Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 117, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1909 — COLLEGE GRADUATE TOURS EUROPE ON A BICYCLE. [ARTICLE]

COLLEGE GRADUATE TOURS EUROPE ON A BICYCLE.

Notre Dame Graduate Spends Sixteen Months Touring In Foreign Cities On Small Capital. . - Max J. Juraschek, a student at Notre Dame University, is receiving considerable newspaper mention for a very remarkable trip he took in Europe. He graduated from the law department of Notre Dame in 1908 and soon after went abroad. He arrived in Paris with $l2O, and used $55 of it ih the purchase of a motorcycle, and he then began a novel tour of Europe. During the ensuing 16 months he visited all the principal - cities of that country. He can understand English, French, German, Polish, Spanish, French and Italian languages and he had a most profitable trip from the educational standpoint and at a very meagre cost, as his $l2O lasted him the entire trip. He visited England first and then cycled six times into Germany, three times into Belgium, Holland, France, Austria and England and visited the principal cities in the countries named. The trip also included a tour of Spain, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Of the trip Mr. Jurascneksays:

“While in Italy, my patience was sorely tried on various occasions. Many times I was forced to carry the cycle for hours at a time through snow two feet deep, be wet all day long, stop to repair punctures to tires and jfnr hundreds of miles would be obliged to travel over places where there were no roads at all, but narrow paths. . -• "As to the treatment I received along the bong route traveled, I must say that the English and the, Frehch people were of the most overbearing kind, while the most hospitable kind on earth that I encountered on the trip were the Norwegian, Swede and Danish. There was nothing too good for me when I visited these latter countries and every courtesy was extended to me.. : During my stay in the foreign countries, I was the guest on many occasions of the nobility and while in Copenhagen, Denmark, was entertained by the American minister, Morris Francis Egan. The latter was not only a personal friend, but I knew Mr. Egan when he was a professor at Notre Dame university. The minister extended a warm welcome bn my arrival there. At Stockholm, I was also entertained by an engineer to the king. “During my visit to* many of the capitals of European countries, I was called on to address the students of universities and I did not fall to tell them of what a great country America was and in particular of San Antonio, where my parents and brothers and sister*? reside. In all. matters I was truthful and had nothing to hide in the address made to all bodies that I faced. . - the entire trip I received numberless proposals of marriage from various . young ladies in the countries traveled and at least 100 from pretty senoritas of Spain, AH. were anxious to get me for a husband from the fact that I had traveled.over, so much territory. The majority of the offers of marriage came in the nature of written proposals, while not a few popped the question in person. The majority of the invitations to wed are very unique affairs and are extremely humorous. “As to my jail experience, everybody who has traveled as I have done, are liable to arrest at almost any time. I was incarcerated just two

times. The first occurred in Genoa, Italy, wheju I was taken into custody for, the offense of carrying a pocket knife with a blade that was two inches too long according to law. In this instance I had a narrow escape from serving from three to six months sentence in Jail, for toting a pistol. I was carrying the weapon for. selfprotection when arrested, but managed to slip the gun down my pants leg while the guards were in the act of searching me. You can rest assured that the scare given me on that occasion taught me a lesson, and I dispensed with my article of war from that time on. - "the night that I spent in that Italian dungeon was one of horror and will furnish me with nightmare material for. years to come. The small room, or jail cell which I was forced to occupy for the night was filled wltjfi one of the dirtiest lot of villains that I was ever obliged to gaze on before. On the following morning when I was frpip, custody wlth reprimand and' a warning not to carry such an ugly knife again, my entire body vM seeking with Alttay vermluv, .It wee just: horrible, and pen and-tongue-i>o*scf!be the. Plctqre of conditions as they actually existed thJT®;, t.' in: id n ?vu hytti '(l • •*>wwS’ wcoad Jail introduction ppcurjwyi ,hL Hamburg.,, Germany, when I, upp . arrested In that city fpr being a spy. ..Tivs authorities detained, me for, sqverpl hours, but on arrival of the judge of that district, and my explanation of how f I happened to he there*.. J, was given my liberty. “Considering a)l lh all, I was 1 very fortunate In keeping out of jail from the fact that I had no passport from this, country and was more liable to arrest for that very reason. The next