y, he must have been apprenticed at
the proper age to a properly-constituted master; must have regularly
completed his period of apprenticeship, and have passed the appointed
time in travel. The worst part of all these regulations is, that, as
they vary in almost every state, the unfortunate wanderer has to conform
to a new set of laws in every new land he enters.

One other regulation is almost universal. Each guild must have a place
of meeting; not a sumptuous hall, but mere accommodation in a
public-house. It is called the "Herberge," and answers, in many
respects, to our "House of Call." This is the weary traveller's place of
rest--he can claim a shelter here; indeed, in most cases, he dares sleep
nowhere else. Here also the guild holds its quarterly meetings. By way
of illustration, let us take the Goldsmith's Herberge in Hamburg; the
"Stadt Bremen" is the sign of the house. In it, the goldsmiths use a
large, rectangular apartment, furnished with a few rough tables and
chairs, and a wooden bench running round its four walls. On the tables
are arranged long clay pipes, and in the centre of each table is a small
dish of what the uninitiated might take to be dried tea leaves. This is
uncut tobacco, which the host, the father of the House of Call, is bound
to provide. The secretary and messenger of the guild of goldsmiths are
there, together with one or two of the "Altgesellen" (elder journeymen),
who perform the active part of the duties of the guild. The minutes of
the last meeting, and the incidents of the quarter--possibly, also, an
abstract of the rules--having been read, and new officers, to supersede
those who retire, having been balloted for, the business of the evening
closes. Then commences a confusion of tongues; for here are congregated
Russians, Hungarians, Danes, Hamburgers, Prussians, Austrians; possibly
there may be found here a member of every state in the German Union.
None are silent, and the dialect of each is distinct. Assiduously, in
the pauses of his private conversation, every man smokes his long pipe,
and drinks his beer or punch. Presently two female harp-players
enter--sources of refreshment quite as popular in Hamburg as the punch.
They strike up an infatuating waltz. The effect is wonderful. Two or
three couples (men waltzing with men, of course) are immediately on their
feet, scrambling, kicking, and scraping round the room; hugging each
other in the most awkward manner. Ch