart ; he bequeathed
the task of revenge to his knightly sons, and their deeds of ruffian violence
filled all Normandy with confusion. The eldest was torn in pieces by the
people, the second fell by the stroke of a lance in an insignificant skirmish,
and the third was murdered in prison by some, barons, whose sense of out
rageous wrong was too keen to allow of their waiting for the slow process of
legal redress. William Talvas, the youngest, the most turbulent and the
most cruel of the family, still survived ; the death of his brothers had put him
into possession of large estates, and allowed him to gratify his evil propensi
ties with impunity. His wife, Hildeburga, disapproved of his conduct; the
warmth of her remonstrances displeased him, and he caused her to be
strangled, while kneeling at prayers in the chapel of the castle. He sought
another wife, and invited to the nuptials, William of Giroy, a noble knight,
who was said to have been an unsuccessful candidate for the lady's hand.
Giroy, though warned of the peril of treachery, accepted the invitation; he
was received at the castle of Alencon with every appearance of courtesy and
friendship ; Talvas even invited the young knight to remain and keep com
pany with the bride, while he went to enjoy the pleasures of the chase.
Scarcely, however, had Talvas quitted the castle, when his servants, accord
ing to his orders, seized on the unhappy Giroy, thrust out his eyes, cut off
his ears and nose, and then drove him out of the castle to find his way home
the best way he could. Many similar anecdotes of this count's ferocity are
related in the contemporary chronicles. But he was at length punished by the
revolt of his son Arnold, a son every way worthy of such a father. He raised
the vassals of Talvas, expelled the count from his domains, refused to make
the smallest allowance for his support, and left him to die in poverty and exile.
Arnold himself, after a brief career of iniquity, was murdered in his bed.
Such and similar atrocities were common throughout France and the whole
of Europe.
When the nobles were thus cruel and treacherous to each other, what must
have been their treatment of the unarmed and helpless serfs? Can we won
der at the unquenchable hatred of the peasants towards the aristocracy?
A volume would not suffice to give an account of the oppressions of the
people through the long centuries from Charlemagne to the present time.
Let those who desire to inform themselves refer to the chronicles of the mid
dle ages, now rendered accessible to all, in the cheap publications of Bohn,
in his antiquarian library. The story of the pasturers in Normandy, of the

APPENDIX. 413
Jaquerie in France, will show how well the peasants imitated their masters in
the arts of rapine and cruelty. These outbreaks wero followed, at intervals
for two centuries, by risings in various parts of the kingdom ; and ended
only in that volcanic eruption, the Revolution, which for a time swept kings,
nobles, and priests, and every 'form of aristocracy from the face of France.
The tales of Robin Hood, William of Cloudesly, and Adam Bell, and the old
Saxon ballads exhibit the spirit with which the sturdy peasantry of England
resisted the assaults of feudalism. The rebellions of Wat Tyler and Jack
Cade have never yet been fully and fairly treated of by any historian. The
conquest of England was in 1067, Wat Tyler's rebellion in 1380, and Jack
Cade's in 1450. The wars of the Roses, which immediately followed the last
insurrection, so crippled the nobles, and weakened their power, that the mid
dle and laboring classes have ever since, when united, been more than a
match for the titled aristocracy, and have obtained, through parliament and
by legislation and judicial decisions, repeated recognitions of their rights, and
complete emancipation.
In Italy, the power of the bishops of Rome, the growth of commerce, and
the introduction of Grecian and Roman learning from Constantinople, had
broken up the feudal system as early as the year 1300, but the merchant
aristocracy of the cities, and the papal power have been more disastrous to
the people — more paralyzing and oppressive than feudalism itself.
In Germany the feudal system remained in full vigor down to the year 1495,
when the Emperor Maximilian the First published his famous edict for the
establishment of the public peace of the empire. Before this time every
German noble, holding his fief from the emperor, was a petty monarch in
his own domain, owing no allegiance but to the emperor, and acknowledg
ing no authority but the remote, and scarcely felt, supremacy ofthe empire.
Among the rights secured to them by imperial edict, was that of waging
private war called FaustrecU (club law), after a three days' notice by way
of defiance, called a Fehdbrief. Each baron had a fortress, from which he
issued to make predatory incursions upon his neighbors, or to plunder the
merchants who dared to cross his territories. Several of them would form
leagues for mutual defence, or to make attacks upon the more powerful
princes, the free towns, or the ecclesiastical states.
While the great princes, the bishops, and free towns, approved the edict
and combined to enforce it, the petty nobles resisted it. The struggle was
fierce and bloody in many places, and while it was in progress, the peasants
and bondsmen remained in the most abject state of ignorance and oppression.
The nobles and princes were only fighting for the power to oppress, and
whichever party might succeed, the peasants would have merely a change
of masters. Peasant insurrections burst forth which resembled in extent,
and in atrocity, the Jaquerie of France, and that of Wat Tyler in England.
One of the most formidable of these peasant risings was in the time of Luther,
and the great reformer, patronized and protected by princes, fulminated the
most coarse and bitter denunciations against them. The insurgents were
beaten, and the aristocracy kept them in slavish subjection, until the decree
of 1807, by which they were set free throughout Prussia. Similar decrees
have since, in other German spates, and in the Austrian empire, emancipated

