[Ernest Gerber]

Document text

A. G. Bari,
Feb. 25, 1939.
Z41.
February 25, 1939
Ernest Gerber (Swiss -American)
Route 1
Marietta, Georgia
(Farmer)
A. G. Berle
from. Around the World to a Georgia ism
1.
Zust a few miles north of the Chattahoochee River, in what was onoe
a part of the Gherokee Nation, in the foothills near Lost Mountain, lies
an 80 -acre farmstead, part of an original plantation served from the
wilderness by a family of Georgia pioneers who moved in shortly after
the removal of the Indians.
Leaving the state highway and clitbing abruptly between tall, spindling
second -growth trees, a narrow, rutted red clay road, void of topsoil,
suddenly breaks through to disclose, on the left, a long, narrow field
surrounded by high chicken -Wire fencing. .thin this enclosure, whAoh
widens to inolude two large laying houses and a brooder house, a large
flock of beautiful white Leghorn hens add a startling touch to the scene,
and evince their high breeding by their flighty actions and nervous
cackling at the near approach of a car or even a pedestrian.
At this point the road widens into a miniature parkway, shaded by
three old oaks, beyond which it continues on an ascending grade between
terraced fields, to disappear beyond an orchard of old and scrubby
peach trees.
On the left the parkway merges with a wide driveway which rune
between the house and other farm buildings to the large swinging get*
of the barn loti The barn itself is a frame structure, somewhat lirger
than those common to this Bastion, and to its lett is seen a large pasture
in the form of a valley, at the far end of which is a miniature like

Ernest Gerger -2-
formed b, an earthen dam across a small clear stream fed by two constant
flo‘cing springs at the upper end of the valley.
Near the angle formed by the road and driveway, but on a high plot
of ground,
with those
airplanes.
the
Georgia
stands the rambling one-story house, its squat galvanized roof,
of the outbuildings, furnishing a familiar landmark for passing
Architecturally, its design was actuated only by the size of
pioneer family. A wide porch fills the angle at the front,
and another fills the angle at the rear, furnishing a place for the
inevitable outdoor shelf and wash basin, and a "catch -411" for articles
too bulky, or too dirty, to be brought indoors. A large chimney in front
and another on the north side are made of hand -made brick, while another
at the rear is of large flat rocks and mud and was probably built at the
time the original log cabin WAIS erected. .4though the present house was
erected not many years before the Civil war, it is sealed inside and out
with a fine grade of pine lumber, all of which was planed and tongue -and
grooved by hand, the boards varying in width from 10 to 24 inches.
iietween the reur of the house and the barn -lot fence are a large
grpe arbor, a mammoth pecan tree, and a hoary gnarled oak, whose age,
like that of another standing near the barn, is testified by the two or
three feet of root growth protruding above the ground. In the shade of
these two trees a small modern building houses the old farm well, with
its familiar windlass, rope and bucket. Close to the well housing is a
modern deep well pump and a small gasoline engine which pulp the same
water to an elevated 200 -gallon tank, from which the water is piped to
the rear of the house, and to the chicken yard.

Lrnest Gelber
In this this same shady spot, between the well house and the lot fence, is
a long table made of heavy oak plank, its top stained by years of use as
a "battling-block4 for the heavy washings necessary on the red clay tem
i.nd on this same table the writer, who has lived on an adjoining farm for
eight years, has eaten meny a luscious Georgia watermelon with the de-
scendants of those Georgia pioneers.
But for the past two years a smell, gray-haired, bespectacled
whom we neighbors oall either "Chief" or "Doc,* has almost daily invited
me in to have a nip of excellent home-made wine, or to sit and read while
he fed his "buzzards" the iitite Leghorne.
When I asked him one day if he would be willing for ma to write his
life history he "came back at me" with: "Sure; provided you don't quote ma
in anything that would discredit the Baty, or anyone in the service. Yee,
I've read so much I know you have to build up a scene, but you know a damn
sight more about the place than I do, so go ahead and describe it. Come
over Sunday and we'll begin."
,ing
Remember/that .-_iwitzerland was saluting the New York world's Fair
over NBC that Sunday I invited him over to dinner. After the program was
finished he said "haat was fine, especially the yodeling. My mother won
an old folks' yofialing a)tent when she was 70 years old. I'm sorry,
though, that they didn't have any zither music. The zither Qas no popular
in witzerland and it sui:e makes sweet music,"
Silortly after dinner he said he would have to look after the chickens
so we eIked over to his place, and as we entered the chicken yard a large
hen flew up on his shoulder, another flew up 311 his back, and still another

Ernest Gerber
flew up in his face so he had to grab her and hold her in his arms. He stood
there and talked to them for a minute or two, at the same time feeding them
from a piece of bread taken from his pocket.
,hen his pets had become satisfied and jo*msd the rest of the flock,
and as we stood for a few silent moments gazing across the small valleys at
Old Kennesaw and the foothills he suddenly turned and said: *This sure is
a funny world. Here's the two of us, you born and raised way up North mad
me from Switzerland, living on joining farms in north Georgia, probably
the lt'Ist place either one of us would ever have dreamed of being. And the
longer I stay here, the more I wonder why those old timers built their house)
teeing those woods, instead of the other way, with the beautiful view of
Kennesaw 'Mountain."
4011, Chief, you haven't anything on ms. I've been wondering for eight
years why the folks built the house on the hill (where I live) car on the
back of an 80 -acre place, just about as far from your house es they could
get it. Always looked to me as if they didn't want to get too familiar with
the neighbors. Maybe when the R.B.A. runs our new liners they'll cut ait
enough trees so *e en at least se each other's houses.
*Yeah, I'll be glad when they get the juice here 03 I can finish wiring
the pleas. My little portable 25 watt does very well to light my room and
the chicken houses, but it's too small to carry any more."
".ell, Jets go in and get started, anA you can use the Underwood Portable
to fnake your notes. zave time."
Jp a few nerrow steps and through u narrow shed -room which houses the
electric plant and a conglomeration of boxes, bags of chicken feed, egg crates,
and shelves oiled with a variety of things, we entered the one room of the

'Lrnest Gerber
house which the Chief calls home. The room itself is large and *ell lighted,
the ails being of the same wide boards as the rest of the house, but painted
a pale blue. A new matched flooring covers the original planking, and a new
modern door leaas to the other part of the house, now occupied by a tenant
family.
The furniture and fixtures of the roam are almost a picture of a goodly
part of the man's life. There is a queer blending of military neatness and
'bachelor helplessness." The large fireplace has been filled in with sheet
iron,and a long cast iron hos box stove serves as a heater and cooking rungs,
supplemented by a small Coleman Camp stove which rests on a large box-libe
chest to the left of the door. vfl the mantel shelf is a replica of the
j. 1). Destroyer Childs, complete to the smallest detail, which was made by
a German prisoner interned at one of the hospitals where the Chief had served.
Flanking the ship on opposite sides are a finely inlaid arab flint -lock
pistol and an Arab sheath -knife of exquisite workmanship.
The chest which holds the camp stove also serves as a kitchen table,
holding the few dishes and accesexies necessary for his simple meals.
1. few inches above them, and extending nearly across the wall from door to
window, is a fine example of Turkish topsatry aboqt 18 inches in width,
and immediately above the center of this is a small but excellent water
color portraying the murdering of a Sultan's favorite by the Eunuch and
his helpers. (The Chief says she probably waved her handkerchief out
the window at acme Yankee sailor). Flanking the picture is a pair of
wrought brass candlesticks (from Turkey) representing two puff adders.
LAtove each of these is a small framed excerpt,in.mrabic,from the Koran.
-bone these, in the center of the aU is a beautiful prayer rug de-
nicting the mosque of Little
;:catterdd about the other walls

arnest aerb,r
-6-
are pictures of Mohammedans in native garb and a couple of fine tapestries.
Two small taborets of exquasite inlay workmanship stand near a large oil-
cloth covered table which serves as a writing desk and also accommodates
the typewriter and a few books and Catalogues.
In the corner between table and window stands an article which would
grace the home of a millionaire. It is a gray and white marble pedestal
holding an eagle with partly opened wings, on top of which rests a translucent
globe of pink and cream alabester, and the globe is divided in the center
to accommodate an electric light. The eagle itself is an outstanding
feature. Carved from a single piece of marble which must have taken years
to locate, the body, neck, head, and wings are of streaked gray and Saito,
while the legs and beak are of a pale yellow tint, and the claws are black.
It is tall enough to make an excellent reading lamp and was carved in a
shop across the Plasm from the Leaning Tower in Pisa, Italy.
In this strange room, seated at the Chief's typewriter and with the
beuutifUl statue -lamp at my elbow I began typing his story, which is given
in his own lords:
"I was born on January 12, 1883, at Lanemau, Canton of Bern, Switzerland,
the fifth child in a family of eight. I had four brothers and three sisters.
The eicture over the table with the tower in the center is of the ancestral
home where ae were all born. I have often asked my father how long it had
been in the family or hoe old it as but he was very reticent about such
things; the modern awise people are too democratic to be proud of old titles.
I do know that the coat of arms of both my father's and mothar's families are
carved in the gate poste at the front entrance through the high wall.

