The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-08-11
Letter FROM The EDITOR.

SWITZERLAND, July 10, 1888.
Sabbath in the mountains of Switzerland
There is something in that especially on day
in midsummer something to enjoy ard re-
member The scene is lovely; the day as quiet
as true devotion. Do not expect description.
Word painting is not in my line oil ! can do
is to suggest Think of bright little spot of
earth where two ranges of mountains have re-
coded Just far enough to allow few husband
men to earn their bread by the sweat of their
brow-of green valley through which a clear,
swift brook makes music all day lOng-Of gent
ly sloping hills rich in grass and grain, their
sides gushing with cool spriDgs-Of waterfalls
and sparkling fountains of the everlasting
mountains embracing all, crowned with tho
dark hemoek,Or lifting their bare white peaks
to catch th1 first and the last rays of the sun
think Of these thing, and group them to please |
yourself, color them as your fancy may dictate,
and then, though you may not SEQ what we
see, you may possibly feel as we feel on this day
of our Lord in the mountains of Switzerland.
This is a Protestant region. The village is
still the people look clean and nOas, in their
Sunday clothes the laborer is at rest the bell |
of the little chapel on the hill, not far of, call
ed its worshippers early to their devotions. 1t
is a cleaner village than any We passed on our
way from Basic to this place In some Of
them, beds Of manure were piled up against
the dwellings and dung pools stood at the
kitchen door The meats must have been nobly
favored. One howell would often embrace I'M
der single roof stable, kitchen and bedroom,
communicating with one another, thus concen-
tratng manifold comforts in brief space This
kind of fthiness is common to the continent
The huts Of tie peasants, and the little villages,
are generally dirty beyond the conception Of
an American. We could not but notice in
Switzerland that there was far more filth and
squalor and poverty, and Il great deal less in
dustry and thrift, in the Catholic than in the
Protestant portions of the canton.
The sun shone fercely during our ride; but
the bare-legged, bare-armed, and in many cases
bare-headed, peasants in the fields did not seem
to mind it. All along the way, in France, Bel
GUM Germany, Switzerland there were appa.
rently more women than men harvesting the
men are used for soldiers, the women for beasts
Of burden There can he no objection to some
out-Ofdoor work for woman. Light employ
ment in the field for n few hours every day at
certain seasons, may contribute to her health
and physical development but to make her a
drudge, as the women of the poor arc made on
the continent is rascally Before middle age
they become bent, misshapen, blackened, and
shrivelled and while they labor, their children
too young for work, haunt the wayside as beg
gars. On the railway you escape from them
but in our carriage from Basic we were con.
tinually beset by them. Three or four would
watch their opportunity just as we were about
rising hill, knowing that we were then a
their mercy if we were stubborn, one or two
of the more determined, on our reaching thu
summit, would trot along with us, bare-iooted
with the sun scorching their white heads, till
we were fairly overcome | was fool enough
to empty my pockets Of everything but my
gold but on that point stood invulnerable
much as admired the pertinacity of the sturdy
little beggars
Everywhere we have found tracks of Ameri
cane. People cay they are as plenty on the
continent as Englisbmcn. Few Of them speak
any language but their own but by the help
of phrase books, and hotel keepers who have
contrived to pick up English words for what
their guests are most apt to call for in the way
of eating and drinking, they get along" toll
erably we'll without starving. An English
gentleman remarked to ne, that Americans
abroad were az stiff and reserved as his own
countrymen That is true only where they
cannot make themselves understood Brother
Jonathan is very sociable gentleman where
ever he can hold Intercourse but when he
cannot, he throws hinlselfon his reserved rights
and becomes digniGed upon compulson. My
own French is just little better than none,
for speaking purposes. can think of the right
word, but scarcely ever at the right time; and
seldom understand what il said to me in that
language, till it is too late to answer. Our
Swiss driver from Basle was recommended be-
cause he could speak French so seated my
self beside him, determined to learn what
could from him; but doubt whether he was
much more proficient than myself for he was
almost az much puzzled 10 understand me- as
was 10 understand him. However, we passed
the time quite socially, taking great deal for
granted, making merry over our blunders and
at the end of the day congratulated ourselves
on our mutual acquisitions On one occasion