414 APPENDIX.
nearly all the serfs. Bnt personal liberty has not been accompanied by poU
tical freedom. Old laws and customs, absurd municipal regulations, restric
tive duties and imports, the laws regulating trade, labor, marriage, and the
right of residence and removal from place to place, continually remind the
people of old oppressions, and bitterly impress them with the fact that per
sonal liberty is not the whole of freedom.
In all the feudal countries, the mass of the population, aside from the nobi
lity, was divided into three classes — slaves, villani, and freemen. The first
had no right, but, like cattle, were treated and sold as the chattels of their
master. The second were attached to the soil, adscripti gleba, and were
transferred with the fief; bought and sold as a part of the real estate. The
freemen were at first numerous. But as the feudal system gained ground,
the small proprietors gave up their estates, and consented to hold them by
feudal tenure, as the tenants and liege men of some powerful lord who could
give them protection from the robbery and rapine of the petty barons. In
many parts of France and Germany, however, the small proprietors persist
ently asserted their freedom, and held on to their possessions. But the
greater part of these independent proprietaries were situated remote from
castles and cities, in districts far from the traveled paths of commerce, and
distant from the beaten tracks of armies. To distinguish them from feudal
lands, they were called allodial. The terms are the converse of each other.
An allodial estate is one that is not subject to any rent, due, or exaction what
ever, from the owner to any higher or superior authority. The allodial tenure
is now established as the legal ownership of land in most civilized countries,
in the United States, in France, England, in most of the German States, and
is about to be introduced into Russia.
Perhaps a better understanding of what serfdom actually was in other
countries, and a better appreciation of the present condition of Germany,
may be gained from a glance at the existing serfdom of Russia.
This great empire has only a little while been numbered among either
Christian or civilized nations. Only a little while have her higher classes
been on anything like an equality with those of Germany and Scandinavia,
only a little while has she been once thought of as a rival, though she is now
the most gigantic and formidable power on the continent, and makes the
highest pretensions in all that belongs to nominal civilization.
The flrst man who possessed influence over a sufficient number of people
to accomplish a settled purpose, was Rurik, who came from a little province
in Sweden, called the country of the Russes. He was therefore a RcrasE,
and thus gave name to all this great empire, which has ever since been sub
ject to Russian princes. Yet he was little more than a border chief, and
governed as the head of banditti rules his hordes. Next came four by the
name of Ivan, whose deeds are thought worthy to be recorded in history,
but need not figure in the simple annals of the poor, which are our especial
province. Boris Godinoff preceded Peter the Great. From him emanated the first
formal decree concerning the people. The poor must ever be the servants
of the rich, and when those in power are unprincipled and tyrannical, those
who serve them are debased into slaves. In Russia, as yet, the serfs could

APPENDIX. 415
change masters at their will, and finding themselves in better condition on
the farms of large than small proprietors, they moved whenever they be
lieved it would be for their interest. Boris Godinoff saw that this perpetual
migration was an injury to the small proprietors and the general interests of
agriculture. He therefore issued a decree, which bears the date of Nov.
21st, 1610, saying, that from this day all migration should cease, and every
peasant henceforth remain upon the farm where he was when this Ukase or
decree was issued.
This measure proved beneficial to the present interest of the small proprie
tors and of agriculture, as it was intended, but excited the hatred of the
large ones, and could not help resulting in final injury to the whole, so that
ever after they numbered the day, upon which the decree was made, as one
of the fatal days for the people, the first among the many which followed, in
obedience to the will of her tyrants.
The second Ukase, from the same source, was indeed a more terrible blow
to the freedom and happiness of the humble poor. Until now the number of
serfs had been limited to prisoners of war, slaves purchased from foreign
foes, and men who voluntarily sold themselves and their posterity. These
classes were in no way identified with the free peasants, who cultivated the
soil, or served as household domestics. When masters for any reason were
displeased with their servants, tb*y sent them away, and not being able to
find employment, they often joined bands of robbers, or became professional
beggars. The second Ukase of Godinoff, therefore, ordained that all who
had served in the house of any proprietor a certain period, should become
serfs, entirely at the disposal of their employers, who were not permitted to
send them away on any pretence. Thus originated this terrible system of
serfdom, which has been so long the curse and reproach of Russia. Thus fell
instantly into hopeless bondage thousands and millions of helpless beings, to
entail the same upon their children and children's children. The Emperor
Nicholas was often heard to deplore their condition, but he did nothing to
alleviate it.
At the time of this decree there were among sixty millions of people forty
millions of serfs. Over the whole empire, except in the cities, there are only
two classes— the master and serf. The serf is not allowed to own anything
in his own right, and if he buys anything must purchase it in the name of his
master or lord, who may at his pleasure deprive him of it.
The different orders of nobility in Russia, as at present existing, were insti
tuted by Peter the Great, and consist of fourteen classes, all those belonging
to them being employees of the government. The fourth class and all up to the
ninth class in the military orders, and up to the fifth in the civil order, confer
personal nobility. The superior classes confer hereditary nobility, but there
exists no relation between the classes and the places to which they give the
right. Sometimes the place is sought in order to obtain the class, and some
times the class in order to obtain the place. But though originating with the
great Peter, it has never been a popular institution among the people, who
have ever prayed earnestly for its abolishment.
No proprietor can own serfs without belonging either to the ninth class in
the miUtary or fifth class in the civil service. Once upon this pinnacle of