hrnest Gerber
"i,pparently the center tower, which is really at the back of the
building, is much older than the rest of the plaits. ;then I was a small
boy a party of archeologists and Government officials came and tried to
buy the place but Father wouldn't sell. They made a very thorough exami-
nation of the whole place and told Father that the tower part was built
the time of the Bonen 4ipire, and the other part in about the third
or fourth century. The tower goes about three stories into the ground
to solid granite rock and the rooms were probably dungeons for prisoners.
On the third floor above the ground is a room which Father kept looked,
but one day my oldest brother and I found the lock open and went in.
found a torture rack and wheel, a scourge like a oat'o nine -tails with lead
balls on the lashes, and several other implements we didn't know what to
call. Before we had much time to enjoy our find Father discovered us and
we got an unmerciful whipping.
'The little lake in the picture is artificial and has a plain fountain
in the center which throws water fifty feet in the air, the water coming from
a spring high up the mountain. The water running from the lake goes to a
trout breeding pool and from there to a fish pond where lather kept the
fish we served to guests.
Yee, we ran a Gasthaus,or tourist tavern it would be called here,
but our guests usually stayed the whole season.
4dhen I taink of how we used to feed the guests and our large family
almost entirely from the stuff e raised on the six acres of cultivated
ground, and then look out over this 80 acres with nothing on it but a few
dead cotton and corn stalks, I so etimes wonder what in hell was wrong
with my mind when I bought 116

Ernest Gerber
*Well, boys and girls bad to work than, when they weren't in sebool,
and each one of us had a certain job to do, and God help the one who didn't
do their bit. The* little place even furnished us fruit and vegetables the
year 'round and Father made a good deal of his own 41)141 and sold some to
other wine dealers. Father bad a wide reputation as a wine expert and
treveled to many places buying eines for rich folks and for some of the big
hotels.
"rather mug an awful crank about the etiquette of wine drinking and
serving. I remember one day he had a guest who elalaed to be a Judge of
einee and tether sent me down cellar to bring up a bottle of spesial v1141160
made many years before. Being naturally neat I wiped off the bottle before
bringing it to the table. For that I got one of the worst 'tannings' I efer
got. The guest got off easier than I did, but he deeply orfended lather by
drinking hie wine down in a couple of gulps. Father get up and lett the roam
and didn't some back until the guest had taken the hint and gone his way.
°Ildunation is strictly compulsory in Bwitserlaud, end there are two
schools, the primary, from 6 to 11 years., and the secondary, ehloh is a
4 -year teem lite your modern high school. we were taught three languages:
Easiest Gonna*, and Romansh, or Vulge* Latin. I think the last has been
omitted in late years. kiy fatherland mother were both educated in French
and taught us children at home. The Zible was a part of our daily study
and we had to read it from beginning to end. Like MOA kids I wea mostly
interested in the passages which bad obscene references, and when Dad °aught
me reading the Bible one day at home he took a look at what I wee reading
end promptly gave me a good licking.

Mraeet Gerber -o-
*tudoants of high school age were also taught sem relations and hygiene,
the girls being taught by a special matron at the school, and the boys were
usually taught by the village Priest.
*Tee, I was born end raised in the Catholle Church, but after I lett
hone I missed doing my Baster duties aad was autonatisally suspended. Guess
I might have got reinstated in their good graces but have never been interested
enough to go to the trouble. aesides, in my years of travel I have studied
many different soots and found that all of than have their good points and
are all heeded the SIMS way. though by sommhat different routes.
"My boyhood life was just about like the overage run of '.iwies boys,
Plenty of work, but plenty of *ports too. Father was a great hunter, and
a noted marksman. i',4everal times he came home trmn Bational shooting
tournaments with the Golden Clive reath of Victory on in Otos of tie hat,
so it's no wonder we boys were regular posts until we were given our first
guns.
"4hea I was about 12 years old Father gave my oldest brother a 22 caliber
rifle and also grave me an arbalist„ or cross -bow gun.. Ae decided to go out
in the woods and try than out, but before ee got out of sight of the house
brother began teasing me about never becoming a 'William Tell.' Be was
some distance ahead of me and I yelled back at him 'Us eouldet oven hit
me from *here you are standing now.' Damned if he didn't turn round and
fire at me, the bullet going into the fleshy part of my knee. Didn't shatter
the bone but I bled like a stuck pi& A passer-by sec what had happened mad
before we came out of our daze an officer had come for us and oe bkid to so
before the judge, even before I had the services of a doctor. Gours e it was
all in fun so wie just got a reprimand and were sent h0010.

=mast Gerber
'well, about a year attar that I got even sith bin, good and plenty.
Dad had given, as a fine doubla-barrelled shot gun some time before and
one day when I was rooming back from hunting birds I saw brother basking
out of the woodshed in a stooped possitioa and I let his have both barrels
in his rear end. Of course he wasn't hurt such but they sure had a time
picking all tams fine bird shot out of himm
No, I didn't go to college. Fatter didn't like the ilea of that.
Be wanted all of us boys to learn a trade, as most of the Swiss boys de.
Awn it Mae time for me to take up an apprenticeship I wanted to reel
good cook, but lather said I should be a tailor, because I was so small.
ure I was small and still an, but I was too damn strong and active to
sit cross-legged all day and stitch with a needle. I afterward decided
I wanted to be a photograohers Father objected to that too; said it
wasn't a man's job either. The consequence was that I didn't talcs up any
trade at all, but I never ova up photography as a hobby. Abe Won as I got
started in this country I got me a eamera and that big ghost you sea out in
the shed room is full of albums of enlarged photos I made during my travels.
If the* were arranged chronologically you could come mighty neer taving an
outline of the story I am telling you from now on.
"well, when I was le years old I decided to leave home and be a man by
myselfsao through some friends I got a job in the 6unlight Soap Factory in
Olten, in the nton of 4:olothurn. I stayed there three years and nothing
of any consequence hanpened, a:crept that 'hen I became 21 1 had to take
vaeation and 60 home for my ezamination for army service. They gave me just
about zero on the physisal ammo. I was so short I guess they were afraid

wawa Gerber
I night hide behind the other fellows to keep from getting shot. I bad
the laugh oa them all when we took the mental testa. when those wbo passed were
lined up for the ceremonial parade I was put at the hea4 and presented with
the badge of emeellence, an oak twig with two acorns in wrought, gold. Father
was so proud of as that he give as a pair of cuff links mad* fru* two 2-frana
gold pieces. Then I went back to Olten and finished my term. Omits back home
and stayed home about a year, During this time the two sons of some neighbors
were talking about coming to ierisa. They were older than me but we chummed
together and I got so interested in their plans I (Welded I wanted to come
with them.
"Of course we wallet just pick up and eon. over like folks do here.
;ie had to get released from military service sails, get through a lot of red
tape about property rights, passports and transportation, but we finally sailed
on the Z,t Louis.
"The first day out I become the butt of a good joke for the sailors.
I had gone to a mhn who professed to be an nglish tem:Misr, soon after I
decided to come over, and he had taught me what he said would be moo& to
get by with until I bad a eating* to study. weLl, when I tried to talk to
the Yankee sailors they laughed like bell at as. I finally made thee under..
stand that I had taken English lessons, but one who seemed more informed
than the rest told me I hadn't been taught English but °Goekney.,
"we landed at Ellis Island Logue% 5, 1906, and before we had cleared
customs and vorantine one of your Yankee super -salesmen had sold ay
friends 40 awes of land in southern k1ssouri. It was railroad land being
sold by the Prise° Lines.
didn't even atop in New York, but boarded a train and wont right

