Geo. H. Heffner
The Youthful Wanderer;
or An Account of a Tour through England, France, Belgium, Holland, Germanyand the Rhine, Switzerland, Italy, and Egypt
Adapted to the Wants of Young Americans Taking Their First Glimpses at theOld World
by
Geo. H. Heffner.
Orefield:
A. S. Heffner, Printer.
1876.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by
Geo. H.Heffner,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
Preface.
It had been fashionable among the ancients, for men of learning to visitdistant countries and improve their education by traveling, after they hadcompleted their various courses of study in literary institutions, and thesame custom still prevails in Europe at the present time; but in ourcountry, comparatively few avail themselves of this finishing course. Itis not strange that this should have been so with a people who areseparated from the rest of the world by such wide oceans as we are, whichcould, up to a comparatively recent period, only have been crossed at asacrifice of much time and money, and at the risk of loosing either lifeor health. These difficulties have been greatly reduced by the applicationof steam-power to navigation, and the time has come when an American canmake the tour of Europe with but little more expenditure of time and moneythan it costs even a native of Europe to do it.
One of my principal objects in writing this book is to encourage others tomake similar tours. We would have plenty of books no traveling, if some ofthem did represent the readers in the humbler spheres of life, but thegeneral impression in America is that no one can see Europe to anysatisfaction in less than a year or two and with an outlay of from athousand to two thousand dollars. This is a great mistake. If one travelsfor pleasure mainly, it will certainly require a great deal of time andmoney, but a hard-working student can do much in a few months. Permit meto say, that one will see and experience more in two weeks abroad, thanmany a learned man in America expects could be seen in a year. I sometimesgive the particulars of sights and adventures in detail, that the readermay take an example of my experience, for any tour he may propose to make.The times devoted to different places are given that he may form anestimate of the comparative importance of different places.
Statistics form a leading feature of this work, and these have beengathered and compiled with special reference to the wants of the student.Many an American scholar studies the geography and history of foreigncountries at a great disadvantage, because he can not obtain a generalidea of the institutions of Europe, unless he reads half a dozen works onthe subject. To do this he has not the time. This work gives, in thecompass of a single volume, a general idea of all the most strikingfeatures of the manners, customs and institutions of the people of someeight different nations speaking as many different languages and dialects.
As the sights that one sees abroad are so radically different from what weare accustomed to see at home, I feel pained whenever I think ofdescribing them to any one. If you would know the nature of myperplexity, then go to Washington and see the stately magnificence of ourNational Capitol there, and then go and describe what you have seen to onewho has never seen a larger building than his villag