416 APPENDIX.
greatness, the privilege of trafficking in human flesh is added to his other
honors. The express word of the law is, that a serf cannot be sold, but with
the land upon which he resides, yet it is so easily evaded that they are sold
every day, singly or in numbers, without the least difficulty. In the contract
the word hire, or rent, is substituted for sale, and one may hire as many serfs
as he pleases for a hundred years. Another manner of evasion is to bribe
the officers who record deeds of sale, and in various other ways proprietors
barter their serfs, who have no security and no hope but in the will of their
masters. So that without the shame and publicity of a public auction, human
beings are sold — family ties are broken — mothers torn from their children,
wives from their husbands, and the heart separated from all it holds dear, and
those who bid and buy, remove their chattels to a distant province, where
they may be again sold or rented in the same way — and again anynumber of
times it may suit the convenience of those invested with such power ; and so
often is this done that love of home or birthplace has scarcely time to take
root in the heart of the Russian peasant. But if it does, and the prospect of
removal elicits an expression of attachment to the spot of his birth from any
poor creature, and he prays to be allowed to remain amidst the scenes of his
childhood, he is very likely beaten to cure him of his folly.
Alas 1 how surely power apd selfish indulgence burden and corrupt the
heart. How often it seems that privilege and the means of cultivation destroy
every germ of humanity in the soul. Those who are free to enjoy every hap
piness and luxury, are the least willing to make sacrifices for the happiness
of others.
We select a few from among the many stories we have learned, to iUustrate
the condition of those who have no choice but to obey those who rule over
them, and proving that humanity is everywhere the same. A Russian
seigneur is conversing with his guest concerning his serfs, and exclaims:
"You see you do not know these people — such a race ; you know my wife—
an angel of goodness : well, she is principled against having married femmes
de chambre. You see, if they are married they are no longer good for any
thing ; children come, and, in fine, how can you expect a girl who is married,
to hold herself ready to obey the commands of her mistress — to conform to
her habits? — no, impossible. You know my wife — an angel of goodness; it
would be difficult to find a woman of such sweetness and sensibility ; her ser
vants have not only an easy, pleasant life, but a Paradise. I will tell you a
story. We — my wife and I — were riding one day in the country, and saw a
pretty girl standing at her father's door. We stopped to look at her, and my
wife said : ' I should like her.' We talk with her, and conclude to take her-
But she is an only daughter — an only child— and her father is unwiUing to
give her up. This is too foolish— we take her, of course— she weeps and
prays to be left with her father, and he falls on his knees to implore. No
matter, we can't indulge such selfishness. She goes with us and serves us
faithfully ten years. Then one day she enters my cabinet without knocking
or asking permission, and falls on hor knees at my feet. Such manners and
familiarity I do not allow in my servants. A man should not thus lower his
dignity. " ' Seigneur — father,' said she, ' a favor?'

APPENDIX. 417
'"What favor?'
" ' Permit me to marry.'
" I said ' you know, you simpleton, that your mistress has no other femme
de chambre but you.'
'• ' Yes, monsieur, but I will serve her just as faithfully afterwards as I have
to this time.'
" ' Folly, folly, yon know your mistress does not keep married femmes de
chambre.* '"Melanie can take my place.'
" ' Do you dare to argue with me ?'
" ' It will be as you wish, but ' 
" When I heard this I really feared apoplexy. Nothing wounds me Uke in
gratitude ! I need not tell you that my wife is an angel of goodness. One
would think the blackest ingratitude would be disarmed before her. I drove
Ariana from my presence, and would not believe she would longer harbor
such ungrateful thoughts. I could not believe there could be in a human
heart such baseness. Five months passed and I began to be at ease again,
but the sixth month she came again with the same request. I drove her from
me with anger, and threatened to tell my wife ; but a little afterwards, my
wife came to me, beside herself with fear and distress. I said :
'"What is the matter?'
" ' Ariana is' 
"You wiU understand— I blush to speak the word.
" 'Impossible, the wretch !'
" ' It is Petrouchka the lacquais.'
" I was confounded ; but as for Petrouchka he was not so very guilty — we
could easily punish the monkey ; but Ariana, the wretch ! ' I have no patience
to speak her name. I could have shaven her head and driven her naked
through the streets, the ingrate. Such an excellent femme de chambre — such
a loss to my wife, who is, as you know, an angel of goodness. Of course we
sent her away ; but my wife— you know my wife— an angel of goodness, and
she was attached to this creature. Oh, how such ingratitude cuts my heart.
Say what you will, there is nothing else to be expected of this class of people —
no delicacy — wolves ; but I have had a lesson," and here he turned away, and,
adjusting his mantle, endeavored to conquer his agitation !
But sometimes marriages are enforced rather than forbidden, for human
beings are the necessary machines for the aggrandizement of the lord. They
are obliged to marry when the master chooses, and in the way he commands.
A girl of eighteen is compelled to marry a boy of twelve, whose father or
some other member of the family becomes the father of 'her children until her
husband is of age. Machines must be born !
There is no power more absolute than that which the Russian seigneur
exerts over his serfs — no class of people more helpless than those who serve
a Russian lord.
"Who are you?" demanded a gentleman of a man whom he met on the
banks of a river which watered the lands of the rich lady Aleana Timfana.
Who are you, and what is your trade ?"
" I am the fisherman of our lady." 18*