Ernest Gerber
4-120.
through to the nearest stOp:on the railroad. we fouad the place and there
wasn't r/1101 a shed on it so we went to the nearest house and the folks
took us in and took eare of us until we could get a log shack put up. The
old man who owned the place, we afterward lamed, was an old Yankee Indian
scout who had homesteaded the place he was on several years before.
"The next day after our arrival the old maa went with us to our plait*
and helped us put up a rough log albino Having lived in rock houses at
home we young fellows had never seen a log house built's° the old man was
a great help to us. A9 had a great deal of trouble at first bemuse he
didn't understand our language and we didn't know his, but I overtone that
difficulty to some extent by using a Germen.Inglish translating dietionary
I had brought alone. when I wanted to say anything to him I'd null out my
book, show him the German word and he would read the English word and get
the idea of what I wanted to talk about. After we got the **bin built
kept on going over to his place every night for two months, and by that time
I had learned enough English se I could get along with most anybody.
"NO, the place didn't have any oleared land but there were a few barren
spots so we dug up some of them and planted a little late garden stuff.
4e started clearing out timber too and it wasn't long before we had a nice
lot of new land reedy for the plow. Of course it was new ground and full
of stumps but the soil was good and we knew it would produce good crops.
NI friends had farmed in Switzerland with oxen and had brought their harness
with them so they bought a pair of young exea and that is the way they
started farming in America. Their harness for the oxen was a lot different
than what was used here; it was made partly of leather and part *hail', eash

Ernest Oarber
=having a separate harness the sane as your teem harnesses hers. The
*oilers were different though; thwy were put on up.eleomooto to the regular
mule seller.
"0411, I stayed there and worked 4th my friends until 1914, but is
the meantime something had been troubling as. we had got **painted with
a ;Yates fanny some distinct' away and the oldest boy and myself used to go
there often to play cards and drink wine with the folks, bemuse we all
talked the same language. The oldest daughter was, to as, a beautiful
and I sure fell in love with her and I thought the loved me toe, because
she used to walk out with me and we would hug and kiss like all lovers do.
But I glowed her pkysisally, and here is whore our early serval trebles
same into play. Instead of getting exalted and angry Weans* she wouldn't
satisfy as we talked it over in a matteraorafast way, he said she felt
the same as I did, but that she was ia love with my oldest friend and was
saving herself for him, even before he had asked her to marry him. he tell
me of two sisters who lived a few miles off WhO she said would take sere of
as and that she would speak to %Sem about it for me. I still eann't satisfied,
and got to worrying about things so such that I begin to gat poorly and not
able to do mash around the fora.
old priest from the nearby tows used to some out to baWo Meyer with
the settlers and he bakad me one day what the matter was, so I told hian the
whole stow. He advised me to find *ark smeeshere else and forget about the
girl, for she was soon to marry my friend. Not so long after that the priest
drove up one day with the Postmaster from the town and he offered me a Job
In the Postoffiee, and said I Gould live with his family. I went to tow*
and took a short exwAnotion and went to week.

Ernest Gerber
slaiw
*Got along tine for a long tine. but I was still going bask to the
plass and by this time the girl sad mg fries& bad gone sway and got married,
asd I missal her more than ever. I got amorous and began to tall dowa as
my Job so bad tbst the boss told as one day he *ought I'd better go off
somewhors and work at semetblag sloe for while sad then eeme beak. Ile
even found sea Job and ems day *Jobs, Maribor north to a largo dairy fare
owned and managed by a woman, the wife of S millionaire who owned a large
mill in Dos Moines, Um.
*mane *hat sea eon. fare& Own, say on it was a taus hibbon see and
they ewe taken ear* of like humans. The boss lady put me In sham, of the
eleetrie plans and water supply and I had a figs roes la the large briek
building which ooetelaed the feed mills and elestris pleat, besides other
farm machinery. The other men there made fun of as and sells* as bborty,
but my short lege sent a great advantage la some ways for I sould sloop
over and shoulder a 1100.0pound seek easier then the big fellows voulds
*That winter the boss lady took ms bask to Des trainee with her and
wanted her husband to give as a job, but he said she run her business and
didn't want her to disk her nose into his; but he proosodod be shin as a
good time, taking as to shows end buying se ell the sins I *sold ask for.
se was quite a drinker and his wife was always wanting to know waive so
hod been the night before, so I would try to resaibor the name of seas show
we bad seen so I esuld tell bar we had been them well, oas nidat the boss
took ne to the Unique Theatre and the sent merniag when she soiled as where
we bad been I told her, but my speoeb was still %lased with GerNei gutturals
and it sounded like Mum*. She Unshod so board I stagy bad to Mk Wm

Meet Gerber
•15s.
what the mattor was end she told as to oak her husband but smash moan*.
When he explained the moaning of tit* cord I was so ashamed that I soul's.%
no la to sappy:.
"In the spring of 1911I I deelded to Join the army as most every
other husky man was doing, but when I wont to enlist they tumult as dolga ma
socount of my stature. I then told the boss lady I wool* lilt. to got in
the Red Gross and she said she would help as. ihbout that time I learned
that my old neighbor boy, the younger one, was going to California to
enlist so I hurried home and went with Ma,
*On the train ping sest liners es* a bunch of sailors going book to
thoir ships and they told us we would be a lot bolter off is tho navy than
in the anmy, Guess maybe none of them had ewer been is the army anyway.
"whom we got to ban Fransiseo we wost to the rooruitiag offloo and.
my friend was iseeepted and sent to ha:rooks right any, but they turned
as down, as usual, so there I was, all alone in a strange plop% dtill
hod maw:, ithhuth to take seas of a. for a wkdle so I thought I'd take in
the sight.. bile I was walking down one of the main streets I same to a
Navy reeruiting °Moe and naturally stopped to look at the pictures dis•
played outsido. A petty attic.* dams out and started to talk to mahout
joining the um but I told his how the *soy *Moors had turned as down,
so I didn't think the Navy would take as either, lie asked as to go inside
and talk to the warreat °Moor in ehorge. The officer asked as a lot mere
questions and I told his I wanted to get in either the Rod Gross or Radio
sorties, and he said it would take me too long to got anywhere in radio on
seeount of my speooh. Ro thought ror a long time thou finally asked me how

xnest -ber
oltio
I'd like to go in the Hospital 1%orpe. I told oils that would be tins,
just so long es I pot to go somewhere.
I guess they must h e been short of personnel on account of
War coo-ditions, for A41 mustered As into the service with a *elver of all
alimbilities, hod outfitted in most no time, and sent me out to the
Goet Island Hospital sohool.
"I woe the only foreigner in the school, and being rookie, I pure
hi to put up it: a lot fron the other students, but I toughed it out,
Fold in oeetember 1917 they sent ale to the hospital at Pearl harbor, oasall,
for further instruction. I loos ,esignod to repair room and eard duties,
but due to my interest in the work I sue given every opportunity to
ionrove my knowledge and fit myself for a higher rtting in the medical
deoortmene. There woe a large oersonnel at toe hospital et to, t time so
our tours of outy ware short, ',Idol, gave e (mance to satisfy toy
nropensity for exploration as #ell ,Ta to seculo many of the pictures noe
in y oolleetion.
a small sample of the queer Clings that happen in foreign lanis
t will tell yo,.. *bout the little striae I found one day while on a scouting
trip wittl my ostlers. 1 woe several :Ales from heodquefters, deep in the
cocoa, when I moo on a peculiar loLng clmoo of unlerbrush. On parting
tne bushes I woo otertled to discover a small shrine, in the form of
temple, but roughly made of cannon stone. It eus completely swiounded by
the bushes, situ no path leading to it, and it appeared to have been built
onireds of yeore before. .4hen I returnod to the Harbor I Luntod up a an

