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A YEAR IN EUROPE.
A YEAR IN EUROPE.
By WALTER W. MOORE, D. D., LL. D. President of Union Theological Seminary in Virginia THIRD EDITION RICHMOND, VIRGINIA The Presbyterian Committee of Publication 1905 Copyrighted BY WALTER W. MOORE, 1904. Printed by Whittet & Shepperson, Richmond, Va. TO My Traveling Companions This Book is Dedicated as a Memento of happy days in the Old World....
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FOREWORD.
FOREWORD.
The only excuse I have to offer for the publication of these desultory and chatty letters in this more permanent form is that a number of my friends have requested it. Many of the letters have already appeared in the columns of The Children's Friend , for which they were originally written, at the instance of the Presbyterian Committee of Publication; but I have included in the volume several letters which were written for other periodicals, and a considerable number which have not been publishe
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CHAPTER I.
CHAPTER I.
A Cold Summer Voyage. Southampton, England , June 28, 1902 . An American traveller says that a sea voyage, compared with land travel, is a good deal like matrimony compared with single blessedness: either decidedly better or decidedly worse. With me, on my first voyage to Europe a few years ago, it was, like my own venture in matrimony, decidedly better. We sailed from New York on a brilliant day, and nearly all the way over the weather was bright, bracing, buoyant, with blue sky above, blue sea
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CHAPTER II.
CHAPTER II.
A Visit to the Town of Dr. Isaac Watts. Southampton, England , June 28, 1902 . Southampton , the ancient seaport at which travellers to Europe by the steamships of the North German Lloyd line first set foot on British soil, is a place of considerable interest at any time, but was especially attractive to us after a cold and uncomfortable voyage across the Atlantic. The day of our arrival was fine, with blue sky and genial sunshine, the water of the Solent, between the Isle of Wight and the mainl
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CHAPTER III.
CHAPTER III.
Salisbury, Sarum, and Stonehenge. Salisbury , June 30, 1902 . For one who visits England as a student of history there is hardly a better starting point than Southampton, as the most impressive of the Druidical and Roman remains in Great Britain are less than forty miles away, the capital city of Alfred the Great is only twelve miles distant, the whole surrounding region is closely associated with the Saxon, Danish, Norman and Plantagenet kings, and two of the most interesting cathedrals in Engl
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CHAPTER IV.
CHAPTER IV.
Winchester Worthies: Alfred the Great, Izaak Walton, and Thomas Ken. Winchester , July 2, 1902 . Unquestionably the most interesting town in the south of England to a student of history is Winchester. It was the ancient capital of the kingdom, and teems with memories of Alfred the Great, Canute, William the Conqueror, and many of their successors. Thorneycroft's fine bronze statue of Alfred stands in the middle of the High Street, and instantly catches the eye of any one looking up or down this
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CHAPTER V.
CHAPTER V.
The Ugliness and the Charm of London. London , July 3, 1902 . Vastness and dinginess are the two features of London which make the deepest impression upon the visitor from America. Byron's description is exact— Up to the time of Sir Richard Whittington, in the sixteenth century, the burning of coal in London was considered such a nuisance that it was punished by death. A dispensation to burn coal was first made in favor of Whittington, and this innovation on his part has affected the great city,
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CHAPTER VI.
CHAPTER VI.
The English View of the Fourth of July. London , July 4, 1902 . It is the custom of the American Ambassador to England to give a reception every year, on the Fourth of July, to any of his countrymen who may be sojourning in the British metropolis. Being in London on the recurrence of that memorable date in 1902, we made it our special business to attend this reception. It did not differ from the conventional affair of this kind. Mr. and Mrs. Choate and their daughter received their guests with g
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CHAPTER VII.
CHAPTER VII.
How the English Regard the Americans. London , July 10, 1902 . There are many indications of a better understanding, and an increasing confidence and regard between the two great English-speaking nations on either side of the Atlantic. One such indication is the marked change of tone on the part of English writers in their references to their American cousins. The time was when, in British books and newspapers, Americans were uniformly represented as coarse and loud. There are still too many Ame
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CHAPTER VIII.
CHAPTER VIII.
