We four. Where we went and what we saw in Europe

Front matter

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PART NINTH. RsTURNiNa 297

1* 5

WHERE WE WENT AND WHAT WE SAW IN EUROPE.

PAKT FIRST.

DEPARTING.

" Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep."

The Centennial Exposition — the glorious triumph of '76 and Philadelphia — was over; the immigration of country friends had ceased ; the exodus of foreigners had commenced ; and a dulness fell upon us like the plague of darkness that had fallen upon Egypt when their foreigners wanted to return to their own country. Suffering as we did from this terrible spirit of unrest, we looked around, seeking something to occupy our minds, and there, before us, was Utopia, — the most magnificent of cities, — the Paradise of the earth, as Monsieur A., with all a Frenchman's vivacity of appropriate gestures, said, " I kiss my hand to thee, Paris, la helle ville /"

Yes ! to quiet that perturbed spirit we decided to visit the Exposition to be held in Paris in 1878, and planned and anticipated and talked, while our friends looked scornfully on and concluded it would all end in plans, anticipation, and talk. But we patiently bided our time. " Who is meant by TTe.^" I hear somebody ask. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are four. That tall, fair-haired, blue-eyed lady is Artemis ; the slender, brown-eyed, low-voiced one is Clio ;

the stout, lively damsel, who was dubbed by the captain of the outbound steamer as the "joUiest woman on board," is called Pomona ; the shortest of the party answers to Erato. "VVe four called a meeting to consider the question of going to Europe, which question was decided in the affirmative by a unanimous vote. This being disposed of, the next question before the meeting was a more serious one, as to what line the party would commit their precious selves ; so the society went into a committee of the whole to discuss the relative merits of the various steamers brought before them, by means of circulars, for investigation. All carrying grain were to be ignored ; those who made the passage in about eight days were eyed askance ; so, after much careful scrutiny, the committee decided on trusting themselves to the National Line, as being slow and sure, although we do not mean to imply that safety is a natural result of slowness, nor that slowness is the handmaiden of sureness. The motion was carried. The National Line steamers are large, — from the bow to the stern constitutes a walk for an appetite, — their progress is consequently a more steady one ; so the quartette were to be carried to Europe, starting on the 26th of June, by the Canada. But the 26th of June dawned beautifully for us, far out " on the ocean," steaming, — for companies keep to themselves an individual right, and that is the privilege of changing their mind, which liberty resulted in the Canada starting from Pier 39, foot of Houston Street, New York, on the 18th of June.

Oh, the rain, the rain ! how the crystal drops bedewed the gTound on the I'Zth of June ! Were the clouds weeping for our departure, as with heavy waterproof cloaks, heavy satchels, heavy umbrellas, but with light hearts, we took the Bound Brook route for New York ? New York, in contrast to Philadelphia, gives one an impression of a foreign city until one sees those of the old world ; and then. New York

DEPARTING 9

stands out in bold relief as one of tlie busiest metropolises of the new.

Cities, like people, have their important characteristics, — landscapes have features and personalities, so while we recognize our friend's face among a multitude of strange countenances, so we can individualize cities as distinct from one another. " The clouds that had lowered over our house" in Philadelphia brooded not over New York, and the morning of the 18th of June wore her robes of golden hue, instead of the dun-colors of the day before.