nest Corbel
who I knew to be °annealed with the dritlah archaselegleal .4pelety and
told him about it. ...)n my next liberty day the two of us went out to loOk
it over. Imagine my surprise on finding that during the week the whole
thing had been completely muoved, not even a piece of stone lett on the
pima. Things like that make a man's beak hair rise, at least mins did.
4hile scouting up the coast one day I found an old native who bad
a beautifully -built sailboat. Dor't know where he got it but I sure
wanted it and kept going back to see him until he finally sold it to ne
for ,i10.00. The eommandant at the ilospital sent a launsh after it for me
and had a sailmsker cosigned to the job of making a la:ge sail for it.
The tiller of the bout fta3 made from a solid oleo's of rare Hawaiian mahogany,
wo Ivluable ih..at a boat builaer near there built a fine osbin, installed a
good steering wheel and ropes, and oovered the bottom of the boat with
cooper sheeting, in exohangm for the old tiller.
":)uring the remainder Ai my stay at i'earl liantor this boat was of
groat help to me in my aoouting trips, as well
for other °Moors and men at the hospital.
'One of those trips will rsaain in my memory unt.L I die. a man
who was preparing material for a book embracing a story aonoeraing the
eruption of a voloano hod ooue to the island for inspiration, and he asked
me if would he wiilin to take a party to AVUOI 1.06. I had been plaLning
a trip there imyself so we got a party together and sailed over. (Ine of
the men was a *Amore man for fox hiss and as hiAl his movie camera aloas,
ma I didn't teke mins, and missed getting a rksal picture. e sere ascending
the slope and got to about 200 yards from the top when suddenly it seemed
as for any pleasure trips

i„rnest 4erber
de if the earth itself was bolt to go to oleos'. fter a short &Carp
rumble a mess of smoke and fire shot up into the air tatn4reds of feet
and a stream of levb rushed tnr)ugh an opening in the orator walls. L;ame
of the men sUrted to run but the camera wan had eat up his machine and
*Of
too greet and ee angled away from the
the shore. oe mere simply lusky that
we were out of its path. scientist
the etream of lave flowed ht the ruts
rTinding away so most of us stood our ground until the heat beeame
lava stream and Married on down to
the lava had broken throng" where
eho lived not far from the, said
of 30 miles per hour don the
mountbinside. This was the eruption of gulch furnished heedlines for
the howspopere, and stories for sows or the mbgnaines.
*-nother little incident in connectiou iiith volcanoes aight interest
some or your students of folklore. Jou know tw,t most of the natives, and
not h few white nen, believe that the spirits live in, dnd control the
eotions of the volcbnoes. There WVAS a doctor living not far from the hospital
who *es a greet etekient of -bealifin folklore, and was always exhorting to um
in justification of t3e belief in the spirtt folks in the voleanoes. riguring
Viet we might queen nis enthusiesa by a visit to one of the inactive ones
ne got up a cv,rty and invited .1m to o *ith us on the trip. Be agreed to
go rrovided we vould
to ti o orater, ionic%
priest picked a twig
one. .rrived on the
Wit.* alon a native prieet *nom he knew. the *411
who aeoessible by euto, he lic4a Ufs atop *bile the
of b. small bush, and sol4e °right red barrio* off another
floor of the orwW, we got out and walked to one of
the smell openingh where otebn ohme out and wetted to see what was going to
heepen. After numblin_- ea -11 kind of prayer, the priest threw the twig end
berries i to the opaniw dnd we all etenped beak bud qaited for souetning

Yiraffigt Gerber
49m.
to balms*. Guess ee stood thors about film minutes, than a little rumbling
poles etarted and atom began to oomo out faster. ee began to run, and
suddenly there was loud exploslea and a small stream of tire and smoke
wont up is the sir about hundred feet, but it stopped in about a minute
and nothing more happened. r0 so it was just a natural phonemes's, or
whops affected by the foreign mature, throws into the bole, but I hot
toot dester is still telling the world how the old priest asakaaed the spirit
of tn. voloane.
"Mot long after this a man at the settlemsat booboo montally damaged
and it was doolded toss** bin book to the Liaise. 44 he seemed Sc take
liking to as and would do MOS$ anything I asked him to, I was given the
opportunity of making one of the party to take him home. ce same over on
the boll* gerpligsl by way of 6ashington and Orem*, them down the °oast
to lima Tranalseoi itiftwr pitting the sick man taken ears of I was Woo*
long liberty, which gave as a fine opportunity to visit all the old monasteries
in Shot section, and to take pictures of may interesting Oleos and things,
"shila reprise the sights in 44n Freesias, I ran across a real bargain
In a portable URay machine, and as there wasn't one In use in any of the
places I bad been so far I bought It for my own use, and this ass the MAGES
of getting started on my ratting as ea A- Ray teamielasA I sure get a lot
of Aft out of that little outfit. Regulations didn't permit as to uoe it
on medial oases at that time so the Medial officer said he would help as
out by Inviting eivillen friends of la to got their pictures tabs. molls
a lot of them volunteered, among them soma darn good loOklag girls, amd
didn't I get same good pictures of thsmi I got the knot* of the thing right
may, and those pictures didn't leave amok to the imagination, tolliag rota

Nrn'et ote)er
"oll, the 4.;lith 4rolles finally got to i.,en Liege. I ee on her
about three Nonths and was transferred to the hospital ship Sera. That
wee late in 1919. ::bon after being transferred, thejoirty stwrted on OAS
of tnoso good will tours, down the *oast of outh Amorieet Galling at almost
evor Port. The day we or sod tin.e dAtostor we Lad the usual "Neptune'
party, ani I beiog e rookie sure naught hell.
wee more then male up for by the big time we had on our visit to
:antisgs, party of us were invited by the Bishop to visit the monastery
and vimriords. They showed us the old and very valuable °Lurch jewels, and
evled end dihed us in royal ntyle. Gueou ths wine wee too rioh for our
blod, for thwe or us got Aore than we Gould handle and they had to pot us
to had, but we we not dleolplinod for being over..leave.
"It eae .lareh 1920 when we got back to an Diego hLrbor end life ones
Ixpre beeeme routine. In June I got a telegram front home saying that l',Othsr
igen etc*, so I Eot 30 days leave and travelling time and went home, but
other wee dead before I got there. I stayed;ly leave in :Aritkerlead, and
w4ile in hornI net a bunch of newleans and we oslobrated the Fourth of
,711y in a rathskeller, end we sure did celebrate.
";..hortly aftc. th t I w3o or, ered to the U5.e.lttsbung. flagship of
the fleet, and r000rted at 4nioe, but the Einkkusi,.$d whiled for Gems,
Italy. on
arrivod there she rmwd gone to Alen, then to Jherbourg,
then to Le Havre, woere I finally caught up with her. The ship was taking
part in the ritie eetival. Yrom there we went to the Isle of laighs,
but were soon orlered back to le l',avres *hero the Pittsburlt was relieved
b.;, the Utah, oviiaL took us back to the Isle of Aight to take part in the
legotta,

:4-aost f.:6,r6br
"hi next went to Oravesend, end were given shore Item to he a
trip to culion. I was disaproluted in that trip. To ell London is very
ualsteresting, the only points worth seeing being the Tower end vestuinster
Abbey.
"cn ay return to Chtrbrzrg I *es transferred to the destroyer AilMS•
Lich bed been ordered to proceed, by easy stages, to Donets, aerosol,.
oe eallod first et Helsingtora, Ntolgind, the eleseest eity I ever sera
Y44 couldn't find a oleo* of paper or evens nateh slit* on the streets.
then went to Tallinn, 4stonis, sad then to ,Aookholin, beeden, where we
took part is the King's anniversary. Next we stopped at Riga, Latvia,
and fros there to 3openbagee, Deemark, where I had a oboe°, to make trip
to Prime rrederick's Castle, made famous by 5bakeepearets Beal e% os
then wont direst to Dennis. Gernasy, the Child, being the first Amorists
ship to tout& at a German pert after the war.
*I want to tell you hince that dories our tarty day. stay es were
treated better by the German people than either the Frew* or 1:aglich had
OVOr treated 118. In spite of the fao% that my kvise•Gernan accent shooed
where I hailed frGa, the German boys givem me every opportunity so see
emwrything I wanted to, and the girls weren't Oar behind the boys either/
The people were so short of money that you eould buy about anything you
wanted at row, min prim,. In one of the shape I fourd a new ascent obi*
I knew sold in the U. 6. for CSSO., and I hcmght it for WA., also a
laboratory microscope for 4150., *bleb ass worth 4300 hers.
swell, we were finelly.ordered kook to Constantinople, or Istanbul,
as they sell it now, but we were to make a sort of psi -will tees oR the

