Chapter II: Preface

“Around the World in Eighty Days” has had an extensive circulation, especially in America. The title is striking. Our people like to do things quickly. Many of them would be glad to girdle the globe in forty days. They forget that “what is worth doing at all is worth doing well.” Under the patronage of Tourist Agencies it has become quite fashionable of late to _do Europe in three months_. These flying trips do perhaps result in some good to the tourist, but they are valuable chiefly to the agencies under which they are made.

Traveling is no child’s play. Sight seeing when properly done is hard work, but hard work is the kind of work that pays best in the long run. To see any country aright and understand it correctly one must not merely visit its fashionable watering places, large cities, splendid abbeys and cathedrals, noted art galleries, museums, etc. He must see these things to be sure, but in addition to these he must, in order to get a correct conception, go out into the mountains, into the rural districts, and there study the soil, climate and products of the country. He must commune with the yeomanry the common people, and closely scrutinize their daily life and habits. He must see, as best he can, how climate, political surroundings, education, occupation, and religion affect their character. He must project himself as far as possible into the thoughts and feelings of the people among whom he is traveling. This prepares him to sympathize with them, and to look at things from their standpoint. The traveler is then prepared to reason from cause to effect. He has gotten hold of that golden thread of truth which leads to right conclusions. He is in condition to explain upon correct and philosophical principles the Socialism of France, the Skepticism of Germany, the Nihilism of Russia, and the Pauperism of Turkey.

Having under the providence of God been permitted to make an extensive and prolonged trip through the East, I determined from the outset to get out of the _beaten tracks of travel_. In applying the above-named principles, I walked a thousand miles through different European countries, and rode six hundred miles and more in the saddle through Bible lands. This necessarily gave me a varied experience, and brought me into close contact with every phase of nature and human nature. At times every faculty of mind and heart was stirred to its profoundest depths. I was forced to think. And, lest these thrilling thoughts should slip away from me, I determined “to fasten them in words and chain them in writing.” I agree with Gray that “a few words fixed upon or near the spot are worth a cartload of _recollection_.”

This accounts to some extent for the use of the present tense in the book, and also for the colloquial style in which it is written—it was composed _on or near the spot_. True, since then it has been carefully revised, re-written and enlarged; but originally it was written “on the spot.” I made these pages my trusted confidant. To them I expressed my “every thought and floating fancy,” and my words formed a true thermometer to my soul. But now I release these pages from all obligations of secrecy. They may tell it in Gath, and withhold it not in Askelon. I propose to take the public into my confidence. “In short, never did ten shillings purchase so much friendship since confidence went first to market, or honesty was set up to sale.”

I have carefully excluded all _opiates_ from these pages. Brevity is the only claim I make to wit. I have not attempted to exhaust the subjects treated. My words are intended simply to strike the reader’s thoughts which may interpret further. “If you would be prudent, be brief,” says Southey, “for ‘tis with words as with sunbeams, the more they are condensed the deeper they burn.”

“Clarence P. Johnson” was my man “Friday,” and from some of the jokes gotten off at his expense the reader may conclude that he is a “man-eater,” as was that other Friday of Robinson Crusoe fame. But not so. This was his maiden trip out of his native city. Such things happened to him while traveling as would naturally occur with any other youth under the same circumstances. He is a young man of fine spirit and extraordinary business capacity. He will some day be known and felt in the commercial world.

It gives me peculiar pleasure to acknowledge my indebtedness to Professor John R. Sampey, D. D., for valuable assistance rendered while preparing this book for the press.

I have made free use of a wide range of literature, but trust that in each case due credit has been given to the author. Many of the measurements given were made by myself, others have been taken from reliable sources.

While abroad, I made it a special point to study the history and outlook of the Baptists in each of the several countries through which I traveled, and I have not failed to record the result of my observations. But, in order to have Baptist history correctly, authentically, and impartially given, I have secured chapters from eminent men on the Baptists of their several countries.

W. A. W.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

OFF FOR NEW YORK.

Preparations—A Prayer and a Benediction—An Impatient Horse and
a Run for Eternity—Strange Sceptre and Despotic Sway—Beauty in
White Robes—Approaching the Metropolis—Business Heart of the
New World—A Bright Face and a Cordial Greeting—An Hour with the
President—More for a Shilling and Less for a Pound—A Stranger
Dies in the Author’s Arms—Namesake—Prospects of Becoming a Great
Man—A Confused College Student—The Hour of Departure—Native
Land. Page, 23

CHAPTER II.