Shall we ever forget the feeling of bidding good-by to one's own land and friends with the consciousness of departing for one unknown, and to strangers, even if it be but for a little while ? What lay before us on that trackless ocean ? *€> What snares in those vast thoroughfares of London and Paris ? What fell disease was lurking for us in the highways :/ and byways of that unknown land of Europe ? We knew not, — but God knew, and into His hands we committed ourselves and our future. How strange to look around at our fellowpassengers and imagine what we should find them to be when we knew them better, — to imagine which were husband and wife, brother and sister, lover and friend ! But hark ! a bell warns us that we must say " good-by" to those dear ones who had come to see us off into a brief existence on the ocean wave. Adieux were uttered, the anchor hoisted, and amid the waving of hats and handkerchiefs we steamed off down the bay. Those figures on the wharf grew smaller to our sight in the distance until they resembled marionettes, and we looked around for some new object of excitement to take the place of vanished friends. It came in a pleasant form too : to write a letter to those same friends, — their first letter to be received from sea, — and we to send it by the hands of our pilot, who leaves us at Sandy Hook, and then the last apparent link which bound us to America would be severed. But we four, in our ignorance, liad never tliouglit of this pleasant episode, and so were unprovided with postal cards or stamps ; but a lady on board, who had travelled before, and came provided, put the remainder of her cards at our disposal in such a kind manner that we could not refuse them. We received suggestions as to what to say to our friends from one of the officers, — a fair specimen of the English seaman, florid and weather-beaten, but with a low voice and kindly manner that told of the sailor's warm heart. " Tell your friends," said he, " that there was no wind but plenty of weather." Then he eulogized the vessel in which he had the honor of sailing. We asked him why we had never heard of the staunch vessel before in such glowing terms. " Because we never have an accident to make us known ; ill news travels fast, but the Canada, always carrying good tidings, travels slowly."

But our postal cards were written, and the last shore-friend we had was sailing away from us, when we realized that we were out on the broad ocean as we looked at Erato. Her naturally pale countenance was reflecting the green tinge of the waves mixed with the yellow sunlight, and by the manner in which she held her handkerchief to her mouth told us that a certain squeamishness was arising at this, her first adventure, on the briny deep. Suddenly she disappeared from the smiling deck to the gloom of the cabin below, and there she remained for three days. No kind attentions from her three companions, no assiduous waiting from the stewardess, could arouse her from her state of despondency, from the abject misery in which she imagined she lay ; and, as her mind reverted to those who had said they envied her the trip to Europe, she wished they were only there to share her first bitter experience of a European tour. But the wheels of time moved slowly, and when the ship's surgeon sent a verbal message by Pomona that he " could do nothing for the invalid, that she must go up on deck if she wanted to get

ON THE OCEAN. H

well ; that was the only remedy for sea-sickness," the invalid's indignation was aroused. "Go on deck !" Unfeeling doctor ! while the limbs were weak, the head hot with fever, the pulse beating rapidly, the stomach loathing food; on deck, indeed, in the very sight of those remorseful waves that swallow up the smallest mouthful one tries to take, — on deck ! "I shall go on deck or die in the attempt !" was the thrilling determination of Erato, and, wrapping her cloak and nubia about her, she, with Clio, who was also feeling — well, decidedly weak, managed to reach the companion-way, where the friendly and strong hands of gentlemen bore them the rest of the way. " Where are they placing us ?" was the mental question as we were comfortably seated under the shadow of a stack of hay and corn, which we learned afterward was stored there for the accommodation of the cattle and horses with which the vessel was freighted.

" Now, imagine yourselves in the country and get well," came to our ears from a motherly voice that belonged to one of those lovely women whose only mission is to do good. I often wonder if, when she gathers her group of five children around her in her Canadian home, she ever thinks of those who gave their hearts to her beneath the haystack.

How rapidly convalescence sets in ! how good the soup, beef-tea, crackers and cheese, and, above all, how deliciously the strawberries tasted when eaten, away from the odors of the kitchen ! How the sunbeams sparkled upon the whitecapped waves, which murmured greetings as they danced^ around our noble steamer ! Mother Carey's chickens flew around us ; we watched the bright shoals of porpoises, and laughed at their curious movements ; rumors of spouting whales seen at a distance reached us, and a rush was made to the side of the vessel to see, for everything was novel, and we were well enough now to enjoy the novelty, and yet I could not exclaim with Byron, " I love thee. Ocean !" The breakers, dashing their foamy arms in air in mockery of our art-work of time in contrast with their eternity, awed me into quietude ; but I can cling to nature like child to a mother in the midst of the forest, where the wind murmurs through the grand old trees, murmurs its story of the past over and over again ; or on the mountain's side, whose peak is lost in the azure of the skies ; or where the rivers, streams, and cascades are merry with their rippling waters, not like the sullen dash of the boundless ocean !