'inset lerber
way, oe sent oat through the 4101 Jana' and shortly after entering the
Owlish aannel a big storm broke and that is where I caught hell for
the first tims in my experience.
1;estroyers don't have any t4edioal uffloer,
so it Obe up to me to look utter all the cususlties, and their* were plenty
of them. e pioked up an 0.e, from a vessel behind us in the ehannel,
and in spite of the terrible thrashing the ship was getting the oaptain
ordered her about to the resew. Life preservers were put on and the life
rafts omt ready and when we sent about I was sure I'd never see the U.
again.en ere thrown around like straws and dashed agsinst the rails and
deok fittings, and there was plenty of broken arms and legs, to say nothing
of b few heads. 1 t of men new to the water were eeasiok too, 'ninth aaded
to the general misery. To cap the oilman, the boat we went to rescue had
got free soon after sae milled and wee u lot better off man we was. The
storm lasted three days, but we finally got to Le 4vr•, where *e laid up
anile the men reoupeieted.
";roeeeding to ...:herbourg, we started uut on another tour, touching at
Aeroelona, ison, Gibraltar, ',"ablanoa, ;..,orlatio; the 'Jewry Islands:
,alega, lain; Island of idajoros, across the ...diterranean to ablgiers, to
Tunis, Tunisia; then bane, across the usditerreneen to „Jarseilles, :runes.
cburse e stored lone tanugh in each of those places to take in the
sights and get photogrerbs. uur next trip was to Livorno, Italy, the port
of cell for ;loran°e and ilea, both of wflioh places we visited, end it au*
at 1 -lea that I bought the statue with the eagle. This trip was made worth
while by the Terming Toner, the Jetnedral, its tistry with acoustic's
seldom found else44here in such perfection, and the burial place of the
-•;ruiaders, eitu its delicate 4othio arches end fresco of Dente's Inferno.

'zxnest Limber
The ship next put in at ha/31x', It4J1y, and from there we mud* menp
interesting trips, the first of these being to Pompeii and Herculaneum, to
Vesuvius, eta with the baths of No, Capri end its famous blue grotto,
and the ruins of the palace of Tiberius,
you know you oan't see earthing when there is a (woad so to
make the most interesting trip in that territory I got up a party of just
four, among them the pop from Georgia who reelly was the as use of as being
here now, but I will tell you about that later. iunyhoe, we jokingly Galled
Lim 'the rebel.' Tne four of us went to home and bad three full days of
sight -loosing. ,(e spent a whole forenoon in the ‘;olleeum itself, the Via
nnie took another that day, the oataoombs of t. .;ebestien alone took three
hours. In the Jauroh of t..webhetian they showed us a flagstone with the
imprint of Peter's foot cs he left ome during the reign of Nero, when
things beget, to get too hot for him. There on that spot jhriet appeared
to him heading toward home well, its the story of '0140 Vbdie, D4minict
fwie, Peter left the imprint of his foot there on the flagstohe.
Alt-- a fee yards further an therc is a oburph built over a portion of the
ancient Vie ;.hici and, lo hnd behold, there is another imprint of -t.Peter's
foot, and that is 'the only true one.' 'oh is the right one has never
been dooided, and so the fight still goes on. ,e also sue the Forum, ';:emnle
of Vesta, the Arohes of Conethntine and Titus, and, to close the lest dew,
perlission to see Nis '21olinhas, the LOpe, carried in stets to the ,iotine
Cuhpel, *After waiting and wasilad time standing in the loggte, first on
one foot snd tilen the other.
In order to uotufialy Ave an audience with the Pope the four of us
agpin went to 7,omp, this time in the ship's liberty party. I had a hell
of 0 time t- the 'rebel' to go long this time is he seemed to nave

'arnest Gerber
an unholy unholy terror and fear in seeing the rope. Finally, after a long wait,
we were allotted to enter the audience hall and after a few more minutes
His Holiness entered. His kindly face beamed os he *hook hands with the
thirty•five sailors (I guess he is as good a hand-ahaker as our president);
he had a friendly word for everyone and a bleesiug and souvenir rosary
for CAtholic and Protestant alike the old fogey), and won the heart of
even our 'rebel' who, on the outside, said 'hell, he is just a man like
the rest of us, except for the uniform.' I guess he expected to see a
nair of horns and a forked tail, instead of that he sew a saintly old man
with a face shining with kindness.
,t the close of the audience a little incident occurred etieh give me
a grent thrill. His Holiness had gone down the line we were kneeling
and extended his hand with the symbolic: ring, those of the faith kissing
the rine and the others bowing their beaus to receive the blessing. I WI
the lest man in the line, and he he passed he noticed the lospital Corp Cross
on my sleeve. Hu stopped and asked w:st it represented. Alen I told Lift
the hr pa of swvice I was in he said, 04y eon, we may not be of the OILMO
faith but we are both in the servioe of God.' ,e were all glad we came and
it woe well worth the three burs or more waiting. This trip we visited
W4efly the famous churches, from 31.. keter's t a beautiful little church
converted from a paean temple whieh is remarkably well preserved, one of
the most beautiful I think I have ever seen.
"aeturhine to Isples, the ship wade a trip to the ports of the illack
-.Bp finally reaching .:onetantiaopla where I was transferred to the
U. Flabassy out officially attached to the Uob boorpion, which Vas the
old „orentheu yaoht.
The Turks wouldn't allow any foreign war vessels in
their harbors, but they permitted the U. 3. to keep the 3corpion there as

iznest oarber
she had no armament, but just the earns she didn't lay around the harbor
mudt, but often made tripe on the theory that the Turks wouldn't get
tired looking at her lying under their noses all the time. Uniforms were
banned for the same reason, and we were given striot ones to be on our
dignity 83 88 not t,.1 offend any of the Turkish offioials. Imegine telling
a sailor to be dignified: well, I4as a petty officer and it wasn't so
hard for me to do that, exempt when I got out with the '8otet and thee
raised hell with the rest of then. In the two years I spent there on that
trip I (tid not hvve us muoe time to see things as on my later visit but I
did explore the olt;, as much 68 i could, and also studied their language
end oustoms a lot, too.
",e11, in 1932 I was again treodeferred to the WIllds /1114 sent to
iorfolk, Virginia, end we smut from there up to .3ar harbor, i4tine, to the
.Jtation. he station was at z.,ela 4all, about 2 miles out. I sure
did enjoy that tot= of duty. I only had a fee men to look after and plenty
of time to hunt, both with the rifle and ore. -njoyed it especially in
the ii ter i;:Aln the sow, W68 deep and I could use snow shoes and skis. One
night while there I gee a pheLamonon 1,11 never forget. 41en I went to bed
the Aurora was brighter than ordinhry and during the night a heavy wind and
snow storm oale up. I was awakened Iv one of the men ohlling to me and got
dp tind went to the oontrol roma. It seemed to be full of an unearthly
greenish -blue flome,and a long lrop cord in the center of the ceiling was
acting as if the spooks were at work on it. It would swing over tooard
control panel on one side of the room and then in a few seconds it would
suddenly swing over toward the f:enerstor on the other side, and repeat the
performance at regular intervals, ,e all got softred and got a long ways
off until the light faded. -oientifio men mode a report later tht it as