ON THE HIGH SEAS.

A Difficulty with the Officers of the Ship—A Parting
Scene—Danger on the Atlantic—A Parallel Drawn—Liberty
Enlightening the World—Life on the Ocean Wave—Friends for the
Journey—The Ship a Little World—A Clown and his Partner—Birds
of a Feather—Whales—Brain Food—Storm at Sea—A Frightened
Preacher—Storm Rages—A Sea of Glory—Richard Himself Again—Land
in Sight—Scene Described—Historic Castle—Voyage Ended—Two
Irishmen. Page, 29

CHAPTER III.

THE LAND OF BURNS.

English Railway Coaches—Millionaires, Crowned Heads, and Fools—A
Conductor Caught on a Cow-catcher—Last Rose of Summer—Off on
Foot to the Land of Burns—Appearance of Country and Condition of
People—Destination Reached—Doctor Whitsitt and Oliver Twist—The
Ploughman Poet—His Cottage—His Relics—His Work and Worth—His
Grave and Monument—A Broad View of Life. Page, 38

CHAPTER IV.

EDINBURGH.

A Jolly Party of Americans—Dim-Eyed Pilgrim—Young Goslings—An
American Goose Ranch—Birthplace of Robert Pollok and Mary
Queen of Scots—The Boston of Europe—Home of Illustrious Men—A
Monument to the Author—Monument to Sir Walter Scott—Edinburgh
Castle—Murdered and Head Placed on the Wall—Cromwell’s
Siege—Stones of Power—A Dazzling Diadem—A Golden Collar—Baptized
in Blood—Meeting American Friends. Page, 47

CHAPTER V.

A TRAMP-TRIP THROUGH THE HIGHLANDS.

His Royal Highness and a Demand for Fresh Air—A Boy in
his Father’s Clothes—Among the Common People—Nature’s
Stronghold—Treason Found in Trust—Body Quartered and Exposed
on Iron Spikes—Receiving a Royal Salute—Following no Road but
a Winding River—Sleeveless Dresses and Dyed Hands—Obelisk to a
Novelist and Poet—On the Scotch Lakes—Eyes to See but See Not—A
Night of Rest and a Morning of Surprise—A Terrestrial Heaven—A
Poetic Inspiration—A Deceptive Mountain—A Glittering Crown—Hard
to Climb—An Adventure and a Narrow Escape—Johnson Gives Out—Put
to Bed on the Mountain Side—On and Up—A Summit at Last—Niagara
Petrified—Overtaken by the Night—Johnson Lost in the Mountains—A
Fruitless Search—Bewildered—Exhausted—Sick. Page, 57

CHAPTER VI.

A GENERAL VIEW OF SCOTLAND.

Highlands and Lowlands—Locked up for Fifteen Days—The Need of
a Good Sole—A Soft Side of a Rock—The Charm of Reading on the
Spot—A Fearful Experience—Bit and Bridle—Thunder-Riven—Volcanic
Eruption—Dangerous Pits—An Hundred-Eyed Devil—Gloomy
Dens—Meeting an Enemy—Eyes Like Balls of Fire—Voice Like Rolling
Thunder—A Speedy Departure—Leaping from Rock to Rock—Silver
Thread among the Mountains—Imperishable Tablets—The Cave of
Rob Roy and the land of the MacGregors—Lady of the Lake and
Ellen’s Isle—Lodging with Peasants and with Gentlemen—Rising
in Mutiny—Strange Fuel—Character of Scotch People—Scotch
Baptists—Sunrise at Two O’Clock in the Morning. Page, 67

CHAPTER VII.

FROM DUNDEE TO MANCHESTER.

Scotch Presbyterians in Convention—Their Character and
Bearing—On the Footpath to Abbotsford—The Home of Scott—Five
Miles through the Fields—Melrose Abbey and the Heart of
Bruce—Hospitality of a Baptist Preacher—Adieu to Scotland—Merry
England—Manchester—Exposition and Prince of Wales—Manchester
and Cotton Manufacturers—A $25,000,000 Scheme—Dr. Alexander
Maclaren—His Appearance—The Force of his Thought—The Witchery of
his Eloquence—His Hospitality Enjoyed—A Promise Made. Page, 75

CHAPTER VIII.

BAPTIST CENTENNIAL.

Three Baptist Associations—Centennial Year and Jubilee
Year—Baptists Seen at their Best—Doctor Alexander
Maclaren—Matchless Eloquence—Hon. John Bright Delivers an
Address—Boundless Enthusiasm—English Hospitality—A Home with the
Mayor. Page, 84

CHAPTER IX.