If one is a student of human nature, an interesting volume is opened before him on shipboard. There may be disguises by the tailor or the coiffeur, profession or standing in society may be hidden, but the natural disposition, the every-day trait, will manifest itself in a two weeks' sojourn on shipboard. And if one had opportunities of noting the peculiarities of the steerage passengers, we could well say that a vessel is a mimic world, and every trait of character, as well as nationality, is represented on it. In our walks to the bow of the vessel, where the motion is least perceptible and where either sunrise or sunset is witnessed with a brighter effulgence, and where the waves dash the highest and the wind blows the fiercest, we noticed a woman with a little child, — a girl with a sweet, clean face, that was very attractive. A smile and pleasant word to the child soon won the mother's heart, and she told us her simple story : her husband had obtained work in his own country, and had sent for her to return and bring her household goods with her. She had taken passage for herself and child on the same vessel with her furniture, and which had sailed on Saturday for Liverpool ; but, as she naively remarked, " In our country the steamers never start on time, so I thought it would be the same way here, and I reached the wharf just five minutes after the hour published, and saw the vessel going off, and we had nothing with us but the clothes on our backs ; all my things are aboard the Erin. The company were very good to me ; they telegraphed to my husband in Liverpool that I would start on the next Wednesday for London." I might as well mention here, by way of parenthesis, that the judgment uttered by the poor woman on the punctuality of the English steamers was a correct one, and we, from our experience, can say the same of the ever-varying time-table of the railroads. As the passengers began to recuperate and, consequently, to become more social, plans by which amusement could be gained were on foot, — mere singing and playing the piano, although entertaining for the time, wearied on the taste, so a mock trial for breach of promise >- was decided upon. The plaintiff and defendant were a lady and gentleman from Philadelphia, but for the time being, the first had a vegetable stall, or in her own parlance, " sold garden sasSj^^ while the recreant lover was a dealer in oysters and fish. The lawyers were personated by gentlemen from England, New York, and Michigan ; the judge was a lawyer from Pennsylvania ; the crier of the court also claimed Philadelphia as his home, and the jury was composed of the rest of the gentlemen passengers, who would take part. The foreman of the jury occasioned bursts of laughter by his absurd questions, as the defendant's lawyer also did by his legal quibbles.

The trial was abruptly brought to a termination (as on shipboard every amusement must be short) in a very easy manner. Ridiculous love-letters were produced in court, which were said to have been carried backwards and forwards by a boy. The boy was not to be found, so the court adjourned until he could be procured and brought in as a witness, and so ended one very amusing evening, and Miss Greorgiana Clementina Scroggins, the plaintiff, Mr. Thomas Titmouse, the defendant ; Mrs. Deborah Betty Tadpole, Miss Anna Maria Simpkins, and Mrs. Wilhelmina Sauerkraut, witnesses for the plaintiff, and Messrs. Grubb, Flipkins, and Grouse, the lawyers, together with the twelve jurymen with jawbreaking names, retired into the circle of society from which they had sprung.

Another evening amusement and one of the regular ones on the National Line is a concert given for the benefit of the

o Liverpool Sailors' Orphan Asylum, so we mustered up the talent that was scattered about so loosely, and, we flatter ourselves, managed to have a very fine programme. Two lady vocalists, professional, with exquisite voices, gave us sweet

o melody. The purser (why is it that pursers always sing?)* gave solos, as also did other gentlemen, while choruses enlivened the repertoire. Professor Charles Whitney, of Binghamton. New York, a distinguished elocutionist and a hale, fine-looking old gentleman (travelling with Mr. E. Mason, of Philadelphia), entertained us with recitations, both humorous

f> and pathetic. Two young ladies also gave, one a reading, the % other a recitation. The first was an original poem, and was very well received by the audience, but we will let the programme tell its own story.

PKOGRAMME.

