Deseret News | 1860-08-29 | Page 3 | Germany as it Was Anciently

jet jee C acci ifor the deseret news germany as it was anciently BY ALEXANDER OTT history in all its reach and comprehension is the epitome of the intellectual moral and physical capabilities and improvements of mankind the noblest inheritance which a nation can possess is intellectual and moral eminence ori orl originating V in a knowledge of correct principles such a people is not in danger of being classed with the vulgar multitude of nations which occupying no place in the museum of mental excellence as soon as they have performed their part of conquest or defeat on the arena of the world pass away from our view and arid sink forever into oblivion and their days of glory and victory have not been celebrated i by the pen of a lluy llvy tacitus robertson irving etc the history of germany in all its various phases and niceties its geographical political social military literary and religious relations is of so complicated a nature that only few foreigners have a correct knowledge M of it according to some eminent philologists the name of germany is said to be derived from two words the first of which signifies either war or a 0 sword and the second denotes a man together they form a compound word meaning bravery as does the word frank Taci tacitus tug the historian who lived about years after christ informs us in his work de germania get Ger mania nania that the ancient germany was very extensive as it comprised not merely germany proper but also denmark norway Swede sweden nF inland finland livonia and prussia the ile latter country is often erroneously considered 1 n I dered by foreigners as being outside of germany any or a aa 8 being e ino ing Z entirely strange strang ge to the te teutonic uton ir race such is not the case as prussia ia is an important part of germany in n which the german tong tongue ue is spoken the inhabitants of these countries were called Teu tones from the name of one of their deities hence the common appellation of teutonic applied to all the german family from which is also derived the word teutsch land or deutschland Deutsc Deutsch land bland the present germany which with its well cultivated fields of cereals and fruit trees with its parks and meadows looks more like a beautiful garden in which art and nature are harmoniously blended was in the days of julius calsar cassar who lived about 41 years before christ and tacitus a cold dreary marshy woody region abounding in wild beasts such as buffaloe buffalos bufe buff alos or uri bears wolves lynxes foxes etc the immense woods which at that period covered the country were called the herc nian forest which assaid is sald said to have been nine alays days journey in length and six in breadth noble ro remnants of the separate names such as the the black forest etc still stud the travelers road and impart to the landscape a very picturesque character the dif dlf different governments employ nov now quite a large number of people of various degrees of rank and education for the purpose of preserving and improving these forests the ancient germans were of a huge 0 and noble form had red hair and blue eyes their chest was wide and strong their skin white hey could better endure cold and hun bun huner hunger buner er than heat and thirst they were superstitious but faithful and brave in their disposition considering erin independence and liberty as the greatest earthly eagly blessings they were entire strangers to the luxuries and even common comforts of life their principal subsistence being derived from the chase a and nd fi sh shin n war huntin hunting 0 and occasional drinkle formed their main occupation the romans and gauis sauls describe their bodie bodies 9 as eo so powerful and gigantic that they could not gaze at them without fear their usual he height ht being seven feet whereas in this so caad called enlightened age only the Patagonian sin in south america the poles russians and the inhabitants of the presidency of bengal in the 1 easi east ase ast indies claim in the minority the maximum height c of six feet without possessing possession that strength and elasticity of body so pec peculiar pecullar uriar to t ile the ancient alent germans while it is a fact establish ta blish from the military records of the most roost civi civilize liz I 1 um nations that physical impotency or cebil debility ty is on the increase the parents patents of the ancient germans accustomed their children from the most tender age to the ri rigid id climate and the hardships the they nv would 0 Z have to endure at a later period by y bathing a t lh ipg newborn new born infants in cold water which practice ce was continued during their whole wh le lives as the strengthening renovator by bot boet boft boys and girls men and women their dres dreis dreg consisted in a broad short mantle fastened eya bya mya girdle or the skins swing of wild animals and 0 o hardened were they that even during the awer er season a portion of the body bodyke re covered ac according cu r f n g to claudius strabo and Pom meia mela the germans lived in widely scattered huts in the midst of which the larger dwellings of the chiefs were ivere situated towns were net not built as the nomadic inhabitants compared them to prisons these huts resembled to a certain extent our log houses with the di merence difference that the sides were filled with plaited withy forming thus thul a firm wall by the addition of straw and linen the roof was always a thatched one their air dwellings wellings were generally near a grove v le or aal spring g the e cultivation of the soil co herding r di n a ani aul ot other er domestic occupations were left to t the e women and slaves although they preferred earning the necessaries of life ite by war rather hard labor having bold intrepid leaders buch such as and arminius af the Cher Cheru ici t one of the most celebrated germanic tribes of ancient times they possessed a sublime patriotism fidelity chastity and other noble qualities and capabilities in a much