...rnost r3srbar
soused by the thick snow falling through a highly obarged strata and
oarrying the static to tiler big antenna running into the building.
*Atli, somebody else must have been itching for a good plows to
stay, because early in mat Iwas milled book to Norfolk and shipped on
the 'Iondejuja, vie Afriea, to join the zAvorpipn at lAgusa, Jug04-61avia.
tbstos some old town. They have the old medieval customs and make
a regular ritual of opining and olosing the city gates os they have done
for hundreds of years.
The ;oorpion proceeded through '-*ttaro aay with its old and beautiful
scenery, stopped at the Island of Kroft, then on through the Gorinth alma
to 'Piraeus, Oreeos. Nas1 Lucky again and haa a nice trip to .ii.thens where
I saw all the old and peoutiful things, including the Parthenon. The
_oorrion then took me bac_ to Gonstantindpls, leere likes again atteohog
to the embassy, but still officially with the
OOrpiOn.
'Ao, I didn't fina my old sweothoort in that port but there was plenty
of others. 'iow, Om not going to spill a lot of hooey about the morale of
sailors or maks excusse,but what the folks eall the immorality of the
foreigners is a damn eight better than the sales thing in some of the
so-called civilized countries. Now, you take a man assigned to shore duty
fur LI long stretch; he would have to spend most of his spare time, on the
s4p, if he didn't. live on shore, and would have to be in St certain hours
al.d nut up with a lot of other rogulations. 4,011, he WU rent a good room
and ritohenetto for five dollars a oath, get him a good looking girl, and
live like a king. Yes, they do everything a wife would do and a lot more
than most of them. 1,nd let me tell you, they are a darn sight more capable
and 00ononioal in running a uouse than the girls here. Theyaove it bred

hrnest Gerber 447*
into tnem in those eountries They mood and press your clothes, buy
tbe grooeries, do the cooking, and %toy sure ean cook, and keep tke game
spotlessly clean. ..ccd while you have her the is your W001011 and nobody
else een too& her. Yee, cs soon as you're gone she will be looking for
another mans but they have got to live just like everyone else.
%Alum e6l.;*ttaturk began to reform the country I suppose there nave
bum:: :Neatly ehaages, and thin6s woad be a lot different than when IMO there,
but no camera retaine4 for ma the thing, as I saw them, and bring book to
ny wind the incidents that happened at that time. some things I didn't
nhotogranh pop Into min4 once in n *bile and I was just tAnhing of the time
T sew the :ire department go into notion. They didn't nnve any waterworks
then, Jut u .ell here and taerep and there eenned to be two ore's of
fireuen, one with red equipment and tie other with green. a Men wore
itilmets like ths old ioman 3oldiers and a little short %unto, the rest of
the body being bare. Moir :map wee a sort of bcrrel-enaped trLng which
vs serried an the shoulders of six men, some war.= men being in front and
04,Liad tr.om to relieve if the trip was very Par, and a number of men
carried buckets. There wasn't an/ sight' system, but a *stamen in a
tower in some part or the city would cry out when he saw lonNt looked liks
a fire and maybe the word would get around to the firemen after a while.
,Len they heart about a fire they would start running toward the spot and
the first ore, there might get the job of putting out the fire. If both
crews got there about the same time, they would begin bidding an the job
of putting out the fire. That's what halpened on day when I was lucky
enough to be nearby, and damned if the building didn't burn down before
the owner decided thigh crew he would tire.

arneet Gerber
..a8e
-ell, mageeines have carried pictures ttrIA fine descriptions of the
beautiful mosque* and palaces In Turkey and nothing I could say would
Asko them are beautiful or interesting. I do say, though, toat the so
eall4 ;hristienised people who are &limeys Ulking about the Turks or
Llohameadans being so terribl,- intolerant, don't know what they are talking
about. They always cite the fact that the beautiful =miss in the .4osque
of ,t4, ..1.ofla have been covered with ochre. eli, did you ever see a
picture of the Virgin :4ary in a :Vesbyterian or other protestant ahurth?
I have been in t. .oti* many times and the thodght owls to tea the first
tine that if these people were so intolerant, why didn't they destroy the
taosalos? h Yankee boy with a handful of stones could spoil one in few
801041 throws, ,i,ed in many cases the only part of the picture covered is
the face, ana some of these are not even painted over but oovered with a
gold star. Al the same eque, on either side of the opening in the
ualleway where the faithfUl outer tee inner temple there is a beautiful
statue which could heve been destroyed with a blow of a hammer; instead
they are enclosed in cabinets which are closed up during religious ocre•
anl can be opened to the view of the public at other times.
"I heti a little adventure in coeneotion with thia mosque whieh eight
be worth telling about. It w a built by The -mperor Justinian I as a
:Atholio shrine Ad is considered the third most holy mosque in Turkey.
!or that reason it wee, at that time at least, closely guerded, and no
one wee allowed to carry anything inside which might desecrate it. I
had tried for nearly a pear to get permission to photograph some of the
interior but Iles uloays refused permission. ell, one day I got aloe
quainted with a shepherd who tended his flock not far tram there sad

-rnest r7erber
end after after I had visited him many ttaes I told him 'hat 1 wanted. Hs
finally told me of a way to get in through a ntrrow opening betwesn the
bastions in the rear *hied' wee oovered with busLes. I sneaked through
the opening and not seeing the guard Inside I set up my tripod end eamors
snd got two good pictures. Just as I was hurriedly taking down the outfit
the gusrd entered anu sow me. lie raised his long barreled rifle and was
about to drill isla talon the shephsr'rushed in with his hands up, shouting
the :,,rabio word for "immunity.* This was my one and I dug out ay embassy
ansignment Gard and handed it to him. A° oourse he didn't know what it
said but tx re were immune from about everything else he thought I badh't
got s pioture yet he finally got friendly and was very eourteous from then
on.
"ne day I heard that soJe pr Anent men had died end his funeral wes
to be held at the .,eque of w.iodb, on the Liolden horn. A.king out there
Joined the crowid lihinf the street and waited for the osre4onial
proaession, I noticed a youag o4411 in Ouropesn clothes standing next to
me and spoke to Lim it .-.rsbie. Le answered me in better Onglish than I
ever stoke ani 4, Innediutisly beem.ce friends. 1:e was highly edueated
in il,aglish and other languages, lite a gredliate of one of our own famous
universities, end was the peroonsl secretary of the heik 11 Islam, the
e-Aritual heed of the ::11irch in that tart of the empire. hie did me many
rayon; during the rest of ;:ly &toy and helped me to learn more of the
ant their oustoxe.
*Not long otter we et ,the month of I:maiden begin. During this period,
which begins whtda the first sickle of the new so= appears after the
Vernal Nodiaon, the faithful fast *very day from sunrise to sundown, not

iumest Gerber
even a drop of water reaching, their lips. slut you'd ought to see them eat
and drink between sunset and sunrise: They sure do make up for lost time.
uring this month there is one night set apart from the rest and
Oalled the right of Poeta. Cu this night the spirits are supposed to
descend on each worshipper and give him the veer to oeetrol his body sad
Llinl in fact make them sort of *apemen. That is, if they are able to
!!'et themselves wrought up to the proper pitch for the reception of the
lower. I bad long wanted t witness one of these otherings but it seemed
I w6S doomed ta disappointment, until I met my new friend and asked him
if 110 could help me out, ,,e11, through his influence with the fakeik I was
permitted to attend, clothed in the proper robes and instructed how to act.
I aunt say that I was not greatly iNpTeesed with the shoe. It tima not
nearly as wild as I had heed led to oelieve, in fact, I've SSOU a lot
aresic demonstretions of fenutieal emotionalism right here at be at
7Oly to1La meetings. Ver fewiZ the worseipers went into oontortiona
and for the moat part it was mOre of a MOS action, the robed figures
swaying fran el e to side und forward and beak in unison, me with the rest
of them, ftybea its all hooey, but I know fran close contact with them that
tAvy sure do know how to ooatrol their tempers, especially when some fool
white ran does something trat would mean fight right no5. in at other eountri.
"I sure enjoyed life there and sometimes %dative I Oshlh haws etayee
there permanently, but all things muet keep moving, so may in 1V26 I was
ordered to the kkAi Pitt/04rib et Yillefranehe, France. And here began the
long trip which finally landed me beak in the tetee, an the last lap of
fly journey to joorgle, 1 -pave u lose lesi to go yet so will be brief in
describing the many things I uew on the gay. Tue l'ittsbur4 first went to