1. Overture on the Piano. Mrs. Dr. Moore.

2. Song—" Grandfather's Clock." Mr. A. H. Fillet.

3. Recitation — " A Ballad of Sir John Franklin." Prof. Charles Whitney.

4. Song — " Good-By, Sweetheart." Mr. McIntosh. 6. Recitation — " The Curfew." Miss Converse.

6. Duet — " Hail, Smiling Morn." Mrs. Littlehale, Mr. McIntosh.

7. Recitation — " First Sight of a Woman." Prof. Charles Whitney.

8. Song — "Hannah at the Window binding Shoes." Mrs. Anna P. Sears.

9. Address. Rev. Dr. Morrell, of New York.

10. A Plea for the Orphans. Read by the Authoress.

11. Piano Solo by Miss Simpson. Collection.

12. Recitation — "Speech of Wolf Jim in the Missouri Legislature.*' Prof. Charles Whitney.

13. Sleighing Chorus. By the Young Ladies.

14. Song—" The Warrior Bold," Mr. J. J. Perkins.

15. Recitation — " Charge of the Light Brigade." Prop. Charles Whitney.

A PLEA FOR THE ORPHAN ASYLUM AT LIVERPOOL.

Father of fatherless, to thee we cry,

Touch, touch each heart to move in sympathy

With Thee in Thy great acts ; frail though we be,

A likeness still, imperfect though, to Thee !

Thou lov'st all Thy works in harmony to move,

Each pulse to beat with Thy Great Heart of Love,

And so, what seemeth evil is Thy glorious plan.

To wake diviner thoughts in erring man.

Thou brought'st this work to us ; the orphan's cry

To heed, and every tear- washed cheek to dry.

To read the loneliness that haunts the soul

When sorrow's billows o'er her treasures roll.

And washes them away j while sad despair

Finds in the sterile rock her secret lair ;

Our work to lure her from her mourning seat,

And Thy rich promises ever to repeat.

To teach the boundless Love that in its hand

Carries the waters, and each shining sand

That glistens on the shore ; reflects each star

That from the darkness gazes not more far

Than we, to learn the height, the depth of the vast mind

Of Thine, who came to this sad earth to find

Thy children ; yes, e'en in their darkest hour

Of pain, they felt Thy mighty power.

And should we, then, turn sternly, coldly by,

Saved by the same Hand, from that piteous cry

That rises up to Heaven like martyrs' song,

That piteous lay, " Hozo long, God, how long f"

Look ! warm-hearted men on every side, —

The gallant crew, their glorious country's pride.

Beset with dangers hid, yet braving all j

So firm in action, prompt at duty's call !

Then, to the memory of the sailor dead.

Let's think of those who sit with bowed head

And mourning robes, — so wan with grief, —

And come with open hands to their reli-ef ;

For Pure Religion bids us Le a part

Of the life-current from the Greater Heart.

The entertainment concluded by the singing by the passengers of " God Save the Queen" and " The Star-Spangled Banner."

A Sabbath on shipboard, — ^how peaceful it was ! It was one of those beautiful June mornings, and we imagined our friends sitting in the soft summer light in their respective churches, and we felt that their spirits were blending with ours in the unison of prayer. How solemn the sweet words of that dear old English liturgy ! and although not read by one in consecrated canonicals, yet we know it needs no outward observance for the human heart to reach the divine. At the close of the sacred service, Professor Charles Whitney was called upon to recite the 26th chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, — " Paul's Defence before King Agrippa," No longer before us stood our companion of the voyage, — it was Paul, pleading, — telling, in all self-abasement, the errors of his early life ; explaining in all humility, his Christian experience ; urging in all modesty, the conversion of those around him, until he reaches the climax of his oration, and, with his fettered arms outspread, says : " I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were bath almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds." So graphically was this rendered, that before the nobleness of the apostle we could see the cowering figures of the two royal sinners, and the " Almost thou persuadest me" trembling on King Agrippa's tongue.

But we had some incidents that were not programmed, and afforded us amusement from the very nature of the surprise they gave us. One afternoon, while a party of ladies and gentlemen were clustered together, some on chairs, others stretched out on rugs on the deck, some reading, others writing, and all laughing and talking, a wave, a mocking, treacherous wave, threw itself upon us, and as we rushed away from its moist embrace, chuckled a gleeful chuckle at our discomfiture as it receded. A certain fellow-passenger will never forget his impromptu salt-batli when he was enjoying a view of the boundless ocean from the bow of the vessel, nor will he perhaps forget the amusement he gave us all by his exaggerated account of the billow that washed the deck.