higher degree than the enlightened romans greeks and arabians of that epoch marriage being considered as the main source of domestic and social happiness only young men of known chastity and temperance in the full energy of youth and at a time when their p physical and moral nature had gained their eq equilibrium barium were permitted to take a wife from among the blooming maidens of the country polygamy was practiced amad among the nobles of the land as a holy privilege bestowed upon them by berthus Ner thus the nourishing mother earth whom they worshipped wor shipped as their most beneficent deity A matrimonial alliance was formed upon love and virtue and was generally preceded by the bridal gift of the husband consisting t in a team of oxen arms and a shield the wife was thus reminded by these sacred symbols that she had to share the dangers hardships sh s and trials of her consort and that she har hat had to remain faithful to him both in prosperity and adversity and this holy boon of an opening marriage she was bound to transfer uncontaminated to her children and grandchildren thus this gift was the mystic consecration 1 and guardian deity 0 hymeneal felicity difficulties or infringements of marriage seldom occurred as the perpetrators of such a crime were generally expelled from the tribe I 1 they lived in i the dress and food of the ancient germans were simple and agreeable to the human 8 system as hoops paint diac Blac cassar cassan oil and other so called cosmetics had mirabile dicta not yet made their baneful appearance to infringe upon natures rights the female adornment consist consisted edin in their long iong ong yellow hair in the fresh color of 0 their pure skin and in their linen robes spun and ana woven by their own hands ornamented with a purple band as a girdle their food was meat and milk their favorite beverage was made from barley and arid oats they also drank mead prepared from honey and water the vine was first cultivated by them on the river rhine where thad been introduced by the romans the government of the ancient germans was theocratic as the priests ruled the communities and gave counsel to the angs pr princes incest dukes and counts the people met at general assemblies similar to the greek agora where by all the male members of a certain age the affairs of the country relative to peace and war or any internal improvements or measures were coolly considered and discussed their approval of a proposition on such occasions occasion s was expressed by striking their weapons on their shields and ana their disapprobation by hollow murmurs like the in the east indies they worshipped wor shipped the sun moon fire and earth but like the greeks romans Hin doos etc they believed in a plurality of gods controlling cont roling the affairs of the universe and they considered it the duty of the priests rieste to ascertain the will and mind of those cities deities they believed in a future existence where the brave are rewarded by feasts where they narrate their former exploits and do not blush gentle gentie reader drink beer from immense horns or from the skulls of their enemies St ribo alela lived about 48 1 etolo eus iio lio after chrtt thy were three roman xeo geo geographers raphers rap hers bers of or great cei cel brity and are often quoted in claa classical literature as important and correct authorities t armalus aon Ann inus iHus or hermany hermani the tha in a grea great 9 battle fon fou ht in the ninth year before christ de destroyed strayed the roman aloman legions of varus yarns and thus saved germany from foreign oppression I 1 tb princes or principe 9 of a district were the foremost ost and first being elected like the count or grafa grata from among the olde t and most experienced of a the dukes hi tr ll t the bame same polton potton as the princes the leider leader of a tribe trite was wag called a kin 0 the agoras adorm from the greek ha ba agor agar 1 an ns of the people were hell heli hel hei in athens and other places of IT lias ilas or gece greece from fromm gam aam 9 am ioie lo 10 12 am it was in thee the e morn orn ing meetings that the athenian populace whore p recep tion of the beauties bea of or style had been ly by the lie musical an i literary contests at the public if Ip stival festival were addressed by peric Paric leq lei alca lysias Ph phocion octon lycurgus and other renowned athenian albanian orators and n if the parsecs parsees are the follow followers e rs of Zar zor naster who had bad the same system intern of ren ringlon glon gion ai as I 1 that hat of t ihu thu ancient pr P r siam plan in the times of cyrus an ml I 1 me r aes aney come from f rom gom persia ft fir m whence they fled to guitrau guj Gui trat erat remarkable LAKES on the top of a ridge of mountains in portugal called estral la are two lakes of great extent and depth especially one of them which is said to be unfathomable what is chiefly remarkable in them is hat bat they are calin calm when the sea is so and rough tough when that is stormy it is therefore probable that they have bave a subterranean communication with the ocean and this thia seems to be confirmed by the pieces of ships they throw up though almost forty miles distant from the sea there is another extraordinary tra lake in this country which before a storm is said to make a frightful rumbling noise that may be heard at a distance of several miles and we are also told of a pool or fountain called 21 about twenty four miles from coimbra that absorbs not only wood but the lightest li haest bodies thrown into it such as a cork straw feathers ac which sink to the bottom and are never seen more to these we may add a remarkable sprin aprin spring near Es which pet wood or ra rather ther encrusts it with a case of stoye stoke stone but the most remarkable circumstance I 1 is is that in summer it throws up water enough to turn several mills and in winter is perfectly dry smiths wonders A horse mackerel about ten feet long and weighing hina hinl about one thousand pounds has been on exhibition in bath me