1976
EUROPEAN TOUR
ACROSS THE FENCE
By
Arvord Abernethy
Earlier
this summer some of our youngsters took a trip to
Europe
and they really enjoyed it. Now some of our (I don’t want to say
oldsters, so how about saying mature citizens) took about the same trip
and they came back with thrilling stories of the trip.
Those
making the trip from
Hamilton
were Mrs. Ann Alexander, Mrs. Mary Meester, Mrs. Lyndia Robinson, Mrs.
Maurine Wilkerson, the Bob Wilsons and their daughter, Julie.
This
column could not begin to list all that they could tell you about, so I
will just hit the high places. Why not invite them over to your home
some evening and let them tell you about the trip? Each one had a
feeling of excitement when they talked to me and they more or less
summed it up in, “You just should see it for yourself.”
Each one
spoke of how beautiful the countryside was, but some places impressed
some of them more than other places, Maurine told of things in Rome that
were very impressive to her. Some of the buildings were built hundreds
of years ago and are still standing and many are in daily use. Some were
built during the height of the glory of the
Roman Empire
, long before there was any machinery or tools like we have today to do
such work.
She told
me of the Coliseum there in
Rome
that was completed in 82 A.D. and covered about as much ground as the
Texas Stadium in
Dallas
. It was in this structure that the Gladiators fought wild beast and
Christians were often thrown to wild animals there. The floor of the
arena would be covered with red sand to soak up the blood and keep it
from showing. Much of the marble and rock work has now been carried
away.
Another
very impressive building, Maurine told about was St. Peter’s Cathedral
there in
Vatican City
. A small part of it was built about 325 A. D., but the main part was
built in the 1500s. The architecture, the marble walls, the gilded
surfaces, the paintings, many of them done by Michelangelo, are beyond
imagination, and a person is dwarfed by its enormous size. The Catacombs
where people were buried, and where the early Christians had to hide to
worship, gave one a very eerie feeling.
Venice
was a place that was certainly different. You didn’t step across the
street to get a cup of coffee there. You could either, swim, paddle your
canoe or take a gondola. See, all of
Venice
’s streets are canals.
Venice
is an old city that was built on many small islands, yet it has many
interesting building in it.
It took
Mary Meester, who lived much of her life in the Plainview-Abernathy
farming area, to mention, the farming life of the people. She reported
seeing lots of hay being grown and harvested. It was cut and raked into
rows much like we do here, then it was wrapped around a stick
contraption and then the stick stuck into the ground to form a shock,
She didn’t see many cattle, but there were a lot of big barns, and
there were a lot of large milk cans around the railroad stations
indicating that there was much dairying. Corn and small grains are
important crops. Much of the farm work was being done by women and they
all wore dresses to work.
Mary
also told of the Passion Play at
Oberammergan
,
Germany
. The play has been given every ten years since 1633 in keeping of a
promise they made to the Lord for sparing them from a deadly plague.
Although it was given in German, the music and singing were so beautiful
it made a very enjoyable performance.
Ann
Alexander was impressed by an overnight stay they had at
St. Johawn
,
Austria
, a village high up in the beautiful Tyrol Alps. The residents of this
quaint town, dressed in their native costumes entertained with singing,
yodeling and dancing their native dances. The scenery through this
section, including
Switzerland
, the tiny country
Liechtenstein
, and around
Innsbruck
, was very beautiful with its high, snow capped mountains and green
valleys.
The
Wilsons
also mentioned how the farming impressed them. It was all on a small
scale, so was very intensive; the crops being very close together and
completely free of weeds. The mountain sides were stair stepped for the
growing of grapes. There were a lot of olive groves in
Italy
. They were impressed with the pride the farmers had in their property;
often beautiful murals would be painted on barns. They found the same
pride and care in the cities; cleanliness, well painted homes and
buildings, and window boxes filled with beautiful flowers. We could take
a lesson from them.
Lydia
enjoyed seeing the Roman Forum. This was the center of activity during
the early days of the
Roman Empire
’s glory. Many temples, triumphant arches, government buildings and
other structures were in a group. The guide pointed out the ruins of the
building where Julius Ceasar was assassinated.
The art
galleries were filled with interesting things to see.
Lydia
said one should see the Mona Lisa in person to fully appreciate its art
and coloring. Among the statues they saw were; Venus de Milo and Winged
Victory, but probably the finest piece of work was David which was
carved by Michelangelo.
Paris
could be a tour within itself, as there were so many things to see. The
group saw the
Eiffel
Tower
which is the trademark of Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral, Arc de Triomphe,
Les Invalides which houses Napoleon’s tomb, and the world famous art
gallery, the Louvre.
After a
good rain like we had, one of the first things one farmer asks another
is how much rain he received. I haven’t lost the habit yet, so I have
asked around some. Willie Roberts out near Indian Gap received 4 ½
inches and it seemed pretty general around there. Harman Trammell of
Olin received between 2 ½ and 3 inches. Joel Sellers east of Lanham had
1.7 inches but he said that was the lowest amount he had heard of. Henry
Keller down toward
Ohio
received 3 ¼ inches but had reports of around 4 inches in the Aleman
community. Billy Chumney of
West Point
received 4 inches, so it was a good general rain.
Not
everything is bad about dry weather. I didn’t hear Kate Dodson, our
church pianist, complaining about the keys sticking, and our Solar
Energy clothes dryer worked perfectly all summer.
It was
my pleasure to attend one of the worship services of the First
Presbyterian Church during their Centennial Celebration. In Europe where
some of our people have visited many things are hundred of years old,
but in our new land it is just as inspiring to see institutions that
have had one hundreds of successful ministry. It was good to hear many
of the congregation tell what the church had meant to their lives and to
their families.
A
thought that came to me while I sat there was that behind those walls of
brick and plaster were the same wooden walls that had witnessed the
worship services of Presbyterians, Baptist, Methodists and others nearly
100 years ago. You see, this building was the first house of worship
built in
Hamilton
, and other groups were invited to use it. When the present building was
moved to the present location and enlarged and Sunday School rooms and
facilities were added.
Hamilton
and the surrounding area wish for the
Hamilton
First Presbyterian Church another century of touching and bettering the
lives of people