The British Republic and the House of Commons. London , July 15, 1902 . The nominal ruler of the British Empire is His Majesty, Edward VII. The real ruler is the House of Commons. Though I was in Great Britain at the time of the coronation, and saw something of the pomp with which it was celebrated, I have not thought it worth while to occupy the time of my readers with descriptions of it, since it is only one of those glittering fictions which the English people see fit to preserve, notwithstan
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CHAPTER X.
CHAPTER X.
From England to Scotland—Eastern Route. Edinburgh , August 23, 1902 . Soon after leaving Newcastle-on-Tyne, the marked change in the scenery of the country through which we were passing apprised us of the fact that we had crossed the border, and were now in Scotland. Instead of the level or gently undulating fields tilled like gardens, and the fine oaks and other trees here and there, giving the country a park-like aspect, there were bold hills on every hand, intensely green, without a tree as f
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CHAPTER XI.
CHAPTER XI.
Some English and Scotch Preachers. Edinburgh , August 25, 1902 . I once received a letter from the late Rev. Dr. William S. Lacy, saying that he had been trying to make use of a certain work in one of the departments of theological study, and asking if I could suggest something "less fearfully jejune," an expression which I have ever since regarded as a masterpiece of characterization. The first sermon I heard in Europe, preached in a cathedral, in 1896, by a clergyman of the English Church, rem
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CHAPTER XII.
CHAPTER XII.
Echoes of a Spicy Book on Scotland. Edinburgh , August 26, 1902 . The mention of St. Cuthbert's, where we heard an excellent coronation sermon by Dr. McGregor, reminds me of the prayer offered in St. Cuthbert's by the Rev. Neill McVicar, in 1745, just after the Young Pretender had won the battle of Prestonpans. A message was sent to the Edinburgh ministers, in the name of "Charles Prince Regent," desiring them to open their churches next day as usual. McVicar preached to a large congregation, ma
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CHAPTER XIV.
CHAPTER XIV.
Stirling, the Lakes, and Glasgow. Glasgow , September 1, 1902 . From Stirling Castle we revelled in the view which many consider the finest in Scotland, embracing, as it does, both Lowland and Highland scenery. We drove to the towering, but rather top-heavy Wallace Monument, on Abbey Crag, and climbed its winding stone stairway, for the sake of another look at that smiling landscape, and a nearer view of the scene of Wallace's victory over Surrey at Stirling Bridge, in 1297. In one of the rooms
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CHAPTER XV.
CHAPTER XV.
Oban, Iona, and Staffa. Caledonian Canal , September 3, 1902 . The fog was so thick the morning we steamed down the ill-smelling Clyde, and out through the Kyles of Bute, that we could see nothing whatever, and had to content ourselves as best we could with the tantalizing recollections of one member of the party, who on a former occasion had made an excursion with some five hundred other persons, delegates to the Glasgow Council and their friends, on the elegant steamer, Duchess of Hamilton , u
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CHAPTER XVII.
CHAPTER XVII.
From Scotland to England—Western Route. Stratford-on-Avon , September 13, 1902 . The finest expanses of heather that we saw in Scotland were on the great moors through which our train ran southwards from Inverness, a rolling sea of pinkish purple bloom, stretching for miles and miles on every hand. Farther down we enjoyed the picturesqueness of the Pass of Killiecrankie, but it was the history here rather than the scenery which interested us, for it was here that Claverhouse, the stony-hearted p
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CHAPTER XIX.
CHAPTER XIX.
The Most Interesting Building in the World. London , October 2, 1902 . Some months ago, when the kind urgency of my friends made it plain to me that I should go abroad for a while, and when it was decided that certain young students of the Shorter Catechism in my family should go with me, I promised them a visit to the birthplace of that marvellous compendium of biblical doctrine, which for two hundred and fifty years has been such a weariness to the flesh of Presbyterian children throughout the
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CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
The Royal Chapels in Westminster Abbey. London , October 2, 1902 . We had reserved our last day in London for a visit to the eastern part of the great Abbey, where nearly all the kings and queens of England are buried. There is a charge of sixpence for admission to this part of the building. When we had paid our fees a black robed, bullet-headed, hard-voiced verger led us rapidly, along with a big crowd of other sightseers, from one chapel to another, pointing out one or two objects of special i
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CHAPTER XXI.
