| Show or SCENES blake Fiti fitzgerald gerald tells of his experiences in germany hamburg germany july 5 1932 mr joseph L asbury editor richfield reaper richfield utah dear editor it has never been my privilege to become personally acquainted led with you but nevertheless I 1 feel as if I 1 know you through reading your editorials and publication as a whole at this time I 1 wish to express my appreciation for the reaper which I 1 received regularly durin during my eighteen months absence s from home one does not really appreciate his home town paper until he go goes es away and has no complete connection with the doings of the community so I 1 can assure you that the arrival of the reaper has brought many happy moments to me it is an excellent means of keeping one informed of the affairs and happenings of his home town and I 1 am better able to un desband the good which you are doing by sending the reaper to all laboring missionaries of our community sly afy experiences here have been varied and interesting and I 1 desire to relate late a few of the many instances and things that I 1 have seen while laboring in this country As a general rule all on com ing missionaries of this mission are sent first to cologne where they are given preliminary instructions before entering into active missionary work cologne is located on the west bank of germanys germanas Germ anys most famous stream the rhine whose beauty has been sung by so many poets and around which time has woven so many legends in this old and famous city are many things of interest the most out standing is the great cologne cathedral the cathedral is is a ma magnificent 9 ent et monument of germanic art in 1224 the foundation stone was laid but the building was not completed until 1880 there are two main towers which rise to a height of feet the stained gla glass as windows picturing incidents of the life of christ and his bis apostles are of paramount beauty of course there are many other things that could be written about the cathedral and the city but volumes could not contain them all after a months stay in cologne I 1 was transferred to the arhur district where I 1 started my active missionary work during which time I 1 had the privilege of working in two of the largest cities of that region essen and duisburg guisburg Du isburg this section of germany is located on the lower rhine and borders on to holland it receives its name from the arhur river which is a tributary of the rhine the valley of the ruhr forms a striking contrast when one looks out over the landscape covered with wooded hills and industrial plants essen the direct translation of this word vord into english is catin eating or foods is situated in the center of this large industrial and coal mining region it is considered by many as being one of the richest industrial districts in the world in the city of essen alone are thir ty two coal pits it owes a large part of its fame to the krupp works the most important caststeel works in europe this plant manufactures all sorts of implements and metal materials for world trade below essen at th the junction of the rhine and ruhr is located duisburg guisburg Du isburg and there we find the worlds largest inland harbor an average of tons of goods are tran shipped here annually while laboring there I 1 had the opportunity of visiting these places of interest along with many m any beautiful parks wonderful schools and churches at the present time I 1 am laboring in a small town which has a population of about it is a suburb to hamburg germanys germanas Germ anys second largest city I 1 had bad the opportunity port unity of working direct in hamburg before coming here there I 1 found an entirely different class of people than that of my previous fields of labor you are aware of the fact that th atHam hamburg is an important harbor city and shipping center and the class of people are seafaring and tradesmen hamburg is called tho the venice of northern europe due to the abundant water transportation tran por tation facilities cili ties in the suburbs live the farming class of people and at this time of the ile year it I 1 Is especially interest in to watch them harvest their bay the work is done entirely by hand with no modern implements such as are used at home in evidence scores of men and women throughout the countryside are seen hard at work with their scythes and wooden rakes women working as hard as aa the men it ls indeed a pleasure to live and labor among these people and learn their customs and ways it was waa always my desire to fulfil fulfill a mission and I 1 am now bett erable to understand why this desire waa within me As time rolls by and I 1 get gel older in this work I 1 am impressed by the large responsibility which rests upon the shoulders of all the L D S members in carrying r y i ng this wonderful message to all who arc waiting for it and who are in need of it we cant do too m much u ch for the gospel it is needed throughout the world so that all may have a better knowledge of the worth of their existence and make the necessary covenants with the lord in closing I 1 would like to thank you for your kindness and consideration in sending me the reaper and hope to receive it in the future as I 1 have in the past sincerely yours W BLAKE fitzgerald |