118 APPENDIX.
" A fine fisherman yon must be, with not a single boat upon the river."
"What is the use of a boat if there are no fish?"
" How long have you been fisherman?"
" Only seven years."
" And what were you before ?"
"Coachman."" And why did you leave that business ?"
" The new lady dismissed the equerries."
"What lady?"
" The lady who bought us, Aleana Timfana. — you know her— a great lady,
and no longer young."
" No ; bnt why did she make you a fisherman ?"
" God knows. I was at her place of Tambeuf. She called together all the
people in her service ; when she appeared, we knelt to kiss her hand. After
this she asked each of us what was our employment. When my turn came
and I told her I was a coachman, she said : ' A coachman 1 A fine coachman,
I should think, such a looking creature ! You no longer belong to the number
of my equerries. Go shave your head and cut your hair; you will be in
future the fisherman of my establishment, and if my fish pond is not kept in
order you will be called to an account. So you see what is expected of me,
but I cannot make fish, and should like to know how a fish pond like this is to
be kept in order.'
" To whom did you belong before ?"
" To Serge Sergheitch Pehtiref, who inherited us. I was his coachman in
the country, but in tho city he had another."
" You have been a coachman all your life ?"
"Oh no, before I belonged to him, I was cook when we lived in the coun
try, but not in the city."
" To whom did you belong when you were cook ?"
" To his uncle of whom he inherited us."
" And of whom did the uncle buy you ?"
" Of Titania Vacilievna."
"And who was she ?"
" Oh, she was the daughter of Bolkoff. She was never married — did you
not know her ? She inherited us from her father ; she was our mistress twenty
years." "Were you her cook?"
" Yes, at first, but afterwards she made mo Ko-fi-che-nok."
" Ko-fi-che-nok ! pray what is that ?"
" I do not know, only they changed my name from Kouzma to Auritown,
and I was attached to the office — our mistress ordered it."
"Your real name was Kouzma?"
"Yes, Kouzma."
" And you were Ko-fi-che-nok seventeen or eighteen years?"
" No, I was part of the time actor."
" Bah, what sort of an actor ?"
" Our lady had a theatre in a large chamber, and I played."
" And pray what part did you play?"

AITENDIX. 419
" Oh, they dressed me up, and told me to go here and there, and say this
and that, and I did as they told me. Once I was blind man."
"What did you do after this?"
"Next I was cook again?"
"Why did they make you cook again?"
" My brother had run away."
" Well, what did you do when you lived with this lady's father ?"
" Oh, in the family of her father I was all sorts of things. At first, I was
errand boy, then postillion — that is, when they drove four horses I was
mounted on a high saddle upon the left forward horse with a whip in my
hand. After this, I was hunter."
" Hunter ! with horses or dogs ?"
" Oh, both ; but I hurt myself and the horses, and we were bolh made
lame. The master was very angry and beat me, and then sent me to be ap
prentice to a boot maker in Moscow."
"What ! yon were already a man when they made you hunter, and now
you are sent to be apprentice to a boot maker 1"
" I was then twenty years old."
" What ! you were an apprentice twenty years ?"
"Yes; the master ordered it, and I could not help myself; but he diod
then, and I returned to the viUage."
"But when did you serve as apprenticeship as cook?"
" Oh, they do not need to learn that ; the women cook, and we taste, that
is all," said the poor man, on whose wasted and jaundiced visage a smile
tried in vain to play.
"Well, well ; you have had quite a variety in your day ; what will you do
now since you are fisherman, and there are no fish?"
" I do.not complain, but thank God that they have made me fisherman."
" Are you married ? Have you a family ?"
" Oh no, this is impossible ; our lady does not permit her servants to marry.
' God forbid that I should suffer this,' she says."
"How do you live, have you a salary or any fixed wages?"
" A salary ! Oh, sir, they give us food to eat, it is all that is necessary for
us !" And this he seemed really to think, and to have no idea that it was
possible for him to fill a higher and better destiny than this of being bandied
about lake a bale of cotton, subject to the caprices of heartless owners. The
story is told by a Russian lord, and therefore cannot be suspected of exagge
ration. The absolute power which begins at the throne extends to all who exercise
authority. There are no laws to protect the defenceless, nothing but indivi
dual responsibility to which they can appeal. The emperor is an autocrat —
his will for the moment is law. Whatever may be on the statute book, he
may at anytime annul to gratify the slightest caprice. Peter the Great wished
to advance civilization, and exerted his power as autocrat in the way he be
lieved would best promote this end. But though his intentions were good,
he was not infallible, ahd those who succeeded him were neither so wise nor
so good as he. Yet they were autocrats all the same. If he could have lived
u century longer, he could have constantly improved upon himself; for U

420 APPENDIX.
was ever ready to learn. But many who have succeeded him have been only
too ready to sacrifice the good of the people to their selfish gratification.
Even he sanctioned serfdom, and Catharine II. rewarded her paramours with
serfs !
An amusing anecdote is given to show the danger of absolute power and
absolute obedience with no intermediate steps upon which executioners may
pause before inflicting the blow, or to which the accused may appeal for jus
tice. Catharine had a favorite dog whom she.had named Sunderland, for an
Englishman who had given him to her. He died suddenly, and she ordered
him to be skinned, merely saying, " Let Sunderland be skinned." The order
was transmitted through various mouths to the proper authorities for per
forming the humane act of skinning, without comment, and, when it reached
the executioner, he supposed himself ordered to flay a man who was origi
nally a foreigner, but had become a Russian citizen and banker of the empress,
and who bore the same name as her dog.* If he did not obey instantly a
command of the empress, he might suffer the same punishment himself, and
therefore prepared immediately the instruments for this revolting operation.
But the poor man being an official of the empress, his title obtained for
him a respite, and when she heard what had nearly been the consequence of
her laconic words, she was in consternation, but only reflected upon it as an
individual instance, and not as a certain effect of unlimited power. How
many heads have fallen in obedience to the mandates of kings and emperors, .
who have themselves afterwards bitterly repented, and if there had been
some restriction that prevented the immediate execution of their decrees,
their anger would have cooled, and lives, which perhaps they valued most,
would have been spared to them. Those who obey autocrats are automatons,
and know that the penalty of disobedience is certain death to themselves.
For every trifling offence beating is the punishment ; and it is quite possible
to get beaten for no offence at all, as a poor man found to his sorrow, who
went to the office of police with the passport of his master. When he returned
with bitter lamentations he complained that he had received fifty blows of the
baton, because the emperor, in walking, after a rain, when the streets were
slippery, had fallen, and those whose business it was to keep the streets in
order had failed in their duty. They had been summoned to receive their
punishment at the moment when he happened to enter to get the passport
inspected, and all who were present were beaten without inquiry as to their
guilt. And to this injustice the master only replied, "Very well, if you did
not deserve it this time you will another, and so you have it in advance, which
is perhaps the best way." There seems scarcely ever to exist the attachment
between the lord and his serf, which is so common between the negro'and
his master, and which is at least a mitigating circumstance in a relation so full
of evil. Utter selfishness seems to be the result in the bosom of man or
woman who is invested with absolute control over a fellow being. Who
would believe it possible that a woman's heart could become so hard, and the
* A porcelain oast of this famous dog may be seen at the Jc-hanese Palace of Dres
den, made at the porcelain manufactory of that city after a drawing furnished by the
Empress Catharine herself,