CHAPTER XXI.
The Cathedrals vs. The Gospel. London , October 2, 1902 . Before saying what I had in mind when I remarked, in a former letter, that in some respects the English cathedrals had proved to be hindrances to vital religion, I wish to cite what Goldwin Smith says of the significance and beauty of these glorious monuments of mediæval piety: "Nothing so wonderful or beautiful has ever been built by man as these fanes of mediæval religion which still, surviving the faith and the civilization which reare
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CHAPTER XXIII.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Paris and Memories of the Huguenots. The Hague , October 21, 1902 . The English Channel is one of the oldest ferries in the world. For two thousand years and more, men have been crossing it in all sorts of craft, but they have never yet found a way to do it comfortably when the water is rough, as it generally is. Our experience made us doubt whether the modern steamers that ply between New Haven and Dieppe are a whit more comfortable than the galleys of Julius Cæsar. Our boat was mercilessly buf
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CHAPTER XXIV.
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Making of Holland. The Hague , October 22, 1902 . There is an endless variety of interest in the different countries of the Old World. Each has its own fascination for travellers. But, after all, the strangest, quaintest, cleanest and most picturesque country in Europe is Holland—little, wet, flat, energetic, heroic Holland. By calling it picturesque I do not mean that nature has made it so. There are no bold cliffs overlooking the sea, no heathery hills reflecting themselves in placid lakes
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CHAPTER XXV.
CHAPTER XXV.
Leyden's University, Haarlem's Flowers, and Amsterdam's Commerce. Utrecht , October 25, 1902 . We gave only one day to Leyden, ten miles from The Hague, but it was one of the most interesting days we have had in Europe. Taking a guide at the railway station, we traversed the quaint streets and crossed and recrossed the multitudinous canals, and climbed to the top of the great fortified circular mound of earth in the centre of the city, called the Burg , the foundations of which date from the ten
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CHAPTER XXVI.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Up the Rhine and Over the Alps. The Cologne Cathedral is the finest Gothic structure in the world. We had a perfect view of the majestic exterior from the windows of our hotel, but, of course, devoted most of our time to the still more impressive interior. It is no part of my purpose to descant upon these things which are described in all the books of travel. The city possesses other objects of interest besides its matchless cathedral, and some of them we visited, in spite of the weather. It was
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CHAPTER XXVII.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Venice, Bologna, Florence and Pisa. December 8, 1902. Though still cool, the weather was milder in Venice, so we remained a week or so, yielding ourselves to the pensive charm of that— Of the palaces that we visited, the one in which the poet Browning lived, and in which his son now lives, is the best preserved, and illustrates better than any other the almost regal state in which the wealthy Venetians lived in the day of their commercial supremacy. One of these old palaces on the Grand Canal is
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CHAPTER XXVIII.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Some Little Adventures by the Way. December 21, 1902. The margin of leisure left to a traveller in Europe for the writing of letters is, after all, a very narrow one, as those of my readers who have been abroad will readily remember. One generally moves from place to place in such rapid succession that the feeling of being settled, which is essential to the most satisfactory writing, is almost unknown. Then, when one does stop for a few days in a historic city, each day is so full of interest, a
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CHAPTER XXXIV.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
The Inexhaustibleness of Rome. Rome is easily the most interesting city in the world. The subject is simply inexhaustible. Ampere said that by diligence one could obtain a superficial knowledge of it in ten years. Just what terms should be used to characterize the seventy pages or so that I have written, from the basis of the desultory reading and observation of only a few months, I must leave to the decision of the reader. "Presumptuous sciolism," perhaps. And, yet, though I have filled these s
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CHAPTER XXXV.
CHAPTER XXXV.
Naples, Capri, Vesuvius, Amalfi and Pompeii. Naples is the largest, dirtiest and most beautiful city in Italy. From the balconies of our hotel, which stands high on the thickly-built hillside, we have a matchless view—the cream-colored city at our feet, with its red roofs and blue domes, rising from the water's edge and climbing the embayed mountain like half of a vast amphitheatre; the volcano of Vesuvius beyond, lifting its white plume of warning smoke by day, and sometimes glaring red at nigh
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