A SOJOURN IN ENGLAND AND ON TO WALES.

Arrested and Imprisoned—Released without a
Trial—Nottingham—Dwellers in Caves—Seven Hundred Years
Old—Forests of Ivanhoe and Robin Hood—Birthplace of Henry Kirk
White—Home of the Pilgrim Fathers—Home of Thomas Cranmer—A
Guide’s Information—Home of Lord Byron—Wild Beasts from the Dark
Continent—A Sad Epitaph—Byron’s Grave—A Wedding Scene—Marriage
Customs—Wales and Sea-Bathing—Among the Mountains—Welsh
Baptists—A Tottering Establishment. Page, 90

CHAPTER X.

LONDON.

Entering London—The Great City Crowded—Six Million Five Hundred
Thousand People Together—Lost in London—A Human Niagara—A
Policeman and a Lockup—The Jubilee and the Golden Wedding—“God
Save the Queen.” and God Save the People—Amid England’s Shouts
and Ireland’s Groans Heard. Page, 98

CHAPTER XI.

SIGHTS OF LONDON.

Traveling in London—London a Studio—The Hum of Folly and the
Sleep of Traffic—Five Million Heads in Nightcaps—Too Many People
Together—Survival of the Fittest—Place and Pride—Poverty and
Penury—Beneficence in London—East End—Assembly Hall—A Converted
Brewer—His Great Work—Meeting an Old Schoolmate. Page, 107

CHAPTER XII.

A TRIO OF ILLUSTRIOUS MEN.

Joseph Parker—Canon Farrar—Charles H. Spurgeon. Page, 118

CHAPTER XIII.

NOTTINGHAM, CAMBRIDGE, AND BEDFORD.

Preaching to 2,500 People—Entertained after the Manner of
Royalty—Excursion to Cambridge—What Happened on the Way—Received
an Entertainment by the Mayor—Cambridge University—King’s
Chapel—Fitzwilliam Museum—Trinity College—Cambridge Bibles—Adieu
to Friends—Bedford—The Church where John Bunyan Preached—Bedford
Jail, where Bunyan wrote _Pilgrim’s Progress_—Bunyan’s
Statue—Elstow, Bunyan’s Birthplace—His Cottage—His Chapel—An Old
Elm Tree. Page, 123

CHAPTER XIV.

THE BAPTISTS OF ENGLAND.

Their Number and Divisions—The Regular Baptists—Their
Movements and Progress. Page, 130

CHAPTER XV.

LAST OF ENGLAND AND FIRST OF THE CONTINENT.

Windsor Castle, the Home of England’s Queen—Queen Victoria—The
Home of Shakespeare—Across the Channel—First Impressions—Old
Time Ways—Brussels on a Parade—Waterloo Re-enacted—A Visit to
the Field of Waterloo—A Lion with Eyes Fixed on France—Interview
with a Man who Saw Napoleon—Wertz Museum—“Napoleon in
Hell”—“Hell in Revolt against Heaven”—“Triumph of Christ”—Age
Offering the Things of the Present to the Man of the Future.
Page, 143

CHAPTER XVI.

FROM BELGIUM TO COLOGNE AND UP THE RHINE.

Brussels—Its Laces and Carpets—Belgium a
Small Country—Cultivated like a Garden—Into
Germany—Aix-La-Chapelle—Birthplace of Charlemagne—Capital of
Holy Roman Empire—Cathedral Built by Charlemagne—A Strange
Legend—Shrine of the Four Relics—A Pulpit Adorned with Ivory and
Studded with Diamonds—Cologne—Its Inhabitants—Its Perfumery—Its
Cathedral—A Ponderous Bell—A Church Built of Human Bones—Sailing
up the Rhine—A River of Song—Bonn—Its University—Birthplace
of Beethoven—Feudal Lords—The Bloody Rhine—Dragon’s Rock—A
Combat with a Serpent—A Convent with a Love Story—Empress
of the Night—Intoxicated—Coblentz—A Tramp-Trip through
Germany—Sixteen Thousand Soldiers Engaged in Battle—Enchanted
Region—Loreli—Son-in-Law of Augustus Caesar—Birthplace of
Gutenberg, the Inventor of Printing. Page, 155

CHAPTER XVII.

FROM FRANKFORT TO WORMS.

