CHATS WITH THE CHILDREN.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 35

CHATS WITH THE CHILDREN.

By Fateb. Cologne.

The Cologne Gazette has been referred to in the Witness three or fqur times during the-past month. If what appears in it is worth tele* graphing to New Zealand, it must, be an important paper.. Cologne, top, is an important city of Rhenish Prussia, containing 150,000 in^ habitants, of whom five-sixths, or about 125,000, belong to the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholics are naturally proud of their magnificent cathedral, the fines 1 1' and largest Gothic building in the world. The foundation stone of this immense structure was laid in 1248— over 640 years ago— and the finishing touch was put to it just four or five years ago. The building of it, however, has been done by fits 'and starts, and a hundred years since all hope of completing it was given up. In 1706 the French used it as a stable for their cavalry horses, and stripped the lead from the roof to make bullets. No one knows what the building has cost as it stands completed, but nearly a million has been spent on it during the last 50 years. ..Try and form an idea of its size from the following figures. It is 450 ft long, over 200 ft broad, with walls 150 ft high, and roof ridge 210 ft from the floor, and the central tower 512 ft from base to spire. The principal portal, containing the chief doorway, is about 100 ft high. If the room you are reading in is 10ft high — and many won't be more than that — you will be able to get, some idea of its height when I tell you that the wall | Of this cathedral is as high as a fifteen-storey house with rooms lOf fc high ! Perhaps 'your chimney is 20ft high ; if so, the Cologne, Cathedral tower is as high, aud higher, than 25 such chimneys placed one on top of the other. This tower was, until the Eiffel Tower was built, the highest structure in the world. The Eiffel Tower, I thjnk, is built up to 1000 ft. There is a fine peal of bells in the tower, the largest of which weighs 25 tons— as heavy as 300 men — and was made from French guns taken during the laßt Franco-Prussian War. The cathedral contains a dozen chapels, in each of which is a tomb of some archbishop or great man.

THE CHURCH OF, ST. UHSULA. This ia the name of another of Cologne's churches. A tradition states that Ursula, an English princess, went to Rome on a pilgrimage, and was accompanied by 11,000 virgins. On returning she and her 11,000 attendants were brutally murdered by the fierce Huns. Piles of skulls and bones are heaped up in cases faced with glass and placed against the .wall, and the verger solemnly assures visitors that these are the bones of the martyrs. Dr Ogston, of Dunedin, however, says his father got an opportunity of examining them, and found out that they — some at anyrate — were bullocks' bones !

EAU DB COiOSNE,

or Cologne water, you all know is one o£ the finest scents, but Cologne also can boast of the tat sfciakSi U the scents we pur.c perfumes,

the unsavoury smells are' splendid sample 1 stenches. *

HANSHATIC TOWNS.

