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Three Men in a Boat / Three Men on the Bummel

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— 289 —<br />

Forest. The last time I walked down it some hundreds of Italian<br />

workmen were encamped <strong>the</strong>re hard at work, tra<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g><str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong><br />

wild little Wehr <strong>the</strong> way it should go, brick<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> banks for it<br />

here, blast<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>the</strong> rocks for it <strong>the</strong>re, mak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g cement steps for it<br />

down which it can travel soberly and without fuss.<br />

For <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Germany <strong>the</strong>re is no n<strong>on</strong>sense talked about untrammelled<br />

nature. In Germany nature has got to behave herself,<br />

and not set a bad example to <strong>the</strong> children. A German poet,<br />

notic<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g waters com<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g down as Sou<strong>the</strong>y describes, somewhat<br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>exactly, <strong>the</strong> waters com<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g down at Lodore, would be too<br />

shocked to stop and write alliterative verse about <strong>the</strong>m. He<br />

would hurry away, and at <strong>on</strong>ce report <strong>the</strong>m to <strong>the</strong> police. Then<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir foam<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g and <strong>the</strong>ir shriek<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g would be of short durati<strong>on</strong>.<br />

“Now <strong>the</strong>n, now <strong>the</strong>n, what’s all this about?” <strong>the</strong> voice of<br />

German authority would say severely to <strong>the</strong> waters. “We can’t<br />

have this sort of th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, you know. Come down quietly, can’t<br />

you? Where do you th<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>k you are?”<br />

And <strong>the</strong> local German council would provide those waters<br />

with z<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>c pipes and wooden troughs, and a corkscrew staircase,<br />

and show <strong>the</strong>m how to come down sensibly, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>the</strong> German<br />

manner.<br />

It is a tidy land is Germany.<br />

We reached Dresden <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> Wednesday even<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g, and stayed<br />

<strong>the</strong>re over <strong>the</strong> Sunday.<br />

Tak<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g <strong>on</strong>e c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong> with ano<strong>the</strong>r, Dresden, perhaps,<br />

is <strong>the</strong> most attractive town <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Germany; but it is a place to be<br />

lived <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> for a while ra<strong>the</strong>r than visited. Its museums and galleries,<br />

its palaces and gardens, its beautiful and historically rich<br />

envir<strong>on</strong>ment, provide pleasure for a w<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ter, but bewilder for a<br />

week. It has not <strong>the</strong> gaiety of Paris or Vienna, which quickly<br />

palls; its charms are more solidly German, and more last<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g. It<br />

is <strong>the</strong> Mecca of <strong>the</strong> musician. For five shill<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>gs, <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> Dresden, you<br />

can purchase a stall at <strong>the</strong> opera house, toge<strong>the</strong>r, unfortunately,<br />

with a str<strong>on</strong>g dis<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>cl<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>ati<strong>on</strong> ever aga<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> to take <strong>the</strong> trouble of<br />

sitt<str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g>g out a performance <str<strong>on</strong>g>in</str<strong>on</strong>g> any English, French, or, American<br />

opera house.

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