APPENDIX. 421
milk of human kindness so turned to gall in her bosom, or the instincts of
virtue so sensualized and debased in her soul, as we could show by thousands
of instances, does really happen, where she is allowed a life of selfish indulg
ence? We give another story in the words of the author, who witnessed il :
"This morning, whilst I was in company with the prince, there entered
Dimitri, the valet de chambre of the prince, and Axiana, the femme de cham
bre of the princess. Dimitri was born upon the lands of the prince, and had
served in his house 25 years. His service had commenced at the age of ten,
at first by scrubbing floors, doing errands, amd acting as postillion, When
older he became laquais, and afterwards valet de chambre of the prince, and
had for twenty years fulfilled the duties of his office with a fidelity and devo
tion seldom equalled. In his attachment there seemed something of the
instinctive and submissive affection of the dog. His honesty was irreproach
able, owing perhaps to his almost idolatrous worship of the prince and every
thing that belonged to him. He entered slowly, with Axiana by his side, ex
hibiting his embarrassment by rubbing his cheek and hesitating how to com
mence his petition. Axiana was dressed as a seamstress, and with her eyes
cast down was blushing even to her ears.
" Dimitri approached the prince, and asked to kiss his hand ; but instead
of offering it, the prince, who anticipated something disagreeable, demanded
quickly, ' Well, what do you wish ?'
" ' Your excellency,' stammered Dimitri, 'see, I am come with Axiana, and
if your goodness would be so greats — if you have nothing against it, I would
like to marry her.'
'"What! what do I hear?'
" ' It is a long time, your excellency, that I have loved Axiana ; you know,
your excellency, that we are from the same village — that she is a good girl.
I have thought, I have hoped ' 
" ' You have though!; — you have hoped that I would permit you to marry ;
simpleton that you are. There are strange people indeed in the world.
Here is Dimitri who thinks he has but to wink, and behold, he is established
in a household of his own. No, sir ; I shall not consent.'
"Dimitri and Axiana did not move, and at that moment entered the
princess. " ' What has happened ?' asked she, seeing the prince angry, and the domes
tics confounded.
"'It has happened,' said the prince, 'that this young gentleman has
demanded the privilege of marrying this young lady.'
" ' Marrying !' exclaimed the princess, laughing at the same time derisively ;
¦ really this is curious enough. You wish to marry,' she added, looking at the
two domestics.
" Dimitri was abashed— Axiana blushed and trembled. ' Yes, this is fine
indeed,' continued the princess ; ' we raise these creatures, feed and clothe
them, and train them for our service, with the greatest pains and trouble, and
scarcely are they fit for their places, when they wish to go. Ingrates !'
'"But, your excellency,' said Dimitri, ' we will serve you faithfully all our
lives.' "The prince shrugged his shoulders and muttered, 'simpleton !'

¦199

APPENDIX.

"'Serve us!' cried the princess; 'are you a fool? How could Axiaua
serve me when she has, or is having children ? Do you not see if you marry
we shall be obliged to send you into the country?'
" ' Ah, well,' said Dimitri, ' we will go into the country and work in the
manufactory ; you shall be satisfied with us.'
" 'Send you away?' exclaimed the prince, ' is it for this we have brought
you up, made you a valet de chambre, to work in a factory ? Speak !'
" The two remained silent.
" ' You see, then, you have acted like fools ; go ! drive marriage and all
such folly from your heads. Think only of serving your masters, and praying
to God ; this is much better. Go 1'
" They went out slowly and sadly. I was astounded and grieved, and said
to the prince,
" ' These domestics have served you a long time, faithfully?'
" ' Yes ; this knave, Dimitri, 25 years, and this girl, Axiana, 15 years.'
" ' And th*ey have been faithful to you ?'
" ' Zounds, they are my very best domestics ;, and for this reason it is so
base in them — for this reason their presumption exasperates me.'
" ' On the contrary ; I should have thought this would have been a reason
for granting their request.'
"'What!'" ' Yes, I should have thought services so long and devoted, merited a re
ward, and I would have permitted them to marry, not only because they are
honest and love one another, but from gratitude.'
" The princess smiled, and said, ' this would be the way in a novel or
romance, but we are actors in real life, and when we have a good domestic
it is policy to keep him as long as possible.'
" ' But you break the hearts of these poor people, and perhaps drive them
to sin. You already complain of the immorality of your domestics. Are you
not also guilty, if you thus force them to guilt ?'
" ' Oh, we cannot descend to argument and details, we only know we wish
to be well served. Indeed, does Dimitri think of depriving me of my best
femme de chambre? We will see ; if he still persists in marrying, we will
furnish him with a wife that we can spare better, and that will do just as weU
for him.'"
This is the religion of a woman who professes to be governed by Christian
principle — the morality of a woman who considers herself a model of purity.
She is what the world calls moral, because she has had no temptation to be
otherwise, but her code concerns only dukes and princes. What her servants
may be she cares not as long as they serve her well. For herself she prob
ably made a marriage of love, but what right has a domestic to pretend to a
heart, or even to human feeling ? As far as affection and morality are con
cerned he is looked upon as a brute, and for disobedience he deserves only
the scourge. What must be the life of those compelled to such a cold and
.heartless servitude? How can they feel even a brute's regard for their
masters? and not being permitted to love one another, how can there be a
single stimulant to exertion — a single sweet in the bitter cup of life ?
The marriage bond among serfs has none ofthe sacredness and permanency