ornast 4erber
«41-
4hples, 'nacre Ibad been before, and then to valor's*, zAcily. "from hero
a
i made/trip to :,ioute anto onastery Iiith the sorld..famoue oloietere, A
few hours ride took NO to Severul anolent areek teapl,to and amphitheatres,
many of whioh are in an emellent state of preservation.
"delta. ;c2,t rAloh of interest there except tho vela* Leaddreeees of
tho women, which they sear in shamefal ?membranes of lapoleon's vis11.
The oloim in trait there sae not a virgin left in delta aftor he and his
hordes gct through. 4heaeful work, maybe, but very good taste, for the
women generally are beautiful, and our sailors said, with Sesser, 'Vaal,
7141, ViOls they did not find teem hard to oonquari
.1axandria, Sgypt. Not muel of interest except the Botanical Gardens,
but at Cairo there was the University, Oitadel, T3etb5 If the Avnelukas,
9112OUTS, and, if you have tte courage, the 4irax quarters with the des of
iniqnity and hashish.
"3izeh and the Pyramids and 4phyno4 oukara and the Seoropolis of the
Pharoahs Uousehold ffiaers dad also the ',Asered %Ile. The 7yraaid of
.skurel 14 one of the oldest ia exidtenes. Nearby are the vane of aphis,
the A.abaotai: :,phynx, the ollosi of isamees II, one alabaster and the
otUar sandatone. -,Arnat it its gigantic temple with oollosi of the
Pharaohs, ror, and the Valley of the Tombs.
"?alestile, landing ot >ort of it at the foot of iount armel, we
4ant to Nazareth and Tiberius, on the shore of Lake .ienezereitibalilse)
we 'oda a visit to the tiewly toed ooiony of Joao. TIkeir work bids fair
to make of their old homeland a land where wilk and honey flew'.
"Through oamaria to i4ablus, where the High Priest Jacob, of the sect
of the vanishing ',Aorritans, &holed us the snelont Thorah, one of the eldest
manuscripts in the world. after visit to Jaeoble well we went on to

meat cerber
w3Sw
Xeritialos. ky hest, a meek of the Trappist ardor, informed us that 4 visit
to the Selling ;',4141I of the Wews would be worth Philo') es this 'se ens of %ha
feast flays. The well ewe orewied with a motley of Zees of all satienellties,
mourning slid veilW over the loss of the Temple of Dolmen's glory. Thee a
visit to the temple area proper with the Dome of the Rook, erreaseusiy waled
the %moque of attar. *hi& is built over the rook oiled kerlah4 This delleste
atd most beautiful buildiag, with its arabesque deeerstioss, end its Ames
rising 90 feet above the sacred rock, is considered ass of the nest beautiful
in the world, and Justly se. There is a over* underneath the reek where
oae emu note the 404ault for the bleed of the secrifisial asimele for the
burnt offering of the ;swish ritual. Continuing we turn south sad after
destendiag a flight of stops we spersash the MesqUe 01 Atma whieh is
Justinients time was the Church of :A. Mary. on entering this mosque ee
note the armoire= shape of the building. Underneath it we note the Double
Otte of Herod' time emi it is pointed out to visitors that Christ often
pawed through this gate. north or here is the Golden Oat., shish seems to
be the only part of the city which wee not destroyed by Titus, end through this
tote Christ vede his triumphal entry ea his jeakess. The site itself la
palled up beesuse it ems bolleved by Ins :avelses %het some day a Chriattaa
OssAsirer woul4 *min enter Jerusalem through this s4top PhoOey, they day
the same thing of the Goldee lute in Constantinople, which also is walled up.
recood day began with a visit to the dwelling of Pontius Pilate
with the "Zee* Herm" Arch, then following the Vie Dolores* to the Cher*
of the Eoly 3epelehre. This may ell be very interesting to some, but to
me the treez of Dwrid with its sheleni shops end overhanging beleseles,
where people rtill lire end dress as they did is the time if Christ. was

Arne** Gerber .33ft
very mush more interesting, for there one ham to believe what they tell
you with reservations, as the different ehurehes differ in pointing out
the holy places, except the actual sepulchre, while here life is real and
unpainted.
"Next, to the Garden of Gethsemane with Its ancient olive trees, said
to have Moen the passion of Christ (eve* Monks will tell little white lies).
The crowning glory, however, is the little dome built over the spot ea the
summit of the )unt of Olives true whisk Christ rose into heaven, for hare
they will show you with reverenee (for a few piastres) a footprint of the
siviour Himself, which he made when he give himself an extra little push
to aid the cloud to take his up. The footprint is acme !Mama lashes long
and els lushes wide, Imm, footprint for a perfect formed man like He was
reputed to be. On the trip to Zerieho they pointed out the Inn of the
Good lAmaritan, and near the Dead a monolith of rock salt which is the
remainder of Lot's wife as she looked back on burning Sodom and Gomorra,
and across the river :orden the place where ahrist was baptised by John.
Here the gullible tourist must buy some eater from the very spot Where
Christ stood during his baptism.
"Next to Bethbehea, and on the say there, hashers Tomb. The Church
of the Nativity, very interesting indeed basalts' the Latin Church, the
Greek Ohara, the Goptie Church, ete., will show you the very spot where
Christ ens born (all different) and the Letts Church will go the others
one better by showing you gold star (looks like brass) let into one of
the flagstones in the floor, the spot where the light from the star Shot
guided the three wise men to the monger stopped. Just outside the Temple
sae a shop where they made beautiful mother-of.pearl articles for solo to
tourists.

&meet Gerber
Prom dothlohen we went book to Zeruealem and mad' a sits trip to an
.rab sottlesent at Bothsitts. This only unusual sight on this trip was analogs),
farmer plowing wild eao OX4 he plow was entirely of wood and eonsisted of
one long beta which ontendod *leer up to the assiomyeks, the plow point bolsi
simply a short beam sot at an angle to the plow beam, and the raptor welted
alongsid0 the ploy, holding it with one hand and goading the tagalong with
a long pointed stick hold in the other hand. 4:41to a 'entreat to the modem
Plow* sett her* at home.
%lotting bash to the ship at Haifa we proceeded to mludros. Grosso, the
island windmills oeen from a distanoo rentals' one of Holland. Next, to
Trieste, Italy, and then to Venice where we spent 5 days. Jo. fine oleos to
rest, and the 'rebel' and I put in s whole night in a gondola. wo inspected
the Lido and the Grand Gana, as well as the painted beauties who sit on
their balconies and wait for the smart uniformed sailors to some and make
love to then. The most interesting building was the Oathedral of t. Marks,
with its altar of solid gold encrusted with 3,000 precious stones and
which was stolen from the Mosque of bt. Baia, la Oonstantinoplesby the
Orustidors. Remeabor what I said about intolerance of Christians? It makes
me laugh to 4:self somata** when I think of the scatradietions ea* finds
is a world jouraity.
04, next put in at Gibraltar and *poet two days szehanging eourtosies
with the arms)", bunch of us also made a trip to iadxsoiras to oar a
bullfight. Ha, ha, I laugh yet at a drunken sailor who thought he'd show
the crowd how tans a bull was in the ring. as climbed over the fence and
started across the aroma about the same time the ploadore started postoriag
the bull. Guess the bull thought the sailor would be more friendly than

amest Gerber 00*
the pleaders for he started planate( toward him before he had get far teen
the fume. The sailer meet have been fuddled in the howls enure he waited
till the bull was elmest up to him before he whirled round to best it to the
fowls. Skidding as some fresh dams, the sailor want does, uniform aid all,
rolled over a few times la ease more fresh demi, finally stopping with the
big bull standing over biased blowing froth in his fates. The matadors and
Pleaders were there about is emotes the bull end they took the bull's *Sten*
*los long enough for some of us to get the sailor up sad over the tease.
The brave sailor wasn't hammed a bit, but didn't be get reseed from Shea on
for his appearanee Oben he reported beak to the ship.
ollos nest ealled at Amsterdam and ihetiterdsa, Holland. This is a beautiful
actuary, flowers everywhere, end the windmills are sertainly pleturesqwee.
The moatihteresting thing to as was the two outlying islands, Marken and
Vellendem, whisk, at that time it least, were a fine wimple for the student
of eugenic's. Lazy years ago the :seen of Holland issued an idiot that these
two islands should always remain as they were, the people to live, dress and
eat as they bad don* for centuries, preserving a sort of living monmseat
for the students of inning generations. well, I first visited marbles, on
'bleb the natives for years have been Pretentaate. Her. I was dewnrieht
disgusted with Ohat I sow. The people were all pale, eolorleee folks,
many or them vaeant•Oped end staring, maw verging on the idiotic, all in
a slate of lethargy, many sickly and erippled,sad their homes and surrounding'
showed the same slate of general debility. Here I found that, la spit* of
the feet that there never was a restrietion on lgreatioa so loag is the
newesener took up the instead mode of living, these people bad intermarried
for so many years that the tribe was fast getting to the point where there
was danger of 6 emplane walleye* of the whole settlement. Imagine my surprise