Frankfort-on-the-Main—Met at Depot by a Committee—Frankfort, the
Home of Culture and Art—Birthplace of Goethe—“He Preaches like a
God”—The Home of Rothschild—A Visit to his House—Worms and its
History—Luther and a Bad Diet—Luther Monument—Theses Nailed on
the Door—Fame of Luther and his Followers more Imperishable than
their Bronze Statues. Page, 168

CHAPTER XVIII.

GERMAN BAPTISTS.

A Weak Beginning—Persecutions—Firm Faith—Rapid Growth—A Trio of
Leaders—Theological Schools—Publishing House—Hopeful Outlook.
Page, 174

CHAPTER XIX.

OUT OF GERMANY INTO SWITZERLAND.

A Lesson from Nature—Tramp-Trip through the Black
Forests—Heidelberg Castle—Basle, Switzerland—Met by a
Friend—Emigrants off for America—Delivering an Address to
the Emigrants—The Grave of Erasmus—Gateway to the Heart of
the Alps—Snowy Peaks—Rendezvous of the Nations—Beautiful
Scene—Moonlight on the Lake—Sweet Music—Pretty Girls—Mountains
Shaken with Thunder and Wrapped with Fire. Page, 184

CHAPTER XX.

SWITZERLAND AS SEEN ON FOOT.

Alpine Fever—Flags of Truce—Schiller and the Swiss Hero—Tell’s
Statue and Chapel—Ascent of the Rigi—Beautiful Scenery—Famous
Falls—Rambles in the Mountains—Glaciers—The Matterhorn—Yung
Frau—Ascent of Mount Blanc—An Eagle in the Clouds—Switzerland
and her People—The Oldest Republic in the World—“Home,
Sweet Home”—High Living—Land Owners—Alpine Folk—Night Spent
in a Swiss Chalet—Johnson in Trouble—Walk of Six Hundred
Miles—Famous Alpine Pass—A Night above the Clouds—Saint Bernard
Hospice—Overtaken in a Snow-Storm—Hunting Dead Men—The Alps as
a Monument—Geneva—Prison of Chilon—How Time was Spent—Tongue of
Praise. Page, 190

CHAPTER XXI.

BAPTIST MISSION WORK IN FRANCE.

Incipiency of the Work—Obstacles to Overcome—Progress —Hopeful
Outlook. Page, 213

CHAPTER XXII.

FROM VIENNA DOWN THE DANUBE TO CONSTANTINOPLE.

A Black Night on the Black Sea—A Doleful Dirge—Two Thousand
Miles—Vienna—Its Architecture—Its Palace—Its Art Galleries and
Museums—Through Hungary, Servia, Slavonia, and Bulgaria—Cities
and Scenery along the Danube—Products of the Countries—Entering
the Bosphorus amid a War of the Elements—Between Two
Continents—Constantinople—Difficulty with a Turkish Official—A
Babel of Tongues—The Sultan at Prayer—Twenty Thousand Soldiers
on Guard—Multiplicity of Wives—Man-Slayer. Page, 220

CHAPTER XXIII.

FROM CONSTANTINOPLE TO ATHENS.

A Stormy Day on Marmora—Sunrise on Mount Olympus—Brusa,
the Ancient Capital of Turkey—Ancient Troy—Homeric
Heroes—Agamemnon’s Fleet—The Wooden Horse—Paul’s Vision
at Troas—Athens—A Lesson in Greek—The Acropolis—The
Parthenon—Modern Athens—Temple of Jupiter—The Prison of
Socrates—The Platform of Demosthenes—Mars Hill and Paul’s
Sermon—Influence of the Ancients. Page, 230

CHAPTER XXIV.

ASIA MINOR AND THE ISLAND OF PATMOS.

Smyrna—Its Commerce—Its Population—Famed Women—Home of the
Apostle John—One of the Seven Asiatic Churches—Martyrdom and
Tomb of Polycarp—Emblematic Olive Tree—Out into the Interior
of Asia Minor—Struck by Lightning—Visit to Ephesus—Birthplace
of Mythology—Temple of Diana—Relics of the Past—Homer’s
Birthplace—A Baptist Preacher and a Protracted Meeting—John the
Baptist and the Virgin Mary—Timothy’s Grave—Cave of the Seven
Sleepers—Return to Smyrna—Sail to Patmos—Patmos, the Exiled Home
of the Apostle John—The Island of Rhodes and the Colossus—Death
and Disease on the Ship—Quarantined—A Watery Grave—Hope Anchored
within the Vail. Page, 240