Ari'ENDIX. 4^;j
that it impUes among superior beings, but may be rent asunder by the master
at his pleasure, and women in high station are so brutalized that they look
upon the marriage covenant as a tie subject entirely to their interests and
caprices. We have read, in good authority, the story of a countess who,
having been absent many years from her estates, returned to find her slaves
had formed many marriages in her absence, and though they had been con
secrated with all due ceremony by priest and before the altar, she did not
hesitate to rend them asunder, because they were not according to her ideas
of physiological fitness. In a fury she said to the intendant, " Is this the way
you execute my orders? Marrying blonds with browns, and browns with
reds? Send that fool of a priest to me ; is this the way to marry people?
We wiU have this sottishness remedied. ' ' The priest came, and after a violent
reprimand, was obliged to go to church to bind, in new links, those whom he
had stupidly pronounced "husband and wife," and assured " God had joined
together." The countess evidently had not become a convert to a more
modern theory of marrying according to physiological developments ; she
wished "blonds to be married to blonds, and browns to browns," and the
old ties being severed, the new ones were formed according to her ideas of
the order and fitness of things in the holy state of matrimony.
When we come to write of German peasantry, we shall see many things
sad to behold, but it wUl be a pleasant contrast to all this. But even the ser
vitude here, and the miserable state of those who are in bonds have in them
nothing to excite our horror, or move our pity like the debased and brutal
hearts of those who are lords and ladies. Surely it is better to be the tram
pled serf, than him who thus ruthlessly crushes the blood from human hearts,
and looks on unmoved to see the writhings of a human soul. Who would
take the gift of such a power, after once having seen its effect on him who
exercises it? Who would not shudder at the thought of being transformed
from a being of love and mercy, to a cold and heartless executioner, to whom
blood and anguish have become pleasant things, and selfish gratification the
one only object of interest in life ? The serf is to be pitied, but may he never
become something a thousand times more deplorable, the unbridled master
of another.
In Germany we shall see poverty, but in every home, however humble,
there wiU be the light of love, and where this burns bright, the darkness will
not be all darkness. A happy family does not sink under the weight of
poverty. There is no evil so great that love will not lighten it, no cup so
bitter that love will not sweeten it, and though there may be now and then
a happy household, and indissoluble Unks between loving hearts among
slaves, there is ever the harrowing fear that they will be ruthlessly blighted
and sundered, and too often the more harrowing reality of broken and bleed
ing heart-strings and desolation of spirit.

424 APPENDIX.

Appendix C. — (Page 72.)
The remarks of the authoress upon the character and capacity of govern
ment officials are worthy of attention in this country. It is to be hoped that
the time will never come when offices, in state and nation, from President
down to fence viewer, will be held for life or for long terms. Rotation in
office, whether brought about by the triumph and defeat of rival parties, or
by the removal of old, and appointment of new officials, is a salutary principle
in politics. If the public suffer much from the inexperience, ignorance, and
venality of new men, aU history proves that incapacity and corruption are
certain evils under hereditary or life-long rulers.
As long ago as 1821, Baron Stein, in a letter to Von Gagern, expressed
opinions of the government officials strikingly similar to those of the text.
" For myself I can say nothing more about public affairs than that while I
have little confidence in the present leaders, I have an unbounded trust in
Providence ; and that necessary as a constitution is to Prussia, and beneficial
as it would be, if fairly worked, I expect nothing from any machinery, which
will necessarily be opposed by the persons who have possession of the king's
ear, and the court influence generally: and I see plainly that we are still, as
we have hitherto been, to be governed by salaried persons, equipped with
mere book learning, without any substantial interest in the country, without
property, by mere bureaucratists — a system which will last so long as it can
last — ' Das geht so lange es geht.' These words contain the soul of our and
such like spiritless government machines : in the first place salaried — and
this implies a tendency to maintain and to multiply the number of salaried
officials ; then book-learned — that is living in the world of the dead letter and
not in the actual world ; without interest — for these men stand in no connec
tion with any class of the citizens who are the mass of the state : they are a
peculiar caste these men of the quiU ; lastly, without property— this implies
that they stand unmoved by all changes that affect property, in sunshine or
in rain, with taxes high or low, with old chartered rights maintained or des
troyed, with independent peasants or a rabble of mere journeymen, with a
dependence of the peasants on the proprietors, or of all on the Jews and the
bankers, it is all one to the bureaucracy. They draw their salary from the
pubUc purse, and write— write— write on— secretly— silently— invisibly with
shut doors— unknown— unnoticed— unnamed— and bring up their children
after them, to be what their fathers were— very serviceable writing ma
chines. "Our machinery— the old military machinery— I saw fall on the 14th Octo
ber, 1806 ; possibly the machinery of the desk and the quill and the red-tape
has a 14th of October already doomed for it in heaven."
I Words of sober truth and serious import, of which we should take heed in

APPENDIX. 425
this country, and never let the idea gain ground that government is a thing -
apart from the people — an instrument to rule the people — instead of a crea- ,
tion of the people to manage their joint interests, and promote the general,
welfare.