AMASS Gerber •44••
when I visited lbilendam, to find OboO thew* almost tho opposite extra's.
The people there had always been Catholis and as the etrarah forbids
intermsrrisge of blood relation, all those years there has been a constant
steady inbreeding of now blood into the settlement, and a blind man could
almost sense the dirforonse in the too Mande. birte, tha folks on Yolleadam
lived Soot the memo as their anosetors did, so ter as drove, eating and ether
customs are conserned, but they ore a happy, emorgetio, good looking bum*
of folks, in foot the mon sr* dama sear as good looking as the women. Isla
not a (Albeit* any more, or anything else for that matter, but I lemma
one lesson on that trip, and that is that blood really is thioker than water.
we next went to alatverp, Belgium, and some of us gat a nino•4117
lea,' to go to Psits. 'Rob' and I went together as we had been doing for
some time, and did we selebrato on that tript *hen we got to Paris I insisted
on sticking to a system we had worked out some time back... 411 both like to
drink our share and hove our shore of girls, but my idiosyncrasy was that
I didn't like to mix them, the girls usually got too sloppy or weepy; in facie
they aro a moss when they get drunk. klo I always insisted on tossing a vela
when we started sums seeds as would maim the rounds of the taverns, tails
we would look for the painted ladies. aoll, we had plenty of both, but mast
of this was at night; the daylight imure found us taking in the much advertised
sights, and taking a few pictures for our own albums. Qn our way bask to
intoorp me stopped in beautiful old isrussels, and shortly after as boarded
ship she ass ordered bock to the 'tat...
"Preparing for the homeward journey, we hoisted the hemooardsbound
pennant, a strip of small flags sash a foot long, ours being 860 feet to
length, one for sash on on the ship, ineluding the °Moors. Before relishing

;Jraest Gerber -37-
home the pennant is taken down and cut up, each man getting his flag for a
keepsake and souvenir of his tour in foreign 'Peter'.
It was now the fall of 1927 and after landing at Norfolk Hospital
was again sent to the radio station at aar Harbor, where I stayed nearly
two years. liuring the winter the crew were moved to another place and when
they asked for a volunteer to stay and guurd the property I spoke first and
they all voted to let me have the job. ell, I was back where I could again
use the skis and snowshoes, had the good Springfield rifle, plenty of ammunition,
lots of food and fuel, und not much to bother rA, except once in a while a prowler
trying to steal a load of copper from the storage. I shot a hole in a fellow's
Naa tank one night, he heard as getting up to inveatigete before he bad taken
anything and about the time I mined the window he lit out with his truck,
but I let him hate one so he'd know it wasn't sate to try it again. .nether
bight, later when the weather ens warmer, 1 woke up one night and heerd a
noise out by one of the 260 -foot wooden towers holding the antenna. I knew
there wasn't anything out there to steal but I went out with the rifle anyaay.
Imagine my surprise to see a man and a woman climbing up the tower ladder,
which was made of rough stuff and was only a temporary maksenift. when I
°ailed and asked where they were g_ing, the man uaid, up to the top.
told them there wee nothing doing, they'd better co e down or I'd take a
shot at than. They finally climbed down and whe 1 asked them what the big
idea was the girl snoke un and weld, I've '.6:.eve41 up' about every
other places along the Wane (west and seen he stumped me to try it up there
I said 'let's go. I was afraid one of them might fall off the tilii44 if
I let 'elm go up so I insisted that they met turn round and get off the
government reserve or I'd phone the sheriff. They finally left and I went
back to bed. ell. I had a fine tine hunting and taking pictures on that

1ernest .',.;erber
tour of duty. You knot the fine game preeerve belonging to -dsel i.toid uud
yeeng oakefeller we near theze and we bele were- eivea the freedom uf the
niece tosOlinall
we were i-ighty good in helping keep prowlers away frem there.
'ell, i wee celled back to 'Aorfolk and assigned to the dhitney *Lich
went on etlanti* ovet duty vitt the destroyer squadron. Not going into
detail about the fine things in our len country, I remained on the Ahitney
until 1= and -441R assigned to the League Island hospital_ t 7ailadelphla.
There is where we can tell about how I game to be a 'Georgia Cracker'
bemuse it *es luring my stay at Philadelphia that the matter wee eettled.
leurther beat in my story I mentioned Joe, the 'rebel,' as being the reason
for ter coming nere. -ell, it's funny how men will take a younger man uadar
teeir *lag or take chums of them, and that is c),/ Zoe and/came to bteldy
together after meeting on the Pittsburg.
11e time later he started telkieg
sneeemey about ho* we ought to fix things so we would ntve a Is to go to
*Len *e left the service, and he ems all for beying a fere where e could
both settle down and raise chickens. :aid he ens, the very section 'here
we would do the best. ef eourse he didn't prees the matter ell et once but
mentioned it once in a while to keen me interested. Alai, Phen I got to
;eiiledalphie, I had a lot of time on my wends, acnecially on week ends,
tied one time Toe invited me to spend the week end with his parents, who
were living in Ptilly dt teat time. l'ter e few visits with them they
started talking about this place *a are an, slat a fine place it Gould be
mede into, how cheep it could be boight, and thet it meg the very thing
for as to buy it awl neve a living in view when we elline out. ,e
agreed teat each of us would put in so much each month out of our pay,
his folks would move to the fern end get things in shape, improve it a =eh
en possible and they would be grateful for the chance to make their living

meat erger -40-
heaviest only 450 pounds. nd if it wasn't for the good neighbors sending
stuff over I don't know what we would have done for warden stuff. It seems
68 if there was always some very important matter to be attended to in town,
the weather was too hot or too oold, too wet or too dry, most anything for
an excuse to put the work off till the next day, which never comes.
*moll neighbor, I guess I've talked myself out. You know I got rid of
the big family and now have a new tenant, just man and wife, and I believe
they will do what I ask them to do; in fact, you ean see that they have
already cleaned the place up more than anyone else I've had and maybe I will
get over being discouraged and begin to make things bum as I want them to."
'well, Chief, that was some story, most enough for a book, if you Gould
let me put in all details, but I sent to know 'how come° you are so successfUl
with the 'buzzards' as you call them."
"That's easy. Just as soon as we had decided to buy a farm I begun to
write to different dealers in the -,tates, and to many concerns dealing in
materials connected with the poultry business. I also took a correspondence
course whica in connection with my own knowledge of anatomy and drugs have
given e a great advantage over the oroinary poultryman. Of course, I lave
made mistakes like everyone else. The biggest one was in not buying baby
chicks often enough. a time non I needed eggs most, and the market was
eight I didn't have layers enough and had to buy lower quality eggs to piece
out. 'ou itnow I weigh every egg I sell to my regular trade and don't deliver
one under two ounces in weight. The culls I sell to the stores."
"gall, Unief, one thing more before we quit. You told me one day
about plsns for raising grapes and making wine. .;%re you still logleing forward
to that?"

Ernest aerge
"Tess If I keep my health and nerve, I still plan to lay out sous of
these bills into a vineyard. I already have a small start, but it takes
capital to do the thing right* I have a bachelor friend IAN.* Tort:who
spent many years in ?Tense and who know the wins business as much as I do,
and if things work out to our satisfaction he ney cane down end go in with
ne on the proposition, and we will go into it on a laree scale. If he does
coos, we plan to tear down this old house, build a modern ',ungalow with
basement, lasing it toward that fine view of the mountain, and tear down
the barn which obstructs part of the view. I want to see that loag valley
pasture made into a *leer water lake, with perhaps a fee smell cottages on
the shore, and most of all, a pavilion where the good oeople could coca out to
sit and rest and sip some fine home-maie wine from Georgia grapes. lieybe
dreanIng, but I bet you have been dreaftdng too, nnd there ain't any harm
in us old folks dreaming.°
"Tess Chief, I've dreamed of owning a piece of leod in these red hills,
seeding it down to cover crops and rotating as they did where T. was raised,
just to show the folks that it alas be done. Pim too old to expeot to see
it throudk, but my two boys oould do it, and although I was born and raised
In the MAY, I Lope that they will become inured to the soil, and stick to it.*
**ells neigOtior, it's nearly tine to feed the huszards, so let's have
a little drink of wine and call it a
standing with our glossal in head I happened to be facing the pis:Aare
of his anoestral home, so I raised my Iles* and said, "to Switzerland..
The Chief raised his and said to Georgia.* together we said "Gesundheit."