We had also a party of school-girls on board from an institute near Boston, under the charge of Professor B. and wife, and they brought with them the pent-up fun of the last six months, and it evaporated during their voyage. Their girlish voices were often heard in the beautiful melodies of Sankey, and the captain invariably styled them the " Sweet Bye and Byes." One day, under the superintendence of Captain H., a retired sea-captain, these young ladies hoisted a sail, while the crew stood back and watched the performance. The song, to which their manual movement was an accompaniment, was something after this fashion :

"Were you ever down in Baltimore ?

Fire down below !

Dancing on the sandy shore ?

Fire down below !

"Chorus. — I'll pull this time,

But I'll pull no more ;

Fire down below !

Pay me my money And I'll go ashore,

Fire down below !

"Were you ever in Mobile Bay?

Fire down below !

Picking cotton by the day ?

Fire down below !"

There were several more stanzas appertaining to other seaports of the United States, but as Captain H. was an improvisatore, and varied his solos to suit himself, the two I have given are a fair sample of the rest. One evening the young

2^ ladies had a good romp in the way of playing " tag" ; but we do not think one of the gentlemen participants in it will consider "^a^" in the future as a very good after-dinner recreation, as his sudden adjournment to the side of the yessel and his anxious gazing into the depths below testified to his uneasiness of soul.

We had quite a treat one lovely summer afternoon. Most all the passengers were on deck, for sea-sickness had flapped its wings like a gull and flown away, but we were all in the dolce far niente mood, and lay basking in the glowing sunlight. The shuffle-board had lost its attractions for the gentlemen, and lounging by the side of the ladies seemed to have superseded it, when the treat I spoke of disturbed the serenity of the half-sleeping passengers.

Here comes the cabin-boy, a veritable Ganymede, with a large salver covered with a white napkin, and on the snowy ground reposed molasses candy done up in packages, which packages were handed to the ladies with the captain's compliments. How we enjoyed it! — a change from the sugar-plums which we had brought from home, — and then to share with the gentlemen, and have the exquisite pleasure of seeing our neighbor as ourselves, with smeared lips and sticky fingers !

But we were now approaching Great Britain and entering into stratas of rain, — the distinguishing feature of an English climate, which gave to us another treat ; but this appealed to the eye, not to the taste, to the heart, and not to the stomach. It was a rainbow just at sunset, spanning the waters from horizon to horizon, — just such a bow as Noah must have seen over that lonely waste of waters, and the promise made to the patriarch seemed more impressive to us on this boundless ocean. We stood enwrapt before the magnificent spectacle ; hardly any one dared to break the silence by a word until Erato said, " I have been thinking of the legend which says ' that a golden cup is at the bottom of the ocean, and some day tlie rainbow will draw it up. Whoever is fortunate enough to seize it at that precious moment insures the wealth of all this world for his own for the future/ and I was moralizing on the enigmatical construction of all those legends, that Orientalists only learned truths through the medium of the principal senses ; thought in itself was but an attendant to the eye."

" Why not give us a poem on the rainbow, Erato ?" asked Clio, as the two girls stood in the stern of the vessel gazing at the arc above them. *

" Yes, I shall, Clio, and consider it as dedicated to you for the happy thought. And yet, it seems so far beyond my reach, so vast, so infinite in grandeur, that my feeble thought cannot grasp it. But I will try, and angels can do no more," was added, sententiously.

L'ARC-EN-CIEL.

" ArcMng the world of waters with its tinted rays, Sweet symbol of the promise of the ancient days,

We greet the glowing view, Reflecting from the sky to sea the mystic seven. Giving the sevenfold word to earth from heaven, Unchangeable and true.

"No deluge e'er again shall overwhelm the world, God's flag of truce is in the sky unfurled, —

"We greet the hallowed sight.

The water waves the tinted signal back, A golden radiance lingers on its track

Until it fades to white.

" When sorrow's storms across our pathway roll. Affliction's tempests overwhelm the soul.

With all their surging wrath.

Across the troubled waters comes the bow. Heaven's own hallowed glory bending low,

To show the holy path.

" We thank thee, Father, for this sign of love, — Another link to bind our hearts above, A link in mercy given, —

And may the rainbow in its beauty form A promised arch across each earthly storm, A sacred bridge to heaven !"