APPENDIX D.— (Page 86.)
Compare the rema,rks of the authoress, with the following extract from
Alison's History of Europe. Vol. ii., Chap. 48, page 586.
" Gerard David de Scharnhorst, who was now intrusted with the military
direction of Prussia, and whose great scientific abilities subsequently rendered
him so distinguished in the fields of European glory, had quitted the Hanoverian
service for that of Prussia in 1801. Taken prisoner at Liibeck, but subse
quently exchanged, he had powerfully contributed, by his decisive conduct
at the critical moment withLestocq's corps, to the brilliant result of the bat
tle of Eylau. In him a blameless life and amiable manners were combined
with the purest patriotism and the soundest judgment; exalted attainments
were nndisflgured by pride ; vigor of thought was adorned by simplicity of
character. The perfection of the French military organization, as well as the
energy of their army, appeared to him in painful contrast beside the numer
ous defects and dejected spirit of that over which he now presided ; but, in
stead of sinking in despair under the difficulties of his situation, he was only
inspired by the magnitude of the evil with additional ardor in the work of
amelioration, and induced, like Stein, to take advantage of the general con
sternation to effect several salutary reforms, which, in more tranquil times,
might have been seriously obstructed by the prejudices of aristocratic birth
or the suggestions of mterested ambition. Boldly applying to the military
department the admirable principles by which Stein had secured the affections
of the burgher classes, he threw open to the whole citizens the higher grades
of the army, from which they had hitherto been excluded, abolished the de
grading corporeal punishments by which the spirit of the soldier had been
withered, and removed those invidious distinctions which, by exempting some
classes from the burden of personal service in the army, made its weight fall
with additional severity on those who were not relieved. Every department
of the service underwent his searching eye ; in all he introduced salutary re
forms, rectified experienced abuses, and electrified the general spirit by open
ing to merit the career of promotion ; while the general strength of the army
was silently augmented to an extent which afterwards became in the highest
degree important, by the introduction of an equally simple and efficacious
regulation. By the subsisting engagements with Napoleon, it was provided
that Prussia should not keep on foot more than forty-two thousand men, a
stipulation which at once cast her down to the rank of a fourth-rate power,

426 APPENDIX.
and totally disabled her from assuming the attitude of resistance to the numer
ous and hourly-increasing demands of the French armies. To elude its opera
tion, and at the same time avoid any direct or obvious infringement of the
treaty, he took care never to have more than the agreed on number of men
at once in arms ; but no sooner were the young soldiers sufficiently driUed
than they were sent home to their hearths, and other recruits called to the
national standards, who in like manner, after a brief period of service, made
way for others in succession. By this simple but admirable system, which is
the true secret of the political strength and miUtary renown of Prussia, so
much beyond the physical resources of the monarchy, a miUtary spirit was
diffused through the whole population; service in the army came to be con
sidered, instead of a degradation, as an agreeable recreation, after the severe
labors of pacific Ufe ; the manner, carriage, and inteUigence of those who
returned from their standards were so superior to those of the rustics who
had remained at home, that no Prussian damsel would look at a youth who
had not served his country; the passion for arms became universal ; and while
forty thousand only were enrolled- in the regular army, two hundred thousand
brave men were trained to arms, and ready at a moment's warning to join
the standards of their country.

INDEX.

A.
PAGE
Agriculture and schools . . 127, 14-1
" fairs  299
" irrigation  142
" products of  202
Amber, fishing for  378
Angeln  51,375
Apple-bees  329
Apprentice, starting on his
travels  41
Archduke John, of Austria. . . 307
Aristocracy  60
" hatred of America 124
Artists  387
B.
Bacharach  211
Balls  229
Bavaria, king Louis  Ill
" misery of the people . 113
Beets and beet sugar  245
Betrothals  231, 338, 380
Birthdays  318
Births  377
Black Lady of Altotting  345
" Forest  281,316,321
Boarding houses  295
Braiding straw  290
Bread and baking  239
Bremen, first impressions  12
_ " annual dinner  105
Brickmaking  327
Bruges, decay of  \ . 109
Brunnen  271
" an adventure  277
ButtM- .'  285, 327
C.
Calling, etiquette of  334

PAGE
Carts and carriages  328
Charlemagne  49, 190
Chastity, want of, 90, 95, 136, 230,
289.
Chimney sweeps  332
Christmas  351
Chivalry  110
Cider making  325
Cities, cleanliness  270
Citizenship  234
Clocks  291
Coblentz, city of  187
Coffee  28
Cologne, city of  187
Commerce  100
" ofthe Rhine  173
Confirmation  349
Conventionalities  20
Costumes, 24, 46, 73, 240, 299, 321,
367, 375, 379.
Cottages of peasants  328
Cows and women  286
Crusades, influence of  99
Curiosity  369
Custom-house  43
D.
Ditmersh  62
Divorce  .". 317
Domestic life, 27, 220, 228, 239,
244, 256, 269, 295.
Dreysam, river in Baden  282
Dutch on the Vistula  381
E.
Easter in Vienna  345
Economy  220
Education  63, 262, 386
Eyarstadt  52
42T

428

INDEX.