5 Cologne is one of thte principal towns of Germany that combined in former troublesome times, and formed a leigue" f or mutual protection called the'Hanseatic League. BBIDQE OX* BOATS. "the city is built on the left bank of the Rhine, and is connected with the right bank by a coqple of. bridges, one being a bridge of boats, formed by ranging boats side by side. When- a steamer or vessel has to pasß, one or more of the boats drops down stream and is pulled on one side to let it pass ; it is then palled back again, allowing vehicles and people to pass over as if crossing ;an ordinary road, or bridge. ' > FORTIFICATIONS. I Like most of the Continental towns, Cologne is surrounded with fortifications ; 7000 men are kept under arms in time of peace to man the forts. You may then, remember Cologne for— its, cathedral, St. 'Ursula Church, its perfumes, bridge of boats, and fortifications. ' domiciliary Visits in Bnssla. V Jf you have, read the European telegrams you will have noticed that the secret' polica are making numerous ' unexpected visits to , the houses of those suspected, of plotting against the Czar or , his system of government, or jboth. The detectives are allowed to do almost any* thing in' Russia, and the slightest thing will Cause suspicion and a visit from a search party and detective. ' Sometimes the search is for literature interdicted by the Government, and sometimes for Nihilists or Socialists in hiding. A dismissed servant or anyone bearing a grudge against a person has' only to lay an information to cause a visit from these undesirable guests. The searchers and detectives make some curious mistakes at times. An Englishman travelling in Russia had a " yellow back " and a book containing some plans of cathedrals; they were taken from him, because the detective thought the hovel—one of Mark Twain's— was "seme forbidden book, and the architectural plans were supposed to be plans of fortifications. foliobken's stbatagems. ' '• With them the end justifies the means. At Odessa some time since the police thought a man was in hiding in a certain house, but he always, eluded them. One night they raised the cry of " Fire ! " and the man, nearly naked, rushed out into the hands of those who had tricked him. In another town the porter (dvornik) was ordered to ring up his master and deceive him into opening the door ; and as this incident will also show the coarseness, brutality, and utter-want of delicacy that often characterise these nocturnal marauders, I shall give it approximately, in the words of Step- , niak, who relates it in "Russia Under the Tzar's." , > " Who is there ? " asked a woman's voice. "Itis I, Nicolas Ivanoff . I hard a telegram ;for the master." In a shore time a servant, half-dressed, opened the door, and the crowd' of searchers rushed to "the bedrooms, so that nothing might be hidden or destroyed. Men had previously been placed in t f rout and rear of the house to prevent anyone escaping. The master oP the house asked them what ,they wanted. "We are come to make a search. Your daughter lives with you. It is on her account we are here." " But you will at least send your men out of the bedrooms. My wife and daughter cannot dress in their presence." "They will have to do bo, though. Do you think I am going to leave them un watched? They might conceal something that could be used against them." So the mother and young lady bad to get out of bed and dress before the men. Stepniak adds that if the commander of the party withdraws his men for a minute for the women to get into their undergarments, it is a pure act of courtesy and delicacy. The law and his superior officers allow him to please himself. The children were watched, and a policeman placed in charge of each adult, while others searched every nook and comer — books, papers, and private letters, the last particularly coming in for a thorough search. When they were searching the young lady's private cabinet they came across a letter written to her by a youog man, which, while it contained nothing that 1 would harm her, contained an address that might possibly bring imprisonment and exile on the young man. She seized the paper and put it in her mouth, but in an instant two brutal hands were at her throat, a second man held her hands, while a third thrust his dirty fingers into her mouth. After a short struggle the paper, bloody and reduced to a pulp, was taken out of her mouth, some of her teeth being.broken by the force used. The girl had now done enough to be pronounced guilty of some crime, or at any rate had shown that she possessed information that the Government required, and so was taken away to prison. Stepniak then describes' what is done to those who are suspected of possessing knowledge that the police wish to have. They are brought before aa inquisitor, who asks them questions, rhey deny, of course, that they know anything. With us unless a crime can be proved the iccused is sei free, he or she is' not asked to jive evidence that will lead to a conviction ; but in Russia suspects are kept in prison until they give the information required, or the police find >ut that they are speaking the truth when they say they know nothing. One imprisoned is broughtup for examination, md, denying all evil intentions, is not believed, tad is told to go back to the cell and reflect, [n another month— say it is a young lady— she s brought up again. "Have you reflected ?"—" Yes, I have relected." " Have you anything to add to your previous lepositions ? "— « Nothing." "Indeed! Go back to your cellj then. I rill make you rot there." Stepniak says, j" I will make you rot there" 3 a very common expression, and but few poliical exiles have not heard it.' To another political prisoner who would not onfess, one of the inquisitors said : " You know that I can haag you. The miliary tribunal will do whatever I direct." The prisoner knew it only too well. " Very well, then. Confess, or in a week you nil be hanged like a dog." Now, how would you like to be awakened in he night in that manner, treated so brutally, nd then put in prison and made to say even rhat you knew was not true, but which would aufie others to suffer, though you get free ourself ? One Russian gentleman said he bought it would be wise to have two keys, one sr himself, the second for the police, so that hey could come and go without troubling him j get up to let them in. In another note I shall describe the prisons iat political prisoners are kept in when in iussia. Many of them, however, are sent to iberia. During the last 10 years nearly a aarter of a million prisoners have been sent to iberia, and of these nearly 3000 died on the ret stage, where travelling is comparatively wy and the exiles fairly strong. How many ust falter, fall, and die in' the terrible and onofconous six months' tramp to Eastern ftfti* ? !! XbS MHq bwdejjipe under wbicb

so many unfortunate exiles sink on the way are a lasting disgrace to the prison laws of Russia." So wrote a gentleman nearly .two years ago, and I am snre you* agree with him/

To OvEfcebMip Weakness.— Pepper's Quinine and Iron Tonic gives New Life, , Appetite, Health, Strength, and Energy. . Cures Nervous Debility, Neuralgia, Indigestion.— Half-crown bottles. Everywhere. Insist on having Pbppeb's.