78 
HELEN ABBOTT MICHAEL 
At Bale she slept at the “Three Kings,” her room over¬ 
looking the river. Her mood of enthusiasm had somehow 
changed. 
“It is dark and unsympathetic. The thought that this 
river will flow on undisturbed by the changes in the lives of 
men oppressed me, so that I gladly closed the curtains and 
sought comfort from the candle-light and fire. It is very 
strange to look on scenes that once were seen under different 
circumstances, and with others who may now be dead. It 
was in 1869, I visited here with my mother. This old river 
with its current and retarding whirlpools reminds me of 
Philadelphians, who with their progress must take it con¬ 
servatively like the retarding action of the whirlpool on the 
molecules. What a contrast to the sparkling and quick in¬ 
tellect of other localities — just as marked as this big Rhine 
is different from the Alpine torrent.” 
At Bale she felt “too tired and miserable to hunt up the 
university authorities,” and so devoted herself to sight-see¬ 
ing, though about all that rewarded her was the mediaeval 
collection adjoining the Cathedral, and here all that she 
deemed worthy of chronicling was “two wooden statues of 
a man and a woman coquetting — a good example illustra¬ 
ting unrefined gallantry.” After a three hours’ ride from Bale 
to Freiburg, she notes that she “feels quite at home returning 
to Germany.” The next morning, which was the fifth of 
November, she went to the chemical laboratory of Professor 
Claus, who received her amicably and himself conducted her 
over the extensive rooms where there seemed to be great ac¬ 
tivity. “ He is a tall, wiry man, with blond mustache and 
hair. He might be any age, dressed in a gray felt gown faced 
with green, and wearing a smoking cap on his head.” She 
was pleased with the open yard around which the buildings 
ran, allowing excellent ventilation, and minimizing the dangers 
of explosion. 
In the rooms adjoining those occupied by Professor Claus 
worked Professor Baumann, whom Lunge had told her to 
be sure to visit. 
“I sent in my card and very soon was welcomed. He is 