"There, Clio," said Erato, as slie handed the above in manuscript, " that is for you, as you kindly gave the suggestion."

" Thanks, Erato." And very soon, like the " Plea for the Orphans," the little poem was jotted down in several note-books. May we all, who witnessed together that beauteous bow of promise, be among the ransomed ones who surround fhe great white throne upon which " he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone : and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald."

One evening, the pedestrians of the deck (boulevards, as we termed it) were attracted by a group around the stairway leading to the officers' quarters. The centre of the group was the second mate, a man who had endeared himself to all the passengers by his kindly qualities of heart and manner. He was full of jokes and tricks, and was now entertaining his audience by sundry mathematical, scientifical, and simple puzzles, and with wondrous tales.

" I can tell you how much money you have in your pocket, miss," he said to a young lady who was passing, leaning on the arm of her escort.

" That will be very easily done, Mr. F.," she responded, laughing.

" Ah, you have none, then ; but I want to show you that I can tell." So, looking around, he found a gentleman who became a willing victim to the officer's jokes. That poor man took his money from the pocket at his right side to that at his left, transported it to his coat-tail pockets, then to his vest pockets, then to his hat, first from one hand to the other, until, his patience being near exhausted and both hands full of small change, Mr. F. quietly informed him that " there was no money in his pockets." The relative merits of the English and American flags being np for discussion, and the beauty of the latter being extolled by those who lived under it, " Your flag," said Mr. F. ; " why, it is made up of minus marks ; nothing but subtraction, while the English contains the two signs of plus, which mean increase and multiply."

" But," answered Clio, " you must remember that we did one very grand example in subtraction when we subtracted our nation from Grreat Britain, so our flag bears minus marks in honor of our victory. What became of your plus marks then ?" But a dead silence fell on all after this query, and it remains unanswered to this day.

" The sails we see on the ocean Are as tohite as white can be ; But the sails we see in the harbor Are never as white as at sea."

So recited Clio, leaning over the railing of the vessel watching those snowy birds of passage coming to us, those carrier-birds on the ocean of hopes and fears, loves and hates, wealth and poverty ; on they come, birds of art, specimens of man's skill, yet none the less under God's care, as the little sparrow which " shall not fall on the ground without your Father." We landsfolks soon learned to detect the calling of those different vessels which we met on our route, and we were much interested in the mode of telegraphy adopted on sea, by which communications can be held. With most of those which we met the signals were perfectly correct, and it seemed sad after an introduction to see the vessel sailing off on the far ocean, never to cross otir paths, at least, again. One brig was very desirous of imparting some information ; anyhow, she put on an appearance of anxiety, for her signals were incorrect or unreadable, and she, too, sailed away from us enveloped in mystery.

Men of business often use the misnomer curiosity for tlie interest tliat women take in that which appears to their more absorbed minds as the petty affairs of life, never thinking that the monotonous round of home-duties would wear upon the wife's spirits were it not for the outlet her feelings can have in sympathy and interest in her neighbors. It is true, it may descend into prying and scandal-monging, but it is not the want of occupation that makes the gossip, but the want of education^ which would give the mind a new direction and the talents a new field. Even these very men of business, of whom we spoke, were attracted by the petty items of life on shipboard. Without the daily paper to read, he must look around for something fresh with which to regale himself; novels could not take the place of the morning press. How well-thumbed became the London papers, the great treat of the Channel pilots, to us poor travellers, who had watched the log every day and carefully noted in our tiny books — latitude and longitude — how many miles we had gone and the state of the weather ! But one day we had to record the death of a horse ; with what interest many of the passengers watched the ascension of the carcass from its late stall to be descended to one in the mermaids' stables ! And we gazed at the animal as it floated away as if we believed in the immortality of the brute creation, and some day, perchance, we might see it again. Ah ! it was only one of the few breaks in the monotony of sea-life. While the horse gave food to the fishes it also afforded a topic for conversation, that of ship funerals. One sad incident was told of a wealthy Irishman returning to his native land, there to breathe his last sigh and lay his bones among his own people. Within two hundred miles of the Irish coast his spirit departed, and the remains, instead of lying beneath the sods of the Emerald Isle, found their home within the green depths of the ocean.