PAGE
Emigration to America  389
Emma and Eginhard, legend of 241
Erz Mountains  372
Etiquette  334
P.
Fairs and markets  131, 157
" agricultural  299
" humors of  157
Farmhouses  147, 284
Farms and farmers. . 129, 285, 383
Festivals. . 226, 311, 340, 358, 384
Feudalism  54, 74, 96, 407
Feudal system  407
Fine arts  17, 111
Flax, cultivation of  154
Food  287, 331, 374
Frankfort, police  67
" quarrel at a ball .. . 88
Free cities  103
Freiburg  282, 299
Fruit, how to preserve  325
Funerals  -.  224, 376
G.
Games  241, 319
Game laws  242
Garden festivals  '. 305
German States, lack of unity . 88
" Yankee  287
Germany three centuries ago . 179
Girls, education of  265
" sold at auction  95
Gleaning  144
Goar, in Rhenish Prussia  95
Going to church  34
Grape cure  219
Graskonig, festival of  362
Guilds and trades  115
Guttenberg (art of printing) . . 183
H.
Hanseatic League  104
Health and longevity  249
Herman, steamship  11
Higgins, Edward, Capt  11
Ilimmelreich  283
Hockheim, its vineyards  208
Ilolenthal  283
Holstein  52

Homberg, watering place  44
Housekeeping  162, 257
" in North and
South Germany  169
House furniture  256
I.
Indian corn  238, 329
Ingelheim, palace at Mayence . 190
Inns  293, 322
" for apprentices  121
Inquisitiveness  370
Introductory  9
Invention  387
Irrigation  142
J.
Jews  187, 213
Johannisburg, palace of  205
K.
Kitchen economy  129

Lace weavers of Saxony  372
Land, subdivision of  266
" taxes  267
Language  53
Legend of Charlemagne  190
Leipsic, agricultural congress . 128
Liberty  60
Liebfrauenmilch  211
Linen, and washing  252
Luther, birthplace  183
" monument to at Worms 32
M.
Making her luck  14
Maria Tafel  343
Mariazelle  343
Marriage  231, 259, 295, 314
" certificates  150
" registry  150,231
Mayence, city of  189
Military quarrel at a ball  88
Military system  72, 83, 86, 424
Miners of Saxony  372
Morality  23U, 289
Mother, but not married  289

INDEX.

429

PAGE
Music and theatres  125
N.
Nassau, passports  67
" agricultural meetings. 128
" Brunnen of.  271
Nuremburg, famous for toys, 152
213. 0.
Occupations  145
Odenwald  221, 235, 250
Office, rotation in  62
Official Ufe  72
Officials  62
Oldenburg  S75
P.
Packer  148
Palatinate  210
Palmers  341
Papers  263
Passports  67
Pastor's welcome  312
Peasants  54, 406
Peasantry, love for America . . 124
" mode of life  133
" morality  136
" improvement of, 184, 263
307.
Pfingsten, or Whitsuntide 330, 384
Pic-nic  36
Picture galleries  19
Police, intermeddling  65, 69
Politeness  228
Postillions   281
Prussia, liberation of the serfs 57
" governmental control 69
northern  376
R.
Raising  312
Rank, distinction of  16
Religion  78, 137-
Rhine, valley of  172
" citiesof.  186
" Gau, famous for wiue . . 204
" its commerce  173
Roman conquest of Germany . 97
Rotation in office  62

PAGE
Rowdyism  122
Russia, serfdom in  407
S.
Salmon  332
Sand and saw-dust  18
Sauerkraut  255
Sausages  210
Saxony, miners and lace-weav
ers  372
Scharnhorst, Baron  425
Schleswig  52, 375
Schools  260
Serfs and serfdom, 54, 75, 407, 414
Servants, complaint of  163
Servile War  182, 208
Sewers, want of  270
Shrines  341
Silesia, its laces  152
" famine of, 1848  303
Silk, culture of.  202
Smoking, scene on a steamboat 237
Social life  368
Soldier, derivation of word. . . 84
Spinning circles  313
Sport, fondness for  367
Sprees  122
Staring and impoliteness  19
St. Bartholomew's day  384
Stein Baron  53
Stein, Baron von  55, 405
Stoves, porcelain  288
Straw braiding  290
Styria  307
St. Werner  211
Sunday pie-nic  36
" observance of  358
Superstitions  149, 290, 377
T.
Taxes  266, 292
Tiles  327
Titles  333
Thrashing grain  327
Thuringia, manners and cus
toms  361
Tobacco  235
U.
Unity  49

430

INDEX.

PAGE
V
Vienna, Easter festival  345
Village life  272, 311
Village raising  312
Vineyards  198, 235
Vintage  214
W.
Walled towns  147
Watering places  44
Washing  252

FAGS
Wedding customs. . . 314, 363, 380
" trousseau  43
Westphalia  375
Whitsuntide  330, 347
Windmills  286
Wine, product of  201
" new, effect of drinking . 218
Winkel, its wine cellars  207
Women, hard labor of, 41, 133, 286
322
Wooden utensils  329

I H 1

END.

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