Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-09-03
European Letters.
From our regular correspondent
LUcERSE. SWITZERLAND,
Aug. 10th, 1873.

LCCERNE, oWiTZERLAND, [
Aug. 10th, 1873.
| think | ought TO know something
about mountains, having lived among
them the better half OF my Lie. Not un-
til was sixteen years OF age was | out
of sight of some of the boldest scenery
Of the Appalachian range. | came to
Switzerland determined TO look critically
at the Alps. and to see if they had been
as much overdone by gushing tourists as
some other European scenery; the Rhine
tor instance. But | confess with humilia-
ton that the Alps far surpass any noun
tains OF our eastern range. and that they
are the greatest cumulatious OF earth and
rock | ever saw. The management OF
the weather did not see lit to lift the cur
tain Of cloud during my stay at Geneva,
so | missed view of Mont Blanc, but |
saw the Jungfrau at Interaken, which is
more than twice the height OF Noun.
Washington, and many other mountains
that would make the peaks OF Otter in
Virginia look tame But with all its wild,
sublime grandeur. and sequestered
beauty, Switzerland does not leave
pleasant impression, like the smiling
plains OF Normandy There is too much
emphasis, the senses are strained and
iatiguedi variety is spice. but one even
prefers platitude TO eternal hyperbole.
Mature Is here too protentous Her men
Is 100 naughty. One likes 20 be coaXtd not com.
PEELED
To the homage such beauty resenis If withheld.
She seems 70 be saying too plainly Admire meP
And answer, Yes. Madam, 10. but you tire
me.'p
Then again we are accustomed 10 look
at nature in her relations 10 human life,
and 1t 10 not the high. snowy peaks. cas-
tellated rocks. aud fosming mountain
torren, that suggest plenty and content
The Swiss are The homeliest people that
| have seen in Europe. They are indus
trious, and perhaps happy, but their faces
and limbs reflect the frown of the noun
tains and are tragic with generations OF
desperate battles for subsistence. They
are very frugal people. In economy
they are inferior only to the French, who
are stingy. misery, denying themselves
comforts and living in miserable little
chambers. all that they make dazzling
appearance on the Boulevards and in the
Cafes.
Away up on the mountain side. on the
edge OF precipices or under them, at an
elevation OF five thousand or six thousand
feet. may be seen the Swiss chslets. or
even villages. the roots weighted down
with large stones TO prevent the hurricane
from sweeping them away. Here they
have their little farms and gardens. every
inch Of which has boen made productive.
On these extreme heights goats, sheep,
and few cows, but no horses. are TO be
found. The principal industry of Switzer-
land is no longer, it would appear. in
watch making, wood carving, or the
manufacture OF musical boxes, but in
hotel keeping. No part of Europe is so
tourist-hsunted, and hotels are to be
found everywhere, and Of every class.
from the little ex.eriorly unprepossessing
but interiorly clean and comfortable. inn.
TO the grand hotel. with marble floor and
spike coat-tailed waiter. l prefer the
little inns. Anthem you will get as good
u room, as clean bed, and better table,
at about half tho price charged by the
more fashionable houses. Though the
price charged by the fashionable houses
is not large, not often more than two dol
lars and half per day. do not know
out that those walters in white crsyats
aud black swallow tail coats may be very
agreeable to some people, but upon me
they have tunereal and depressing
effect. Then too. at the grand hotels they
have too much system, they have got il
down too fine, know too accurately just
how much is required to keep soul and
body together, and Craze the frontier OF
starvation most too close. All OF them
feed on the theory that every man wants
just as much as, and no more than, an
other. The table d hOte in Europe is
very different ftom ours. There is a
great flourish of courses and plate, too
much plate and too few viciuals; | have
often left the table hungry, to finish of at
II restaurant do not remember ever to
have left quite satisfied, though their
s.ereotyped menu OF soup, fish, veal.
chicken, green beans. fruit, dessert, and
coffee, each in separate course, with long
interval between, and administered
homeopathicaliy gives, ior the moment
8 deceittul sense Of fullness. Apropos OF
this subject must tell you that while in
Paris ordered horse steak one morning
| for breakfast. (breskfast at hotels in
Europe is not tG6le d hote and one can
order one kind OF meat, and eggs,) and
1t tasted go much like the peculiar soggy
beef steak we had been eating all the
time, that i, set me rejecting. The
guests at the hotel. most of whom arc
Americans, did not have stomach for my
practical test, but were curious TO know
how i, tasted, and since have told them
it tasted precisely like beef steak, that
! ....Io Los ham at q d;enonnt. lhoy ordar